I know it’s shocking, but imagine this: 

People lived for thousands of years WITHOUT cell phones, iPads, X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, etc. and actually survived. Many of the survivors even managed to live happy, fulfilling lives! :) 

If you use one or more technologies on a daily basis, you know their benefits and you’ve probably felt their costs as well, especially how distracting they can be.

I don’t suggest you throw them all away. I’m actually thankful for the technology that’s allowing you to read this message right now! But...

Ask yourself, "Do I own my device, or does it own me?"

How many times a day do you check for messages, texts, emails, responses, etc.? Do you feel angry, lost or anxious if your service is down temporarily? Consider, are you being the master of technology or its slave?

I invite you to be the master of technology. Here are a few suggestions how:

1. Seek out face-to-face connections too. If you’re waiting for a meeting to start, how about putting down your smart phone and starting a friendly conversation with your colleague who is also waiting? This is how relationships are built. Or if your children are in a performance at school, consider watching and absorbing the proud moment directly too, and not just through the lens of your camera.

2. Check text, e-mail and social media once or a limited number of times a day. Consider the time and energy you spend to take...

Each year at Thanksgiving, we're reminded to be thankful for our incredible blessings in our lives. This year, we realized we've been taking this huge blessing for granted: our freedom.

We've been blessed to be living in the United States for decades. This country was founded on the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and more. In fact, we have freedoms here that people in other countries don't enjoy. We're free to wear whatever we want (not the case in Saudi Arabia), we're free to access information (not the case in China), we're free to own property (not the case in Nigeria), and we're even free to chew gum (not the case in Singapore)! Plus, we have laws protecting us from discrimination, thus protecting our freedoms regardless of race, sex or religion.

This Thanksgiving, my wife Nicole and I are especially thankful for our parents whose courage brought us to the United States in the first place. Nicole is a child of immigrants from Iran and I myself fled Iran with my family at the age of nine. After an 8-month voyage through multiple countries, we finally made it to the land of the free. Our parents, and so many others like them, took an enormous risk to leave their homelands for the United States with its promise of liberty and opportunity. We are thankful for them today. We're also realizing that it's up to each of us to peacefully fight for the freedom we have enjoyed on a daily basis. 

What's blocking the way of our...