In many educational traditions, studying ancient cultures is considered an important part of developing a foundation from which to understand the workings of contemporary society.

Today, Persia is known as Iran while Greece is still known as Greece. Both Iran and Greece enjoy illustrious histories dating to antiquity. And now, these modern nations with ancient histories – tied in the public imagination to Alexander the Great – are at the forefront of the world’s challenges.

These challenges highlight the intersection of geopolitics and economics. Greece is struggling mightily with indebtedness which threatens the financial future of Europe as a whole. European leaders continue seeking a way to resolve Greece’s situation, only to find they are putting small bandages on an axe wound.

Iran, on the other hand, has pursued the development of nuclear technology which it says is for peaceful purposes but that a substantial number of nations doubt. They believe Iran is striving to create nuclear weapons. This has caused those nations to impose sanctions on Iran.

I am no prognosticator, yet in the case of Greece, I believe there is no easy way out of their economic struggles. The people of that nation do not want to live in a state of perpetual austerity. Yet, they have become accustomed to living on more than what they make. Something’s got to give.

Sooner than later, Greece may be forced out of the Euro and or it may, along with other European nations with unsustainable debt, set off a domino-like crisis of national defaults. The best Europe can work for at this time is a controlled crash for Greece and, eventually, for the other overextended nations sharing the same debt dynamics.

Meantime, if sanctions against Iran do not work and it continues to pursue its nuclear ambitions, it is well possible that military action may be taken against it. That a military conflagration may take place seems likely to drive the price of oil higher. Actual military action may cause a short term panic in the world’s energy markets.

So, we now live under the shadow of the Alexander Effect. Events in Greece and Iran – nations connected in history by the exploits of one of the great figures of history –appear likely to have a significant impact upon the world’s economic future, at least in the short to midterm. In Alexander’s time, Greece and Persia held great sway over the world’s trajectory. Today, we find ourselves again tied to what happens in those ancient lands.

You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.

While Ms. Chante continues to search for a music deal in America, thanks to the Internet it is still possible to witness all of her greatest music moments. An in depth review of her music career rounds out this CYInterview.

Putting aside Ms. Chante’s music accomplishments, there is something compelling which she reveals in this CYInterview. Three years ago this week, Keshia Chante was reported by the worldwide media to have been cast in the role of Aaliyah, in a biopic about the late singer’s life. Subsequently, there were published Internet reports that the movie was set to begin filming.

Time passed and nothing came of it. So what happened with the Aaliyah movie? For the first time, Keshia has decided to tell the world. She knows that many fans want to know.

You can read the transcript and listen to the CYInterview below:

Listen to the entire Keshia Chante CYInterview:

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Chris Yandek: I want to say before we get into all the art, what do you want people to know about you that we don’t?

Keshia Chante: “Well, thank you, thank you for the interview. Something that I want people to know, I think for maybe your audience, people that might not be familiar with me, I would say that I have been an R&B singer releasing albums since I was 16. I’m 23 years old now, but I’ve been in music for about eight to nine years. I’ve seen some really exciting U.S. opportunities with my video Bad Boy that was on BET. I did the Chris Brown, Bow Wow, Shortie Like Mine video and a couple of magazine tours that took me across America to different malls and events. So I’ve been kind of bubbling under in the U.S. and I’m hoping to do something hopefully this year there.”

CY: Yeah. I always find the stories interesting of the artist like yourself who is based outside of America, in your case Canada, of course, and you know I was reading as I was going along and doing research for this interview, many people were wondering well, you know like, why don’t we see her more in America? You think you haven’t had enough of a chance yet to show your stuff in America?

KC: “I don’t think. I mean, I have to say, all my opportunities in America have just been based on my fans really going hard for me and certain people in the industry believing in me and giving me those opportunities. But at the end of the day, I’m a Canadian artist signed to a Canadian record label that has always been true. I’ve had a brief stint with an American label and that was all kind of politics and a little bit weird, but for me to even have any U.S. opportunities when I am a Canadian signed artist is not really common you know for all my peers that are Canadian artists they don’t, they haven’t had the same opportunities as me. So I’m definitely very grateful for what I have had. I would need to sign a deal in the U.S. to do that and we’re definitely shopping right now.”

CY: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way through your career and then, now, for yourself thus far?

KC: “Some important lessons, I think one, being a songwriter is extremely important as a singer. It’s important that people connect with you in a real way. You want to be able to share everything with people. People want to connect to something and sometimes people hide behind other strong writers who don’t really get to show what they want to say. So I think being a songwriter and working on that’s really important. I would say being strategic, being on time, being consistent. It’s a typical thing. Work hard, play hard and things happen for you.”

CY: Looked at some of your earlier stuff and I’m thinking to myself, you know, a lot of throwback to the 90s music, R&B, pop music that the people love you know thinking back 20 years ago and that’s where you started your career. And did you always want your music to be different and you know have a sound that reflected an earlier time.

