“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” –Winston Churchill I am working with a terrific young man who will be giving the valedictorian address at his high school graduation in a few weeks. It’s been fun to hear him reminisce about his early days in high school when he “didn’t care,” to realizing one day that he was just a few points behind the smartest guy at school and knowing that with a little work he could overtake him, because, as he said, no one knew he was that smart since […]
Do what lies clearly at hand
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? That is a question that has come up a lot lately with some projects that I am working on. Sometimes, despite my best intentions, I look down the path of life and wonder – what do I do next? I am sure it is an issue that many face since, in our world of plenty, we have many great choices. And sometimes, there are more ways than one to get to the finish line. But how do you know what road to take? And what measurements should one use […]
They Broke Your Expectations
No matter who you attribute the quote to, the idea that Expectation is the root of all heartache speaks truth to a level that most of us would rather not see or ever have to deal with, yet it is a daily occurrence, one that can fell the mightiest of men and women who, under the weight of innocent hope, will crumble when expectations (real or perceived) are not met. It’s true in life and love: They didn’t break your heart; they broke your expectations. They broke your expectations, that expectant hope that something or someone you held dear and […]
Life is an Echo
I saw a poster the other day that said, “Life is an echo, what you send out comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others exists in you. Do not judge so you will not be judged. Radiate and give love, and love comes back to you.” That is an interesting thought that life is an echo. I guess I never thought about it that way. It seems to me that most of the time when I do something, I assume it dissipates and does not stay around to be recalled […]
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
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 way to the door you’ve […]
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 that, “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 do the daily work of the job and responsibilities […]
Your Destiny Is Determined by Your Decisions
Nothing is more jarring than to see 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 I want to yell and remind all who will listen that […]
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 many people believe […]
