So, what do you do better than anyone else on the planet?Apologies in advance -- this is a long preamble this week. So if you are pressed for time, I'm going to direct you to skip down to the Quincy Jones interview in the Last Word section.....if you have not read it yet, it is easily the oddest, most entertaining thing you will read this week.  Believe me.On to business...I was on a call this week with a professional connection of mine with whom I had recently reconnected after a long time.  The guy is a founder of a FinTech startup that, after a decent run, is being forced to close up shop.  Needless to say, not a fun conversation -- and not the first time I have had it and it probably won't be the last.What has always struck me with this particular guy has been his extreme conviction in what he was doing and how he was going to change an industry.  He is a really bright guy, but many would say that his personality was always a bit arrogant, a bit brash, and a bit hard headed -- all traits that might turn you off at a cocktail party, but you would definitely expect to see in an entrepreneur.  But now, in the face of adversity and failure, I saw a change in this guy that was a bit unsettling:  you could almost see his tail between his legs.  He had truly lost his way.  Missing expectations is a gut punch that can make even the strongest keel over.  Sometimes it's simply the reality that we failed at something that can get us off track. Maybe it's the realization that we disappointed those who emotionally and perhaps financially invested in our success.  Most often it is fear -- the fear of facing our failures and the fear of what is next.  As the conversation continued, I could tell the guy was beating himself up.  He shared that he was worried about his family, his financial situation and his professional future.  He wondered aloud who would want to hire a failed startup founder. The brashness and confidence had melted away to expose an unsettled core.  And that is when I interrupted him and posed a simple question:  why do you exist?I've done this exercise many times throughout my career with the people, companies and teams with whom I have worked, and I always find the reaction to this question to be fascinating.  Getting people to stop and think about what it is they do that is truly unique and better than anything anyone else does on the planet is a lot harder than it looks. But the process, as painful as it can be, strips away the bullshit and the things we thought we did well and brings many many things into focus. And, most importantly, it allows people and companies that may have lost their way to find a path to getting that swagger back.So the next time you find yourself hunched over after a good old fashioned gut punch, don't feel sorry for yourself.  Don't worry about your next move.  Ask yourself one simple question:  what do you do better than anyone else on the planet? Why do you exist?  Guaranteed, the journey to getting your mojo back starts with the answer to that question.Along those lines, the Patriots certainly got punched pretty good last weekend, didn't they?  Boy was I wrong about that one. The Eagles, and their first year head coach Doug Pederson, came to play.  They did their job, and the Patriots (especially Tom Brady when it counted) did not.  And that made my better half, who has been an Eagles fan her whole life, quite a happy lady. #FlyEaglesFlyAgain, if you are looking to be entertained, be sure to check out the Quincy Jones piece below.  Some excellent business related stuff too in this edition -- I found the Death of Clothing article about the slow death of the apparel industry to be especially thought provoking.  Enjoy!XOXODave