KC: “Well, I don’t feel like my music has ever reflected a certain time just because I was always very current. When I first put out Unpredictable, that’s definitely a sample, I agree with that, Shook being a sample for sure. Bad Boy, Does He Love Me?, those were all, when those came out, there was nothing like that on the radio and they sound dated now because those were seven, eight years ago,, but I would say that I have always been just trying to be consistent with my age. I always did that even at 14.

I was never half naked. I was never talking about things I didn’t know. It was always very young songs. I met a boy at a parking lot and he wanted to go on a date with me and I always wanted to keep it age appropriate; because it’s what’s real. It’s what’s authentic and I think that’s what people my age, at that time would’ve deserved, would be real honesty towards them and nothing that would make them feel pressured to grow up or anything like that.”

CY: Well, I think your sound is definitely unique when you look at the artist of that music from that time and you think about what was out during that time and then you think about and, you’re like, there was nothing like it.

KC: “Yeah.”

CY: There was really nothing like it. And I was just like and I was doing research and listening to all your things the last few days, I’m like, you know, for the times that it was when she was coming up and just starting as a teenager, there was not any music like that.

KC: “No there wasn’t and there weren’t any teen artists. There were barely any. I remember Avril Lavigne came out right after and that was kind of the times. There wasn’t really anybody doing that. I know that we definitely did look past in 90s music and we were really thinking about that when I came out in I believe 2002 or 2003 to be exact. But I remember during that time we were definitely thinking about the Brandys and the Monicas and the Aaliyahs and what they were doing during that time. We were making really fun, really appropriate age music in my opinion and we wanted to keep that consistent.”

CY: What were you hoping to accomplish with Night & Day?

KC: “Ah, I wanted to, I definitely wanted to control what I was doing and I definitely accomplished that. I went in the studio, I had the exact idea of what kind of music I wanted to make, what I wanted to talk about from vocal arrangements to production. It was already in my head and I was lucky enough to have enough amazing people that knew how to make it happen. You know, amazing piano players or amazing drummer, guitarist, I had that, those musicians that I needed. What I wanted to accomplish was I really wanted the night side to be dance. I wanted it to be fun; I wanted it to be pop; I wanted it to be a 23 year old girl in Vegas. That’s what I wanted my night side to be.

And my day side, I wanted it to be R&B. I wanted it to be like my first and second album. I wanted to just kind of open the diary a little bit and make it a little bit more personable R&B music and I really feel like I’ve accomplished that and I’m hoping to work on part two you know. So I think that’s really fun. “

Keshia Chante's Latest Album Night & Day

CY: I think that looking at that scenario when you look at Shooting Star, it’s definitely Las Vegas, night life feel definitely. I think of that right away and I was thinking about that. It definitely, Shooting Star is a song of the times and you could tell that is from, you know, 2011, 2012. This is definitely a current song for the times. How would you compare your newer music compared to the music you did earlier in your career?

KC: “It’s really interesting because the way that the music industry and just the way that consumers were in 2000, 2002, 2004, around that time, it was different. Songs had more time. They had more of a moment. You’d hear a song and you’d probably listen to that same song for a year and a half. It would really live, it reminds you of a moment for I think that type of music. I feel like now, music is very next, next, next, next, next. It’s what’s new, what’s fast and it’s kind of, things don’t get to live as long in my opinion. But my previous songs, I feel like the singles especially R&B again, very teenager, driven, very young. I felt the new music compared to that again, 23 year old girl going through love, going through heartbreak, going through, you know table dancing, going all those things. But I think it’s definitely more mature, the subject matter is different.”

CY: Yeah. I agree with you 100 percent. And as far as just general society goes, I think it’s always in this society that we have today, you know, with the 24/7 news cycle, the 24/7 Facebook and Twitter cycle, everything is what’s next. It’s not just music. This is the world. Everything is what’s next.

KC: “No. For sure. 100 percent.”

CY: You know, I think looking forward now and we’ll talk about a few others things ‘cause I was quite interested because I’ve been following you for a very, very, very long time actually on your Twitter. Years actually.

KC: “Really?”

CY: And I thought to myself, you know you were just kind of always sitting there and then here we are today finally doing this interview and I was doing research and I’m like, it’s time to bring her through. Yesterday, of course, was Aaliyah’s birthday. She would’ve been 33. A few years ago there was talks of you know, playing her in a movie of her life and I just wonder for myself and everyone out there what really happened?

KC: “It’s kind of funny to talk about it just because it’s not something that I should be or supposed to be talking about, but I think you’re fabulous. So what I will say is, for me, being in L.A. and being in the acting world, having some really incredible agents, working with agents, obviously have Beyonce and Chris Brown on their roster, there’s been a lot of really cool opportunities that have come my way. I did meet a few people production company wise that are developing the Aaliyah movie and they spoke to me about playing her in the biopic of her life.

