Beauty in the Weeds – 3 Lessons
The past few days I have been in South Dakota. Each time I am home, we seem to make a pilgrimage to what is left of our family farm. Walking around what used to be our garden, much of it has been overtaken by remnants of weeds and lots of springtime grass. In the mix…
Life Is About Momentum, Not Motions
“Going through the motions…” It is a phrase we hear maybe too often. It seems to mean we are just moving through activities without much thought or meaning. It may be like sleepwalking through a job or zoning out at home. Going through the motions is not a positive indication of living a life fully…
Lessons Learned from Love Does
I am a fan of Donald Miller. From his blog and other interactions, I learned about Bob Goff and his book. When BookSneeze® offered it as an option, I grabbed the opportunity to read Love Does. Love Does is a book of short stories woven together in a fun and inspiring way. It is an…
How Would Your Headline Read Today?
There is an old political adage that states: “Don’t do something that you would not want to appear on the front page of The Washington Post.” Pick your favorite newspaper, as this was one the used while I was working in Washington, D.C., early in my career. The simple statement delivers sound advice. As always,…
Always Trust Your Cape
During my drive home, I was mindlessly listening to some music but a line caught my attention. It was: Always trust your cape It was like a voice from my dashboard speaking directly to me. Always trust your cape. Immediately a few images came into mind. The first was Superman standing with his hands firmly…
On Stamina: Three Principles and Two Supporting Thoughts
Stamina. The power to endure. We need stamina, just as we need a backbone. The two, in a way, are related. They hold us upright and keep us looking straight ahead. When we look at people, we wonder how they survive certain events. When the unexpected headline lands on someone’s lap, we gather around in…
Automatic vs. Manual – Putting It in Gear
It is tough to find a car with a manual transmission! Everything is automatic these days. When I was a kid, we learned how to drive by shifting gears, grinding them a little as we went. Great memories of driving our 1963 Chevy Biscayne, with three on the column, are present as I look back….
Leading Through Restlessness
We all get restless. Something isn’t going quite right. Something isn’t happening the way we thought or dreamed. There is a churn inside that stirs up questions of “is this where I am supposed to be?” Times have been challenging. When things begin to look up, we begin to get curious as to what is…
Simple Choices. Tick. Tock.
If you have ever walked through a Las Vegas casino or down the Las Vegas Strip, then you know it is an experience. Some people enjoy the “action” of what happens, but I am not one of them. However, some times, business takes you to places that may not be on your bucket list (or…
Why Having Thick Skin Is Essential
“Get thicker skin!” “She/he must have thicker skin.” We hear these statements, and what rings through our mind is “toughen up.” There is truth in this thought. We do need to have thick skin in our life. Many things come at us – Making ends meet Surviving annual reviews Being told you are not good…
Spite or Solve: A Choice
We have a choice – in our nation, our community, our family, and our organization – as to whether or not we foster an attitude of spite or solve.
Hot Pursuit. On Cheetahs, Discernment and Leadership.
As I began to read Mike Myatt’s recent post in Forbes, I was attracted to the image of the cheetah. Issued at year end, amidst a ream of top ten lists and related assessments, the cheetah stood out for its focused energy, and even more so for its extraordinary speed. The leadership quality Myatt discussed,…