Stop Looking for Your Purpose
I have a colleague who recently told me she was trying to find her purpose. She also shared that last year she was asked to chair a board for a hospice that has grown exponentially under her leadership. I asked why she didn’t see that as a purpose. She quickly dismissed her efforts and said, “No, that’s too easy.” It should be easy. Purpose is the by-product of developing our natural gifts and giving them generously. Whether it’s helping people [...]
How I Set My Pace Today
I was walking up the beach early this morning. The water was calm and the air nearly still. Two women with English accents stopped me and pointed out to the ocean. The one women said “I am either seeing a whale–or the Loch Ness monster.” To which I quickly assure her it was definitely the Loch Ness monster. Moments later a large creature emerges not far from the shore, its long grey body appeared like a slow moving rock with [...]
The 3 Questions You Should Ask Yourself This Spring
Last week we past the Spring equinox. The Northern Hemisphere has begun its tilt toward the Sun, and the days ahead will become longer and lighter. The increased sunlight triggers birds to sing, flowers to blossom, and farmers to sow seeds for later harvests. With the force of nature with us, Spring is an opportunity to awaken and create new beginning. It’s a time to let go of our mental and physical clutter and make space for what the warmer days [...]
Creating Quality Failures
A while ago, I attended a continuing education workshop. The leader, a brilliant man in his 60’s, used the group to simulate real life scenarios to teach us new coaching techniques. He then encouraged us all to fail. “Fail and fail again” he said. No pressure, right? For two days, our failures became our lessons. We looked at how we engaged. Dissected what we did well and what we could have done better. We pushed through our own experience and [...]
What Retired People Wish They Would Have Done While They Worked
Not long ago, I meet with a group of retired women. Some were thriving with their new freedom, others were struggling with identity loss, and a few were dealing with medical issues. Many of the women shared that they were so consumed by their work that they neglected to maintain and create friendships. Those were the lost and lonely ones. Another woman was recovering from her cancer treatments and was now practicing yoga daily. She told me she wished she [...]
Cocooning
For those of you wondering where my blogs have been, I must confess, I have been cocooning. According to Frederic M. Hudson, author of The Adult Years, there are many times in life when we are called inward to transform old thoughts and beliefs into new capabilities. The process, which may take weeks or months, helps us to align more fully with our truth and focus more clearly on what is important. While in our cocoons, we can attend to life. I [...]