How do you become more energetic?

By just doing.

Energy in our body is sort of an infinite resource. We can create mental energy by just having a plan, a goal. We can awaken all our senses and be energized about life and things by simply engaging the mind in the pursuit of a new and exciting objective. This is also a simple way to get out of a sad, lethargic, bored, or depressed state of mind.

Physical energy can also be created ... by just moving. The hardest thing is to take the first step. Have you ever hesitated to join your family and/or friends in some sort of activity that does not sound exciting at the moment ... but later you are grateful to have joined them because of all the fun you had with them? Where did all that energy, that you thought you did not have, come from?

Once engaged, physically or mentally, energy seems to come from nowhere and the amount of it often surprises us. Time seems to slow down, life seems to be brighter and fuller when doing something absorbing. At these times, we are in tune with who we are, with what we are doing, with achieving something ... reaching the top of a mountain, completing a trip, finishing a report.

So, yes, it is all about taking that first step ... and just doing it.

What are the key pitfalls to avoid when starting to build a CV?

Time, gaps, and trends.

When you are in the professional workforce in pursuit of a career, a CV is one of the key elements that needs to be nurtured and carefully built over time to achieve the desired objective.

A good resume must always convey a sense of advancement ... from a good high school, to a great college, to an exciting job, to increasing levels of responsibility.

When an employer reads a CV, the following are 3 key warning signs:
- Employment tenures of less than one year
- Gaps in between jobs/activities without explanation
- Job changes without aim and/or advancement

So, when thinking about your next step, keep in mind these simple pitfalls, keep moving forward, and always always have fun. Remember, it is all about attitude ... there is an amazing learning experience in everything you do.

If the US had a benign dictatorship, what would be the first bold things to tackle?

The 80/20 rule applies.

Here are five things (the 20%) that would have an immediate and outsize impact across the board (the 80%):

Implement a Flat Tax:

Key Benefits:
- Eliminate millions of man-hours currently wasted in tax return preparation
- Release the brain trust currently sequestered in non-productive tax avoidance pursuits (lawyers, accountants, bankers, etc.) redirecting all that energy to productive endeavors

Triple Gasoline Prices:

Key Benefits:
- Start a wave of innovation like we have never seen before to replace oil
- Reduce hydrocarbon use and all that comes with it: pollution, transfer of wealth, geopolitical risks

Roll Out a National Health Care System:

Key Benefits:
- Bring health care costs in line with other industrialized countries (From 16% of GDP to 8%) and cover everybody
- Release the economy and the government from the health care industry juggernaut by eliminating all loopholes, incentives, subsidies, etc.

Legalize Drugs:

Key Benefits:
- Reduce crime, violence, and society's costs at home associated with pursuing a non-winnable situation
- Reduce crime, violence, and society's costs in countries around the world dragged into a loosing situation trying to fulfill our drug habit

Implement Tort Reform:

Key Benefit:
- Simply put .... Eliminating all non-economic damage awards (i.e., pain and suffering, etc.) and having the losing party pay for the legal costs on both sides would virtually eliminate frivolous/wasteful legal actions that currently impact many aspects of our economy

It is nice to dream about the possibilities sometimes : )

What is the best tool to help you live life fully?

Attitude.

Nobody can deny that life is a sequence of random events, some good and some not so good. The key to living life fully is how we react and respond to these events.

Would you rather live a long, sheltered and protected life or one out in the open where life can come at you with full force?

To live is not just trying to extend the time we have on this earth - to live is to always be happy to be here and now, regardless of the situation.

Death and sickness are also just part of life. We should expect it and use it to strengthen our perspective and ability to enjoy life.

The uncertainty of life - what a great gift! Not knowing what is coming at you is just plain amazing! Isn't it?

What is the best way to grow personally?

Travel outside your comfort zone - surround yourself with people and places as different from what you know as possible.

It is always interesting to me how curious I become when meeting people from other countries, cultures, religions, and backgrounds. It seems that my curiosity and awe are insatiable. When you think you have things sort of figured out, you realize that the expansion of your worldview is infinite as long as you continue to place yourself outside your current bubble.

After having visited close to 70 countries and having met people from all walks of life, it is humbling to realize how much more there is to learn. How confining your own perspective can be if you do not constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone.

So push yourself to get out there, this has always led me to amazing opportunities and discoveries. Never get too comfortable. Don't let a false sense of risk stop you.

Be assured that what is beyond the known part of your world is amazing. It will make you think. It will make you grow. It will make you happy and be thankful to be alive.

