NOT SAVING THEIR BEST FOR LAST

SPORTS HEADLINE-REGULAR SEASON BEST IN AL & NL ON BRINK OF ELIMINATION
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Chicago Cubs posted the most wins in their respective leagues in the 2008 MLB season. Both enter the weekend one loss away from being swept out of the first round of the playoffs.

The Angels are facing the defending world champion Boston Red Sox and after a dramatic 7-5 loss Friday night head to Boston facing the daunting task of having to sweep the Sox on their home field and come back to LA for a clinching win.

The Cubs committed 4 errors Thursday night en route to their loss to fall 2 games down to the Dodgers. Many thought this would finally be the year that long suffering Cubs fans would see their team win the World Series for the first time since 1908.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
There are times in our lives when we've all accomplished great things. You are feeling good about yourself, what you've done, the hard work it took to get there and the rewards of your accomplishment. Now keep going. Now that you've reached this goal, how can you make it a stepping stone towards the next goal? Just as games aren't won at halftime and there are no trophies for second place, life is a long marathon. Enjoy your victories along the way, but continue to press forward and strive for more greatness to come.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
The history of sports and business is filled with 'unfulfilled promise'. Teams and companies that seemed to have it all going their way with ultimate glory just at their fingertips. But a funny thing happened along the way to that ultimate glory. Something or someone broke down, exposing a fatal flaw. Fortunately in business it's rare that even if you fall short of your ultimate goal, all of the good works and efforts are for naught. See what worked and what didn't and build off of your successes.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
Just as the Cubs were their own undoing in their Game 2 loss by making errors in the field, you can cause yourself undue financial stress and strain by ignoring solid financial fundamentals and making errors in judgment. While you may not be able to immediately recover from errors that you've made, by getting back to the fundamentals and sticking to those principles, you will ultimately end up victorious.

GAME PLAN-
In sports there is only one champion at the end of each season. One team that had it all come together, either dominant throughout the year or getting hot at the right time or a magical performance for the ages that culminates in a championship. Every team strives to be that champion when the season begins but only one reaches that pinnacle. The difference between jubilation and disappointment can be such a slim margin do all that you can not to sabotage your victory. Focus on your fundamentals, don't rest on your laurels and persevere until you've reached the top!

WNBA FINALS NOT SO MUCH OF A 'SHOCK'

SPORTS HEADLINE-DETROIT AND SAN ANTONIO OPEN WNBA FINALS WEDNESDAY NIGHT
For the third straight season and fourth overall appearance, the Detroit Shock will represent the Eastern Conference in the WNBA Finals versus the San Antonio Silver Stars. This ties the record of the Houston Comets (1997-2000) for WNBA championship series appearances.

Winning is nothing unique to the Head Coach of the Shock, former Detroit Pistons "Bad Boy" Bill Laimbeer. He was the center and lead villain of the Detroit Pistons teams of the 1980's that made 3 NBA Finals appearances and won 2 NBA championships during that era.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
I recently had someone say to me, "you are an average of the people you associate with." I found that to be a fascinating statement once I really thought about it. If that is true, who do you want to associate with? Do you want to be around winners? Do you want to be around positive people who are doing the right things every day to improve themselves and the lives of those around them? It's always a great thing to step back and see those who you allow to consciously and unconsciously influence you and determine if they are indeed the positive force you need to help get you to the next level.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
Sports and business have so many parallels. In order to have success you need leadership, an solid plan and proper execution. In order to have sustained success you also have to have strong leadership, an excellent plan and near flawless execution. How do you find those strong leaders, those who can execute the plan and lead their troops to execute it to it's maximum potential? Is it always the case that the best players automatically become the best coaches? Not at all, so why would that ring true in business. There are endless stories of top producing sales people who flamed out or outright failed as managers. Take the time to examine the intangible someone brings to a position, look beyond the resume and achievements to determine who is going to be your best coach to lead your team to victory.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
There are very few strategies for sustained financial success. Why, you may ask? Well, because the ones that exist already work pretty well! Some of the most basic strategies, budgeting, saving, investing wisely, taking moderate but calculated risks, are strategies that will almost unfailingly keep you in the game, if not ahead of the game financially. When you either don't follow or try to reinvent these existing strategies you are playing in a game that's much tougher to win.

GAME PLAN-
A team that wins consistently over a period of time is called a dynasty. Dynasties are rare in today's sports world because of the impatient nature of society. It takes time to develop a solid team with the right mix of players, it's vital to have the right person leading the team and crafting the message, there is a certain level of 'buying into the system' that has to take place with every player to execute the strategy, however basic it might seem. Life is full of peaks and valleys but the hallmarks of sustained excellence rarely waver across different lines of life. Determine for yourself if you want to ride the roller coaster or if you'd rather sail the calmer seas of continued success.

A LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE BY A LEGEND

SPORTS HEADLINE-BRETT FAVRE SETS NEW PERSONAL BEST WITH 6 TD PASSES IN WIN
Future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre of the New York Jets passed for a career high 6 touchdown passes in Sunday's 56-35 victory over the visiting Arizona Cardinals.

Favre, who retired from the Green Bay Packers in the spring but returned this summer with a trade to New York holds virtually every passing record in the NFL record book including career yards and touchdown passes, has led his new team to a 2-2 record through the first four games of the 2008 season.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT-
No matter what you have accomplished in life, there is always room for personal growth and achieving great things. There's a saying that says 'Greatness knows no bounds.' This means that whatever you can envision for yourself, and even things that you can't see in your own mind's eye, are attainable and achieveable to you. We are all capable of great things, find where your passions and talents lie and excel within those arenas.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT-
In whatever business you are in, there is always a superstar. It could be in sales, technology, travel, business, industry, really anything. What usually makes that person a star is their unfailing beleif in themselves and their ability to do what they do better than anyone else. I've learned over the years that the talent difference between great workers and good workers isn't that broad. What's usually different is their belief in what they are doing and them being put in the right positions or locations to succeed. Take a look at your organization and see if your stars are in the right places to maximize your game plan.

PERSONAL FINANCES-
Favre is known as a bit of a wild card. His charm is that he will do something completely unimaginable in order to try to make a play for his team to win. Guess what, that works for him! In your finances, there is room to take such chances, every once in a while. In order to attain greatness, you have to try to be great! You can't sit and play it safe all of the time. That will rarely put you in a position to lose, but it also limits your ceiling. Take smart, calculated risks-but risks nonetheless-in the pursiut of great financial success.

GAME PLAN-
In life, business and financially, there is always an achievement that's out there to accomplish. Life's scorecard is never filled up. As long as you believe there is another level for you to go to, another rung on the ladder to climb, keep presssing onward towards your goals. Some of the most satisfying acheivements in life are those that make you say, 'I didn't know I could do that!' Believe you can do anything and live all phases of life accordingly.