Just in time for the start of the New Year, I have a new tool for your personal and professional development.  I’m offering you free advice and coaching by way of “Ask Teressa” — a new feature on the homepage of my website, tmgspeaks.com.  Go there to submit your question about a real-life goal or challenge you’re […]

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Steve Jobs once said, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice.” Through early conditioning, most of us blind ourselves to the best of who we really are. We become untrusting, too busy, too intellectual, too committed to rules […]

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A while ago, I came across a quote that stuck with me. It read, “A quiet mind is able to hear intuition over fear.” I stumbled onto this quote at a time when my mind was racing with thoughts of daily life. People were tugging at me from various directions. Internally, I was putting pressure […]

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Change tends to push us out of our comfort zone, which generates fear. But, as Winston Churchill once said, “There is nothing wrong in change, if it is in the right direction. To improve is to change, to be perfect is to have changed often.” What a great reframe! Churchill’s quote reminds us that not […]

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My book LIES That Limit, and much of my work, revolves around the labels, illusions, excuses and stories we tell ourselves. These LIES don’t just keep us from becoming successful, they keep successful people from achieving genuine happiness. When I encounter a client who has reached a breaking point, it’s usually because they have woven and are […]

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 As the year winds down, it’s a good time to think through the ways you’ll make the next year even better. Although every day represents the possibility of a new journey, the new year is widely recognized as an important opportunity to think big and go big.   As Oprah says, “Your journey begins with […]

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As the job market heats up, it’s a good time to look at a study conducted by University of Texas at Austin’s David Pedulla. His findings indicate that people who accept positions below their skill level damage future job prospects. For research purposes, Pedulla submitted over 2400 fictitious applications for real openings in five US […]

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Do you feel bombarded by information and opinions? Are you overwhelmed by the media, colleagues, friends, family, and sometimes total strangers imposing their point of view on you? We’re told how to think and feel about work, our wardrobe, our weight, the company we keep, politics, our extracurricular activities, and so on. Amidst the noise, […]

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Here’s a piece of good, practical advice from the late entrepreneur Jim Rohn. He said, “Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people.” We’ve become more relaxed and informal […]

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 In a recent TED Talk, Melinda Epler suggests that we can all become allies and supporters of co-workers who are the victims of microaggression. Epler, who helps tech companies address diversity and inclusion issues, advocates for allyship at work for people who are being marginalized through microaggression. She says that when someone interrupts another, […]

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As a coach for a number of women’s leadership programs, diversity expert Anne Litwin says she encounters women from many cultures who suffer from Imposter Syndrome. She contends that women are more susceptible to the imposter syndrome than men, in part because women from underrepresented groups don’t see others like them in certain industries and […]

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Speaker and business trainer Lou Adler once said, “Good people ask good questions.” People who ask good questions see themselves as learners. They engage with a sense of curiosity, wonder and a willingness to acknowledge that they don’t know everything. Try putting this approach to use at your next meeting with a client, prospect, colleague […]

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Although it doesn’t always feel like it, honesty is usually the best policy. Three studies conducted by researchers at University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Carnegie Mellon suggests that we overestimate the negative consequences of speaking honestly. Subjects were asked to speak in accordance with their own beliefs, thoughts and feelings to people […]

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 In my book, LIES That Limit, and when I speak to audiences, my goal is to help people let go of limiting beliefs and strengthen their belief in themselves. Success.com contributor John Addison offers 5 ways to bolster belief in yourself. Examine your thoughts. They are shaped by the people you spend time with […]

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 Success.com contributor Tom Bilyeu offers tips on how to up-end our human tendency to be critical of self and others. He encourages us to recognize our triggers and choose our reactions. For example, replace the tendency to criticize with compliments. Why? Because criticism doesn’t work so well in interpersonal relationships. So, resist the tendency […]

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I Googled the term “Self Awareness” and got 300,000 search results. It’s a term that gets thrown around quite a bit.  But, like many phrases that are tossed about in every day language, the actual meaning is lost on some.  People may nod in agreement when they hear it, but do they really know what it means to be self-aware?  Do you really know what it means? According to all-knowing, all-seeing Wikipedia, “Self-awareness is […]

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Success is created by the self-responsible – people who know for sure that they are accountable for their lives professionally and personally. Successful people don’t wait for others to secure their future. In fact, because they trust themselves to step up and take care of their needs and interests, they succeed in spite of circumstances. […]

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 To communicate effectively, we must be mindful about how our messages are sent and received. To that end, Mindtools.com breaks communication down into five component parts that are universally at play whenever we speak to another person. It all begins with the Source – which is you, coupled with the message you wish to […]

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Are you crystal clear about what you’d like to accomplish over the next month, six months or 2 years? If your goals are specific, congratulations! You’re ahead of the game, and you’re likely to achieve them. If your goals are more general, perhaps even vague, you’re less likely to make meaningful progress. When you’re specific, […]

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Negative thought spirals can hijack our ability to power through situations we perceive as difficult. Forbes.com contributor Alice Walton offers some new ways to beat back those debilitating voices in our heads that make our fears feel real and infuse doubt. In addition to meditation and mindfulness, Walton recommends Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It sounds intense, […]

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