The other day I had the great pleasure of sitting with a famous painter from Sicily known as Sebastian (his business card just says Sebastian Painter). He speaks in very broken English and understanding him requires having to pay close attention. But you don’t have to see his absolutely stunning work to get a sense

I always regard Independence Day as a special occasion for two reasons. First, it means we have six months left to accomplish our goals in any given year, and second, it offers an opportunity to declare our independence from anything that we do not care for in our lives. I can happily say that this

Having done my share of mentoring, I know how important it can be to receive professional guidance and inspiration at a critical stage of one’s career. But I also know that you’re never too old to be mentored – and that there are times when the right influence can keep you from becoming jaded or

Last week I attended the Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego. It was larger than Fortune Brainstorm Green, which I talked about in my previous post on the necessity of making sustainability about “us.” I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to go, but as I already had paid for the day, I

Last week I attended my favorite “green” or sustainability conference of the year — the Fortune Brainstorm Green Conference.  I particularly enjoy hanging with people that are true believers like Joel Makower, Rick Ridgeway, Bill McDonough and Rob Bernard, and listening to the interviewing style of the Fortune writers covering the event. But driving back

Today I am going shopping for groceries with a big smile, because this Sunday I am doing something I absolutely love, and that is cooking for a group of people. For me cooking is a creative outlet much like poetry or painting, it springs from the heart. This weekend is going to be fantastic because

The other day, I joined my daughter and her friends who were hanging out at the beach. Maybe it was the sun reflecting on the surf that caused me to reflect back on all that’s happened since I used to routinely visit the beach — not just as a place hang out with the kids

I have long heard about the trails at Rancho Santa Fe, but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to add these strangely beautiful paths to my hiking venues.  I spent almost four hours navigating their many twist and turns, which sort of reminded me of those we regularly encounter in life. Traversing these trails,

On the day after all the vitality of the Natural Products Expo West came to an end, I felt thoroughly depleted. Since it was 80 degrees in San Diego when I got home, I went straight to the beach to allow myself to ‘desensitize and decompress’. The breeze was unbelievable for March, and surveying the

Do you ever ask yourself whether something you’re doing is worth all the time and trouble involved?  That’s what I found myself doing on a recent flight from L.A. to New York for the purpose of attending some Monday morning meetings. First, there was the business of having to leave my San Diego home on