I know you’ve heard the phrase, “just say no.” And while it was used to take aim at the war on drugs, I am here to encourage you to “just say no” and stop willfully taking another drug of choice that many people take and tend to overdose on, especially at the holidays–the drug of doing. I’ve never understood why so many good people are addicted to the need for doing, especially when they don’t enjoy it and can’t afford it. What I see is that they feel pressured by others because they feel have no way out. We are […]
Be a lamp – or a lifeboat – or a ladder
Be a lamp – a lifeboat – or a ladder I came across this saying a while back and it made me stop and think about who in our lives have been there as a lamp, a lifeboat, or a ladder. I’m sure for most of us it would be easy to choose someone who is a lamp in our life – someone who believed we’d come into our own one-day and be the person we were born to be. That one person, who against all odds of human reasoning liked us, loved us and believed in us and today […]
Fearless or Fearful
You’ll notice that over time they become fearful of speaking up–in case they are wrong–or they become fearful of putting in extra hours in case no one notices (so why give it more than the basic requirement) or, for many, I see that they are fearful to step out of or away from the comforts of their home, their job or their group of friends. I find it curious that so many once-fearless people now seem to make a place for fear at their table and allow fear to eat every meal with them in their ever shrinking world. It’s […]
Leaving Greatness in the Graveyard
A while back I saw a motivational video about pushing through the pain to achieve the goal of greatness. It was a video of famous and not-so-famous athletes who worked hard day after day, night after night, to be the best, understanding that success is a mixture of blood, sweat and tears. Today they are recognized sports figures who are greatly rewarded by their abilities. As the video is playing you can hear voices—sort of sounds like preachers in the background giving the message of determination, power, fight and success—and there is one section of the video where the words […]
It’s not what happens to you
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Epictetus There is no easy way to say it and no need to sugar coat the truth that for many could be life-changing, so I’ll hit you straight up and remind you that “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” You know this to be true, and yet it is so hard to let offenses, real and imagined, go without a fight or at least a great put-you-in-your-place-amazingly-smart-aleck comment. Recently, I was speaking at a leadership luncheon, and I […]
Is your life a grand adventure?
I’m reading a great book about a lady’s travels throughout the world, and each page takes me to another outdoor café or museum or cathedral. I have walked alongside this lady as she tries new foods, buys tiles and trinkets and smells the scent of the city where she and her husband are exploring. I can get lost in a book pretty easily, and I have found that I tend to like books that have an element of education for me and not just a sappy story. I admit I spend a lot of time reading, and it’s a habit […]
My Goal in Life Is to be Filthy Rich
My goal in life is to be filthy rich. Now, before you wonder what happened to me, hear me out because I am truthful when I tell you that I really do want to be rich. I want to be rich in knowledge, adventure, laughter, health, family and rich in love. How about you? No doubt you’d like to join me in being rich in all those areas of life, wouldn’t you? Well then, let’s figure out how to do it and be outrageously successful. I don’t think it is all that hard these days to be rich in knowledge–it […]
Generosity of Spirit
Like many of you, I like to think of myself as a generous person, or at least that is the ideal I have in my mind about who I am and those I associate with. I have come to believe that we all hope and trust that we have a place inside us that realizes that it is good to be thoughtful, kind and generous to others, and it’s at that foundation of our deep moral makeup that reflects who we are at our soul level. Now I know that some people do not feel this way. While I don’t […]
Feeling stuck is a FEELING, not a fact
If I have heard it once, I have heard it 100 times, “You know, Deb, I’m stuck in life and I don’t know how to move forward.” Well, I say usually, one step at a time is a good place to start and soon the feeling will pass and you can get started again. Why? Because feeling stuck is a FEELING, not a fact, and, for many listening today, you’re wallowing in a feeling that is not based on anything but your emotions at this time and for whatever reason you’ve chosen to give. No doubt some days, weeks or […]