When your past calls, don’t answer; it has nothing new to say. How many times have you fallen back into an old habit or pattern because you answered the call of your past? You know you should not have picked up the proverbial phone, but you did, and you said hello and now you’re dealing with the aftermath. I’m encouraging you today to say goodbye and leave your past behind you as you move forward. I think it is interesting that so many people I talk with have this same pull–it’s like a spider web that seems to draw many […]
Act As If
Recently a friend who was on my show used a phrase that has really stuck with me… in the course of our conversation in talking about how to keep your spirits up even when it seems like life has thrown you a curve ball she said – that every time her spirits started to wane (in her job search) she would – as she said, Act As If… act as if it was going to be okay, act as if you had the courage to do the job, act as if you were in the job of your dreams. Just […]
I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends
I always liked that Beatles song. Most of them I’m ambivalent about, but something about the tune and truth of having strength in numbers makes me feel safe in the world today. Like many of you, I have groups of friends for different aspects of my life. I have church friends, work friends, former work friends, political friends (former political friends), my mom’s friends, my brothers’ friends and my sweet neighbors. I even have a small group of more mature friends whose company I love. In the midst of it all, I have a small group of trusted friends that […]
It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.”—Eeyore It has been a week. I can’t remember when, in the course of a holiday weekend, I have seen so much sadness and pain and frustration and disappointment. I’m not sure if it’s the moon in its phases, or life is just hard with all that is expected of us. Kids back in school, football teams winning and losing or financial issues that seem to plague even the most stable of families, or kids gone bad and parents are at wits end. Life is hard—I know you know that—and, although we don’t […]
Keep Going
Last week I spoke about the idea of Swinging for the Fences in Life—really stepping up to the plate and taking a powerful swing with all your might and watching that ball sail over the fence so you can round the bases and be proud that you really gave something your all and were successful. I want to add to that thought this week with this directive. Friend, in this life, you need to keep going because there is a great chance that everything you need will come to you at the perfect time…if you continue on. And that is […]
You’ve Got the Power
When I was younger I often heard the phrase, You’ve Got the Power. In actuality I think it was a commercial I heard on the radio, but I remember that it was also told to me to encourage me to move forward in whatever I was doing, because in the end you and I have the power to do amazing things in our lives and for others. Power – Bing Dictionary defines power as: Capacity to do something: the ability, strength Strength: physical force Control and influence over other people and their actions Power: we often think of others having […]
Swing for the Fences
Have you ever wanted to step up to the plate in baseball and swing for the fence—really give it your best shot, and watch as that proverbial ball sails over the back side of the stadium? In life and work, sometimes I think to myself, “What would it take for me to swing hard and connect with the ball to put it over the fence so I can win the contract, take the audience to a new understanding of their freedom to thrive in life, or simply to know that I did something good for someone else?” Dear listener, today, […]
The most ridiculously limiting, prehistoric assumption
The most ridiculously limiting, prehistoric assumption that many of you have is that what you’ve always dreamed of doing will not make you enough money, so you settle for something less than your heart desires and less than you deserve, all because you assumed or were told that (fill in the blank) won’t make you any money. What sparked this idea was that in one of my stories I came across a great quote by Tama Kieves who said, “I don’t know what your block is, but I changed my entire life (and the lives of thousands of others) by […]
Choose Hope
Like everyone else years ago I was so sad to hear about Robin Williams’ death, and I wanted to bring someone on the show to talk about depression and fear and other maladies that cause people to lose hope. I don’t want to focus on sadness–we have enough of that going on in the world. What I really want to say would be a rant about getting help, seeing your life for what it is and making the hard decision to fight to live another day; but that would add little value to the conversation, so I’ll hold my tongue […]