You know, it is a fact of life that sometimes you fall–you just hope that you don’t fall in water on a leadership training excursion. A few years ago I was with some friends, and we were doing the typical leadership adventures of bonding with the other team members. Now, something you need to know about me is, although I enjoy the outdoors, I have never liked the said “team-building programs.” It’s never been my ambition to fall backwards in trust and hope (and prayer) that my teammates will catch me. I don’t have faith or fun on a zip […]
You’ve Got A (Toxic) Friend
Recently, a client of mine who wants to the change the world was taken aback when I told him that he would do well to walk away from his “loser” friends. “How do you know my friends are losers?” he asked. I told him that with all of his community service, non-profit ventures and summer trips helping others that he had been telling me about, he’d also said that he’d been doing all of this on his own. To me, this was a sign that he needs different friends. “Out of your massive buddy group,” I said, it’s obvious that […]
Sometimes when you least expect it – you will win
Every once in a while something happens that restores my faith in how the world works… Recently, I came upon a story of hope where the good guy (or gal in this case) has a shot to win. Not to say the others in the race are not as worthy, because frankly they are, but this story touched me, so I want to share it with you. I’m talking about the Oscar nomination for Best Original Song sung by Joni Eareckson Tada for the movie, Alone Yet Not Alone. What makes this nomination so unusual is that both the movie […]
The one thing that you have
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can.”–Neil Gaiman I meet a lot of people in my work and travels and, as I have grown in my own life through so many life experiences, I have over time developed a 6th sense (as it were) to see past the façade of who many people want you to think they are, to the underneath of that person and their inside. Not the outside […]
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction
“Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction.” Francis Picabia Rule number one. You have the right to change your mind. Rule number two. Read and act on rule number one…always. If you were to ask me what I find interesting at this age in my life it is this. When someone sees the other side of an issue or learns something new or over time decides that certain things don’t matter as much as they thought, and then, through careful consideration and reflection, they make a decision to change their mind about an issue, theory or thought […]
So What Is Your Super Power
Now that New Year’s resolutions are about over, let’s think about something we can do that could be the key to an amazing year, if not for yourself, then for others who probably need you. I wrote last week about choosing a word to define the different areas of your life that you would like to change. The one I heard the most is that many people say they want to enjoy life to the fullest, so think about a word that would be your anchor to remind you of your commitment to enjoying life. The word I would choose […]
The secret to getting ahead is getting started
“The secret to getting ahead is getting started”– Mark Twain Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I remind my friends and family that the secret to getting ahead is getting started and that they need to get started to begin the process of creating a path to where they want to go. I have come to believe that the hardest word in the English language just might be “start.” Seriously, a five-letter word is the difference between you heading in the direction of your dreams or you being exactly in the same place where you are today one […]
Walking through the rooms of our lives – not looking for flaws, but for potential
“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” – Ellen Goodman I like the idea that this year we’ll look forward not at the work to be done or cracks to be patched. No, we’re done looking for flaws, let’s look for potential. And isn’t that what a new year is all about – Potential? Webster’s defines Potential as – existing […]
A Word After A Word After A Word is Power
“A word after a word after a word is power.” – Margaret Atwood I have really come to believe that what you say to yourself about yourself is vitally important. I’m not sure I can prove it scientifically, but it just seems to me if you are not careful with the words you use when thinking about your skills and abilities and knowledge base you will undo years of education, years of building yourself up and years of acceptance of the praise of others who see a spark of brightness in you. With the new year upon us, I will […]