Dear Reader – please note this show was produced in 2015 but I wanted to share it along with my other shows. I don’t know about you, but I’m often asked about New Year’s Resolutions: Do I make them? Do I keep them? Or do I do nothing? And the answer is…a little bit of all of them. I know this week’s show is a few days before the New Year, but I wanted to check in and see, if you don’t have a New Year’s resolution, if I could convince you to consider my resolution for the new year, […]
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Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.
Recently I overheard a heated argument in which one of the players was verbally harsh to the other, and gave them what we’d call a standing down, told them off—gave them a piece of their mind. It was so sad to see the immediate crush of the other person’s spirit. It was shocking and unsettling and simply heartbreaking at the same time. I am not around people who yell. I didn’t grow up with anyone who yelled in our family—it just wasn’t allowed—and when I witness the outburst of anger that is carried by one’s raising of their voice, it […]
The Higher we Soar
“The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.”~ Friedrich Nietzsche Once again, a quote has grabbed me and will not let me go due to the truth that is so simply stated. This is where I find myself today, with a quote from Nietzsche who hit the nail on the head with this simple idea, “The higher we soar, the smaller we appear to those who cannot fly.” Oh, don’t you know it! Those who continually jab at you for all your hopes and dreams and aspirations and can’t see their way out of a […]
First it’s impossible, then difficult, then done.
Have you ever looked at a task and thought, Wow, that’s impossible! Then you stop, or you start to find other ways to get the job done and you realize that it’s not impossible, it’s just difficult, and then you keep working and the difficult isn’t as bad as you thought. Now, it’s still hard but, before you know it, the job that was out of range—too hard to do, couldn’t figure it out—is now completed. Finished. Done. Recently I was having some quiet time; I was reading in a devotional book I really love about prayer and came across […]
How to be lucky
I have always loved the quote, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” It has been attributed to just about everyone, but the one who is consistently listed is Samuel Goldwyn of TV and movie producer fame. Interesting when you think that he might have said that line considering that he was–in a sense–the star-maker in Hollywood, but even he understood the long view of success or luck (as you’d like to believe). Just think back on your favorite movie star and then research how many times they had to do cheese ball commercials or TV sitcoms or print […]
Swing for the Fences
Have you ever wanted to step up to the plate in baseball and swing for the fence—really give it your best shot, and watch as that proverbial ball sails over the back side of the stadium? In life and work, sometimes I think to myself, “What would it take for me to swing hard and connect with the ball to put it over the fence so I can win the contract, take the audience to a new understanding of their freedom to thrive in life, or simply to know that I did something good for someone else?” Dear listener, today, […]
Be a weed
So by now, you know that little things in life make me wonder. Big things make me wonder too, like how many stars are in the universe and what are we going to do about the trash in our oceans and overfishing by some countries. But sometimes my mind seeks to know how little things work, like how is it that a dandelion–you know, the little yellow flowering weed with a thick stem and hairy little leaves that I can crush with my hand and have it wither away quickly–can push its way up through asphalt, the road that my […]
Goodwill Garners Goodwill
Recently I was flying to an engagement, and the in-flight magazine had a story about a staffer with a certain airline who had gone above and beyond what was expected for a passenger who had been stranded. When others in the organization heard about his good deeds, notes and letters poured in saying his kindness was legendary, and everyone knew his name and seemed to know of some display of kindness that he had shown to others at some time. At the end of the story, the staffer mentioned that the response from his fellow employees meant the world to […]
Outside of the Box
I was reading an article online last week and came across an interesting job interview question for one of my clients that dealt with thinking outside of the box. I know you’ve heard that phrase over and over, so it is not new, but I wonder why so many seem to stay in their boxes instead of moving forward, sideward or upwards in life? Is it because they are so comfortable in the rut of sameness? Or have they ground their wheels so deep into the mud that they can never get out and go anywhere interesting? You’re familiar with […]