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 […]
To Life
As I walked into his room, he was quiet for a moment, with raspy heavy breathing, lying there on the bed. All of a sudden, he started reaching up to the ceiling as if to pick apples from a tree, one by one, and bring them to earth (or in this case his bed). Apple picking—that is what the Hospice nurse said he was doing. They say that at the end of life, many times people will reach up and pull down something from thin air that they seem to be able to see. As I watched my friend seriously […]
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) […]
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 it […]
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 actually 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 […]
Don’t Give Up…Unless You Should
If you’re like me, you 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, […]
Start Wading
When I was a child, there was nothing I liked more than to wade into the cold creek and look for crawdads and frogs and other creek life. Then we started taking our summer vacation to Isle of Palms on the coast of South Carolina, and my creek became an ocean. Back then the island was row upon row of summer beach homes (not the spectacular ones you see nowadays). Our beach bungalow was easily recognizable since we were very close to the “famous” island house called Tickled Pink, and yes, it was bright Pepto-Bismol pink. (My brothers would have […]