A newspaper reporter secured an exclusive interview with the devil and was especially interested in the deceptive techniques the devil used to build his reputation.

He asked, “What is the most useful tool you use on people? Is it dishonesty? Lust? Jealousy?”

“No, no, no,” chuckled the devil. “The most useful weapon I possess is apathy.”

How true! An “I don’t care” attitude will strip life from the loftiest dreams. Apathetic phrases like “Never mind,” “That’s not my problem,” “I’m not concerned about that” or “I don’t want to hear that” don’t solve anything.

Helen Keller, who overcame being blind and deaf, wrote: “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings.”

Apathy has been around forever, but the COVID pandemic and resulting isolation have left many more people feeling bored, empty and lacking motivation. No energy. No enthusiasm. And then, no results.

Apathy isn’t sadness or anger. It’s more like not feeling much of anything.

The good news is that apathy is temporary. It’s only a glimpse of how you feel now. In other words, you can change. But first it’s helpful to figure out what caused your apathy. Then you can make some adjustments to help you break out of your doldrums.

Are you bored with your job? Have you stared at the same wall too long? Does it seem like too much work to look for ways to improve your situation? Are you willing to settle?

If “I don’t know and I don’t care” are the common answers to questions, it’s time to change things up.

Maybe you need to adjust your daily routine. Get up early and exercise. Go outside and walk and get some fresh air. Take a bike ride or go on a day trip in your car. Become more active. Do something that will help you perk up. Maybe it’s reading a book, listening to music or taking up a new hobby. Plan your dream vacation for the day when life gets back to “normal.”

What did you previously do that brought you joy? Make a list. And then commit to doing some of the things daily that brought you happiness.

Do something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time. Start a challenging project that you’ve been thinking about tackling to get your mind going.

The antidote to apathy is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is about passion, gusto, excitement and infectious energy. Major League Baseball star Pete Rose once was asked which goes first on a baseball player -- his eyes, legs or arm. He said: “None of these things. It’s when his enthusiasm goes that he’s through as a player.”

What can you do to boost your enthusiasm? It all depends on how much you want to succeed. Take control of your own destiny. Success comes from knowing what you want, not wanting what you know.

A landscape gardener ran a business that had been in the family for three generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have employees work on their gardens or make deliveries.

For as long as anyone could remember, the current owner and previous generations of owners were extremely positive, happy people. Most folks assumed it was because they ran a successful business.

In fact, it was the other way around.

A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge reading "Business Is Great!" The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other. What never changed, however, was the owner's attitude and the badge reading "Business Is Great!"

Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, “What's so great about business?” Sometimes, people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.

The badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work.

No matter how miserable a person was, they'd usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.

When asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide:

“The badge came first. The great business followed.”

Mackay’s Moral: Apathy is the glove in which evil slips its hand.

I love sports and all the business lessons we learn from competition, whether playing or watching. It doesn’t matter what sport or what level, there are always multiple teaching moments.

The NCAA basketball tournaments for men and women, also known as the Big Dance, are probably my favorite sporting events. I’ve had the privilege of attending numerous Final Fours as a longtime member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors. After last year’s cancellations, it was exciting to see this year’s teams have an opportunity to showcase their talents.

It’s win or go home for these exceptional young athletes. The intensity is palpable, yet you can sense their joy and excitement in doing what they love. They are having fun.

It starts with preparation. I have written eight business books, three that hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list, and the title of each of them could have been “Prepare to Win.” Life is all about preparation, and preparation is all about hard work, sacrifice, discipline, organization, practicing the right concepts and more.

These athletes have a desire and determination to succeed. They love what they are doing, and it shows, game in and game out, in their enthusiasm. There’s no question the spark that ignites our lives is enthusiasm, and it’s the one critical trait that cannot be taught. Enthusiasm is about passion, gusto, excitement and infectious energy. Enthusiasm is crucial in every profession.

My good friend Brandon Steiner, CEO of CollectibleXchange and Athlete Direct, pointed out to me that the same coaches manage to advance deep in the NCAA tournament because they stay consistent.

Big goals require three things: a plan, a commitment to carry out that plan and consistency. Getting started is hard enough, but consistently carrying out your plan is more difficult. Even the best business plans will fail without a dedication to consistency.

These basketball athletes never, ever give up. They have confidence and a positive mental attitude. No matter what happens in business, life or sports, don’t quit.

Hustlers never quit. There are a number of attributes a person needs to succeed in life. Two of them are outside our control -- talent and luck. Hustle is a third component, and it can definitely be developed and cultivated. Hustling is essential for anyone who wants to be successful.

