I have come to believe that the most dangerous place on the road is the intersection. And I think that is because at that place, within seconds, someone has to make a decision. And isn’t that just like life? You come to the intersection, and then you have to choose which way to go, how fast, and still (out of the corner of your eye) be aware of those around you. I do prefer an intersection to a roundabout. In other countries (where they don’t drive in between the lines), the roundabout can force you to go round and round […]
Life lessons
Practice the Pause
“Practice the pause. Pause before judging. Pause before assuming. Pause before accusing. Pause whenever you’re about to react harshly, and you’ll avoid doing and saying things you’ll later regret.” ~ Lori Deschene Oh, if I had only learned this earlier in my life, I would have saved myself from myself. I probably have too many stories to regale you with from all the times I spoke out when I should have practiced the pause, mentally and verbally. Even now, I catch myself chatting away when, in reality, my brain tells me I should just be quiet and let the conversation hum […]
Not My Rodeo. Not My Bull.
Could there be a more perfect phrase? Not My Rodeo. Not My Bull. When you feel yourself being pulled into someone else’s drama, repeat these words: Not my rodeo. Not my bull. I also like the phrase, not my circus; not my monkey – it’s all the same in its meaning of “Be wise, my friend, and don’t let yourself get caught up in other people’s drama.” I laughed out loud when I saw this quote the other day because I love the rodeo. (My mom grew up in Wyoming, so I come by it honestly.) “Not my rodeo… Not […]
Carpe Diem, My Friend
Carpe Diem. Seize the day… Make your lives extraordinary. It’s the fourth week on my topic, and I am just as excited and motivated by my themes of Commitment, Excellence, and Action as I was when I first introduced them to you a few weeks ago. When I started writing about these three themes you often hear about, they kept revealing themselves as much deeper than one-and-done. Commitment, Excellence, and Action seem so simple, yet so hard to master if you don’t lay the groundwork to get it right the first time…or the first ten times. It’s hard to put […]
Discover Who You Are
Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are. If you ask your friends and family what are some challenges they are facing today and how they plan to overcome them, most of your peers will look at you with a blank expression, and suddenly, you will see a quote cloud form above their head that says, “You need to find someone else to talk to. I don’t want to go that deep today…or tomorrow or ever.” Now, it’s not because they didn’t understand the question; it is because no one–and I […]
Attract What You Expect
Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire. In Pennsylvania, I was speaking with those planning to run for public office. I teach Your Campaign Speech and how to engage your audience to listen to your message. And in Maryland, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the Spouse Program for members of Congress. I must say they were both wonderful groups to spend time with, and my thought for today is a direct result of what I saw that week. If you’re in public office or would like to […]
Don’t Wait for Extraordinary Opportunities
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. A few weeks ago, my show was about if you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way, and, although I thought I was done with that thought, in my mind and in my quiet time, I kept coming back to the BIG idea that anyone can take the steps in the right direction to do what they are called to do. What may seem impossible to others is not impossible for you. If you will, just put forth the effort to make it happen. […]
If You Can’t Change the People Around You
This has been a week of sadness and joy for me. Let me explain. Within ten days, three people I knew died: one from unexplained causes, one from cancer, and one from Alzheimer’s. Due to my travel schedule, I could only attend one of the funerals, but I know what I saw that day would have been the same at each service. Sitting in the packed church for the service, I was struck by the outpouring of love that left a 500-plus-seat auditorium with only standing room for those who came to support the family and recall their memory of […]
Suspend Your Disbelief
Suspend Your Disbelief I love poetry, and recently, I re-read the simple yet profound poem by William Wordsworth: “With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.” Do you see into the life of things? Or do you allow your mind to stop any exploration into things you know little to nothing about? The reason I ask is that I am curious to see if you are stuck in the pluff mud of life or if you are open to simply suspend your disbelief about the […]