It got into the news and I remember I was actually on a flight, I was sitting on a flight, I can’t remember where I was going, but I was with my team at the time. And I was sitting at a flight and I remember my phone went off like crazy and people were like, ‘Oh my gosh, like, you’re in the movie. Blah, blah, blah.’ And I was getting all these links. It was like Perez Hilton, it was all these blogs and I remember I landed and I got a call from Aaliyah’s lawyer and Aaliyah’s family. And from my understanding, there are people trying to create a movie and Aaliyah’s family are still mourning her loss and aren’t ready to share her story and create a film. So there’s a bit of back and forth thing with her family and with creative people.

And I know that they would bless a movie being created, they’re just not 100 percent comfortable and unfortunately from my understanding they don’t have complete control of her estate. So a movie could technically be made without them green lighting it and I kind of think that’s unfortunate. So I want her family to be on board and to be happy with it. It’s still kind of lingering in the air. I would love to play the part. I know there’s a lot of things that I would want to do physically vocally to nail it. I think it. I’m a huge fan of Aaliyah. She was a role model for me, still inspires me to this day and I would want to do it justice and exceed people’s expectations of it.”

CY: I just want to say to you, you know this is a world outlet where we have presidential candidates [see here] and [here] and major stars and we had Robert Wagner [see here] exclusively remembering his great friend Liz Taylor. So we break things here. So for you to tell us what really is going on because on the Internet there are so many mixed messages about what happened with this, what didn’t happen with this and I thought to myself, you know, besides talking about your music, I’m like, we should really get a clear answer on this one. We really should.

KC: “Yeah.”

CY: And.

KC: “Yeah. And for me, I’ve always wanted to kind of talk about it, it’s just really, it’s uncomfortable. I don’t want to disrespect her family. I know that they’re, they don’t like it. They don’t like when they get calls from people, like, ‘Oh, I heard this about your daughter. I heard this.’ Because it’s painful for them. So I know that the lawyer and even them and even my team who have kind of like you know, it’s happy, it’s better for everyone to not really speak on it and I just feel like you know, I’m not supposed to speak on it, but I know in this situation, yeah, it’ kind of, it’s a long time coming and I know people really want to know what’s going on. So yeah, I definitely think this was the perfect time to tell you.”

CY: Thank you. And before we go on and moving along, I think that could be your Selena moment. Do you feel like that could be your big moment?

KC: “Oh my gosh, for me, you know, that would be amazing, but genuinely for me, I want my kind of moment, whatever that may be in terms of being international and getting a tour worldwide, which is something we’re working on, but I think for me, I really want to be known as Keshia and my music. I think if that was to do as amazing as Selena or exceeding that, I would be extremely grateful. But I definitely don’t want that to be my kind of moment in America, my first time nationally. If it happened that way, that’s the way God intended for it to be. But I mean it’s not something that I’m sitting there like, this has to be it. You know, I want to use this as my opportunity to make it happen, definitely not. But if it happens that way, you never know how the cookie’s gonna crumble.”

CY: I feel like you know and we’re sitting her you know the day after she would’ve been 33. I wonder if you feel for yourself is there any kind of bigger responsibility when people say you know, you’re carrying on the torch for Aaliyah or you are like her or you are the artist that resembles her today. Do you feel like any kind of bigger responsibility there?

KC: “Because I looked up to her so much like, I remember I was bawling. I remember I was in bed for the longest time, at least a week. Just like, it was so hard for me. I grew up with her and I wanted to be just like her. It was always weird because you know, my hair, obviously my hair’s real and it’s straight and it’s, that’s the way that it is and in school people would always say I looked like her and I never, I genuinely never tried to put any effort. Even in the Unpredictable video and my Bad Boy video, so many people were like, ‘Oh my gosh, she looks like Aaliyah.’ I was never, we never sat there and said, ‘Let’s try to mimic or find inspiration from that.’ It was always me being me.

But I do look at, I look at a lot of her work and she was so ahead of the times. She’s very futuristic. And I think it’s important if you’re gonna take anything from what she’s done, is to be authentically you. She was the only artist in kicks, baggy pants, dancing, even in videos she had snakes. She was doing things before all of our pop artists were doing them now. So I think if you’re gonna take anything away from that, it should just be authentically you and thinking outside of the box. That’s something that I admire from her and she just had swag. I loved her swag. It’s crazy.”

CY: Absolutely. Ok, a few fun things and then I’m gonna let you go.

KC: “Yeah.”

CY: One of my biggest supporters is Shontelle Layne and I told her I was gonna be interviewing you and she said, sometimes Americans fans confuse her for you and that Canadian fans are so annoyed by that. Ever heard that?

