Recently, I was at the beach for a quick vacation, and as I was sitting on the shore soaking up the sun, I was fascinated just watching the waves come in and go out, a little closer to me each time, until I had to move my beach chair back from the water onto higher sand or be soaked in the saltwater swirling around me. I couldn’t help but wonder and watch the power of the water on the shifting sands and then how, within a few hours, all the work of little hands that built sand castles all around […]
Clutter is wrecking your self-worth
I have written about the issue of clutter in our lives a few times, but I keep coming back to it because I find, over and over, that there just might be that one thing that you’re holding on to that is holding you back from achieving what you want in your life. When I talk about clutter, I don’t just mean that you need to clean out the attic or garage (although those are good places to start). For a bigger life impact, you might want to consider tossing out a few things that are more personal to you–things […]
Curiosity
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, Yes, that is my headline for today, but stay with me and learn why. I don’t know about you, but when I see something new, I file it away for a rainy day to pull out and review it when I have some free time. I’ve been on the road for a few weeks now, speaking at conferences, and when I was unpacking this week, I pulled out a crumpled piece of paper that was stuffed in my suitcase, and it had this word (above) written at the top with the notation that it has 85 letters in the […]
The Emotion of Scarcity
I am continuing my series on emotions. I started the series with the emotion of anger because anger is a cancer to your soul. So, to have any chance for a successful and happy life, friend, you have to let it go. Then, I talked about the pain of personal shame. Shame is a failure to meet your own standard of behavior, and this emotion will wreck your life if you’re not careful. And I added in the thought that you should stop thinking that others have to accept your forgiveness for you to be forgiven. They don’t. Once you’ve […]
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 of 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 […]
Sometimes Holding On Does More Damage Than Letting Go
As much as we like to hang on because we all like to feel like it is the right thing to do in our personal lives or at the office or with a friend, sometimes it might be best to just let go because sometimes holding on does more damage than letting go. Now, to be fair, that is hard to do. I don’t think most of us are wired to let go; I believe we’re wired to try, try, try, and try again to make relationships work, and office politics work out to some manageable agreement or to stay connected […]
The Emotion of Jealousy
I am going to continue with my theme of emotions, which are causing you harm… because I want you to understand that you are more than how you feel, and you can (with help) heal the damaged places in your heart and mind. I started the series with the emotion of anger because anger is a cancer to your soul. So, to have any chance for a successful and happy life, friend, you have to let it go. Then, I talked about the pain of personal shame. Shame is a failure to meet your own standard of behavior, and this […]
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 do 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 at what seems to be either a lack of progress, how slow the journey has been, or how long […]
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 see. I want […]
