Blog

Late in February, my partner, Jacky, and I brainstormed and presented a workshop called A Clearer Vision. When the participants assembled for the workshop at a local restaurant, nearly everyone said they were looking forward to a fantastic 2020 because they were glad to be done with 2019. Imagine their surprise when the first exercise we walked them through was to look back into 2019! The idea was that they take note of the “wins” in 2019—the little things that had brought them joy. Most sat there staring at their notebooks for a bit before bending in to start writing. As participants left the workshop a few hours later, every single person admitted how surprised they were at the number of good things that happened in the previous year.

I have heard many people say that the shutdown period we are finally emerging from has proven an opportunity for them, and I wholeheartedly agree. For the very first time in my life, I stopped working. I stopped hopping out of bed at 5:30 am. I slept late and spent every day possible in the woods. It felt good, but more than that, it became a chance to re-vision what I desire for myself and what I would like to accomplish in my work moving forward, which brings me to you!

Find Your Joy, Love Your Life

I am inviting you to “like” a new Facebook page called I Love My Life Challenge. (www.facebook.com/ilovemylifechallenge) The idea started with a speech I presented at my local Toastmasters group. The […]

Nature is one of our greatest teachers. Right now, the lobster is a great example. During the molting period, the lobster moves from its current state (a shell that is too small) to its desired state, (a shell that fits better making it a more comfortable place to live). The in between time must be terrifying, because without the protection of its shell, a lobster is soft and squishy with no way to defend itself. In order to survive, it must remain hidden deep under the rocks, discarded shells of other sea life, and undergrowth. It endures on calcium and hope during an indefinite period as it waits for a new shell to form. If it gets antsy deciding to leave its shelter before it’s time, it may fall prey to a hungry sea creature with a taste for fresh lobster.

In this “fifth season”—a time of vulnerability and uncertainty between its current state of the outgrown shell and its desired state of a new, better fitting shell—the lobster must wait. Luckily, it’s species has learned a lot about patience during its over 350 million years of existence. We can learn a lot from the lobster.

This is our Fifth Season

Right now, your stress levels may be through the roof. It may feel as though the world has been turned upside down. Everything that was normal a month ago has completely changed. Parents are homeschooling their children while working from home. We must all stay six feet away from anyone we don’t reside with, avoid public places and basically get used to living in a way that completely foreign to us. Let’s […]

The other day as I was reading through my newsfeed, I realized I was holding my breath. I honestly believe I held it for nearly a record-breaking amount of time because when I finally took a breath, I gasped it in, and my heart was pounding hard in my chest. That moment got me thinking. You see, the previous day, I received an email from a friend of mine who is a doctor of lymphology in Atlanta. He suggested we could lessen the power of the word “corona” by spelling and thinking of the virus as “Kor-own-a.” I began doing just that because I know from experience the power that words can carry. But as I began to think about the word “corona,” I had an aha moment that I want to share with you. I’ll synopsize it here, but the video I’m attaching explains it more in-depth.

What I realized was that the name “corona” is our clue to how we should react to what is going on around us. The word itself speaks to courage! Let me explain.

A Determined Heart

“Cor” is the Latin root of the word courage, which means heart. The original meaning was to speak one’s mind by telling all of one’s heart. Currently, it is most often associated with heroic or brave deeds. Let’s face it, right now, we need to live from a heart space and dig into our courage as the world goes crazy all around us. That’s the first piece of the clue.

The second piece is in “own.” Own means to admit to acknowledging feeling a certain way, such as I own the fact that I […]

Back in the 1980s, I had the opportunity to take a sales job. My job would be to focus on gaining new business. It sounded challenging and fun, so I agreed and showed up to work excited for a new opportunity. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that I was going to have to get comfortable with cold calling. I probably spent more time in front of the mirror whispering, “You can do this,” than I did doing the work. I was great at getting appointments, but I usually ended up listening to the stories of my prospective clients’ lives and then leaving without saying much about what I was selling. During that period, I made a lot of friends, but I didn’t make much money. My sales manager, who had gone out on a limb to hire me, was supportive, but I finally admitted that I didn’t feel I was going to be any good at sales.  She didn’t even hesitate before saying, “Feelings are not facts.”

Well, my prediction was correct—I never did amount to much of a salesperson, but those four words had a huge impact on my life. Feelings are not facts. The truth is that feelings are emotions that come and go depending on our circumstances, how we’re feeling physically, and so much more.

So, what does this have to do with you? This week I had an interesting conversation with one of my clients. During our exchange, she admitted that she felt broken. Her words got me thinking.