They’re everywhere. In every big city and small town. In every neighborhood, apartment building, and office complex. In classrooms and hospitals. On the streets or on the bus. They’re the unseen people. They’re often those who serve us – the person who cleans your hotel room or the airport restroom. The stocker or checker at the grocery store, the person at the drive-thru window, the wait staff in the restaurant. The person who delivers your mail or picks up your trash. But they’re not just people in low-profile jobs. They may sit near you at work or at church. They live across the street. You see them on the elevator every day. They’re everywhere, and yet they’re unseen. They’re unseen… [Read More]
Glossophobia!
I’ve recently encountered a number of people who suffer from glossophobia. People of all ages, education levels, and positions are susceptible. For some, it starts at an early age; for others it’s the result of what, for them, was a traumatic event, and for still others, it can strike unexpectedly. You may be saying, “Yikes! What is glossophobia?” “Is it contagious?” “How do I know if I have it?” And, most importantly, “Is there a cure?” Believe me, you know if you have it. And fortunately, there is a cure. Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking. It comes from the Greek term glossa, meaning tongue, and phobos, fear or dread. According to some studies, speaking in front of a… [Read More]
Comfort Zone / Danger Zone
I’m a softie. I love comfort. I love ease. I love doing things that I’m good at. I’ll bet you, too, enjoy the effortless simplicity associated with your comfort zones. But do you ever entertain the thought of doing something challenging? Something that pushes you, that makes you sweat? When that thought occurs, do you simply push that pesky notion out of your mind? Most of us do – because doing something challenging and new would most likely be hard. And dealing with difficulty and discomfort isn’t fun. The problem is that none of us like the “stupid phase”. The “stupid phase” that typically accompanies any new effort or learning process is the direct opposite of the comfort zone. It’s… [Read More]
Love, Love, Love
It’s February – the love month. Actually, we didn’t have to wait until February to begin thinking about it, did we? Stores in my area had the Valentines and candy hearts out the day after Christmas! After all, no retailer worth his/her salt would let a day go by without gearing up for the next big $$$ event. Yes, retailers love Valentine’s Day, and here’s why. The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend $18.2 billion (that’s billion with a “B”) on Valentine goodies. Here’s how it breaks down – jewelry $4.3 billion, flowers $2 billion, candy $1.7 billion, greeting cards $1 billion, and then, of course, when you add in dinner and a movie, it’s easy to get… [Read More]
SO-SO
It’s 2019. Will you be living the “Same-Old-Same-Old”, a life that’s just “so-so”? If you watched any of the memorial services honoring the late President George Herbert Walker Bush, perhaps you remember references to CAVU, a Naval acronym that stands for Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited. It’s a phrase used by Navy pilots to describe the weather they desire when flying off of an aircraft carrier. The term truly described Bush’s courage and optimism, a philosophy lived out by a man who never lost his passion for his family and country, his sense of humor, or his desire for trying new experiences – like celebrating his 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays by sky-diving. As Vice-President Pence noted in his comments, for… [Read More]
What’s on Your List?
With the holidays just around the corner, many of us are focused on shopping for gifts for family and friends. Decisions made on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the other no-name shopping days are often driven by “wish lists”. Perhaps you’ve made a wish list to share with those who may be gifting you this year. Here’s a challenge for you. Make a list of gifts to give to yourself. Now, I don’t mean material gifts that can be purchased at the mall or online — not the latest iPhone, an Instapot, fuzzy house shoes, or a Ferrari. What I’m talking about are gifts that only you can give to yourself and which, in most cases, don’t cost much, if… [Read More]
“T” is for “Thankful”
Just for fun, see if you can find your thesaurus — that reference book that you had in high school or college that lists synonyms (words that mean the same) and antonyms (words that mean the opposite). By the way, the word “thesaurus” comes from a Latin word that means “storehouse of knowledge”. (That may be more information than you wanted, right?) Chances are, you may not have looked at your thesaurus in years, so if you can’t find it, try looking in that forgotten corner on the top shelf of your bookcase. If you prefer an electronic thesaurus, look for it on the top shelf of your tool bar under “Tools”. With either method, go to the listings under… [Read More]
Cheesy-Weezy
Our five-year-old grandson, Luke, and his friend Everett play a game called Cheesy-Weezy. When riding in the car, they’re on the hunt for yellow vehicles. The first person to spot one and yell ”Cheesy-Weezy” gets a point. The game continues until the destination is reached or until one of three things occurs. 1) The adult in the car becomes exasperated by the cries of “Cheesy-Weezy”, 2) intense arguing ensues over who yelled Cheesy-Weezy first, or 3) full-fledged warfare breaks out over who has accumulated the most points. If you’ve never played Cheesy-Weezy, I dare you to try it. You’ll be shocked at the number of yellow vehicles you’ll see. And once you start looking for yellow vehicles, you’ll see them… [Read More]
O.C. and O.P
A former neighbor had a dog named O.C. “So,” I asked my neighbor one day, “does O.C. stand for something?” “Yes,” he replied. “It stands for ‘Out-of-Control’”. In spite of multiple doggie etiquette schools and numerous canine behavior modification classes, O.C. did what O.C. wanted to do when O.C. wanted to do it. He was, indeed, appropriately named. When you think about, there are many things in life that are out of your control. The weather, wars, the stock market, the past, government, foreign policy, gasoline prices, inflation, airline delays, traffic…the list is long. But at the top of the list of things that you and i can’t control is Other People. We’d like to; we try to, but it… [Read More]
Best Laid Plans
You’ve no doubt heard the quote from the Scottish poet Robert Burns – “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.” Translation: “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” You’ve heard it. And you’ve lived it, right? All of us have made plans that went “awry”, that didn’t work out the way we had hoped or intended – the rained-out picnic, the job that didn’t live up to expectations; the project that failed; the sale you thought was a sure thing; the relationship that soured; the investment that went south. And with those circumstances of crushed plans, hopes, and dreams come disappointment, frustration, sadness, anger, and sometimes a sense of personal failure. In spite of… [Read More]