When is the right time to say "I Love You" in a new relationship?

As soon as you feel it.

It is interesting how much thought and agony our culture has placed on the simple act of saying these 3 simple words in a new relationship.

- What happens if I say it first and he/she does not say it back?
- When do you know that you feel "love" to be able to say it?
- What are the short and long-term implications of saying it?

If loving like you have never been hurt before is key to making relationships more meaningful, memorable, and fulfilling then what if you say it first? Is a relationship really worth having when all of these what-if dangers are in the back of one's mind all the time?

Keep it simple ... If you feel it, say it, enjoy it, and live it fully!

What is the best way to increase your connection to the world?

Motorcycles? : )

In general, riding a motorcycle requires incredible concentration. When at the track, that concentration requirement becomes laser focused. Eliminating all the typical distraction that one finds on the street – cars, pavement, animals, people, etc. – allows for the perfect concentration on the task at hand.

The goal at the track is perfect execution in a repeatable way. Because of the speeds and the narrow tolerance allowed for every action (throttle, brakes, body position, lean angle, etc.) the mind becomes a narrow tunnel focused on the now.

When all the skills required to succeed at the track become second nature (after a lot of practice) – magic happens! You enter a meditative-like state that has an amazing effect on the mind and body. The world slows down, your heart rate slows down, peace surrounds you, the awareness of everything heightens, and you become one with the world. At that moment, there are no risks, nothing to worry about, nothing to solve, nothing to plan for, no to-do lists, no responsibilities, no concerns – just clarity and joy.

Does this state ever get interrupted by a potential disaster at 140 mph? Sometimes : ) However, without the potential for it, how could you get your mind into the tunnel of now?

Why is this "financial crisis" taking so long to clear?

Bankruptcy.

In the past, financial crises seem to come and go relatively quickly. The business cycle was somewhat predictable and understood.

Today, nobody wants to feel the pain. We have regulators and stakeholders at all levels claiming that the end is near unless we bail out "too big to fail" entities.

What is wrong with letting countries like Greece or Ireland or Iceland default? We used to let that happen all the time (e.g., Mexico, Russia, Argentina, Brazil). Lenders to those countries took their loses and moved on ... and eventually they all recovered in a relatively short period.

What about letting banks like Goldman or Citibank go bankrupt or letting people that took crazy loans lose their properties?

What happened with the good old - you messed up, you go bankrupt, and everybody moves on and rebuilds. When did we decide that nobody is responsible for their financial decisions anymore?

What is the key to finding a job or an internship these days?

Focus on revenue.

Revenue is the life of a business. Without it nothing else happens. The easiest hiring decisions for a business are those that directly and positively impact revenue.

Help potential employers connect the dots ... help them see how the "investment" (i.e., expense) associated with bringing you on board will positively impact revenue ... better yet, profitable revenue.

Your resume and all your interaction with potential employers should make clear that you understand this premise and that you understand the role you can play in helping.

How many employers would turn down a clearly articulated win-win proposal like this one? Making this connection will open doors, lots of doors. Happy hunting : )

What will the biggest change be in the next 20 years?

Level setting.

As technology continues to develop and enable the almost frictionless move of information and capital, development and investment will continue its relentless pursuit of the "low points" (i.e., less developed areas where opportunities are better).

Like water in an uneven terrain - development will continue to gravitate to the valleys. Eventually, these "low points" will be "filled" and the world will see a more even landscape.

For those entering the workforce in the "high points" today (i.e., developed countries), education, hard work, and the ability to go with the "flow" and be flexible will be key.

In 100+ years, will a world with a more evenly distributed standard of living be finally a reality?

Is greater information transparency (e.g., Wikileaks, etc.) a good trend for the future?

Yes.

Imagine a world where governments operate in a fully transparent manner. A world where those that govern have no where to hide. What they do and how they do it is known.

What would the world be if dictators, strongmen, powerful corporations, corrupt governments, authoritarian regimes, despots, and religious fanatics could no longer control, manipulate, and alter the flow and/or content of information to their intended victims. The governed and the governing, the strong and the weak, suddenly, on a more equal footing.

Wikileaks, and those like it, are having a fundamental impact in the relationship between those in power and the general public. When information is immediately available, and verifiable, all that remains for those in power is transparency, truth, and ... the need to exhibit true leadership.

