Hearing the word “audit” can strike terror into the hearts of the most confident among us. But there are applications in which an audit—a careful assessment of your finances and accounts—can be indispensable. For all of us, a self-audit allows us to expose where in our financial health we can stand to improve, what strategies are working and which are not, and what we need to do to more fully and comprehensively meet our financial goals, both personal and professional.

Who among us doesn’t want to be more productive in the day-to-day? If you want to succeed in your career and average, daily goals, you have to be able to focus on what is before you. If you’re distracted and find your attention torn not only by external distractions but your own internal thoughts, you can’t expect to excel.

For most of us, the revelation that we might be out of shape comes a little too late. It happens at doctor’s appointments or when we muster up the courage to step on the scale. We realize it only when serious health problems show up and we start paying the consequences.

Another year, another slew of dieting crazes. With 2019 here, you can bet that everyone and their cousin will be out and trying to next big health and wellness fad. But are any of them worth our time? Should you consider any of the next big things in the health community?

Entrepreneurs can take many forms. When you have a vision for yourself, a company, or an idea you believe in, striking out to make that vision a reality is always both a labor of love and an exercise in frustration. It comes with long nights, joy, sacrifice, tears, and immense pride. And even though I have found great success in my career in real estate, I also wish I'd known a few things before I really struck out in my own entrepreneurship ventures.

Networking always seems like one of those necessary evils of the modern business world, doesn't it? We all know we need to make and maintain great connections, but we're all dread networking events, tedious small talk, and the awkwardness of trying to make a connection that sticks.

With the holiday season behind us, the stress and hurry of parties and gift giving may be gone, but with its absence can come a sense of malaise. While some of us jump on resolutions and a sense of new years’ optimism, this can also be a time of struggle. Call it winter blues, blame it on the cold and dreary weather or a distinct lack of holiday cheer, but there's something about these winter months that can make productivity a slog.

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.