The Best Way to Make a Decision
A reader recently asked me what to do when you hit a fork in the road. "Pick it up" I told her, "and keep going." Every decision has a consequence but only one choice will keep you on course. It really is that simple, the hard part is figuring out the way. It's times like these that you want to tune in to your internal GPS, quiet your mind, and trust the knowing that lies just beneath your fears. Sit [...]
How To Stay Disciplined and Avoid Regret
"Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret." ~Mark Twain Why is discipline, the essential element of success, so difficult? Because it requires that we put down the fun stuff for the time being and focus on the actions that will achieve our goals or align us with our values. I face this beast almost every day. There is usually something I'd rather do than write. Once I start writing, I come under a siege of impulses that [...]
When It’s Time to Say What You Think
In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty. The process takes time, investigation, deliberation. Yet in our day-to-day lives, we are rarely this diligent. We often hear a comment or see a facial expression and swear ill intent, or worse revenge, before even asking a question. I fell prey to this a few years ago while purchasing a car. The sales person was agitated and absent minded. He presented me with numbers that were incorrect and far from my financial [...]
What I Love About Women
It has been said that women do not help other women get ahead in the workplace. Yet, in my experience, this could not be further from the truth. My executive coaching practice began because Sharon, a CEO I met at a luncheon, asked me to work with 2 of her leaders. I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do at the time, and when I asked she simply said, "Figure it out." Sharon later told me she saw something in [...]
What you find when you’re not digging
My favorite book is Gifts from the Sea by Ann Morrow Lindberg. In this elegant read the author uses the analogy of collecting shells at the beach to share timeless words of wisdom such as these. The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. What a lovely way to describe the unnecessary hunt for jewels that would otherwise splash [...]
Are you being productive…or crazy?
I am one of those people that lives to be productive. At times, I think it is just part of my German heritage, and at other times, I think it is my socially acceptable neurosis. (Taken to the extreme it's probably the latter). Yet what I have noticed in recent years is that my definition of productivity has changed. I no longer believe it is related to numbers and accolades but to the quality of my relationships and a sense of well-being. Thus, if I'm being productive I am working out in the mornings, planning to [...]