What about a “good” government? Do they have a legitimate need for some level of secrecy? Are governments and/or powerful entities inherently something we should always be worried about? Something we should constantly monitor? Something we should be able to change and correct on a timely basis? The founding fathers of the US thought so -- separation of powers, democracy, “for the people”, the right to bear arms, etc. All principles defined to ensure that our government remains accountable to the people. The new information transparency only becomes one more tool in this arsenal.

There will always be a need for some things to remain confidential. However, the bar will have to be high, the case for secrecy very strong, and the process for moving the bar carefully managed.

Imagine a world where governments, corporations, religious leaders, and those in power are closely monitored and held accountable. A world focused on “good” things and not on how best to get away with “bad” things.

Maybe this is the beginning of a world less focused on the few and more focused on the many : )

What is the biggest impact of all this technology-driven social networking?

Depth.

Technology these days is amazing. We can instantly communicate with anybody in the world at the touch of a button (e.g., email, texting, IM, video chat, call, etc.) And, social networking sites let us maintain contact with an ever increasing number of people.

However, have you ever noticed when you are in a public place how many people are totally engrossed on their handheld devices -- reading, typing, talking -- disconnected from the real-world? What happens when you take it to an extreme, unplug from the real-world and connect to a virtual one being fed to you electronically?

On the good side, it seems like we are having more interactions with more people than ever before. On the bad side, these interactions seem to be increasingly reactive, quick, short, and devoid of real human contact and depth.

What happened to slowing the world down to have a nice meaningful conversation with a real person? What about being able to laugh and touch and play with somebody. What about a meaningful exchange with a far away friend or loved one through a good old letter?

Is it better to have quick shallow interactions with a lot of people or a few slow deep ones. Are we losing depth while we expand breadth?

Could we have both? I think so but we need to fight the pull of one to give the other a chance. When in doubt, chose depth and disconnect for a while.

Do we need to be "religious" to be "good"?

No.

Among the many things built into our DNA, two seem fundamental. The curiosity to wonder where everything comes from and what the purpose of it all is; and, the basic need to be good and to do good.

Over the ages, peoples from around the world have developed varying interpretations (religions) to try to explain what lies beyond. At best, these man-made interpretations of what lie beyond incorporate the basic and natural need to be good. At worst, they are used to control and manipulate others through fear or worse.

In reality, one (i.e., religion) has nothing to do with the other (i.e., being good). In fact, religion often negatively impacts, alters, and distorts our natural instinct to be good and to do good in the worst possible way.

So, here are my suggestions:

• For our core need to believe in something greater – let’s think about it individually and develop our own way to make sense of this? No need to push or force our own interpretation/religion onto others? Trouble usually starts when the pushing begins.

• For our core need to do good for others – why don’t we just get busy and do something already? Why can’t we help people when they are hungry, sick, or needing comfort just because? Do we really need somebody else’s stories/religion of reward and punishment to compel us to act?

At the end of the day, I think “love” trumps all this craziness. If you do not have an answer to the first question, then focus on the second. Focus on love. Give a lot. Get a lot. You may then find the answer to the first question.

Who should be responsible for the proper transition of children into adulthood?

The family.

It seems that our society has developed an interesting system that continuously pushes, restricts, and encourages limits on the role a family should play in helping our children as they grow from adolescence into adulthood.

Why does our culture systematically deliver the notion to new adolescents that being with their parents should be embarrassing and that distancing themselves from their families is the thing to do? And, when it is time to go to college, why do we make them go from being an integral part of a home/family, with all that comes with it (i.e., support, coaching, values, boundaries, responsibilities, etc.), to complete separation over a weekend.

In addition, we have grown to expect the government to step in and do part of a family’s job by defining blanket laws for their growing children ... minimum ages for drinking, driving, smoking, military service, public place curfews, buying spray paint, TV shows, video games, movies, etc.

What ever happened to families stepping in and providing the necessary guidance and support to help teenagers successfully grow into full independence? What happened to making the transition into all of these things a more gradual and natural process based on the specifics of each child?

In other cultures where families (parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins - with all of their craziness and quirks) stay involved in all aspects of a growing teenager’s life the transition seems smoother.

Would our teenagers be better off having their birthday parties together with both their family and friends? Why should teenagers be embarrassed of the crazy aunt interacting with their friends if that is part of who they are? What is wrong with learning how to drink at the dinner table with the whole family instead of in a dark alley with friends hiding from the police? Why do we need to tell our children they need to leave home at 18, go to college and never come back, instead of providing a nurturing home until and when they are ready?

