No matter who you are, you will encounter setbacks in your career. No matter how diligent you are in business, things just don't always go according to plan. Your success or failure is often not determined by these setbacks, but by your response to them.

Summertime. While I've often bemoaned the Tennessee heat, I really do enjoy this time of year. For me, it's not just about wearing shorts, grilling out, and hitting the beach, though all of those things are a lot of fun. Summer is a season of vibrancy. The sun doesn't set until well after eight in the evening where I am. My early morning runs are dark and serene, while my days feel full and accomplished.

Your business card matters. Shocker, right? It can seem like you hand out a million of the things and only a fraction of those contacts ever turn into real, viable leads for your business. We seem to be beyond business cards these days. But there is still a need and even an expectation for them. If you want to be perceived well as a professional, part of that involves having a slick, standout business card.

I don't know about you, but here in Memphis, it is already hot, even in early June. The South is humid, too, so sweat is the name of the game. When I go for a long run, I crave something that is not only going to replenish my body with protein, fiber, and other nutrients, but I want something cool, refreshing, and hydrating.

For many of us in the United States, we have been sold a false narrative of what it means to be happy and successful. We have become to equate them as one and the same. Our lives are filled with “if only” and “but when” as we chase happiness and fulfillment with our accomplishments and acquisitions.

Financial advice is enormously tricky. We simultaneously live in a society where there is an abundance of financial resources and financial advice but a lack of overall financial literacy. Many of us stick to the same pieces of financial advice we're always heard without question, never asking whether or not the advice we hear is actually beneficial or working with modern money sensibilities.

Let's do lunch. It might sound passe to think about your table manners, but believe me, it's not. Being a gentleman is never passe nor is making an impression with your top-notch etiquette. At some point or another, you will inevitably find yourself at a business lunch of some kind. Whether you're trying to make an impression internally with higher-ups or taking associates and clients out for a meal, it's critical that you're putting your best foot forward.

Do You Share the Habits of Successful People? Most of us aspire to be in a better position than where we are right now. Taking that aspiration and channeling it into real, meaningful life change that turns into success—be it in career, wealth, or relationships—is another story entirely.

As we move towards summer, nothing appeals more to me than a cold drink. I'm thinking of a big glass of lemon water or an iced tea. As a runner, one of my chief concerns this time of year and on through September (sometimes October, depending on how hot Tennessee wants to stay!) is hydration. We can be dehydrated any time of year, but summer heat really accentuates our need for adequate H2O.

Leaders at any and every stage of their careers must be imbued with certain qualities to be truly effective. While many of us view leadership as a prestigious hierarchy, the truth is leadership carries an enormous responsibility. While it is a great privilege, leadership often takes on many qualities of service.

If someone were to ask you what the biggest risks in business were, what would you say? I think most of us would point to outside factors that are beyond our control: geopolitical forces, world economics, even our rapidly changing world of technology. That level of unpredictability is just too much risk to anticipate and challenge for a modern business!

When it comes to our careers, self-sabotage can be very real. While we no doubt all want success, there are some toxic behaviors that we may not even be aware of that are holding us back from reaching our full potential in our career paths. Whether you're running your own business or looking to climb the professional ladder, there are always career moves and decisions that need to be made if we hope to advance.

In our culture of dieting, we tend to think of nutrition is fairly narrow terms. In many cases, nutrition has been relegated to how much food will help or hurt you in a quest to gain or lose weight. However, we know that nutrition is much more than a weight loss journey, though that can be a part of the equation.

Throughout my life, I have found both success and failure at many different junctures. Whether it’s personal or professional pursuits, I’ve found one quality to be consistent when I have reached the heights of success. At the peak of the mountaintop, I know I would not have been there without mastery of self-control.

Endurance running is an exercise in patience if you truly want to master the art. Talk to any runner about their goals or motivations and you’ll get different answers every time, but at the heart of the runner’s desire is to be a better, healthier self. I know for me, running has become not only an outlet for stress relief but a way to invest in my wellness mentally and physically.

If you're in a position of leadership, you more than likely know how to give good advice. People look up to you not only to model your success but for guidance in navigating their own unique set of circumstances. This provides you the opportunity to give not just good advice but great advice.

We like to believe that intention, integrity, and message mean more than appearance. However, we find fairly quickly that image matters a great deal to our professional success whether we like it or not. If we want to optimize our impact and success from networking events and boardrooms to day-to-day interactions with employees and peers alike, we have to take care to craft our image and messaging very carefully.

As professionals with ambition, we all want to strive, achieve, and accomplish. The idea of stopping, taking a break, or somehow putting things on hold seems unfathomable. However, job burnout is real even for the most ambitious among us. I know I must be on guard even in my ambition. I have a deep desire to make the most of my career, but I must guard myself that I don’t let those ambitions overtake my overall wellbeing. I have to allow myself room to enjoy my life—through my exercise, my relationships, and my hobbies.

Endurance running demands more than running shoes and a killer playlist. It's not only a dedication to getting up and running, but it is a dedication to your health and your body, inside and out. That said, I find that runners make a lot of mistakes when it comes to their health and nutrition. (I've been there!)

Most of us would probably say that we avoid conflict, particularly in the workplace. When it comes to arguments and disagreements in the office, they are more headache and hassle than anything. At times, these conflicts can seem more like petty annoyances than anything worth your time and energy to deal with.