“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 […]
Life lessons
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
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 […]
Great Things Are Done by A Series of Small Things
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, “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 […]
Your Destiny Is Determined by Your Decisions
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 […]
Life Moves On…
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 […]
Why We Lie
Why We Lie Honesty is such a lonely word, and to add insult to injury, exaggeration is the name of the game, and that is a lie. Oh, I know I said the word lie. I said it because, well, that is what it is when you don’t tell the truth about yourself. I know the word is harsh, and it is tougher still to be called out on, but quicker than you can hide your lie from those who know you, the damage you’ve done to yourself will cut you deeply and leave a lifelong scar for all to […]
Be Somebody Who Makes Everybody Feel Like (a) Somebody
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, they treat you with respect, kindness, gentleness, graciousness, and sheer unbridled happiness at the chance to see you again. Now, you might be […]
A Man Who Wants to Lead the Orchestra Must Turn His Back
“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” ~ Max Lucado I have always loved this quote, and I believe it because I see so many people in leadership who spend a lot of time wanting to be “in the crowd” rather than leading it. No doubt it is hard to turn our backs on the cheering crowd–it seems so fun to be in the middle of it all, but a man (or woman) who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Why? Because leadership is strengthened when a […]