I have been looking through the past years of files of the online version of my writing and reviewing all the themes that I have written about. As I scrolled through week after week of posts, one thing that struck me is the fact that I am drawn to a few themes. This is interesting since so much of my writing has been, in a very real sense, random–thoughts that just happened to pop into my mind (after a prayer for guidance), and then five, six, or seven pages later, Shazam and a new radio show appears. For those who […]
Taking Care of Business
I am sure you have a lot going on in your life these days, but allow me a minute to gently remind you to make sure you’re taking care of business–the business of doing what brings you joy, happiness, or simply what gives you a place or sense of rest, relaxation and good times for today and tomorrow. It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle of doing what everyone expects or demands that sometimes we forget why we are doing what we’re doing, as life becomes routine and rote and, for many, boring. I don’t mean […]
To Act
“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one’s better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk, and to act.” — Maxwell Maltz “To act” is my theme for today because, just like you, I hear the most amazing dreams, plans, and ideas from very capable people who never do anything to make any of them come true. It has gotten so repetitive with a few of my friends that I don’t enjoy going out with them because, just like last time, the whole […]
Living a shadow life
I just finished reading a book called “Turning Pro” by one of my favorite writers, Steven Pressfield. His other book, “The War of Art,” is a classic, and I can tell you it changed my business life when I read it years ago, so when a friend mentioned that he had read another good Pressfield book, I had to pick it up. And there’s an idea in the book that is so simple, yet so true, that I couldn’t get away from it; I have been thinking about it for days, and I wanted to share it with you. It’s […]
Are You Addicted to Doing?
I know you’ve heard the phrase, “Just say no.” And while it was used to take aim at the war on drugs, I am here to encourage you to “just say no” and stop willfully taking another drug of choice that many people take and tend to overdose on, especially during the holidays–the drug of doing. I’ve never understood why so many good people are addicted to the need for doing so, especially when they don’t enjoy it and can’t afford it. What I see is that they feel pressured by others because they feel they have no way out. […]
Is your life a grand adventure?
I’m reading a great book about a lady’s travels throughout the world, and each page takes me to another outdoor café, museum, or cathedral. I have walked alongside this lady as she tries new foods, buys tiles and trinkets, and smells the scent of the city where she and her husband are exploring. I can get lost in a book pretty easily, and I have found that I tend to like books that have an element of education for me and not just a sappy story. I admit I spend a lot of time reading, and it’s a habit I […]
Feeling stuck is a FEELING, not a fact
If I have heard it once, I have heard it 100 times, “You know, Deb, I’m stuck in life, and I don’t know how to move forward.” Well, I say usually, one step at a time is a good place to start, and soon the feeling will pass, and you can get started again. Why? Because feeling stuck is a FEELING, not a fact, and, for many listening today, you’re wallowing in a feeling that is not based on anything but your emotions at this time and for whatever reason you’ve chosen to give. No doubt some days, weeks, or […]
Don’t Be a Clapper
Recently, in an interview session, I asked my client what was the best advice she’d ever received, and she replied, “Don’t be a clapper.” What, I said, “What does that mean”? She said that all her life, her parents had told her never to stand on the sideline of life but to jump into whatever opportunity came her way so she wouldn’t be one of the crowd, the audience, or those in the stands, enjoying the action but never participating in the thrilling excitement of the game, the sweat and tears of the action. She said that those sideline people […]
Turn Yourself Around
I just finished reading a great book called “The Map Thief,” the story of Forbes Smiley, III, an esteemed rare maps dealer, who, as the book jacket says, “…spent years doubling as a map thief—until he was finally arrested slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library.” It was a great book, and I learned a lot about maps: how they were created and how, by simply changing a border, you could change a nation, but, beyond my own education about maps and their value, was the story of the failings of a guy who committed crimes against […]
