I’ll be speaking to a ladies’ Bible study group in a few weeks, and, in thinking about what my topic would be, I decided to speak on a topic that has been rolling around in my head for a while now, and it is the value of your name and reputation. I liked that topic so much that it is my theme for today. I want to talk about the value of your name and reputation. When people hear your name, what do they think? What comes to mind when someone says your name? Now, for some of you, don’t […]
Social Grace
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 […]
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 […]
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities…
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. A few weeks ago, my show was about if you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way, and, although I thought I was done with that thought, in my mind and in my quiet time, I kept coming back to the BIG idea that anyone can take the steps in the right direction to do what they are called to do. What may seem impossible to others is not impossible for you. If you will, just put forth the effort to make it happen. […]
If you can’t change the people around you…
This has been a week of sadness and joy for me. Let me explain. Within ten days, three people I knew died: one from unexplained causes, one from cancer, and one from Alzheimer’s. Due to my travel schedule, I could only attend one of the funerals, but I know what I saw that day would have been the same at each service. Sitting in the packed church for the service, I was struck by the outpouring of love that left a 500-plus seat auditorium only with standing room for those who came to support the family and recall their memory […]
Almost every successful person…
Almost every successful person begins with two beliefs: The future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so. For the last few weeks, I have been speaking about the idea of Excellence, Commitment, and Action. In fact, I decided to forgo having a guest on this particular show because, as I progressed through the message, I needed more time to talk about how you can choose to make the changes that will change your life. The idea of excellence is rarely talked about because it is hard. It’s easy to be good enough, […]
If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.
I often hear people say to me, “Well, I am not in a position to do (fill in the blank) …,” and I always find it interesting that many people place limits on themselves when, really, no one else on the outside does. It’s all in your mind. You’re choosing not to be your big, bold, beautiful, handsome self, you’re choosing not to live to your full potential, and you’re choosing not to be who you were born to be. Because YOU are choosing to do little to nothing, when in reality, if you’ve convinced yourself that you can’t do […]
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 […]
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 […]
