When was the last time someone said “thank you” or “please” to you? Really think about the last time someone out of the clear blue said “thank you” for something kind you did for them or said “please” when something was needed. Oh no! You can’t think of a recent time when someone said those magical phrases in a sincere manner? Well, sadly, that is my point today. It seems so rare to hear a kind word of thanks, praise, appreciation or encouragement that is not forced or contrived to get you to do something for someone. So with that […]
Public Speaking
One small crack does not mean that you are broken
One small crack does not mean that you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart. Today I want to shout out a cheer to some of you for sticking with it and getting the hard work done or just accomplishing a goal that you set, and now, friend, you’re basking in the glow of a good job well done. My theme today is a quote from Linda Poindexter who said, “One small crack does not mean that you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and you […]
Patience, Perseverance and Practice
The other day I saw a man who had the telling scar of a knee replacement, and what made it unusual is that I noticed his knee was stiff and not very workable, so he had learned to swing it in a walking motion instead of walking with a normal gait. When I asked about his surgery, he admitted that he had not done all the exercises that were required right after the surgery and the knee healed in a stiff position. I am sure that he could stretch the muscles and sinew to make his walking easier and more […]
Push Yourself Because No One Is Going to Do It for You
Push Yourself Because No One Is Going to Do It for You When I was thinking about what to share this week, I tussled with a few ideas that I wanted to use to encourage you knowing that there are a lot of things going on in your life right now. So, understanding that you are busy, let me be your personal motivator to remind you to continue to push yourself because no one is going to do it for you. Whether it is getting the family ready for school, or re-organizing your life for the new year or simply […]
If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule
You would think that the admonition of, If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule–never lie to yourself , would be a no-brainer, but we all know people who consciously (or subconsciously) lie to themselves about themselves. Or they lie about the most mundane matters or willfully choose not to see the truth because, frankly, it hurts when, due to life circumstances, change must happen. But remember, the lie that seems small and insignificant today, may over time grow into a habit that can be damaging to your business, your friends and maybe (not to be dramatic) […]
Change Your Life
For fun, this week I used Google and asked, “how to change your life,” and, lo and behold, you would not believe all the options that are just waiting for you and me to sign up and get going. Most of them had a multi-point-plan for us to get going, and others just laid it on the line for what we should and shouldn’t be doing to change our lives. After I read through the multiple lists of options, I had to laugh, because, although they all promised success in 429 easy steps, the fact is that none of it […]
The Emotion of Greed
This is the last part in my series on Emotions That Are Causing You Great Harm, and I am going to finish with one emotion that is as dangerous as the one I started with. If you will remember, that was anger, because anger is a cancer to your soul and does great damage to others. So I want to talk about one more emotion that can wreck your life and that is greed. And that’s my theme for today. Let me do a quick rundown on the emotions I’ve spoken about in this series. If you want to learn […]
Don’t Hold on to Grudges
I have been thinking about a few clients that I work with, and have come to realize that there is one thing that seems to hold many of them back from being amazing rock star speakers. That one thing is an old hurt from someone in their past who is now irrelevant and who basically told them they were awful speakers and to keep quiet. Now I don’t know what the teacher or another adult actually said, but to a young person, what they heard was, “Don’t open your mouth again.” And here we are years later, and the idea […]
The Past is a Place of Reference Not a Place of Residence
I had a client tell me about a family situation that happened while she was in high school, in which, due to unforeseen circumstances and due to the economy, her family had to declare bankruptcy, and, in the blink of an eye, their lives had changed. Although that would be traumatic for any young person, this young lady’s parents held the family together, vowing to rebuild and continuing to provide to the best of their ability for their kids. Instead of allowing that experience to define this amazing young woman’s future, she simply used it as a place of reference […]