“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 […]
Speak without Fear
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 […]
A man who wants to lead the orchestra
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” ~ Max Lucado I have always loved this quote and I believe it, because I see so many people in leadership who spend a lot of time wanting to be “in the crowd” instead of leading the crowd. No doubt it is hard to turn our backs to the cheering crowd–it seems so fun to be in the middle of it all, but a man (or woman) who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Why? Because leadership is strengthened when […]
Every Positive Change
People often think that making changes in life (large or small) is just too difficult to do, so they procrastinate, and then they take such a long time to finally make a decision that they miss the opportunity, when all they really needed to do was to take the most basic step, and that is to start. My thought for the day is… Every positive change in your life begins with a clear, unequivocal decision that you are going to either do something or stop doing something. I don’t want to be a scold, and, frankly, that is not my […]
Sometimes your only available transportation
I have had a lot of different experiences in my life and have taken chances that on the outside might not have seemed so smart. Okay they probably weren’t so smart on the inside either, but who knew? I jumped in anyway because I have this theory about life—you’ve got to go and do what you want to do in case the world changes and those one-time opportunities disappear. I fundamentally believe that we are not meant to live a boring life. This world is too big, too amazing, too discoverable for me (or you) to sit at home and […]
Not My Rodeo. Not My Bull.
When you feel yourself being pulled into someone else’s drama, repeat these words, Not my rodeo. Not my bull. I also like the phrase, not my circus; not my monkey – it’s all the same in its meaning of “be wise, my friend, and don’t let yourself get caught up in other people’s drama.” I laughed out loud when I saw this quote the other day, because I love the rodeo. (My mom grew up in Wyoming, so I come by it honestly.) “Not my rodeo… Not my bull.” I cannot begin to tell you how often it seems that […]
Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire.
I had some interesting speaking engagements recently and it brought to mind this saying: Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire. In Pennsylvania, I was speaking to those who are planning on running for public office. I teach Your Campaign Speech and how to engage your audience to listen to your message. And in Maryland, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the Spouse Program for members of Congress. I must say they were both wonderful groups to spend time with and my thought for today is a direct […]
Hey Good Looking
When was the last time someone said that to you… I hope today or at least yesterday and maybe tomorrow…without a doubt I know you’re good looking and smart because you listen to my radio show and read my blog posts. But friends, how do you turn those good looks into opportunity? Opportunity to do all the things you dream of, opportunity to be the person you desire to become, opportunity to excel in your field of work or study…believe it or not it has little to do with your good looks, smarts and lineage and everything to do with […]