I have more clothes in my closet than I can count. And unlike Wanda Petronski, the protagonist in The Hundred Dresses my clothes are real ones accumulated over the past two decades. I can only imagine Wanda's classmate Peggy demanding that I describe each item I own. Some tell a story, like the denim jacket I bought when my Rotary Club spent a week in Bishop, California hiking and fishing and enjoying the outdoors alongside the Rotarians from that area. Others sit anonymously on felt lined … [Read more...]
The Power Struggle
In August of 2019 I had been asked to be a panelist for an international summit on the topic of doing good in the world and making money. As one of eighty-eight experts and thought leaders from around the world I was thrilled and honored to be included. The hosts of this mega event were Sherry Watson and Tom Matzen, two people I had admired from afar for several years. This eight day virtual event was billed as the "Do Good and Make Money Super Summit 2019" and it was awesome. I was to be … [Read more...]
Taller Than Anyone Thought He Could Be
Part of my new life, after my reinvention in 2006 when I resigned from my job as a classroom teacher and gave away my real estate clients to people who could better serve them, includes spending time with people I may have never met in the past. Even though I'm an introvert I have found these experiences to be ones I would not trade for the world. One family I met was through my church. We first became friends in 2012 when their youngest children were nine and eleven. There is also an adult … [Read more...]
Fishing Off the Pier
There are few activities in life that provide for more personal and business self growth than fishing. When you go fishing off the pier your experience becomes even more valuable and insightful, due in part to the duality of interacting with the people coming and going while you are focusing on the water far below you as you attempt to catch a fish. It's usually the perfect storm for giving you time to think while also enjoying a day outside. It's late August, a Friday morning in Ventura. … [Read more...]
An Awful Howl
Hurricane Andrew crept in on little cat feet on the morning of August 24th in 1992. Or at least that was my memory of how the chaos began... I had been in south Florida twice before during hurricanes. The first time had been in late August of 1964 when Hurricane Cleo came through the area and the next was Betsy over Labor Day weekend in 1965. Both years my parents and I had been there to visit close friends on my mother's side of the family and we became caught up in the storm before we could … [Read more...]
Three Up, Three Down
In baseball there is a phrase that tells the story of an inning. "Three up, three down" means that three batters took their turn at bat and all were struck out by the pitcher and never made it to first base. This is every pitcher's goal when they take their place on the mound against the opposing team. In my online business I think of this "three up, three down" concept as being one where I share three paid offers and three free ones to make sure my community always has some training to move … [Read more...]
Duality Between Realism and Idealism
I was raised by a mother who was an idealist. She turned away from her Midwestern upbringing and moved to California with my father the day after they were married in a traditional wedding at the Francis & First Street Methodist Church near downtown St. Joseph, Missouri. California was a culture shock for both of them, but in different ways. My father was appalled at the aberrant behavior of the people he encountered. My mother was enchanted by the freedom for women to smoke cigarettes in … [Read more...]
Other Than That, How Was the Play?
Over the course of my lifetime I have come to accept that I attract the people and the situations into my life experience based on my my vibrational frequency and that I must take full responsibility for everything that occurs. The overwhelming majority of what comes into my realm of experience is joyous and positive. I'm giving out good energy and vibes and the universe is bouncing that back to me in kind. It's what happens every once in awhile that forces me to take pause and question what I'm … [Read more...]
If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
If I Knew Then What I Know Now... If I had known back while I was in my twenties what I now know, I would have lived my life a little bit differently. Don't get me wrong; I have no regrets and love the life that has unfolded for me so far. And I'm grateful for everything. But a few tiny tweaks and small changes would have made the feast of life a bit more delicious and satisfying. Allow me to share more on this theme of "If I knew then what I know now" with you here. While I was in college … [Read more...]
The Death of Your Dream
Death changes you. It changes everything, forever. Whether it is that of a parent, or a child, or of a close friend or family member, once that person is gone you are never the same. What I want to discuss is a different type of death, but one that will nonetheless change your life and your perspective forever. What I am referring to here is the death of a dream. This type of death may sneak up on you. It is like a cancer that has been growing inside your body for months or years and … [Read more...]