KC: “That we, no, you know what, I have never actually heard that. The most recent one that I heard, I always hear like different things. I’ve never heard the one about Shontelle which is so cool though ‘cause she’s an awesome, she’s an awesome artist. But I remember for example, I ran into Chantal Kreviazuk not too long ago and she got me confused for Keyshia Cole and I guess she had like a little tiff with Keyshia Cole in the studio. She kind of thought it was me for a second. So I think she has beef with me for a minute and then she’s like, ‘No, no, no. Oh. You’re Chante.’ I heard that which is kind of weird. But Shontelle, yeah, I know that especially my management team and me being Trinidadian, the fact there’s a lot of back rooting in the islands. And I know that my manager knows Shontelle very well. And I know even that Rihanna had my first album before she came out when she was still living in Barbados. So I know that I gotta make a trip to Barbados soon for sure.”

CY: Keshia Chante, thank you so much for joining me today, let’s wrap up with something fun. What are your hopes for the future?

KC: “Ooo, hopes for the future, will definitely be doing a tour worldwide, you know releasing albums in America, so many cool fans I’m dying to meet, like I really just want to meet them ‘cause they’ve been going hard for me for so long and hopefully get to do something special for them. I know that would make them really happy. Just living life, I feel really lucky to be making music and be making music for this long and living this dream of mine so I just want to keep doing that. I would love to get into fashion and films and filming and finding artists one day. But I have a huge list of goals. It would take a year to tell them all to you. You’d probably hang up the phone by then. There’s a lot of things.”

CY: I wouldn’t hang up the phone. We’ve done almost 90 minute segments here, but hey, I mean, you want to write out a list for me, you want me to publish that alongside the interview of your goals, I’ll be happy to tell them to the world to you, whatever you want to mention.

KC: “Aww, you’re so sweet.”

CY: I don’t have a problem doing that. It was great talking with you. Hang on with me, of course, and thank you for you know coming into my world, we break things here, we get people to tell the record straight and I’m glad that we figured out some things today and it was very great speaking with you.

KC: “Yeah. Oh it was a pleasure speaking to you. You’re awesome.”

You can purchase a copy of Keshia Chante’s album Night and Day here.

Keshia Chante’s official website is at www.keshiachante.com.

You can follow Keshia Chante on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KeshiaChante

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

You can follow Chris Yandek on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chrisyandek

What is contemplation?

Contemplation is the act of thoughtfully observing, considering and reflecting upon things. We might contemplate the universe and its nature. We might contemplate our career path. We might contemplate any number of things. Do we, however, set aside some time each day for contemplation?

We live in a frenetic world, driven by rapidly evolving technologies. But, as I have said on other occasions, “Technological innovation without applied philosophical enlightenment is not progress. We need to evolve philosophically if we are to evolve at all.”

How can we become philosophically enlightened if we do not spend time contemplating things?

Excuses abound. Ask a person if they put some time aside each day to think and they will probably look at you like you have two heads and purple hair. I can hear the voices now, “Set aside time each day to think? Hey, that’s a nice thought, but I have to earn a living, clean my home, go to the grocery store and stuff like that. Sit around thinking? That’s funny. What world do you live in?”

These, of course, are the same excuses made for not exercising a little bit each day. “Do 30 minutes of walking each day? That sounds nice, but who has the time?”

We tell ourselves we have no time, not even 15 minutes a day, to set aside for quiet contemplation. In our hearts we know better. We know, deep down, that we have the time. What we really question is our discipline and dedication to thinking. It is just too easy to behave robotically.

We may be dedicated to our work. We may be dedicated to maintaining our home. With the passage of time, however, many of us lose the belief that we can dedicate ourselves to much more, even something as basic as walking 30 minutes a day or spending 15 minutes in contemplation.

The reality is that we can fool ourselves for a while. Then, in an unexpected moment, we find ourselves immersed in thought wondering why our life has taken the trajectory it has. Perhaps, systematic contemplation is the key to avoiding spontaneous regret.

Image: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Authors note: You might see this column pop up online in a newspaper, under the name Both Sides. I am publishing this column here first at CYInterview.com. For a bunch of years, I have been writing newspaper columns. Since my columns have received a good response on CYInterview, I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy.

You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.

Though, reportedly, her personal life was engulfed in various personal struggles, Ms. Houston’s music and acting entertained millions. She was an acclaimed artist, with Emmy and Grammy awards among other recognitions.

Some of Ms. Houston’s best songs include I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, I Have Nothing and The Greatest Love of All. You can still hear these hits on the radio, anywhere in the world today.

In The Bodyguard, Whitney worked opposite Kevin Costner and played a star stalked by a crazed fan. The film was a blockbuster, grossing over 400 million dollars worldwide. The music for the film, The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album, was the second top selling pop album of the 1990s according to the Billboard charts. It received the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1994.

