I wonder how many people reading this watched the original television series MacGyver when it originally aired? Aside from being Selma and Patty Bouvier’s celluloid object of desire and the inspiration for SNL’s Will Forte creation MacGruber, this TV character is that rare proper noun that has been “verbed.” To MacGyver something is to bootstrap and/or apply a life hack that transforms something from nothing to save the day. If you are starting anything from scratch, be it a business,…..
Do you believe in luck? According to Joyce Carol Oates, “The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.” Lots of folks who haven’t achieved the success they say they hope to achieve blame their situation on luck. They ascribe their circumstances to “bad luck” and dismiss the success of others as “good luck.” This attitude keeps them from reaching their full potential. As long as you are in any way guilty of blaming someone else for a situation in your own…..
“How much longer will you go on letting your energy sleep? How much longer are you going to stay oblivious of the immensity of yourself?” — Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh The significance of this quote and its meaning really hit me between the eyes when I first read it. There are a couple of societal programming factors that contribute to my specific reaction: First of all, I was raised to feel as if “tooting my own horn” was boastful. Delivering results,…..
Today, while walking around my neighborhood, I overheard a child’s voice call out, “Excuse me!” My mom instinct kicking in, I paused and looked over my shoulder, looking for the source of the voice. It was a little girl, about seven years old. She wasn’t trying to get my attention. Instead, I saw her untangle herself from her bicycle and step toward a young woman who was standing next to her dog — a full-grown Golden Labrador Retriever. “Excuse me!”…..
“People who speak ‘victim’ can’t understand the language of accountability.” This thought filtered to the top of my awareness one day while I took a walk around the neighborhood. It can get pretty dicey when using the word victim. It tends to activate the defensiveness-factor of others (usually among those who are still healing from physical or mental wounds). When I talk about victim mentality, I sometimes get accused of victim blaming. I can see where some may interpret it…..
Today is National Pumpkin Seed Day! In honor of this autumn treat, I thought I’d share a story and recipe about my days as a nonprofit founder. When I moved to Chicago, one of the first things I did was to alter my diet to a more plant-based variety. There were many reasons for my decision: • Vegetables and grains were less expensive than meat. As a founder who didn’t receive a salary for the nonprofit I established, cost was…..
So many of us have been taught that it’s immodest to “toot our own horn” or that talking about our own accomplishments is bad. When promoting yourself on social media, it’s common to see the phrase “humble brag” associated with anything remotely connected to publicizing achievement or rolling out an offering (e.g. a new book, webinar, speaking engagement or job promotion). October is National Self-Promotion Month, so today we’re going to focus on a few ways that you can begin…..
Hi everyone, I wanted to share this with you as a general backgrounder, since you may have only “met” me through social media. This member spotlight of me in the Ellevate Network gives a bit of history of who I am, what I think and how it relates to this blog, and why I am so committed to helping others. For the greatest accuracy, I cut and pasted the profile, including the actual link below: 1. Introduce yourself to our…..
So you’ve decided to change your life. Whoo hoo! Let’s begin by taking a few minutes to chart your course — bearing in mind that the trip we take isn’t always the trip we plan(ned). That said, intention is a powerful tool in helping you get where you want to go. Consider your journal to be a map of your inner workings. And as with any journey, preparation will help you to be more efficient, more effective and ultimately, more…..
I want to thank you for reading my blog. Among other things, it serves as a mechanism for helping me to write my next book. When I established a nonprofit to help women in transition, I knew that I was consciously taking my life into an entirely new direction. Through its dissolution, I learned even more lessons that I’ll be incorporating into my next book. There are lessons learned from failure that were extremely beneficial to me when viewed in…..