"Yes we can."

What does "Yes We Can," the message that propelled President Obama's ascension to the White House, mean for you?

This quote reminds me of a favorite quote by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right." Basically, it all boils down to choices we make. We can decide to harness our creativity, stamina, and focus in order to realize goals. Or we can choose to go through life limiting ourselves, putting down our capabilities, and allowing obstacles and negativity to smother our dreams.

The founder and former chairman of Kinkos, the copy shop bought out by Fedex, exemplifies the motto - "Yes We Can." His name is Paul Orfalea and when I was a younger man, he inspired me very much. I worked for Kinko's from 1993 to 2000, and for a handful of years savored a lucrative, fun career as a store manager. During our annual summer picnics in places like Honolulu, Orlando, Las Vegas, and San Diego, Paul cheerfully mingled with 600 of us managers, one from each Kinko's store. Here I am in a picnic photo with Paul.

He did horribly in school. Nobody knew he was dyslexic with ADHD because back in the late Fifties and Sixties people didn't know about this stuff. Teachers wrote him off, but he refused to let people label him as stupid. In college he had the foresight to start his own business by making the then new technology of photo copies affordible and accessible for college students at his Santa Barbara campus. The company started in 1971 with single copy machine and a dream. Over the years, Paul created a copy empire that generated over a billion dollars per year in sales, making him a fantastically wealthy man. To close with a quote from my old beloved boss:

"You can either complain or look for opportunity in every problem. I prefer opportunity," Paul says in his book . In other words, "Yes you can;" it's your decision.

Check out the link to learn more about Paul: http://www.evancarmichael.com/Famous-Entrepreneurs/2152/Paul-Orfalea-Quotes.html

Beyonce

What quality about Barack Obama most inspires you?

At last Tuesday's Inaugural Neighborhood Ball, I was struck by Beyonce emotionally sharing with America that President Obama inspires her to want to be "smarter," and I feel very much the same way. Smartness to me means reading and digesting books, learning more not for grades but for the sake of simply learning more, and empathizing and dialoguing more with others who don't share my opinions, lifestyle, or standard of living. Being smart means taking my level of knowledge and wisdom to the next level.

Personally, I admire people who are smarter and more well-read than I. Unlike skilled athletes who all grow old and incapacitated, or wealthy people who can be prone to losing their millions, brainy readers like President Obama become exponentially wiser with age. We all can't become adept athletes or inhabit 10,000 square foot houses, but we all have free and easy access to great ideas and fine books by means of the library, Internet, and teachers.

Will President Obama inspire millions of Americans to pack the libraries as movie fans pack a Loews for two hours on a Saturday night? Probably not. But I have confidence that he will start to inspire more of us to better ourselves by walking the talk when it comes to learning, reading, and thinking more. See you at Barnes and Noble, Beyonce!