Is it because not all families are ready to provide the level of support required to ensure a healthy transition into adulthood? Maybe. On the other hand, why are so many healthy functioning families abdicating their responsibility in these areas to laws and culture?

Is it because it is just easier than to do the work? Think about what is at stake. The most important thing of all … our children.

How can we enjoy things more?

Simplify things - Less is more.

Have you noticed that when you limit the inputs to your brain, you actually seem to enjoy things more? You seem to be able to concentrate better and remember more things. You seem to get more pleasure from simpler things just because you are there, paying more attention, able to think deeper about what you are doing and about everything around you.

When we are constantly bombarded by information and advertising from the Internet, TV, movies, magazines, newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, cell phones/texting, iPads/iPhones, Blackberrys, etc., we have no choice but to react to this incessant stream of information demanding our attention. How are we supposed to find the time to just think about who we are? What is important to us?

When was the last time you had time to slow the world around you to analyze and observe, or to get to know yourself better? Was it at a time when these distractions disappeared? A trip to the mountains perhaps?

So, let's limit our exposure to things that rob us of time to enjoy our lives. If we are constantly reacting to somebody else's inputs, we are living somebody else's life. Remember, less is more.

What is the most unstable economic system?

Capitalism.

Capitalism, when left unchecked, tends to concentrate wealth the fastest. It is simple human nature - survival of the fittest.

Over time, the most aggressive, most intelligent, best educated, most resourceful, and luckiest will eventually take most of the resources over the less fortunate members of society.

Some of the most successful and stable forms of government today are those that find a way to harness capitalism's energy while controlling its bad side effects. These controls come in the form of regulations, incentives/disincentives, and some level of safety net that provides basic needs to those that cannot fend by themselves in such a system (e.g., elderly care/retirement, health care, etc.)

So, let's be nice to others while we enjoy the bounty, shall we? : )

What are some of your one-of-a-kind moments?

Two come to mind immediately:

• Coming home after a long trip and having my two little children and my wife running to meet me and then hugging me and kissing me ... you know right then that that is where you belong

• Getting up early in the morning in a far away country, far from everything, and getting on my motorcycle not knowing what amazing places I will see or what amazing people I will meet that day
  

At these times, the universe is completely aligned : )

Why do so many religions that support love cause so many wars?

Control over people.

At the end of the day, religions are man made structures. Religion is our futile attempt to try to explain the unanswerable life questions (e.g., what happens after we die, why are we here).

Throughout the ages, religion has often been about power, about controlling others, about inclusion/exclusion. Instilling fear or doing harm to whoever does not agree with a specific "story" is a way to control people and amass power using fear of the unknown as a weapon. It is human nature for the strong to try to control others.

On the other hand, it is also true that religion provides fertile ground for good people to get together and do good things (e.g., helping the poor, the less fortunate, the sick, orphans). Others are just seeking a reasonable way to explain life's big questions.

Unfortunately, because the rules and structures of religion are ultimately designed, implemented, and carried out by men - they are susceptible to all the good and bad that human nature has to offer.

So, would the world be better off without organized religion? Probably. And, given what we know, is separation of state and religion a good thing? Absolutely.

What happens after you have a near death experience?

Clarity and Focus.

It is interesting to me that after surviving one of these experiences, things in life seem way less cluttered. Some of the things that seemed important before, are no longer, and other things become clearer as a result.

Realizing that you cannot really take anything with you when you are close to the end has a powerful effect on your priorities and in identifying what really matters.

At that moment, the love you feel for your loved ones (family, friends, humanity, etc.) and the love they feel for you is all that you have left. At the end of the day, nothing else matters.

What is the purpose of life?

I do not know.

There are some premises and emerging hypothesis that are sort of helping me build an answer to this question. Starting with the fact that 3-4 generations down the road nobody is going to really remember who we were. Even if we do something transcendental like making a great discovery, all that would be remembered is a name - not the person or anything else.

So if this is the case, is it valid to say that all we can do is to ensure that we live each moment to the fullest and to love as intensely as possible?

Maybe our DNA is already programmed with the answer to the "what is the purpose of life" question. If we are really programmed to pass on our genes, isn't this the source of the most intense love you can find? .... your children, your mate, your family.

The danger in modern society is that it is too easy to get stuck in the pursuit of so called "basic needs" that go beyond true basic needs (food, shelter, etc.). We lump the endless accumulation of material things into this basic needs category (houses, cars, vacations, etc.) that we sort of forget what really matters.

So, until we figure out what the purpose of life is ... love and live ... intensely! : )