By Scott Westerman “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” Albert Ellis One of my favorite Earl Nightingale…

To my beloved Grandson: Once upon a time My hand was just as yours. Life was simple. Needs were few. Every day was something new. As time went by awareness came Of love and hate, of pride and shame Of black and white and shades of gray. And sometimes just to survive…

By Scott Westerman “He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland My son had his first solo evening with his three-week-old on Friday night. While mom was enjoying her first post-pregnancy night out with the girls, Brandon and…

By Scott Westerman “Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves – regret for the past and fear of the future.” – Fulton Oursler Life happens. Time passes and we all tend to get caught up in the minutia of the day to day. It’s easy to forget the important…

By Scott Westerman “The most important things in our lives are our relationships and the most rewarding medium for strengthening them is the time we spend together.” My Klout score is  65. My stock value at Empire Avenue is 51.24. I have 2,300 Twitter followers, 831 LinkdIn and 1,063 Facebook…

One of the reasons that the Apple iPad is so revolutionary is the Face Time application. We’ve had Skype for awhile, but the ease of use and portability that iPad and Face Time bring together is a game changer. When Hudson came a week earlier than we expected, it was…

By Scott Westerman “If you’re proactive, you don’t have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own.” – Stephen Covey I recently spent the day with a group of Spartans who work for Google. I was there to ask them…

By Scott Westerman “In every career… You build a body of work, but you also build a body of affection, with the people you’ve helped who’ve helped you back.” – Robert Krulwich Has anyone ever asked you one of these questions? “My position at the state is about to be…

By Scott Westerman “Chance makes our parents, but choice makes our role models.” Watch this video on YouTube. When I was growing up, television depicted life as a series of mini dramas that all resolved happily in 30 minutes or less. Adults were infallible sages. We turned to them for…

Photo: Becky Johns Photography “Decide what you value so you know what you’re willing to pay to get it. Then pursue that goal with discipline and work ethic—but not to a point of obsession.” – Tom Izzo Megan Gebhart will soon join my flock as an alumna of Michigan State…