Do you have a sense of well-being? Does it seem that everything in your life is going along (mostly) the way you'd like it to? Perhaps you have a calm inside that all is as it should be. Particularly going into the holiday season, that feeling of contentedness is something we all hope for. But this week, I've had several powerful reminders that health and happiness are fleeting. Unwelcome Reminders I spent Thanksgiving with a close relative who was recently told … [Read more...]
Friends for Life — Your “Through-Line” Friends
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Do you have people in your life who have been friends for so long that you speak in a sort of code? People who have been with you through thick and thin? Friends who know you inside and out? Most people have hundreds or even thousands of acquaintances, but relatively few long-time, deep friends. I've just spent the day with Barbara, one of my closest friends. We've known one another for decades. We've laughed together and cried together. We've encouraged one … [Read more...]
Overcoming Fear: A Personal Letter to Lizard Brain
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Do you know that feeling of a sort of tickling in the pit of your stomach? It's a feeling of excitement and anxiety combined. Those feelings are so close that that you can literally feel excited one minute and panicked the next. It doesn't take much to tip the balance. That's the way I'm feeling right now. A huge excitement that I'm on the verge of doing something big... and then with the next breath, a huge anxiety that maybe I won't succeed. Whew. One minute I … [Read more...]
My First Adventure with Miracle
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Meet Miracle Edwards. Miracle is a beautiful 8-year-old girl I met over the summer with her father. She had never seen a ballet or anything like it before, and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to treat her to a performance. Preparing for the Big Day I called her father, Jeff, several times and left messages but didn't connect. I let some days pass and was about to call again when my phone rang. It was Jeff, returning my call. He and Miracle had talked about … [Read more...]
A Dry-Erase Solution to Planning Your Project (or Your Life)
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My colleague Gail Perry and I have embarked on a new project. We’re developing a five-part online course to help organizations get ready for their capital campaigns. It’s fits on top of our already existing coaching program and our complicated lives. Don’t worry -- our course is not the topic of this blog post. But handling the complexity of what it will take to make it happen IS. A Recipe for Success... (or Stress?) Here are some of the ingredients. Two busy … [Read more...]
Trapped in a Crazy Court System
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You might be wondering what happened to my felon friend, Clemetin, who was picked up in the park and accused of selling heroin back in August... A crime he didn't commit. A few weeks earlier, he'd been caught stealing a pack of peanuts from a store. He did do that. But that's a far cry from selling a deadly illegal substance. Punished for an Uncommitted Crime Since then, he's been in and out of court, sitting for days at a time, and then having to come back again … [Read more...]
Ask These Three Questions Every 90 Days
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I just had breakfast with my super smart friend, Brigid Ganley, who started a new job this year. When she was starting out in her new job, she set up a meeting with every staff member in her department and asked each of them the following questions: What would you preserve and why? What would you change and why? What advice do you have for me? The information she gathered from these questions has proved invaluable. Not only did she see strong patterns when … [Read more...]
Why Some Anniversaries are Worth Celebrating
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I've always poo-pooed birthdays. The years roll by. Numbers grow year by year. So what! In truth, you've done little (or nothing) to earn your good fortune of having lived through another year. So in my family, most birthdays' pass by with little notice. But some anniversaries are worth celebrating. Why? Because you've worked to get there. You've mustered the discipline and stamina to do something again and again. And occasionally, it's worth taking … [Read more...]
Seeking Your Advice for Little Miracle
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A couple of months ago, I went to an outdoor movie in my neighborhood. I got talking to a tall man sitting in front of me. He was with his 8 year old daughter. He introduced me to Miracle, his little girl. "This is my daughter, Miracle," he said. "I'm acting as both her father and her mother because her mother was killed last spring." A beautiful little girl, Miracle was full of life and energy. She was happy to talk to me. She told me that she goes to a girls' … [Read more...]