Defining Yourself and Your Life: What Defines You? This morning I was reading an article about the "C Generation." This is how young people are being labeled, based on how they define themselves during the pandemic and beyond. Are you allowing your experiences and circumstances define you in a way that will affect your personal life, as well as your online business? We tend to be defined by a range of factors including demographics, attitudes, historical events like wars or other conflicts, … [Read more...]
Non-Scale Victories at the Top of the Escalator
Non-Scale Victories Come in Various Shapes and Sizes In the spring of 2019 I put myself on a shopping hiatus. I had full closets in both of the cities I call home. Most of the clothing and even some of the shoes no longer fit me, but even without those items I had enough to last for several years or longer. My history with having issues around clothes and shoes is a long and winding one and goes back a few decades to a different time in my life. I grew up insecure. Food insecure was the … [Read more...]
Having It All When We Can’t Define What IT Is
My life has been filled with wonder and awe, at least so far. Almost daily I think about how fortunate I am to be having the moment by moment experiences, relationships, and struggles that continue to meld me into the person I am. I'm also keenly aware that I am still in the process of becoming that person, and that we are all on a journey with no true destination except for our death at some point in the future. In the meantime, we all get to have adventures and go on explorations, mostly of … [Read more...]
Why “Not Feeling Like It” Will Never Be a Reason
Not Feeling Like It - Is This Keeping You From Your Dreams and Ambitions? I can remember a humid Sunday during the summer of 2003 when I was not feeling like it in regards to making a call to someone I taught with at my school. We were a year round school and she had asked me to substitute for her one day the following week. I had initially said that I would do it, but after thinking about it for a day I had changed my mind. I worked in real estate part-time and wanted to focus on that instead … [Read more...]
How to Be Original When Everything Has Already Been Said and Done
We all want to be unique. And we are, until we decide to write or create something and realize that everything has already been said and done. So, how can we be original and innovative and worthy of attention and praise when it's all been done before? I've discovered a few things since leaving my old life behind and coming online as an entrepreneur in 2006. One is that writing and creating is not about picking original ideas. It's about finding original ways to communicate your message to the … [Read more...]
A Prime Number of Teeth
Teeth Come in Even Numbers, So How Did I End Up With a Prime Number of Teeth? When Nancy grinned widely at the other kids in class, she exposed the secret she had waited all weekend to show to her classmates. She had lost a tooth and couldn't wait to share the details with her teacher and friends. The tooth in question had been loose for two weeks and the anticipation had been almost more than she could bear. When the same thing happened to me recently, I finally realized something that … [Read more...]
Winnie the Pooh and the 9-11 Tragedy
This is the story of how Winnie the Pooh made a difference in my life, and in the lives of my family members a few weeks before and directly after the 9-11 tragedy on September 11th, 2001. Once upon a time there was a woman who had enriched her life by embracing extended family members on two continents. Every day, she thought of them and about how she could stay connected with them and get to know them better. One day she found out that a new baby was expected by a family member over in … [Read more...]
The War at Home
It was 1964 and I was coming of age during the height of the Vietnam War. In August, Congress had passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving then President Lyndon Johnson broad authority to step up American military presence. He promptly deployed combat units for the first time and increased troop levels to more than 180,00. It would be more than two years before the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara would express his doubt as to whether or not we could emerge victorious in this … [Read more...]
Overcoming Life’s Challenges
Overcoming Life's Challenges in the Face of Adversity I have long held the belief that we are accountable to ourselves, first and foremost. Sometimes we don't feel like living up to our self-directed expectations or challenges, but that will never be a reason or excuse not to move forward. Instead, make a schedule, add your tasks and activities to it, and then focus on accomplishing your goals every single day. I find that three or four items work best for my daily to-do list. This is just … [Read more...]
The Courage to Begin…Again
Life is a miracle. Yet, no one makes it out alive. When the going gets tough we must make it a priority to become resilient and to develop mental toughness. This enables us to not only survive, but to thrive under any and all circumstances. What does it mean to be resilient and have mental toughness? In order to strengthen resilience, it’s important to understand the concept in depth. Resilience is the ability to move forward by growing through every part of life’s process. Struggling is a … [Read more...]