A while back, I stepped down from a leadership position that I really enjoyed. I like to be called Boss Lady, but the reality is I do too much, so in order to take control of my world, I had to make some changes to protect the time I have to do the things that I am interested in doing and, in some cases, am required to do. It’s never easy stepping away from a project you birthed or created or really loved. But the fact is that in order to leave a legacy of success, there comes a time […]
Hopes and Dreams
Take A Chance
I’ve seen this poster a hundred times on school bulletin boards, coffee shop information boards, and at Whole Foods on the community board. It was just recently, though, for some unknown reason, it finally caught my attention. It’s an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, and the bottom of the sheet is clipped so you can “pull a ticket.” The poster headline is “Take A Chance,” and each ticket says: “Chance.” Interesting to see how many little slips of paper just hang on the sheet, waiting to be taken. I guess some folks don’t see it as anything they’d be […]
Oh, To Be Remembered
Oh, To Be Remembered This time of year, I often think about Lucille Ball. We lost her 20+ years ago, although it doesn’t seem that long. I can remember coming home from school and watching I Love Lucy, laughing along with the cheesy laugh tracks on the screen. Or, when I was homesick, I could still find her show on some off-channel for reruns. I often use her life adventure in one of my leadership talks. If you know her story, it is an amazing tale of survival. To have the star power she had for over 30 years in Hollywood […]
It is the Courage to Continue that Counts
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill I am working with a terrific young man who will be giving the valedictorian address at his high school graduation in a few weeks. It’s been fun to hear him reminisce about his early days in high school when he “didn’t care,” to realizing one day that he was just a few points behind the smartest guy at school and knowing that with a little work he could overtake him, because, as he said, no one knew he was that smart […]
Mend the Part of the World
“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, and Design). This year, one of the speakers gave a talk about how we all have implicit bias; whether we are aware of it or not, whether we acknowledge it […]
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 you’ve […]
Your Destiny Is Determined by Your Decisions
Nothing is more jarring than seeing someone you know on the six o’clock news for doing something stupid or illegal, and now that they have been arrested, the whole world knows of their demise. Don’t you find it odd that people you used to work with, worship with, or who were in your network end up on the news? And not because of something good they did, but for something unscrupulous that has now landed them in a place they never thought they’d be…prison. It is at those times that I want to yell and remind all who will listen […]
I Dwell in Possibility
Recently, I saw a reference to a poem by Emily Dickinson called “I dwell in Possibility.” Like most things that take me by surprise, I have to admit that I did a double-take on the title. Then I thought, “I hope that I am a dweller in possibility, that I leave the door wide open to allow all possibilities that come my way to run wild without my interference, so I may follow the path to whatever is waiting on the other side.” I am guessing that possibility is not a word that gives many people much comfort. We want […]
Be Somebody Who Makes Everybody Feel Like (a) Somebody
Have you ever been around someone who makes you feel like you matter? Really, that you matter to them, and frankly, that YOU matter in general. And it’s not dependent on the time of day or night, whether it’s a weekend, or if they are with other friends, or if they find you alone, or even if they haven’t seen you for a while. But when you reconnect, the way they treat you is with respect, kindness, gentleness, graciousness, and sheer unbridled happiness that they get the chance to see you again. Now, you might be thinking that I’m talking […]
