I was listening to a story about the famous basketball player Rick Barry and his underhanded free throw shot that he made popular back in the day. It was a great story that he told about why he developed his underhanded toss and how it became a force for his team’s free throw points. He recounted for the reporter that his underhanded toss never took off in the big leagues because of the simple fact that no one wanted to be seen as doing a “granny shot.” Imagine being so cowed by others that many basketball players would not even […]
Life lessons
The Reason Most People Give Up
Today, I want to encourage you to keep on keeping on. I saw a quote recently that said, “The reason most people give up is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they have come.” And isn’t that true? Most people give up because they tend to look at how far they still have to go instead of how far they have come. For many of us, we become discouraged by what seems to be either a lack of progress, the slow pace of the journey, or the length of […]
If Only Our Eyes Saw Souls
“If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies, how very different our ideals of beauty would be.” ~ Unknown I came across a funny video the other day about how young people view older people. I’m posting the video here. How funny to watch the youngsters act out how an “old” person would walk across the street, text a message, or do a jumping jack. And then to see them blown away by the attitudes and actions of these elders is simply a fun way to waste a few minutes of your day, and it shows us all how […]
The Emotion of Anger
This is part of my series on emotion. Recently, I was on a flight that felt like a roller coaster, with the wind jostling and jerking the plane to the right and the left. After a while, we did even out, and the flight was typical, but in those few moments, I began to think about how to overcome the turbulence we were experiencing. A few years ago, I took a few flying lessons to see if I was cut out to pilot my own plane to my speaking events, and in my private flight lessons, I learned pretty quickly […]
What’s in The Well, Comes Up in The Bucket
I was listening to the commencement address by Tyler Perry at Tuskegee University, and in his remarks, he made this statement: “What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.” It’s the first time I’ve heard this phrase, and it just stuck with me because it seems to be the perfect Southern expression of how life really is, no matter what it looks like on the outside. I understand that everyone wants to appear successful to friends, family, and even enemies. It is good for those who have made it because, no doubt, it took work to find their place and […]
Go Where You’re Celebrated, Not Tolerated
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 […]
You Were Born with the Ability to Change Someone’s Life
You were born with the ability to change someone’s life; don’t ever waste it. As I prepare for my weekly radio show and blog post, I often speak with the larger listening audience in mind. I fully understand that it’s Saturday and you’re busy with chores or errands, house cleaning, or finishing up lunch with the family, but today, I want to talk to you directly. As I work with presidents of corporations, sales team leaders, authors who are out selling their books, or wise individuals who are working to improve their speaking ability, I have been reminded once again […]
A Shoulder to Lean On
I am a bystander – a new friend – and an American colleague who has come to work in her country. Just for a moment, in the late afternoon’s dusty air settling on a few minutes’ worth of freshly fallen rain, we are family. It can happen to anyone. The police report said he had come from the eye doctor and had his pupils dilated. Instead of waiting for the appropriate time to allow his eyes to see clearly, he got up from the hospital bench and walked into the street. Not being able to judge distance with his fractured […]
We Each Write the Story of Our Lives
I am not sure what it is about my theme today that captures me. I guess it’s because there is such truth in the simple statement that we each write the story of our lives one choice at a time. Regrets or joy, we make choices every hour, every day, every month, every year, and will do so for the rest of our lives. And those choices will be a reflection of what we love or once loved, cared about, or decided to toss out, something we fought for, or something we fought against. The choices we make will, for […]
