These days, the world can be a scary place, with wars, climate change, social unrest, political divisiveness, and all together too much hatred, expressed in social media and elsewhere.  And it would be so easy to get caught up in ruminating about the state of things that we can neither control nor influence to any degree. When I find myself thinking about all this turbulence, and feeling worried or anxious, I need to remind myself to focus on the things I can actually control:  my thoughts, feeling, and behaviors. What about you?  How often do you realize your thoughts are somew ..read more

Let’s be clear: I don’t recommend labeling people in this way, but let’s face it, we’ve all had our moments… Some prefer the word morons.  I don’t recommend that either, but occasionally, the shoe seems to fit. Maybe, especially when I’m driving? And I admit, I use these labels about myself just as often as I use them about others.  Engaging in positive self-talk has been a lifelong pursuit and challenge for me.  What about you?  I’m hoping I’m not alone. In his book Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson describes the four types of human behavior that define how we interact ..read more

The first quarter of the year flew by in a flash.  It’s a good time to check in and consider how you are performing against your intentions for this year.  What were your big accomplishments?  Any surprises? A simple format for a quick review is one of my favorites:  What do you want to Start? Stop? Continue? Start:  Think about the areas of your life where you want to see and experience some improvement.  What are the actions or behaviors that, if you started them now, and followed through with consistency for the next 90 days, would make the biggest difference i ..read more

The resilience of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me.  People having unbelievable hardships and facing monumental challenges nevertheless rise to the occasion and overcome the difficulties. Sometimes, when we least expect it, a test of our character shows up. And people around us are somehow there to share – and ease – the burden. What about you? What challenges have you had to face? How did you show up? To what extent were you ready to face the challenge? Who showed up for you? No one gets through life without some dark days.  It’s important to recognize and accept things we ..read more

If you’re like me, personal development is a core value, and something to be pursued daily, weekly, monthly, always.  It took me a long time to realize that I was in the minority with this, that most people’s automatic pilot is not aspirational. And that’s okay. But, if you are with me, you may be asking the question: How do we make self-improvement a way of life? Here are nine guidelines for following the path of personal development:  Summon the intention for self-improvement on a regular basis. Elevate its importance. In other words, invest in yourself. Identify the best of who y ..read more

No matter how successful we are, we all face times of difficulty and challenge. What do you do when you have a difficult week? What I know for sure is that facing difficulty is a human inevitability. How can you summon the best of who you are in a difficult moment? It is human nature to turn our immediate attention to assigning blame. We want to look outside ourselves for what or who caused the problem.  We spend valuable energy becoming antagonistic toward those people or circumstances. And that, in turn, depletes the energy and resources we need to muster. We also fall prey to distortio ..read more

Why is it that two people facing a similar challenge can react completely differently? One will look at a challenge and determine to overcome it.  The other will be stopped dead in her tracks.  When facing difficulty, it is easy to engage in a mental distortion.  Here are three common ways you may already do this:  You hit a roadblock, you stop, you zoom in on the negative, you catastrophize. You get stuck in the moment. Meanwhile, you completely miss the bigger picture and its possibilities. You attach the situation to self. It is because you’re not good enough, weren’t p ..read more

What does love have to do with work?  What does it have to do with leadership? How do you express love in the workplace? What are you passionate about? If it’s okay to be passionate about your work – and your co-workers, isn’t it okay to bring love into the workplace? I’m not talking about romantic love, of course (although sometimes that happens), I’m talking about love of humanity and loving the job you are in, despite the bad parts.  Surely that’s okay. This Valentine’s Day, whether or not you are with that special someone, can you think about the importance of love in your life o ..read more

Quick: Name the six wealthiest people in the world. Name seven people who were honored as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. Name the winners of the Super Bowl for the past five years. Name the Premier League champion for the past three years. Coming up blank? Maybe you guessed one or two. Now try this: Name a teacher who made an impact on your life. Name one friend who has always been there for you. Think of someone who inspired you to be better. The real question is, do these people know what they have meant to you? Too often, we wait to express our admiration and appreciation ..read more

In an age when so many of us spend hours, if not full days, with our heads bent over an electronic device - reading emails, laughing at videos, responding to texts, and caught up in social media – how often do we really notice what is going on around us? How often do you take time to smell the roses? Or to simply appreciate your surroundings, whether you are out in nature, enjoying the comfort of your own home, sitting among co-workers, or out with friends? Soaking up our environment seems to be becoming a bit of a lost art. In a weeklong leadership develop program, we challenge participants t ..read more