I may have chosen this profession because I like to inspire others, however, it’s also true that plenty of times I’m the one who gets inspired. In a year of unique economic challenges, tough employment conditions, and turmoil around the globe, I’ve witnessed friends, family, colleagues, and clients from all corners of the world become more patient, more flexible, more creative, more persistent, more willing, and more courageous. Read more
Last Tuesday was my birthday and I started the day on a fun note being interviewed by my friend, Lin Schreiber, on her new radio show. After the show and despite the fact that it is a busy time at work, I took the afternoon off and had lunch in town at a French bistro, with a friend who was also celebrating a December birthday. We saw waiters delivering sparklers, the 4th of July kind, to a few other tables, apparently for birthday celebrations, at which point we requested ours. This little spectacle —a sparkler stuck in a lemon wedge on a plate dusted with cinnamon and paraded out for the birthday girl— delighted me to no end. Read more
December is both a wonderful and stressful month in one. At work, there is that last push to produce before the year ends and the same is true at home, where we scurry around in holiday activity. So that you don’t fall victim to a race-to-the-finish-line mentality where everything goes by in a blur, here is a simple technique you can use to have more peace and calm. Read more
I love to watch movies based on true stories, interviews on the Biography channel, and performers talking to James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio. I think it’s fascinating how lives evolve and how one pivotal decision —or one decision made repeatedly— impacts a person’s destiny. I’m especially intrigued by their challenges, failures, espoused philosophies, risks taken, and moments of victory. Read more
I should clear up that mess. I should make that call. I should get moving on that. What I really should do is… Yikes, that list is endless! And while, yes, sure, we all should do a lot of things, the problem is that when you overuse the word “should”, all it does is produce a heaviness that is anything but motivating. It makes you feel like you’re already behind. Read more
I knew I would like Julie and Julia, the movie about blog author Julie Powell and adored chef Julia Child, because: a) it was about food, b) it was a glorious example of following your passion no matter how late you get started, c) it was about food…oh, I mentioned that already, and d) I got to see the movie with my friend since first grade, Luisa, who is herself an amazing cook, though she’d shy away from that title. As we watched Julia on screen, I made mental notes of the ingredients that when combined, resulted in Julia’s tremendous success and what you could call a delectable life. Read more
Have you ever wrestled with what to do about a certain situation only to arrive at a solution that was clearly making itself known to you, repeatedly over time? Read more
There’s an episode on Seinfeld where George can’t decide what to do about his girlfriend. Kramer tries to help by asking, “Now what does the little man inside you say?” Even more agitated, George retorts: “My little man’s an idiot!” Poor George. He couldn’t hear it. There was too much noise in his head. Read more
The recent article What You and Pavarotti Have in Common must have touched a chord, as I received a very enthusiastic response. Many of you commented on one of the quotations included after the article:
“People think I’m disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion.
There is a great difference.”
— Luciano Pavarotti Read more
This summer, I’ve witnessed several clients make tremendous progress using a strategy I developed for myself and shared with you a few years ago. I decided to rerun the issue today with a few enhancements. Read more