Deb Sofield, Author at Deb Sofield

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 whole 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,

Give It A Try Whispered the Heart

It’s impossible, said Pride. It’s risky, said experience. It’s pointless, said reason. Give it a try, whispered the heart. Give it a try, whispered the heart. I love the heart – the one muscle that you must use to keep strong when everything seems to be falling apart. At the center of your body is the heart that beats and keeps the whole body in motion. Call me crazy, but I believe your body hears everything you say about it. That’s why it is so important to learn to love yourself and be comfortable with who you are and how

Your Attitude, Not Your Aptitude, Will Determine Your Altitude

Your Attitude, Not Your Aptitude, Will Determine Your Altitude A while back, I was flying to a speaking job, and as I left for the airport that morning, it was raining. I looked out the window while we were waiting to take off, and I could tell it was going to be a cold, wet, and rainy ride; in fact, that was the outlook for the entire week where I was heading to speak. Sitting on the plane, determining what I was not going to be doing on this trip (since I don’t like to be out in rainy, cold

Be Sure You Put Your Feet in the Right Place

Be Sure You Put Your Feet in the Right Place You know, it is a fact of life that sometimes you fall–you just hope that you don’t fall into the water on a leadership training excursion. A few years ago, I was with some friends, and we were participating in the typical leadership activities that involve bonding with other team members. Now, something you need to know about me is that, although I enjoy the outdoors, I have never been fond of the so-called “team-building programs.” It’s never been my ambition to fall backward in trust and hope (and prayer)

You’ve Got A (Toxic) Friend

You’ve Got A (Toxic) Friend And what is so interesting is that YOU know it. Recently, a client of mine who wants to 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 his community service, non-profit ventures, and summer trips helping others that he’d 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 needed different

Sometimes When You Least Expect It – You Will Win

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 chance 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

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.” 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 show,

It Is Not The Critic Who Counts

It Is Not The Critic Who Counts “It is not the critic who counts…” You know this phrase as well as you know your name, but have you really thought about the truth contained in those seven words that have gone down in history? The fact is that the world is full of critics whose words don’t count because they don’t know you, your story, or your future. And the sad part is that they really don’t care to know you; they find great delight in tearing you down because they need a stepping stone in their quest for significance.

Running Away From Your Problems Is A Race You’ll Never Win

Running Away From Your Problems Is A Race You’ll Never Win As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really tried to keep myself out of trouble, and I’m doing pretty well, thank goodness! It’s not that I go looking for trouble, but sometimes it seems to find me, usually because of something I said, or because someone said I had said it. So, I have had to be more careful because I don’t want to hurt anyone or cause harm. I want to be thought of as a kind person. But often, I look around and see that some of my peers,

Author: Deb Sofield