Have you ever befriended someone while camping, hiking, bowling, or any activity where the status of career wasn’t the primary concern?  Then later you found out they were in a profession that really surprised you and definitely would have swayed your judgment on...

Pierre Pradervand in his book, 365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World, says he starts his day by saying “Yes, thank you” at least seven or eight times as he gets out of bed. The idea--whatever comes his way that day he will not only be appreciative of, he will be...

There was a time, many years ago, when I was furious with a client and left her a message telling her she was a liar. Did this help the situation? Unequivocally not. Instead, it took much longer to clear up the issue. Regardless of her behavior my job was to pause,...

My brother visited me recently and we had a blast bouncing back and forth between current reality and memory lane. What was especially fascinating to me though, was the icebergs we uncovered. Some beliefs are so far below the surface we aren’t even aware of them, and...

If you’re a gardener you know the value of repotting. The roots get stunted, the plant starts to lose stamina and strength and if left unattended, will often wither. Humans are the same. To consciously allow your roots to rot, says the Educare Unlearning Institute, is...

Do you work with a great boss who never tells you what a good job you’ve done because he/she doesn’t realize it matters? Are you in a relationship with someone who thinks actions speak louder than words so you never get gifts for your birthday but they will fix...

According to Forbes, in an article on the nine characteristics of people who get promoted, the number one characteristic people need for promotion is to have the ability to command a room, and exude confidence. In other words, they need great presentational skills,...

Stephen Covey had a special presentation he used when talking about priorities. He would ask a participant to try to fit everything into a bowl, including a pitcher of water, big rocks, small rocks and sand. The majority of time there would be a mess, things just...

I’ll spend endless hours with my son trying to explain the obvious; he’s wrong and I’m right. And he’ll counter with a statement like, “I don’t know how a woman who is as smart as you can be so dumb when it comes to politics.” Obviously, we don’t agree. ...

I’m guessing you’ve heard or read the saying “People don’t care how much you know when they know how much you care.” We all know those words have merit, but with busy lives it doesn’t mean we have time to put that philosophy into practice. Well, I’ve a friend who...

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could read a person’s non-verbal cues and decide--as a talented culinary chef would do--if we needed to add a sprinkle of warmth or a dash of confidence into the mix, in order to convey to others that we are trustworthy and likable? Sounds...

Have fun with me for a moment. Imagine every time you had a negative thought…he’s such a jerk, that will never work, etc., you emitted a foul smell. Just for a second, but long enough to remind you it was negative. Now imagine everyone had the same affliction, they...

A few weeks ago, as several members of my family and I were walking along a dirt road to start our tubing adventure at an exquisitely beautiful springs called Ichetucknee, a group came walking up behind us making all sorts of noise. We decided to get away from them as...

When climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in August, 2003 my tent mate Marsha decided to stop speaking to me. We had planned this adventure for months and all of a sudden, she quit talking. I wracked my brain to figure out what I’d done and apologized anyway, but to no avail. I...

When I was 12 years old and felt virtually friendless, I picked up a copy of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Yes, I was a nerd, but I have always gone to books for answers, and as a shy and awkward kid I needed a strategy to succeed. I don’t...

Because I agreed without paying attention, I ended up--along with my daughter and grandson--at Ober Gatlinburg, an alpine amusement park where almost everything includes lots of altitude, of which I am terrified. First there was the chairlift which goes to the top of...

I was having a conversation with myself the other day and realized something amazing--- if I take away my lectures to myself about what I’m doing wrong, my judgments on what people should be doing differently (I can’t believe she wore that to the meeting), and my...

When I was young there was a TV show I loved about a witch married to a mortal, and this witch could cast all kinds of spells by wiggling her nose. It was called Bewitched, was great fun, and in it she was always using her spell-casting powers to solve the problem of...

A funny thing happened last week, although it was actually far from funny. I was checking emails a few hours prior to taking a red-eye home from where I’d been working in Sacramento, CA. Suddenly an email pops up that my flight has been cancelled for Wednesday...

You have got to be kidding, I thought. I was on a plane that had left Chicago one hour late because catering forgot to stock the plane, and then there was turbulence so there was no service. We were getting close to landing and the entire plane was agitated…all those...