We were in our early 30’s and putting in long hours at work. My friend Monica and I were determined to do something healthy and decided to become walking buddies. The fact that we lived in adjacent condominiums made it easy to coordinate walks at the spur of the moment. Up and down the steep hills of our neighborhood we would go, burning off stress with each step and talking about anything and everything. Read more
As a communications major, I was looking forward to the advertising class despite the fact that it was three hours long and on Monday nights. The professor (who did not look like Don Draper) was from J. Walter Thompson, one of the largest ad agencies in the world1. A been-there-done-that-seen-it-all guy, he was rather crusty in imparting his real-world experience. The night he declared, “There’s no such thing as a new idea,” it landed on me as unnecessarily cynical. All I could think was: Really, we’re just going to go out into the world and churn out the same stuff? Read more
When you first hear the coaching concept called Be-Do-Have, you might think it’s about as useful as the advice to “be the ball”, generally reserved for parodying us coaches and motivator types. So rather than just talk theory, today I bring you an actual example of someone who applied the Be-Do-Have principle with great success at work. Read more
It was the first thing announced as she came in the door. Carla, a recent graduate, and my friend’s eldest daughter told us that her friend was offered a full time position at the company where they both worked part-time during college. It was a job Carla might have wanted herself but she had not made that known. Now she just had one thought: Why couldn’t that have happened to me? It was an honest reaction. Read more
A red cardinal has become a frequent visitor this winter at my friend Jackie Johnson’s home in Connecticut. She first spotted him flying repeatedly into her front window, which was quite understandable since the window offers a clear view straight through her house and out another window. Add to this the blinding combination of bright winter sun and voluminous amounts of snow on the ground. Jackie banged on the glass and scared it away, feeling that it was “the kind thing to do.” To her dismay, a few days later she discovered the cardinal flying into the window again – and repeatedly so. Wouldn’t this little fellow learn? Read more
Did you catch any of Jay Leno’s finale week on The Tonight Show? I’m typically fast asleep by late-night television time, but in a sentimental move, I set my DVR to record Jay’s last few shows. His celebrity lineup included Matthew McConaughey who returned for a 16th appearance. McConaughey recalled the advice Jay had given him years earlier to calm his nerves before walking on stage. It was this: Just want to be here. According to McConaughey, it was advice that stuck and applied to many life situations, not just performing.¹ Read more
I’m writing today’s article in-flight, on the way home from attending my stepson Jordan’s college graduation in Hartford. During this trip and through the example of three people close to me and in their 20s, the theme of willingness presented itself as the message to share with you this week. Read more
Most of us marvel at stories about people who became successful despite experiencing rejection or failure on the road to achievement. One of my favorite examples is Chester Carlson, the inventor of electrophotography (photocopying), who was dismissed by more than 20 companies as well as the National Inventors Council, before he had the ultimate satisfaction of seeing Xerox introduce its first office copier. Read more
Today’s article offers a simple remedy for procrastination. First, though, it’s helpful to understand what’s behind procrastination. Master Coach Talane Miedaner contends that you can “procrastinate with purpose” if you let it show you the way forward. Here are six reasons you might be procrastinating, as identified by Talane (and paraphrased by me) along with some potential solutions¹: Read more
Yesterday a friend told me about an event she attended where Michael J. Fox was a keynote speaker. He shared a story about how when he was in high school his “nanna” told him he’d be successful in the field of acting. Michael’s nanna was known to be right about such predictions so it was her certainty that caused his family to be supportive and bolstered his confidence in becoming an actor. Read more