Home is Not a Street Address

January 4th, 2012

“A man should never neglect his family for business.”-Walt Disney

Home is not a just a street address. Home is a shelter from life’s storms. It is a place to begin again. Home is a place, not where they HAVE to take you in, but a place where they WANT to take you in. Home resides inside your heart, and that awareness evolves throughout our lives. An emotional “home” is created when someone loves us on our “being” and not our “doing”–even when we miss the soccer goal, don’t hit our numbers, or aren’t on top of our game. Home is a feeling within that “everything will be ok.” This doesn’t mean bad things won’t happen. Read more »

Life Flows When You Let Go….

October 13th, 2011

A friend asked me to go with her to a Business gathering recently and I agreed. My reason was mainly to spend time with her and for a change of pace. It was a nice event at a great venue with delicious hors d’oeuvres and an interesting presentation. There were three people there I knew already.  Two were former students in my Coaching Certification course I taught several years ago and one was a business colleague I had not seen for a year or so. It was a pleasant surprise and provided a great opportunity to catch up.

Then I met Bernie Wolford, one of the hosts of the event. I had a delightful conversation Read more »

Gratitude in Action

October 4th, 2011

I love the change of seasons. I love the cooler weather. Change of seasons – especially the fall – remind me we can begin over and over again throughout the year as well as in our lives. This is the time to reflect on how you and your business are doing and plan for what’s ahead. Forget about waiting until the New Year when things are cold and dark. There’s life all around! Football has started up, school is back at full throttle, and local Fairs and Farmer’s Markets display their beautiful, delicious fruit and crafts to consider for Christmas gifts.

Reasons Why I Am Grateful

As you can tell, lately I have been overwhelmed with gratitude. I have the most wonderful husband and child in the world. They love and accept me ‘just like I am’ with no requirements or requests to change. Read more »

There is Life in Death…

August 5th, 2011

Our precious Samson decided it was time to be our angel-on-high instead of an angel in our home. It was incredibly sad to let him go, but it was crystal clear there was no other choice if we cared for his well-being.

I’ve always heard dogs (and often people) will let you know when they are ready to go. When Sam was sick a month ago his eyes and spirit were clear and his little three pound body was full of life. I knew he wasn’t ready to leave our physical presence. But, weeks later it was equally clear his time of physical breaths were nearing their end. I held him all day long on his last day with us. My husband was home with me and we both walked and cried the entire time. We knew Sam was fading and to keep him here was an act of selfishness. We knew the right and best path for Sam and followed our heads while our hearts broke in two.

Some profound, albeit painful, insights came out of this heartbreaking experience: Read more »

Three Lessons Learned from the Summer Job Search Blues

July 27th, 2011

Our son, Justin, is home for the summer from College. It was a Mom “directive/requirement/command” that he would work this summer and earn his spending money. What a learning experience for all of us!

First, he started looking way too late. We learned he should have started looking for positions in January, not April. Second, the world of on-line application is interesting to say the least. It is easy to get lost in the crowd as you are one of hundreds and sometimes thousands of applicants! Third, many don’t want Summer help…and the list goes on and on.

I found myself learning a lot about the process from observing and helping Justin try to land a job. I am very out of touch with having to find a job myself since I have owned my own business for 10 years. I must find and be hired by my clients – but that is a very different process than being hired by a retail store or company.

Below are some of the insights I have gleaned from helping Justin find a summer job that apply universally: Read more »

Lost in Success

July 20th, 2011

Each day, more and more of us report an insatiable and inconsolable restlessness. Finding ourselves wrapped in the trappings of success and radiating an air of inexhaustible competence, we are unable to escape the hollow feeling that our lives have no real meaning or a purpose that feeds us from the inside.

You would think with all our knowledge, resources, access to world class expertise and affluence we would be the happiest and healthiest people in the world. But the reality is that in the United States, 87% of our rapidly expanding health issues are stress related! With all of Read more »

Three Lessons a Dog Can Teach You About Life

July 15th, 2011

In my most recent post about The Rhythm of Life I shared our recent scare with the possibility of losing Samson, our precious 4 lb. Yorkie. While the experience was terrifying, it did allow me to reflect on the following three lessons about life:

  • Life can Turn on a Dime:  We all need to realize this sobering fact and enjoy every moment. Jobs can be lost, health can be taken away, kids can ‘go astray’, and dogs can die. When I was a hospital Chaplain I will never forget a 32 year woman who was watching her husband play basketball in a gymnasium. Someone dropped a purse and the gun that was in the purse fired. The stray bullet hit her in the chest and killed her instantly! As I was meekly trying to comfort her husband in his stunned state of total shock and disbelief, I felt so helpless to begin to understand or soothe his pain. Read more »

The Rhythm of Life

July 13th, 2011

Lately life has dealt me some big challenges and offered some wonderful gifts. How is it that a day can be full of the highest joys and the deepest lows all in a 24 hour period? That happened to me last week.

I was having a perfectly normal, even nice, day. My dog, Samson, who is my angel with fur, was really sick the night before so I took him to the doctor that morning. They checked him out and took blood. People “oohed” and “ahhed” as they always do with my precious 4-lb. bundle of joy. I continued with a productive day of work, and was talking with my husband at 5:45 p.m. when our world changed.

The voice on the other end of the phone (the Vet) said Samson was very sick and needed immediate attention. She said we could wait until the next morning and bring him to receive an IV all day at their office! But her strong recommendation was that we Read more »

How to Live, Think, and Lead with Brilliance! (Part II)

June 28th, 2011

There are multiple facets to Executive Brilliance that allow transformational leaders to Live, Think and Lead with brilliance. The following “to do” list (the second half of two lists about living, thinking and leading with brilliance) will help you achieve that goal. Work on these activities each day and watch how your inner brilliance can positively influence those around you:

  1. Silence the static noise around you and go within: Develop a daily practice of quieting your mind.  Develop inner resources that help you deal with outer circumstances.  Take a walk, read a book, take a nap, practice meditation.  Do something that is NOT work related.   The time away from the hustle and bustle of work will make you even more effective when you return.
  2. Learn to say “No” and practice saying “No” to time-eater tasks you could delegate: Listen to your inner feelings.  Do you say yes when you really want to say no?  Go ahead!  It’s healthy to say no! Read more »

How to Live, Think, and Lead with Brilliance! (Part I)

June 27th, 2011

There are multiple facets to Executive Brilliance that allow transformational leaders to Live, Think and Lead with brilliance. The following “to do” list (the first half of two lists) will help you achieve that goal. Work on these activities each day and watch how your inner brilliance can positively influence those around you:

  1. Lead by example by continuing and improving your own skills and knowledge: Lifelong learning is a natural and essential part of the brilliance process.  Winston Churchill said, “The sad thing about experience is it can be wasted on a person.”  Learn, grow, shine brighter! Read more »