Hustlers have intense, laserlike focus. Hustlers don’t do things because they have to. They do things because they choose to. They have self-determination. They embrace risk-taking. They believe taking no risks is the biggest risk. Hustlers love what they do. They have grit. They love to practice and get better each day.

And speaking of hustling, I have an expression I use frequently when I am speaking publicly. Little things mean a lot, not true. Little things mean everything. You can’t put a price on the people who are willing to get tough rebounds, loose balls, deflections and so on. It’s the same for business.

When you work or play with urgency and emotion, good things happen. Same with sticking together and working hard for each other. We saw examples of this in almost every game.

It’s possible to fight ferociously on the court and still have class and respect for your opponent. In fact, the harder you fight to win, the more people will respect you. Competition should bring out the best in you, not the worst.

The team with the best teamwork usually wins. For championship results, you need to be a team player. You have to understand that sometimes you will be the star and other times you will be part of the supporting cast. Every member of the team is important and contributes to the overall success of the project. Bring whatever talents you have and be grateful that others have different skill sets that complement each other.

As legendary college basketball coach John Wooden said, “A player who makes his team great is more valuable than a great player.”

A big part of winning is dreaming big. I often joke that it takes years to become an overnight success. But it starts with a dream. And dreams come true -- with a lot of wide-awake work.

Finally, the game is never over until the final buzzer sounds. Miracles can and do happen.

Mackay’s Moral: Getting to the Big Dance involves learning a lot of steps.

When the office photocopies began to look faint, the office manager called in a local repair service. The friendly technician inspected the equipment and informed the manager that the machine was in need of a good cleaning. The tech suggested that someone could read the operator’s manual and perform the job themself, since it would cost $100 if he did the work.

Pleasantly surprised by his candor, the office manager asked, “Does your boss know you are discouraging business?”

“Actually, my boss demands we explain this to all our customers. After people try first to fix things themselves, we end up making much more money on repairs.”

Good advice is always a good investment. If you don’t know how to do something or don’t have time to learn how to do it properly, hire an expert. Knowledge is power. You will save time and money in the long term.

Over the years, I’ve hired experts to help with specific projects so that my staff and I can learn from professionals and gain valuable experience.

My philosophy is that if you can’t be an expert or don't know an expert, you should always hire an expert. But how do you find the best experts? It’s not as simple as doing a Google search -- finding the best lawyer, accountant, doctor, mechanic or whatever professional you’re looking for requires a few more steps.

Here are some strategies I use in picking an expert:

-- Go to someone you already know and trust. When a problem hits is a lousy time to look for someone you can trust. I would rather rely on someone I knew I could count on, even if their experience is limited. And if I don’t know the right person, I’ll check with some trusted colleagues for their recommendations.

-- Use an expert to find another expert in the same profession. Don't ask an accountant to help you pick a doctor. But I have asked many doctors to recommend other doctors in other specialties. Nurses are also great resources. I want the best, someone who stays current in their area of expertise.

-- Be prepared to pay for any advice you get, even when all you are asking your first expert to do is recommend a second expert. That makes expert No. 1 think twice about making a solid recommendation. Good advice is never cheap. And cheap advice is rarely good.

-- Don't be afraid to ask questions ... and a lot of them. When I interview experts, I want a time and action calendar and a deadline before I hire them. For example, one of my favorite investment probes is: “Are you putting your own money in the investment that you are recommending to me?”

-- Don’t confuse being a good friend with being a good businessperson. Hiring a buddy or family member as a favor or to save a buck may end up costing you dearly. Unless that person is actually an expert, keep looking.

-- It bears repeating: Look for experts before you need them. Anticipate challenges you might face at some point in the future and dig your well before you’re thirsty. Get to know them -- or about them -- in advance.

-- Be prepared to hire a second expert. If you are not confident in the advice you get from the first expert, a second opinion is in order.

One of my favorite books while cutting my teeth in business was “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. He wrote a story about a Colorado gold rush miner who found a lot of gold and thought he had hit a rich seam. He covered up his work, went home and told relatives and friends about his find and raised lots of money to buy equipment. They set it up and started mining. They filled a cart with gold the first few weeks, but it wasn’t enough to pay for all the equipment, and suddenly, the gold dried up. They kept digging and spent more money on equipment, but still no gold. They ended up selling their equipment to a junk dealer and went home.

The junk dealer thought he’d give it another try and got expert help from a mining engineer who did an assessment of the lease. He said the earlier miners failed because they didn’t understand fold lines and gold seams. One of the richest seams of gold in Colorado was less than 3 feet from where they were digging.

Mackay’s Moral: An old broom knows the dirty corners best.