One of Ms. Houston’s other well known acting roles was in the movie Waiting to Exhale. On the soundtrack for that movie, Ms. Houston sang Count on Me with gospel singer Cece Winans. A song about friendship, it plays at the end of the movie.

In 2010, Ms Winans reflected on working with Whitney Houston on Count on Me in our CYInterview: [see CYInterview in its entirety here]

“Whitney is a dear friend of mine. We had been friends for a while before she asked me to do that song Count on Me and it was produced by Babyface – a producer I wanted to work with. So I got a chance to work with him and Whitney at the same time. We had worked together before, but to actually due a duet with just us, it was a great experience. She’s awesome. She’s still my friend and my sister who I love very much and Count on Me is still a great song that people love to listen to and they’re still playing it. It was really a great experience and great opportunity for me.”

At the time, CeCe also said the following to me about Whitney:

“You know, you hear the voice and the voice yes it’s like none other, it’s incredible, but the person is more incredible than the voice.”

Ms. Winans couldn’t have said it better about who Whitney Houston was.

RIP Whitney Houston. You were one of the greatest of all time and your music will keep inspiring us. You will be missed. And you will always be loved by your fans.

Image: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

You can follow Chris Yandek on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chrisyandek

The goal of business is to provide value to customers, via products and or services, and in turn receive value from them in the form of money. Essentially, business is, or at least should be, about the fair exchange of value for value. The goal of finding a soulmate, raising a family, participating in charity, exercising, as well as a myriad of other activities, is different than that of business.

However, while business has a distinct end goal compared to other endeavors, it is subject to the same fundamental principles that govern the rest of human behavior. For example, if you treat people poorly in your personal life you end up alienating them. Similarly, if you treat people poorly in business you do the same.

Conversely, if you treat people well in your personal life, you tend to make friends and be well regarded in general. If you treat people well in business, the same ends up being true.

Some businesspeople feel that being kind and courteous falls outside the purview of what business is about. I have heard owners of companies say things like, “I do not have to be nice to my employees; I pay them.” This is a defective attitude. What it breeds is discontent and disloyalty.

Ultimately, no matter what you pay a person, if you treat them poorly in your interactions with them, they are going to give less than their best efforts working for you. They may pay lip service to your goals, but that is all it will be. Many employees show up to work because they need the money, not because they love what they do. And if their boss is ill tempered and condescending, eventually they leave.

Sure, there are cases where a person works for a miserable boss, but they stay in their job because the money is too good to walk away from. Yet as soon as they have another opportunity that meets their economic needs, they are gone.

In and outside of the workplace, treating people well is a sound prescription for success.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*Authors note: You might see this column pop up online in a newspaper, under the name Both Sides. I am publishing this column here first at CYInterview.com. For a bunch of years, I have been writing newspaper columns. Since my columns have received a good response on CYInterview, I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy.

You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.

Actually, it is easy to be critical of any performance at any time, especially for those of us – read most of us – who are not performers. Well, lots of us do perform if you count downing a soft drink and stuffing chips in our mouths while we render our criticism. Maybe we could try out for a new reality show, Couch Potato Critics Sound Off. Hmmm, maybe not. Sounds like too much work.

But, I guess it is inevitable that for a spectacle like the Super Bowl and its well hyped halftime show, we are bound to mouth off. So, I will do mine. Just for the record, however, I was not downing a soft drink and eating chips while I watched the game and the show.

First, Madonna looked phenomenal. At 53, she proves that shelf lives for women are and should be a thing of the past. This was proven for men in 2006’s halftime, when a very energetic 62 and a half year old Mick Jagger took to the stage with the Rolling Stones. It was shown when an almost 66 year old Roger Daltry, and his Who-mates, performed in 2010. A few years earlier, Paul McCartney showed the same thing. 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond – they are just numbers.

Back to Madonna. Looks aside, she was in good voice. Yes, we can be critical and say that she does not possess one of the greatest voices in pop history. Yet her voice was solid in her glory years and continues to be. Madonna has always been about the package; a rare combination of steely will, good looks, good voice, strong dance and movement skills and superb promotion.

While I enjoyed the show, perhaps, I was most let down by Madonna’s dancing. I had hoped for more. However, during the press conference for the halftime show the greatest female star in pop history mentioned that she had pulled a hamstring. Maybe that is why she had trouble stepping up onto a bleacher at one point during her routine. No matter, I was still entertained.

I suppose, for those of us who have followed Madonna’s career, she is to some extent, a victim of her own success. After all, with almost thirty years in front of the public and even with a remarkable ability to reinvent herself, just what type of spectacle could she put on to completely blow us away.

I would give Madonna’s halftime performance a score of 8.5 out of 10. It was a solid performance if not one for the ages.

