• Q Score is how the entertainment industry measures consumer appeal for performers, among other things.
• The higher the Q Score, the more highly regarded the person is to the general public.
• This is not just a popularity contest because one can be popular without being highly regarded – it’s a means of judging who has credibility that influences.
• It comes down to whether others have a positive opinion of you.
• I have often wondered what would happen if non-performers could test their own Q Scores.
• The best way to assure you remain highly regarded is to focus on being authentic as authenticity is the salve that helps make modern society work.

Who is the most important person in your life?

Have you told them lately?

If words aren’t your thing, actions work well.

Even if they are no longer with you, say it out loud.

The odd thing is when you empower someone by showing immense gratitude you empower yourself – every time.

The world is being numbed by digital devices and social media where in-person interaction is strained.

Look them in the eye and tell them that they are the most important person to you.

Continue being the fine person you are.

You win some, you lose some.

You never win everything and even though it sometimes feels like it your losing streak does not last forever.

Truth is what goes up will go down which is why life is like a roller coaster.

You can’t stop the highs and lows but you can learn to ride them better knowing that life isn’t one winning (or losing) streak.

To build resilience when times are tough, never lose sight of the next high.

Be the fine person you are.

Don’t blame yourself for bad decisions.

No one is perfect.

You will never meet a person who has made all the right choices.

We learn from our mistakes.

There is no need to punish yourself twice.

Embrace the things you do right.

Be the fine person you are.

We encourage others to persevere.

Tell our kids that they can do what they set their minds to.

I never met a person who didn’t think they deserved a raise.

Every time we place a bet, we hope to win.

Self-doubt is a losing bet that we place on ourselves even before we begin.

Hope is what motivates us in every other way.

Today, replace self-doubt with self-hope.

Be the fine person you are.

Smiling at the first ten people you see each day without saying a word has two benefits.

One, many smile back.

Two, no matter how many respond to your silent approval, you’ve just boosted your mood to start the day.

It’s a dress rehearsal for creating happiness.

I assign this as a stretching exercise in my stress class where many discover for the first time that practicing looking happy precedes waiting for something good to happen.

NOTE:  Cheryl and I are going to take a few days off to recharge our batteries before NYU resumes in-person classes again in a few weeks and the media industry revs up to end a challenging year.  This seems like a good time.  A good time to catch up on some stories you may have missed.   See you in a few days — Monday August 28.

The iconic Philadelphia radio personality Joe Niagara hated to read a weather forecast on the air that said “sunny and pleasant” – he just thought maybe it’s sunny but not a pleasant day for some people.

Obviously, I’ve never forgotten Joe’s words and you won’t hear me saying “sunny and pleasant” – sunny is good enough.

And a stormy day can be beautiful (after all, it isn’t always sunny in Philadelphia).

When my NYU students attend class, the forecast inside is more important than outside.

Is the atmosphere one of approval and acceptance?  Non-judgmental?  Positive?  Hopeful, uplifting?  Inclusive?

These are ways to make a cloudy day sunny with those we come in contact with.

Taylor Swift wrote a note to Alicia Keys who shared it on TikTok – the marriage of old school writing paper and the digital present.

Swift was thanking her friend for attending one of her concerts with her son – Swift’s stationery masthead had “Songwriter • Feline Enthusiast” on it.

She told Esquire in 2014 “”I love writing thank you notes. There’s something very nostalgic to me about the feel of a card and putting pen to paper … I like things you can touch and things you can keep, because every bit of communication we have is ephemeral in nature. You can just delete an e-mail and it’s like it was never there.”

Swift wrote $100,000 checks totaling millions of dollars to each of the truckers who hauled her Eras Tour set from city to city with a personal note and while her tour is likely to ring up $1 billion in sales making her even wealthier, few artists show this kind of generosity.

Long after the gift of money is spent, the recipients will have a personalized, handwritten note that can’t be deleted as if it was never there proving once again there are many ways to show gratitude even in the digital age some as simple as paper.

We have apps that tell us what music to listen to, shows to watch, clothes to wear, things to buy and on and on – known as social influencers.

This semester which starts in less than a month, I will be encouraging my NYU music students to cultivate being their own influencers unlocking their creativity and that of others.

The music business relies heavily on the popularity of artists and songs.

It’s a fine balance that also shows up in relationships.

When we try too hard to please, we often lose who we are.

Dale Carnegie used to say that the best liked person is the one who shows interest in others not themselves.

As social influencers disappoint or miss the mark, being a social activator never does.

The person who can focus 100% interest in another is the most powerful person they will ever be.

The burgeoning relationship killer of phone snubbing (thus the name phubbing) in which one party ignores the other for the phone.

There’s a recent study that predicted marital dissatisfaction, a widespread problem in our society today.

Lack of attention to individuals is not limited to couples and partners, doctors spend more time looking at their computer screens than at their patients.

CVS doesn’t answer their phones even though they hand out their pharmacy numbers.

One hospital system I know of allows their physicians to spend 15 minutes with a patient on one problem and while there are still doctors who take all the time they need, their number is declining.

There is one way to have a happy spouse, partner, child, family, employee or friend – engage them without distraction one-on-one.

It’s not the amount of time, it’s the quality and 100% undistracted focus.