The fastest way to change the answers you receive

I was speaking with a very successful friend of mine a few years ago. Our daughters were in the same Adventure Princess tribe (yours truly was the Chief). My friend, Brad, is a sought-after physician and trainer within his specialty, an incredibly successful entrepreneur, an excellent leader and a stand-up family man. You could say "he has it all."

After a conversation at a Daddy-Daughter dance, Brad sent me a note with his philosophy on life and work which is rooted in a quote from a 20th century novelist, James Michener. Michener called it The Art of Living:

Most people go to great lengths to avoid silence during conversations. They fill silence with anything, regardless of how meaningful (or meaningless). It is as if silence has its own gravitational force that pulls words from our mouths to prevent a single moment of silence. Of course, we have all experienced those three seconds of silence that felt like three minutes.