Over my lifetime I have become an avid reader of all things personal and professional growth. I’ve also come to learn that many people don’t have time to read, don’t like to read or don’t know what to read to help them live a Fantastic Life. This blog is a shortcut to articles and stories that I’ve found helpful. There are thousands in this library, organized by topic and by Fantastic Life rule. Even better, I’ve summarized each entry and highlighted what’s most important. So you don’t have to.
Categories

Setting Boundaries as a Leader
Leading is not easy. In fact, it is damn hard. I learned the following lessons the hard way by not setting boundaries and overextending myself for

Phases of Growth
Growth isn’t linear—and where you are shapes how you think, work, and lead. I created this to help individuals identify their current phase of growth

OBC
I created and use what we call Objective Based Communication (OBC). Instead of sending paragraphs on something, we keep things simple and always in bulleted form.

Self-Managing Yourself
Self-managing doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through ownership, capability, and better thinking. This moment of genius outlines a clear path from initial learning to true

Problem Solving Pyramid
Not all problem-solving creates value—how you show up matters. Build a culture where people bring answers, not just awareness, and leaders coach capability instead of

Preparing for Meetings
Great meetings are built before anyone enters the room. When preparation is done right, execution follows naturally and results improve.

LOCK
Over the last 30 years, I have been continuously training at least one runner (sort of like an intern or mentee) at all times. I

Ingredients
Success isn’t about doing more—it’s about having the right ingredients. This framework helps teams identify the small, often-missing elements that create outsized results, then refine

Delegation
Delegate wisely. Assign different tasks to the right people. You can’t do everything alone. This delegation framework shows how to transfer responsibility the right way,

Ceilings of Complexity
Growth doesn’t stall because of effort—it stalls because of complexity. This concept was created by my coach, Dan Sullivan, and The Strategic Coach. I have

Planning and Executing
Big goals don’t fail—poor execution does. Drawing from my rocks GRAVEL sand book, we used this format to create and use a practical planning and

It’s not about you
I spent the first 53 years thinking about my career, my achievements, and, well, generally about me. Then I got cancer. During Chemo and radiation,

Don’t Die Protocol
I thought the subject line would grab your attention. The article below about Bryan Johnson’s health protocols caught my attention right away. And then the first

Building Character
I thought about character for a long time. Finally, I wanted to put my conclusions in a deck. I created this Moment of Genius to

Confidence and The 4C’s
The 4C’s concept originally came from my coach, Dan Sullivan, and The Strategic Coach. That is the first part of the deck. I wanted to

The Healing Power of Nature
Short message today (and one I have generally sent before): Get outdoors more. We were meant to be outside in nature. Getting outside is not

Follow These 3 Daily Habits to Live Longer
This quarter, I wanted to share some simple rules we all should consider incorporating into our lives from people who have lived to 100 or

Systems over Scoreboards?
I follow everything James Clear says to make my life better. And yes, one of my rules for a Fantastic Life is to set goals.

Action Items after an event
Our Commercial real estate team, The Coppola-Cheney Group, attends over 500 events a year. Sounds like a lot — and it is. We created a

The Household Nest Changes – But So Do We
We raised 4 kids. They are all launched and doing great. There is a huge transition from having kids in the house to being an

Discipline
Discipline has gotten a bad rap lately. Somewhere along the way, “I don’t feel like it” started sounding like wisdom. It’s not. Discipline isn’t about

Mindful Eating
Here is something I am personally working on, so I thought I would share. Mindful eating isn’t a diet—it’s awareness. Slow down, pay attention, and stop

Longevity
Ezekiel Emanuel’s story about his parents (below)—both vibrant into their 90s—reminds us that health isn’t just diet or discipline. It’s connection. Real, everyday connection. — Connection

Find Your Specific Knowledge Through Action
I love Naval’s idea that we only find our “specific knowledge” by getting into the arena and doing the work. You don’t discover your strengths

Pursuing the Impossible and Why
I’ve been setting big goals for a long time. And many times, I’ve been chasing more than one at once—building a business, raising four kids,

Matching Decisions
In the Zero Hedge blog below, the author hits a bullseye, quoting Henry Hazlitt, who hits on a truth: match the decisions you make today

Mental Toughness
In my opinion, mental toughness is a real differentiator. The sport GOATs know it, and so does anyone who’s pushed through a tough stretch in

Characteristics of High Value People
We live in a world that keeps tallying everything—followers, titles, opinions. Real value has nothing to do with any of that noise. The highest-value people

Productivity Is Not Only About Checking Boxes
We all want to be productive, right? Create a to-do list, get stuff done, check the box. Rinse and repeat. But that’s NOT actually what we only

The Climb
I have been on the climb for a long, long time, and what is crazy is that I have been on several different mountain summits