We may be headed into a recession. Or not! The so-called experts are all over the place so it is anyone’s guess. However, the resumption of payments on student loans is suspected to be a factor. While I certainly can’t say if we will or won’t slide into a recession, I can say that it is always better to be prepared.

As a travel agency owner, the pressure is especially high given that people are always looking for ways to save money and budget more carefully during uncertain economic times. But while it might seem tempting to pull back on your marketing efforts, this is one of the worst things you can do for a…

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." ~ Albert Einstein

Talent.  You have it or you don't... Right? Isn't talent the reason Bobby Fischer was a grand master chess player at 19?  Isn't talent why Bill Gates was a boy genius and is now one of the world's richest man, or why Tiger Woods was a child golf prodigy? Is talent why some people seem to be natural born successes and others struggle up and down the steep slopes of the Pareto Principle their entire life, never breaking into the top 20% of their chosen field?

Maybe…

I love to visit early morning coffee shops when I am away from home. I listen to the locals meet and greet their friends during their daily ritual on their way to work. It truly is better entertainment for me than today’s TV selections.

A recent visit brought me to The White Castle on Central Avenue in Clark, N.J. This could very well have been the birthplace of the famous New Jersey “Death Ball”—a greasy hamburger about the size of a quarter. (Their coffee is their redeeming factor.)

I was nestled in the corner hiding behind my open laptop when a policeman walked in and greeted the grill master. He then started chatting with another regular stool patron as they both propped themselves up against the counter.…