“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” ~ Max Lucado I have always loved this quote, and I believe it because I see so many people in leadership who spend a lot of time wanting to be “in the crowd” instead of leading the crowd. No doubt it is hard to turn our backs to the cheering crowd–it seems so fun to be in the middle of it all, but a man (or woman) who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Why? Because leadership is strengthened when […]
It doesn’t matter what others are doing
It doesn’t matter what others are doing. It matters what YOU are doing. I saw this poster a while back, and it hit me as such an obvious comment that I almost laughed out loud at the simple message. Then, as life would have it, I did a double take and had to admit that I waste plenty of time wondering, questioning, and thinking about what others are doing with their time and talent when I need to focus on what I should be doing. It’s not like our work is going to get done magically without us. No, we […]
The Most Dangerous Place
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 round-about can force you to go round and around […]
Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations
My theme today is “Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations.” Now, I know that today’s thought is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re slogging through hard times. I get it. We’ve all been there, but if you were truthful with yourself, you’d have to admit that, more often than not, when you do come through the storm and land on the other side, it’s usually never as bad as you thought or expected it to be. And if it was a miserable experience, you can count yourself lucky to have survived. The truth is that many […]
I Quit! Thanks for the Memories
Now, before you get too excited, I am not quitting my blog or podcast, but I am going to quit hanging onto memories that cause me regret. I love the quote by Mason Cooley, “Regret For Wasted Time Is More Wasted Time,” and, frankly, my time is limited, and I don’t need any more time-consuming sad memories, so this year I have quit hanging on to what I thought would happen in my life, and I’m moving forward…on to what else I can make happen for the rest of my amazing life. I saw a video put out by Strayer […]
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 […]
Givers Need to Set Limits
Givers Need to Set Limits because Takers Never Do. I saw an interesting video recently about a guy who taped $ 1 and $5 bills, and maybe a $10 or two, to his jacket and walked around with a sign that said, “Take what you need.” Now, obviously, someone was videotaping the street interaction, and because the guy was wearing a microphone, you could hear his conversation as people read his sign, looked at him questioningly, and then, hesitantly, took a few bills. All the while, he would say to people, as he walked up and down the street, to… […]
Living to Your Full Potential
I am sure you’ve heard 100 times that you should live up to your full potential, and although I believe that is true, I have to ask what does that mean for you. Have you ever thought about your “full potential,” meaning is there something that you’d give your all to, holding nothing back and being empty when you’re finished, only to refresh yourself and start over? If you were to look online, most of the sites that deal with living to your full potential are about leading and living your life fully in the 7 Major Areas: Physically, Mentally, […]
When Unsure, Take the Next Logical Step
Last year, I spent a lot of time encouraging you to chart a new course and get out of your comfort zone—learn to live the life you imagined and were born to do, big and small things, to move you down the path of life that would bring joy in big and small ways. Life is short, and I fully believe you have to take the reins and get going, or you’re going to miss out on some great opportunities, or someone else will take your space, maybe while you’re sitting around waiting. You may even lose interest, and then […]
