I think you need to be a parent to appreciate this. And yes peoples... listen to the lyrics if you want to understand the point to this video. Songs are not just beats, strings and keys. ;-)

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I'm a sucker for a New York story, especially ones that are actually shot in Manhattan, not just fly-over shots of the skyline or shots across the Hudson or East River implying the story takes place there. Much of The Good Guy's appeal is its authenticity. It's as if Wallstreet met The Fountainhead, on a smaller scale.

The Good Guy is presented as a romantic comedy, but as most romantic comedies being produced these days, it's more of a romantic dramady. Set in the post economic collapse of contemporary Manhattan, as you may expect the Wall Street decadence has not faltered. It's a story of integrity in love set against the culture of downtown New York City. That is Beth (Alexis Bledel), a young and attractive Manhattanite is in what seems a loving relationship, wrestling with her desire for some elements to be better. Her boyfriend Tommy (Scott Porter) is coming up short on taking her away on a vacation as he appears more consumed with work.

We begin at the end of the story. Tommy, a young Wall Street hot-shot shows up to his girlfriend Beth's apartment explaining he's had the worst night of his life and in need of his wallet. Meanwhile she won't let him in, she takes it to him at the doorstep then turns him away ...    more »

This afternoon I as driving and talking to my eldest son about right and wrong. In an attempt to explain to him the value of what right is to him alone I explained that in life, we all quietly to our self build a resume of respect for our self.

Think about this carefully. What is it that we value from the people whom are important in our lives, from friends and relatives to people that can be of influence in our business lives such as someone that reports to us or whom we report to? People have no interest in maintaining a relationship with those they do not respect.

In life we all build equity of respect from the world around us. What does an athlete want from his peers? He wants to be recognized as being capable or superior or remembered for a feat. He (or she) wants respect. What does a wife expect to earn from a husband if she stays at home to raise children? Appreciation that ultimately is respect. For my son I expressed to him that in life every one of us is on a path in which we hope to build a resume of respect from all of those that come into our life. I explained that I as his father, his brother, his mother, his friends and even his teachers measure him by an unspoken variable ...respect.

You build on this. In time you build a bank of equity; and equity of respect. Have you heard of the term "self worth"? Sure it has everything to do with self-esteem, but it has a deeper meaning. Your confidence and pride in yourself is spawned from the respect you have for yourself. The exception is of course is those people without a moral compass. But for the remaining 99 percent of us, we operate day-to-day in hopes of doing things that garner respect.

Let's explore the issue of moral compass briefly. Without a moral compass, respect is of no consequence. There are times in all of our lives that we let go of our moral compass. The things we do in that time are usually self-absorbed acts, if anything people fear us, they do not respect us for our actions. While it's true we respect power and what can be accomplished from it, we don't respect the entity, we respect the power. In business some people are sharks, they rise to the top by killing everything in their path, they don't care (no moral compass) what anyone thinks as they rise above others. If the law doesn't catch them, they continue to lay waste to everything in their quest for their own gain. They mistake people's respect for their power as respect from them as a person when in fact there is no respect to be had. Only those that confuse their power and misconstrue what they see respect a shark. A shark in the ocean is a whole other story. Everything in the sea respects the shark.

Yes you go to work for a paycheck, not respect. Or do you? If you earn respect doesn't that give you credibility in opportunity for advancement? And who among us goes to work simply to put in 8 hours and go home? The fact is we all want to push the envelope, we work hoping to leverage everything we do into another opportunity for MORE. We all want to go forward and to do so a key component is respect. Respect you gain from others and respect you gain for yourself.

Have you ever let yourself down? How do we often refer to that act? We refer to it as losing a little, self-respect. Yes, there is an equity of respect.

When you date someone what is it you value most from them? Their desire for your body or the respect they have for your mind? And I said value most. Look -- I like a beautiful body as much as the next guy but if a woman is all beauty and no intellect, I'm not going to be able to sustain a meaningful relationship with her. Without respect for a woman's mind, I have no interest in maintaining a relationship. That is the key for ...    more »

Have you ever refrained from giving someone advice because you know it's beyond they're comprehension of acceptance? No, I'm not talking about telling someone to quit smoking or lose some weight. However those examples would work.

I think a good example is youth. Ever heard of the saying, "the hard way" as in learning the hard way. Some people have to learn the hard way. In youth you can warn someone of the mistakes they are making or the path they are following but it is impossible for your advice to penetrate their level of understanding and acceptance. In a case such as this, all you can think to yourself is: "You won't get it until it's too late."

I write a lot of advice here. I comment for your entertainment. I'm not a know it all although if all you ever did was read my articles you'd think so. So it's important you know I don't run about dispensing advice to everyone around me. I save that for my kids.

We all watch or read the news. We see world events; we often see the future but can't stop it because so many of us have an agenda that only looks over the hood of our car. Yet we all know when driving no one ever looks just in front of our vehicle, we peer down the road. I knew a girl once that was drop dead gorgeous. She ran over guys and felt being a bitch was her right. She didn't have a lot of personality, but she had looks. I warned her, one day your looks will fade and if you don't choose a man early on that is in it for you and not your looks, then later you'll find yourself bitter and lonely even if ...   more »

I don't want to come off like a motivational life coach. This plan is really how you do it. It's simple.

If you want to reach any goal, it can't be a mere vision quest. OK... if it's one goal you have burned into your psyche then yes, that's a vision quest. The New Year's Resolution is different.

First off, most of us have a few resolutions. You can have as many as you want, but the key to each and every one is WRITE IT DOWN.

We've all heard that before. It's not the key to keeping your resolution. The key is to make yourself accountable. To do this, POST your resolutions for all to see. No, not on your MySpace page ...Well maybe. It depends on how personal it is.

No. You post it in your cubical at work, or on the fridge at home. When others see your goals, you are now accountable. Now let's use an example, one all of us can relate to. A new job. Let's say in this coming year you want a new job. Road map it. By January 10th you'll have your resume completed, or updated. Whichever. Then you set small goals. Each week you promise yourself that the resume will be sent out to no less than two new prospective employers per week. If after three weeks you are not hired you will send it to no less than 5 or 8 prospective employers. You make a goal of no less than one interview per week. These are all bullets under your listed resolution/goal.

Let's say it's lose weight, or just plain eating better. For instance last year I gave up donuts. This year I intend to minimize my chocolate consumption. One dark chocolate bar per day and only if ...   more »