In disgreements with people who are important in your life like children, significant others, bosses, customers, clients, and old friends deal only with the current situation. Do not bring up what happened in the past. Life is most happily lived in forward drive.

Never apologize for your extreme opinions when defending your values, your health, or the safety of the people you treasure. You may be asked to leave a doctor's office when you request another opinion or just outright refuse to do it his way, you may be fired for not following orders, or you may find yourself losing a friend when you stand up to your own ethical values but I encourage you to live by your personal ethics and values even in election years.

Remember that how you express yourself and the words you choose to use are as important as what you say. Get a communications coach and learn how to say it better than you do now.

Ask your children at the end of the school day, "What did you learn today?" rather than "What did you do today?"

When you tell a child or a direct report to do something, don¹t follow the instruction with, "Okay?" Ask rather, "Do you understand?"

Remember, when giving a talk, that people may not remember exactly what you said; but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Don't gather "contacts"; build relationships instead.