What I liked best about her show was what appeared to be Roman centurions pulling this modern-day-entertainment-Cleopatra’s throne out before the crowd – an apt metaphor.

The Like A Prayer finale was powerful. At its finish, Madonna vanished. Thankfully, she’ll be returning soon, sure to provide us with more years of entertainment.

Image: vegadsl / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.

2.) Too much energy is often expended thinking about the amount of energy involved in completing a given task. This might, at first, sound like an odd concept. Yet, if we can wrap our heads around it, we will be more likely to accomplish whatever we set our minds to.

Take a diet for example. How many of us dissipate our energy focused on how tough a diet might be, only to find ourselves too exhausted to go through with it because we have worn ourselves out with worry. Thinking is necessary for planning, but obsessive thinking breeds anxiety which drains us of energy before we get started.

3.) If you do not have a goal you cannot accomplish it. If you have a weakly defined goal it becomes too easy to focus on something other than your goal. Goals are helpful mile markers on the path of happiness. However, from time to time, we should review our goals to make sure they meet with our current beliefs and desires. Changing a goal capriciously is a recipe for non-achievement. Changing a goal based on new information might be wise.

4.) It is important to review information with an open, yet active and critical mind. If we are not open minded, we can never learn anything new. On the other hand, swallowing information whole without analyzing it leaves us open to being led astray. Just because someone purports to know something does not make it so. Do your homework. If something is important to you, take the time to verify the information you are looking at before you accept it as reliable.

5.) We are mind, body and spirit, yet we often treat ourselves as only one of those things. There are people of prodigious intellect who spend time wrapped in study but rarely meaningfully move their bodies. There are wonderful athletes who do not regularly read books. And as for the spirit, how many of us take any time to reflect on nature, humanity, the universe and the immutable interconnectedness of those things?

*Authors note: You might see this column pop up online in a newspaper, under the name Both Sides. I am publishing this column here first at CYInterview.com. For a bunch of years, I have been writing newspaper columns. Since my columns have received a good response on CYInterview, I thought I would share it with you. Hope you enjoy.

Image: creativedoxfoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can reach me with your questions and comments at Jay@CYinterview.com Like today’s column? Check back frequently.

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As far as the spread on the game, the New England Patriots are currently three point favorites or -3 over the New York Giants who are getting the 3 points. For those not familiar with sports betting, the Pats must win by four points or more to win that bet. If a person making a wager bet the Giants, they could win the bet if the Giants won the Super Bowl or lost it by one or two points. John Avello says we will not see a line/spread of 3.5 because the majority of action placed so far has been money on the Giants who are currently the underdog. He doesn’t expect the spread to go up to 3.5:

“No. I don’t. But there’s a possibility the way the game’s going we might see 2.5. There’s a lot of Giant money. It’s been mostly Giant money since last week and we’ll see if that changes when the weekend crowd comes in…Most people are interested in betting something that’s probably more than they bet during the normal course of the year, so you’re gonna see bets in the half million dollar range, those type of bets, quite possibly a million. It depends. That’s probably one of the larger bets you’ll see. There’s not too many people who want to bet more than that.”

Avello says the Wynn Sportsbook does not offer patrons a chance to bet on the coin toss, but he does have a similar prop of action which he says a lot of people bet on [A prop of action, or simply a prop, is a proposition on a specific event within the context of the game or surrounding events. This is often referred to as a side bet.]:

“I put up a prop that says, “A team to run the first play from the line of scrimmage.” Which gives it a little bit of a twist when you think about it. The team wins the coin toss, they defer, they defer, the other team gets the ball, they take the opening kickoff back or they fumble, the other team gets to run the first play. So there’s a lot of variables that go on so just winning that coin toss doesn’t mean that you win that prop…That prop takes a lot of action and this year especially because the team that runs the first play, the Patriots defer a lot of their kickoffs. They deferred most of them over the last couple of years. So a lot of people are betting the Giants to run the first play.”

There are so many different props and side action one can bet on during the Super Bowl. John agreed with me that the sheets with all the potential prop bets have become too long, with more than a hundred options. He says players should focus on quality player props that could include yards, catches, completions, sacks, turnovers and touchdowns among other things depending on the player’s position.

“That is difficult. I think what’s happened over the years is we’ve come to a point where we’ve done so many of them now it’s hard for the player to get through the sheet and see one that he may want to do. I’m trying to keep mine around the you know the 150 to 200 area and that’s it…I think you should look at quality props on players…If you like a guy like [Mario] Manningam, you think Manningham’s gonna have a good game, there’s 43.5 yards, receiving yards, and that’s really not a high number. That could be two catches for Mannigham. So a little bit of handicapping, a little bit of instincts, I think that’s what you look for in these props.”

