Almost every health official or wellness magazine suggests that we all need to slow down and rest, and yet most of us refuse until our bodies force us to stop and take care of ourselves. The million-dollar question is, why don’t we take such good advice? And the ten-cent answer is that, for many, it seems selfish to stop and take care of ourselves when so much needs to be done in the world, our community, and our own homes. Like most of my friends, I was under the weather this week. Not really sick and not really well. I […]
Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire.
I had some interesting speaking engagements recently, and it brought to mind this saying: Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire. In Pennsylvania, I was speaking to those who are planning on running 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 […]
Suspend Your Disbelief
I love poetry, and recently, I re-read the simple and 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 know if you are stuck in the pluff mud of life or if you are open to simply suspend your disbelief about the way […]
Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
A while back, I was flying to a speaking job, and as I left for the airport that morning, it was raining. I looked out the window while we were waiting to take off, and I could tell it was going to be a cold, wet, and rainy ride, in fact, that was the outlook for the entire week where I was heading to speak. Sitting on the plane determining what I was not going to be doing on this trip (since I don’t like to be out in rainy, cold weather), within a few minutes after we took off […]
Be sure you put your feet in the right place
You know, it is a fact of life that sometimes you fall–you just hope that you don’t fall into the water on a leadership training excursion. A few years ago, I was with some friends, and we were doing the typical leadership adventures of bonding with the other team members. Now, something you need to know about me is although I enjoy the outdoors, I have never liked the said “team-building programs.” It’s never been my ambition to fall backward in trust and hope (and prayer) that my teammates will catch me. I don’t have faith or fun on a […]
You’ve Got A (Toxic) Friend
Recently, a client of mine who wants to change the world was taken aback when I told him that he would do well to walk away from his “loser” friends. “How do you know my friends are losers?” he asked. I told him that with all of his community service, non-profit ventures, and summer trips helping others that he had been telling me about, he’d also said that he’d been doing all of this on his own. To me, this was a sign that he needed different friends. “Out of your massive buddy group,” I said, it’s obvious that most […]
Running away from your problems is a race you’ll never win
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really tried to keep myself out of trouble, and I’m doing pretty well, thank goodness! It’s not that I go looking for trouble, but sometimes it just seemed to find me – usually because of something I said, OR it was something someone said I said. So, I have had to be more careful because I don’t want to hurt anyone, and I don’t want to cause harm. I want to be thought of as a kind person. But often, I look around and see that some of my peers, friends, and colleagues seem to […]
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction
“Our heads are round, so our thoughts can change direction.” Francis Picabia Rule number one. You have the right to change your mind. Rule number two. Read and act on rule number one…always. If you were to ask me what I find interesting at this age in my life, it is this. When someone sees the other side of an issue or learns something new or over time decides that certain things don’t matter as much as they thought, and then, through careful consideration and reflection, they make a decision to change their mind about an issue, theory or thought […]
Who set your boundaries?
As I walked along the fence I came upon this marker… Boundary of the United States It’s an imposing marker set into the fence line between America and Mexico. One can easily scale the fence or swim around the jetty in the ocean but even if you cross over willingly… or not… you’ve now crossed a boarder – a boundary line that either keeps you in or keeps you out. It makes me wonder, “Who set your boundaries? Have you limited yourself? Are on the wrong side of the fence”. The concept of boundaries frustrates me – who gets to […]
