Are you regularly late for work, for special engagements, or to pick up your kids from daycare or after-school activities?  If you are and this is a chronic situation where you’re struggling to figure out why, here’s a helpful process for exploring the deeper cause of this pattern. Start with intentional reflection.   Look for the deeper […]

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Are you in a rut?  Having trouble getting excited about your projects, or the job itself?  Do you no longer feel challenged?  Are opportunities to move up limited or non-existent?  If so, here are a few Mindtools.com tips that will help you recharge. Get to the root of the problem.  Journaling about how you’re feeling […]

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As we move deeper into Coronavirus-induced isolation, anxiety and fear may threaten the sense of stability and mental health for many of us.  Steven Cohen, co-founder of Meditation for Leadership says, and I agree, now is a good time to embrace meditation. A daily meditation practice can enhance inner awareness of our thoughts and emotions and […]

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Do you have a dream that you’ve just been too busy to think through and plan for?  Well, if you’re like a lot of people, you’re in a period of forced isolation that’s given you the gift of extra time.  Consider using it to propel yourself forward once the crisis passes. Here’s an approach.   Clarify your desired […]

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As a motivational speaker, I’m often asked how one can overcome the obstacles that keep them from becoming the person they want to be.  One path to overcoming obstacles is to understand what motivates and inspires you.  Then, using that self-knowledge, set up the right conditions that will keep you moving toward your goals.   For instance, if […]

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Through conditioning we blind ourselves to the best of who we are.  We become untrusting of our inner guidance, too busy, too committed to rules and ideas that, in the end, don’t serve our growth or expand awareness of our purpose. We collude with messages from that internal, mental Border Patrol, that limit our self-expression and access to […]

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Diana Ross once said, “Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.”  Great advice for anyone looking for perspective and ways to set goals and make choices.  Whatever your time horizon, one year, five years, […]

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Being kind to yourself has a ripple effect at work and at home.  It’s how we build up what we need to face the world.  One of my favorite New York Times columnists, Tim Herrera, reached out to experts for ways to treat yourself with kindness in the new year.  Psychotherapist Emily Roberts says Take more time for […]

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Think about something you’ve learned.  For example, how to manage meetings, make effective presentations, write well, play tennis or golf.  How to be a good listener, a great salesperson, teacher, parent or surfer.  Whatever you know how to do today, you’ve learned it by degrees.  I call it learning in layers.  The first layer of […]

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“How was your first week in the new job?”  I was eager to hear how Carl’s week went. “Pretty good.  I actually did more than I thought I’d do,” he said.  I heard a sense of pride and satisfaction in his voice. “I expected to observe during my first week, and then slowly work up to interacting with […]

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Asking for and getting feedback is hard.  Most people never do it – even though conventional wisdom is that feedback makes us better and helps us achieve our goals.  To get the full advantage of feedback, it’s a good idea to think through the entire process — from asking to implementing. Let’s assume that you’ve asked for […]

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If you’re sitting at your desk, or standing at your workstation, doing the minimum, hoping the day will end soon, too bad!  You’re dying a slow death, and you’re contributing to the demise of your employer.  Anyone can have a temporary slump.  You just don’t have much energy and, in a way, you don’t even care.  You feel […]

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It’s hard to argue with the importance of getting enough sleep.  There are so many reasons we should get the amount of sleep mind and body require.  How much sleep differs person to person.  But you know when you haven’t had enough.  In addition to sleep contributing to good health, overall, sleep is important for learning new information.  So says a study […]

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Do you struggle with asking for help?  Sometimes we believe — incorrectly — that we should have all the answers. Or that asking for help is a sign that we are weak or ineffective.  In both cases, just the opposite is true.  Asking for help is natural, normal and, often times, just what your situation warrants. The next time […]

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During the Q&A, a participant said, “I’m always running late, and I don’t know why. I try to be on time, but it seems like I never am.” Then, she asked, “Why is that?” BIG question…profound question.

The answer appears to be obvious: plan better. Agreed?! Valid perspective; one that probably applies to many of us. But, this answer only scratches the surface. There’s more to uncover.

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Mistakes.  We all make them.  What’s important is how we deal with them so that our errors don’t become our undoing. New York Times Better Living Columnist Tim Herrera has some tips for moving beyond big and little gaffes. He recommends being honest with yourself.  Acknowledge that it was indeed a mistake.  Accept it, but don’t let it define you […]

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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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Report after report reminds us how important it is to be self-aware. One of the foundational components of Emotional Intelligence, self-awareness enables us to know our triggers, and what it takes for us to open our minds to new and different experiences and people. To become more self-aware, regularly, take a few minutes to connect […]

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