In the future, no one wears a watch. No one has a cell phone, at least not one that gets a signal. There are no motorized vehicles or shopping malls or internet or long, hot showers or tub baths. In the future there are very few people... It was never on my bucket list to endure and survive a pandemic, but here we are, all of us on planet Earth marking time, making choices that once required only a fleeting thought, staying busy and hoping that one day the world will go back to the way it … [Read more...]
The Newspaper at the End of the Driveway
Sometimes we get the feeling that we are not accomplishing as much as we intended, or that we are not as productive as will be required to achieve our goals. I understand these feelings and believe addressing them here will be valuable to you, at least in some small way. Also, we must have gratitude for our life and celebrate the small successes we tend to overlook on most days. Yesterday I was speaking with a man in my mentor program about productivity and accomplishing goals. He was … [Read more...]
Find the Problem and Wrap It in an Adventure
Our world is changing rapidly and we are all in this together. I have decided each day to find the problem to be solved and wrap it in an adventure. Writing, connecting with my students and those I mentor, and walking in my local parks and other natural settings is keeping me sane and productive right now. Here are my thoughts and ideas for making the best of what we are going through and helping others in the process. The Value of Being Open to Change in Our Rapidly Changing World I used … [Read more...]
How to Become a Local Celebrity When Everyone is Staying Home
As I look out my window this morning I am shocked at how few vehicles are on the road. I'm in Santa Clarita, California (one of the two cities I live in, the other being Santa Barbara) today. It's Monday morning, March 16th, at eight o'clock. This is rush hour and from my second floor balcony my view extends more than two miles, through and past Plum Canyon, along the "Cross Valley Connector" road, Golden Valley, and on to Newhall Ranch Road that leads to the interstate freeway. There weren't … [Read more...]
The Pachyderm in the Room
The anticipation for my live event was growing, but the panic and early hysteria was growing faster. New details regarding the virus took over the airwaves as "breaking news" throughout each day and our social media profiles were inundated with opinions, pro and con, along with paid advertisements that were harsh and ugly. It's an election year and some of what was aired exemplifies politics at its worst. I refuse to subscribe to fear, as that leads to a false sense of inferiority and imprisons … [Read more...]
The Letter That Had to Be Written
It was a club I didn't want to belong to but had been forced to join. We sat in the waiting room, half of us distinguished by the one thing the others didn't have; a large safety pin affixed to our shirt or blouse, holding our surgical drain in place. It was the "haves" and the "have-nots" and I was not pleased to be on what I considered to be the wrong side of this equation. It had started with a mammogram that led to an ultrasound and on to a biopsy. This was the third doctor in a week and … [Read more...]
Serendipity at the Used Car Lot
Every once in awhile you meet someone that turns your world upside down and makes you remember why you're so happy to be alive. This occurred recently as I purchased a car from the greatest salesman in the world, at least in my eyes. We have now become friends and I am ready to share the story of how we met, what transpired during our first few meetings, and why I think of this song, Arthur's Theme (co-written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Peter Allen and performed … [Read more...]
You Wanted a Bicycle? Now Pedal It!
I've never been a joiner. Sure, I've been a part of various groups throughout my life but it only works for me if I can be a part of it on my terms. Allow me to explain. In third grade I started something I called the "Key Club" for the girls in my class. This came about when a friend of my mother's left a box of keys at our house. When she asked him about it the following day he said they were leftover from over the years and that she could throw them away. He didn't even know where most of … [Read more...]
Find Me Someone Who’s Been a Medic…
The second time I said it louder, but more slowly and clearly so the man and woman standing at the foot of my hospital bed could better hear and understand me and take quick action. "Find me someone who's been a medic in the service, please," I pleaded from my hospital bed. I was in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, in the outpatient surgical center awaiting surgery on my torn rotator cuff and writhing in pain. The man was my nurse and after thinking for fifteen minutes had … [Read more...]
And It Was Me All Along
Owning a car in southern California is more of a necessity than a luxury. I live in two cities, Santa Clarita and Santa Barbara that are eighty miles apart. Also, I'm a public speaker on the topics of online entrepreneurship and mindset and need to be able to travel to locations throughout southern California and the Central Coast, many times with little advance notice. Public transportation is not a viable option the majority of the time. So when the lease was up on my Honda Pilot last spring … [Read more...]