What is taking up space? (The parable of the fig tree) During the Easter weekend, I came across a reading about the parable of the fig tree, and it got me thinking about the truths that were in the story and how they relate to me and maybe to you. (Mark 11:12-14) The story relates the incident of a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, and since it was not producing, it had no value. Was it a beautiful tree? I suppose so, but it had a larger purpose, and that was to bear fruit. How disappointing to […]
Leadership
They Broke Your Expectations
No matter who you attribute the quote to, the idea that Expectation is the root of all heartache speaks truth to a level that most of us would rather not see or ever have to deal with, yet it is a daily occurrence, one that can fell the mightiest of men and women who, under the weight of innocent hope, will crumble when expectations (real or perceived) are not met. It’s true in life and love: They didn’t break your heart; they broke your expectations. They broke your expectations, that expectant hope that something or someone you held dear and […]
Life is an Echo
I saw a poster the other day that said, “Life is an echo, what you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others exists in you. Do not judge so you will not be judged. Radiate and give love, and love comes back to you.” That is an interesting thought that life is an echo. I guess I never thought about it that way. It seems to me that most of the time when I do something, I assume it dissipates and does not stay around to be recalled […]
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 & Design). 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 ourselves or […]
Walking Away
“When faced with senseless drama, spiteful criticisms, and misguided opinions, walking away is the best way to stand up for yourself. To respond with anger is an endorsement of their attitude.” ~ Dodinsky How many times have you thought about walking away from the drama, the words, and the noise, but you stayed to play one more round, hoping it would not be as bad as you thought? No doubt, it ended up being pretty awful. And the worst part is you knew it would end up poorly, but you just had to speak your mind one more time, or […]
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 […]
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 […]
Life Moves On…
It is hard to understand why things don’t work out like we’d like for them to, and preferably in our favor, but as you well know, life doesn’t always give us what we think we need or want, and until we can settle on the fact that our plans will change with or without our acceptance—until we come to terms with that fact of life—we’ll always be chasing something that is hard to catch. Because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, we ought to make it our joy to live today. Unfortunately, that is not what many people believe […]
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 is not dependent on what time of day or night, or weekend, or if they are with other friends, or they find you by yourself, or even if they don’t see 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 about […]
