“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés I have the great fortune to be a TEDx speaker coach. And with every TEDx presenter, I am blessed to hear about topics I never knew about or even considered–that’s the beauty of TED (Technology, Education & Design) and TEDx. This year, one of the speakers gave a talk about how we all have implicit bias; whether we know it or not or whether we admit it to […]
Leadership
Walking Away
“When faced with senseless drama, spiteful criticisms and misguided opinions, walking away is the best way to stand up for yourself. To respond with anger is an endorsement of their attitude.” ~ Dodinsky How many times have you thought about walking away from the drama, the words and the noise but you stayed to play one more round, hoping it would not be as bad as you thought. No doubt, it ended up being pretty awful. And the worst part is you knew it would end up poorly, but you just had to speak your mind one more time, or […]
Can I Get A Yes
I’ve got an idea this month. Let’s focus on saying, yes, to any opportunity that comes along, however big or small. Let’s try it for just one month and see what happens, because I believe that once you get used to saying, yes, great opportunities will start to show up in your amazing life. See, once you get used to saying yes, you’ll start seeing more ways to say yes. There is something freeing about saying yes to opportunity, because you never know when that yes will open another door, and that door may lead the way to the door […]
Great Things Are Done by a Series of Small Things
Today I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on, and my theme is a quote that is new to me; it’s by the famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh. He says that “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” I love that line, because it is so true. I know that sometimes it feels like you are spinning your wheels when you are trying to create an opportunity for yourself or others, or you sometimes feel alone as you’re building a business or as you do the daily work of the job and responsibilities […]
Your Destiny Is Determined by Your Decisions
Nothing is more jarring than to see someone you know on the six-o-clock news for doing something stupid or illegal, and now that they have been arrested, the whole world knows of their demise. Don’t you find it odd that people you used to work with, worship with or who were in your network end up on the news? And not because of something good they did, but for something unscrupulous that has now landed them in a place they never thought they’d be…prison. It is at those times I want to yell and remind all who will listen that […]
Life Moves On…
It is hard to understand why things don’t work out like we’d like for them to, and preferably in our favor, but as you well know, life doesn’t always give us what we think we need or want, and until we can settle on the fact that our plans will change with or without our acceptance—until we come to terms with that fact of life—we’ll always be chasing something that is hard to catch. Because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, we ought to make it our joy to live today. Unfortunately that is not what many people believe, […]
Why We Lie
Honesty is such a lonely word, and to add insult to injury, exaggeration is the name of the game, and that is a lie. Oh, I know I said the word lie. I said it because, well, that is what it is when you don’t tell the truth about yourself. I know the word is harsh and it is tougher still to be called out on, but, quicker than you can hide your lie from those who know you, the damage you’ve done to yourself will cut you deeply and leave a lifelong scar for all to see. I want […]
I dwell in Possibility
Recently I saw a reference to a poem by Emily Dickenson called “I dwell in Possibility.” Like most things that take me by surprise, I have to admit, I did a double-take on the title. Then I thought, “I hope that I am a dweller in possibility; that I leave the door wide open to allow all possibilities that come my way to run wild without my interference so I may follow the path to whatever is waiting on the other side.” I am guessing that possibility is not a word that gives many people much comfort. We want surety […]
If You’re Tired of Starting Over Quit Giving Up
I love the quote, If you’re tired of starting over—quit giving up. I am not sure who said it, but, wow, if there was ever a billboard that we should put up around the state, it’s this one. If you’re tired of starting over—quit giving up. I hear people say all the time that they are tired of always having to start over, and so many times I want to ask the obvious question of why did you stop? Really, why did you stop your diet? Why did you stop going to school? Why did you stop being the loving […]