Last week there was a NY Times article titled On a Futures Bet, Las Vegas Loses if the Giants Win. The article talked about how some Las Vegas gaming establishment’s Super Bowl weekend could be bad if the Giants won the big game. Some Las Vegas sports books, during the NFL regular season, offered very high odds on the NY Giants to win the Super Bowl. The NY Times article stated some future bets were as high as 80 to 1 meaning for every $1 you bet, you’d get $80 in return. Avello doesn’t agree with the story because he believes sports books made out well with Super Bowl future bet losses on teams like the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.

“Remember that the Giants were not looking like a team that would get into the playoffs this year and so the odds on them at that time could’ve been anywhere from 60 to 100 [to 1]. I know I had them that high, 60 or so. Now that doesn’t mean that people bet on them at that price and that doesn’t mean that the town’s in jeopardy on the Giants because there’s a lot of other teams that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. There was a lot of money on Green Bay.

There was a lot of money on the [New Orleans] Saints. You know there was a lot of money on other teams so therefore, the way to look at it, it’s one pot and in that pot, all the money it has to be disbursed to the team that wins the Super Bowl. So I heard about the story, but I would say that most casinos around town are probably not in jeopardy on a future book.”

Though John can’t give us a prediction on the Super Bowl, he does share with us his New York Giant roots and how the Wynn did for 2011 on the gambling front:

“One thing I can tell you is that I’m from New York, the Giants were shoved down my throat since 1952, the year I was born. So I’ve followed the Giants pretty much my entire life…I would say wagering wise it was maybe the largest wagering year as far as people placing bets. As far as how the casinos did, I’d say it was a fair year. Wasn’t the greatest and it wasn’t the worst. So just fair.”

You can find out more about Wynn Las Vegas at http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

Today, Mr. McKenzie has moved on to other things, including his role in the television police drama Southland. In this CYInterview, you will hear how his life has changed since The O.C., how he dealt with fame and what he believes all aspiring actors should experience before trying to make the dream, happen among other topics.

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In his role as a cop on the TNT show Southland, Benjamin enjoys the fact that the show is filmed on location all across Los Angeles and not on a set. He says the whole experience has given him a new perspective of the LAPD:

“It’s really gratifying and it’s gotten me more in touch with my own city…Things from an earlier generation of the LAPD, they really aren’t reflective of the current LAPD as I’ve experienced it. We have a lot of interaction with members of the LAPD because on our show any cops who are in the background kind of walking through the scene, those are real cops off duty. So we’ve had the chance to interact with a lot of them. I had a chance to go on ride-alongs with a lot of them all over the city and see them as they’re actually doing their job.

And the vast majority of these men and women are good, hardworking men and women trying to patrol what’s arguably the hardest city in the country to patrol. And so the negative stereotypes that I think have traditionally come along with the LAPD in the 80s and 90s are really outdated. And so I have a very positive and somewhat in awe of what they do. I’m somewhat in awe of the fact that they can get out and do this hard job day in and day out and keep it altogether. So I would say my opinion of them is completely switched in the past four years while working on the show.”

There are some actors who are never able to stop being known for one role in their career. For the 33 year old actor, he admits there was a sense of relief that the role of Ryan Atwood, on The O.C., ended.

“When it ran its course, I think there was certainly a sense of sadness that I wasn’t going to be able to work with the same people again, but there was also a sense of, I hate to say it, but a little bit of a sense of relief that I wasn’t going to be put in that category for the rest of my life. You know, if you do a show like that for 10 years and that’s really all people know about you, you are sort of forever that person and that’s just not ever the career that I wanted for myself. I wanted to be able to do a variety of different roles and be known for a variety of different things to the extent that I even was known. I guess I wasn’t ever planning on being in the public eye the way The O.C. you know made all of us.”

McKenzie explained why fame and celebrity were tough for him to deal with at first:

“I think almost any, you know, non-psychotic person would be slightly uncomfortable with fame in the sense that, it’s not that it doesn’t have very, very nice parts to it and believe me, I’m not complaining at all, I think it’s an incredible blessing to have people be able to see your work and understand, oh, that’s the guy that I saw did this thing. And even though I never met him, I’m a fan of what he does. But at the same time, it’s a little odd, take it from the other side to interact with people who you don’t necessarily know and they know you or they think they know you from your work. So it has a weird, it’s weirdly uneven in that way and I think it took me a few years on The O.C. to kind of wrap my head around it, but now I’m good. Now I’m just a normal, average, every day guy who sometimes acts on a TV show and that’s a-okay by me.”

In college McKenzie majored in economics and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia. Ben believes that any aspiring actor should go to college and major in something apart from acting. He admits, that in his case, doing that gave him an entirely different perspective about being in the acting world. He thinks actors who have spent their life only in that art, don’t have a full understanding of the world. McKenzie also believes his humble beginnings really helped him before he made it big.

