Have you ever wanted to step up to the plate in baseball and swing for the fence—really give it your best shot and watch as that proverbial ball sails over the back side of the stadium? In life and work, sometimes I think to myself, “What would it take for me to swing hard and connect with the ball to put it over the fence so I can win the contract, take the audience to a new understanding of their freedom to thrive in life, or simply to know that I did something good for someone else?” Dear reader, today, […]
One small crack does not mean that you are broken
One small crack does not mean that you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart. Today, I want to shout out a cheer to some of you for sticking with it and getting the hard work done or just accomplishing a goal that you set, and now, friend, you’re basking in the glow of a good job well done. My theme today is a quote from Linda Poindexter, who said, “One small crack does not mean that you are broken; it means that you were put to the test and you […]
Try Approving of Yourself
So the other night, I half-heartedly watched a thread of a conversation unfold on Facebook, and it reminded me of an odd habit that I am seeing in so many people these days, which is being unusually mean and harsh about themselves in a public setting for the sheer purpose to draw attention to themselves and have others heap undue praise on them to help settle them down. They post sad comments and then eagerly wait for their “friends” to reply to the post, proving that they have value and that the sad sack isn’t that bad, that mean, that […]
Encouragement in these hard times
A while back, when I decided to change the core concept for my show–from Speak Without Fear to Encouragement for Your Life – I felt it was more in line with my heart’s desire to be an encouragement to others. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still a 100% believer that your ability to speak and be heard is your best avenue to climb the ladder for personal and professional success, and I will always encourage you to develop your speaking ability because it truly is the one thing you can do to change your life. However, as I […]
If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule
You would think that the admonition of If you want to be successful, you must respect one rule–never lie to yourself, would be a no-brainer, but we all know people who consciously (or subconsciously) lie to themselves about themselves. Or they lie about the most mundane matters or willfully choose not to see the truth because, frankly, it hurts when, due to life circumstances, change must happen. But remember, the lie that seems small and insignificant today may, over time, grow into a habit that can be damaging to your business, your friends, and maybe (not to be dramatic) your […]
Change Your Life
For fun, this week, I used Google and asked, “How to change your life,” and lo and behold, you would not believe all the options that are just waiting for you and me to sign up and get going. Most of them had a multi-point plan for us to get going, and others just laid it on the line for what we should and shouldn’t be doing to change our lives. After I read through the multiple lists of options, I had to laugh because, although they all promised success in 429 easy steps, the fact is that none of […]
What’s On Your Life List?
Recently, I heard a speaker ask about a Life List vs. a Bucket List. It was an interesting thought because I know that for many of us, we have this imaginary (or written down) Bucket List of places we’d like to go, things we’d like to see, and experiences we’d like to have, yet, as we hope and pray and wish away the days and months and years, saving for our Bucket List, I’m curious if you have thought about your Life List. And tell me, how are you coming along with checking off that list for becoming the person […]
Don’t Give Up…Unless You Should
If you’re like me, you’ve heard the phrase often repeated by our parents, that we should “never, never, never, give up,” Quoting the great Winston Churchill. Well, although that sounds nice and good, the reality is sometimes you need to give up and find something else, do something else, or be something else, especially when the direction you’re going in is going nowhere. And the damage you are doing will last a lifetime if you don’t stop. So, not to be disrespectful to my elders, let me rephrase that quote to say, Don’t give up…unless you should. Why? Because, sometimes, […]
Don’t Hold on to Grudges
I have been thinking about a few clients that I work with and have come to realize that there is one thing that seems to hold many of them back from being amazing rock star speakers. That one thing is an old hurt from someone in their past who is now irrelevant and who told them they were awful speakers and to keep quiet. Now, I don’t know what the teacher or another adult said, but to a young person, what they heard was, “Don’t open your mouth again.” And here we are years later, and the idea of speaking […]
