I don't know about you, but I am feeling the holiday season. Something about big family meals and too many sweet treats really makes you want to settle down for a long winter's nap. I know better than to give in, though—the new year is upon us, and that means it's time to get up and start strong.

They say there are two things you don't talk about in polite company: politics and religion. I think money makes a lot of people uncomfortable, too. It is one of those unspoken taboos of conversation. While we see money as something we wish to obtain, talking openly about net worth or the cost of our various assets—homes, rents, or purchases—whether asking others or bringing it into the conversation, is seen as rude.

I find myself getting frustrated with New Year's resolutions. Time and time again, it feels like the same thing. The fault seems not to be in the desire to change and do better, or even in a lack of follow through and lasting motivation. Though these things can trip us up, I think, ultimately, the problem of new year's resolutions comes down to a failure to set out with good goals.

The world of nutrition can seem fuzzy and mysterious to us sometimes. It tends to get wrapped up and conflated with dieting and weight loss, when, in fact, nutrition is much more about the science of how food affects the body. There’s a lot more to it than simply watching your caloric intake.

Resources. Connections. Great marketing. A solid pitch. What do you think leads to success as an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurship can take many forms, and in our society, it’s more popular than ever to strike out on your own as a business owner. But when we look at the statistics, we see just how tough it is to really crack the code in the world of entrepreneurship.

Do you feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done? Are you ending your workday wondering where all of your time has gone? Chances are, there are many of us who could stand to be more productive. Whether you realize it or not, we spend a lot of our time in unproductive and inefficient ways. Time slips through our fingers more easily than we realize, and this hinders us from achieving all that we’re capable of.

I have been waiting eagerly for it to finally feel and look like fall here in Tennessee. While most of the nation has seen the turning of leaves and a felt a chill in the air, we have only recently seen the colors begin to turn. This is a great time of the year. While it can be busy, it also means time with family and friends, great meals and get-togethers, and small reprieves and joys from the hustle and bustle of it all.

We live in a world that suffers from an epidemic of loneliness. In our hyper-connected, social media-driven world, more than ever we seem disconnected from real, meaningful relationships and especially from invested friendships with our peers.

The holidays are a busy, distracted time. Whether your brain is going a mile a minute thinking of all of the shopping you have to get done, anxious to make it to the weekend, or fretting about hosting the next holiday bash, work is often the last thing on your mind. At the very least, you probably want to stop and catch your breath so that you can savor the season. Because of this, we often find ourselves feeling distracted and unmotivated at work.

Most of us, when we hear the word entrepreneur, think of inventors, business owners, and those at the forefront of the new and innovative. On the outside looking in, the life of an entrepreneur can seem highly desirable. It comes with notoriety, wealth, and success. Who doesn’t want that?

The holidays are just around the corner, and with that comes health challenges galore. Whether it’s the temptation of grandma’s iconic pumpkin pie or your aunt’s fattening hit appetizers, the food temptations never cease. Get-togethers are rampant, and we eat...and eat...and eat again. Sweets are in no short supply, and we can’t seem to help but over-indulge.

Company culture is often taken for granted. It’s difficult to summarize company culture in a single definition—these intangible elements that create our working environments for better or for worse. One could call it the personality of your company—comprised of your mission, ethics, values, expectations, goals, and environment. These things add up and impact the day-to-day, who you hire, who stays, and how you operate.

The last thing we think about while at the gym, working up a sweat, pumping iron, and feeling testosterone surging through our veins...is etiquette. But, if we’re also honest, no one wants to be “that guy” at the gym, either. Too many people are blissfully unaware of how they’re really supposed to behave at the gym, and what is and isn’t acceptable.

I don’t know about you, but there’s something about sitting at my desk all day that makes me so hungry. Kidding. I don’t sit all that much (I’m a busy guy!). But I definitely remember those days, and still have them from time to time, when the desk is just a necessity. And when you’re staring at a screen, sorting through a sea of emails, making dozens of calls, or writing your next best-seller...something about it really stirs up the appetite.

Are you an ineffective leader? It’s far from a comfortable question, but it’s necessary to ask of ourselves. We each have a need for routine critical self-examination. When we lack introspection, we often get stuck in our own patterns of thinking and acting without consideration. This means that we get trapped telling ourselves lies—and believing them—to the detriment of our careers and colleagues.

Effective leadership demands much, including the ability to be a great salesman. What exactly do I mean by that? I mean mastering the art of persuasion. So much of leadership involves convincing others that what you want them to do is what they want to do.

If you’re at all a serious runner, you may have caught wind of something called a “recovery run.” These runs have become popular in recent years, and there are a lot of claims and assumptions that fly around about what they’re actually supposed to be and do for us endurance runners. Many coaches will claim that they flush lactic acid build up from the legs by increasing blood flow, or that they promote tissue repair.

I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do when I’m on a long drive, on a run, or working around the house is listen to podcasts. There are so many quality programs out there these days that it’s impossible to find time to listen to them all.

Are you sabotaging your career without realizing it? I think that in many ways, we don’t totally realize just how much our thoughts and unconscious behaviors really matter when it comes to our success. We often believe that success comes down to our actions—without considering just how much those actions are influenced by the thoughts and subtle behaviors that lead us there.

Who do you picture when you think of a gentleman? I have to admit, there’s a part of me that always imagines Cary Grant. There’s something idealistic about a clean-cut, no-nonsense man in a suit ready to sweep a woman off her feet and be the hero of the movie.