“I think they have as opposed to, for example, many actors or at least quite a few have started off their careers as kids being actors and so really all they know professionally is being an actor and I do think that kind of skews your world view. It doesn’t mean some of them aren’t perfectly lovely people with good heads on their shoulders and things like that, but I think getting an education helps. I would encourage any young person who’s considering being an actor go to college first and to get a degree in something else and I also think living in the real world and you know, waiting tables like I did after college before I ever got a break acting wise and doing things like that also sort of remind you of how blessed you are as an actor to get any kind of recognition to be able to make a living at it all.

It’s an incredible blessing. It’s exceedingly rare you know, probably 1 in 1000 actors is actually able to make a living year in and year out through acting. So I think all of those things are important. I’m very grateful to my parents for you know, sending me to college and letting me have that experience because I think it’s allowed me to see that if this were all to end tomorrow, that would be fine. I could go off and I could do something else.”

I asked Ben what he would like people to know about him that they don’t, as well as what his hopes for the future are:

“I’m a private guy so I want them to know as little about me as they can. At the same time, I want them to watch you know, the things that I do in order to be able continue to do them. So I guess it’s a bit of, I’m a bit of a hypocrite in that way. I guess I’d like them to know I’m actually quite a normal, shy, reserved guy who happens to do a very public thing with the acting and if they can wrap their brains around it then they should trust me and believe me when I say that that’s true. My hopes for the future are simply to, I hope that the world can come together more and agree on more things and disagree on fewer things and I would love for the United States to play a role in that. I think we will. But I hope for more peace and harmony and less bloodshed and turmoil.”

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, McKenzie will be pulling for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46:

“I think I’m gonna have to go with the Pats. I can’t pull for the Giants being a Cowboys fan. Sorry. Pats it is.”

You can catch Benjamin McKenzie in Southland Tuesdays on TNT at 10:00 PM EST. You can find more information here.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.

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There have been recent media reports about Demi Moore experiencing some personal struggles following her much publicized split from Ashton Kutcher. Dr. Ludwig gives us her analysis on how relationships breaking up can lead to other problems:

“It’s sad to see someone struggling and being in so much pain that they really need to be hospitalized in order to take care of themselves…Part of what contributes to us feeling good about ourselves and feeling happy with our lives is based on the quality of our relationships and how loved we feel within those relationships. So when there’s a disruption and somebody that we love or are invested in rejects us or that relationship breaks down, it’s tremendously disorienting and some cases it confirms our worst fears about ourselves that we truly are unlovable.

And then for women as they get older added on top of that when a relationship doesn’t work out, they start to worry about their age and how their age will impact their lovability. I don’t think it’s quite the same as for men. I’m sure men have their own issues that are somewhat similar, but for women there’s a feeling like after a certain age there’s a concern about having an expiration date. It almost doesn’t matter how beautiful they keep themselves. I think that is an underlining fear many women have post separation or divorce after a certain age.”

This past Friday, singer Seal went on Piers Morgan Tonight to discuss his new album. Additionally, he answered some questions about his personal life and reported pending divorce from Heidi Klum. Dr. Ludwig believes Seal did not reveal anything insightful about his marriage in the interview. Some people might find it awkward that an individual wouldn’t cancel a major interview so close to his personal challenges having been spotlighted in the media. Some might think he would want to avoid public forums. I asked Robi her thoughts and if this was his way of coping:

“I don’t know if this was his way of coping. He also has an album out to promote so he may have just felt this was as good a way as any to promote his album. When you listen to the Piers Morgan interview as I did, he didn’t reveal anything. In fact, it was a little bit frustrating to hear Seal talk about how wonderful Heidi was, how they got you know married every year, every five minutes. She’s the best person on the planet and yet they’re getting divorced. There was no insight. There was no reason provided. So I don’t think he was using this as a medium to process what, why this happened.”

Finally, featured columnist Jay Bildstein recently penned a column [see here] about the importance of having emotional stability in your life in order to be successful. Dr. Ludwig reacts to the topic of Jay’s article and ties it in with the other topics discussed in this CYInterview:

“I certainly think there’s some truth to that. If you are focusing on your mental health, the hope is you can take care of yourself better that you won’t have to act as self destructively, that you can make choices that are better and if you’re not taking care of your mental health, certainly it can increase the chance of repeating certain negative patterns that don’t work well for us. I mean, treating ourselves well is a constant battle anyway…And Seal had a very difficult childhood and background as did Demi Moore. And I think it just shows that fame and success does not necessarily help a person navigate their personal lives successfully.”

You can check out Dr. Ludwig’s official website at http://www.drrobiludwig.com

Dr. Robi Ludwig’s official Twitter is here.

You can email Chris Yandek at ChrisYandek@CYInterview.com Chris is available for interviews to comment on anything featured on CYInterview.