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 […]
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. I don’t know about you, but one thing in life that really chips me off is when people tell me they are going to do something and then never get around to it. Now I’m also preaching to myself today because a while back I made of list of things I had promised other people but never got around to. I had to go and make things right. Now some folks had moved on and when I didn’t keep my word they did other things, at that point I […]
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 […]
Discover who you are
Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. Bernice Johnson Reagon If you ask your friends and family what are some challenges that they are facing today and how they plan to overcome them, most of your peers will look at you with a blank expression and suddenly you will see a quote cloud form above their head that says, “You need to find someone else to talk to. I don’t want to go that deep today…or tomorrow or ever.” Now it’s not because they didn’t understand the question, it is […]
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities…
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. A few weeks ago my show was about if you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way, and, although I thought I was done with that thought, in my mind and in my quiet time I kept coming back to the BIG idea that anyone can take the steps in the right direction to do what they are called to do. What may seem impossible to others is not impossible for you. If you will, just put forth the effort to make it happen. […]
If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.
I often hear people say to me, “Well, I am not in a position to do (fill in the blank)…,” and I always find it interesting that many people place limits on themselves when, really, no one else on the outside does. It’s all in your mind. You’re choosing not to be your big self, you’re choosing not to live to your full potential and you’re choosing not to be who you were born to be. Because YOU are choosing to do little to nothing, when in reality if you’ve convinced yourself that you can’t do great things, would you […]
May you respond to the call of your gift
May you respond to the call of your gift and find the courage to follow its path. (From the poem: The Blessing by John O’Donohue) Recently, I was introduced to the words from the poem that prompted my title today. May you respond to the call of your gift and find the courage to follow its path. I will give the full poem in a bit, but for now, I want to stop your world and ask you to focus on the idea that you have a calling. You have a gift, and you need, with all you have in you, […]
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 […]