Begin Again – How New Starts Supercharge Your Performance, Relationships, and Results
What if we leveraged the wisdom of “begin again” to the things we do every day? The projects we work so feverishly on? The relationships we nurture? The visions we create? The ideas we cling to long after we’ve realized they’ve outlived their relevance? Nature shows us there is much to be gained by…
How to Have Greater Influence in Meetings: 3 Tips for Speaking up and Being Heard
We’ve all been in meetings where you have something to say, but you’re just not sure how to go about it. You may open your mouth and wonder later whether you could have said it better. Or you may not say anything at all and then kick yourself for not speaking up. Either way,…
I couldn’t find what I needed, so I created it
It was summer of 2004. I had 3 kids under the age of 7. I was working full time. And I was under the illusion that I could be all things to all people. It was a “success formula” that had helped me get ahead for the majority of my life, and I had…
Life is meant for more than checking boxes…
Can you remember the last time you were so excited about something that you could feel the hair on your arms or the back of your neck stand up? Or the giddiness of a five-year-old at the prospect of visiting an amusement park? Maybe it got you out of bed in the morning or…
Why SMART Goals are Often Dumb
Goals are something we are encouraged to stick to. But sometimes the goals we set for ourselves no longer match the direction we find ourselves wanting to go. Early in my career I (like many driven professionals) was prone to setting SMART goals. You know, “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timebound”. It’s the conventional…
Why Preconceived Goals and Plans May Not Get You Where You Really Want to Go – and What to Do Instead.
Have you ever noticed that even your best laid plans can fail to get you where you really want to go? The reason SMART goals and the plans we create to achieve them often don’t match our desired future is that they are constructed based on an understanding of the present and the past.…
An Easier Way to Find Your Way
Have you ever set a goal for yourself that left you feeling less than fulfilled when you actually achieved it? Maybe it was a target you wanted to meet, a possession you longed to acquire, or a promotion you were hoping to receive. You kept your eye on the ball and hunkered down to do…
What if you don’t know what you really want?
Early in my career, I didn’t fully appreciate the power of having a vision for my work and life – and I think a lot of people tend to do what I did. They drift from job to job and go from one opportunity/ recognition/ highly visible project /mandate to the next, taking what…
Try Putting Possibilities Before Pragmatics
Think big. Ask yourself what the best-case scenario is. What opportunities have gone unseized? What possibilities are waiting to be ignited? If you could wave a magic wand, what would happen? Then ask yourself what is within your power to create, influence, or lead the charge for. You don’t have to have all the…
Do You Dare to Dream?
As children, most of us received mixed messages. You may have been encouraged to follow your heart and give life to your dreams in addition to being conditioned to be practical, hedge your bets, and take the safest route. Over time, many of us have allowed the roar of public opinion – that often…