In 2013, Disney released a movie entitled Frozen, and if you’re a parent or grandparent, especially of young girls, you’re no doubt familiar with the movie’s theme song, “Let It Go”. (In fact, you may have heard that song ad nauseam and found the idea of letting it go quite appealing!) Like it or not, this Academy Award winning song delivers a strong message and one that is applicable as we begin a new year. Perhaps you’ve made a “to-do” list for 2018, but what about a “not-to-do” list? What do you need to “let go” in your life and work? The #1 best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo praises the concept of letting go… [Read More]
A Physics Lesson
What??? A physics lesson! Probably the last thing you expect from me, right? I admit upfront that I never took physics. It wasn’t required, and that’s a blessing. I’m pretty sure physics would have thrown me to the ground, crushed me flat, and caused me to scream out, “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” I never studied the subject but have heard of that Sir Isaac Newton fellow and am familiar with his First Law of Physics, the Law of Inertia, which – in layman’s terms – says, “An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion.” This morning I was dealing head-on with that “object-at-rest” part of Newton’s law. I didn’t… [Read More]
Excuses, Excuses
In 1896, the American psychologist and philosopher William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that you can change your life by changing your attitude.” James was one of the first great thinkers of his time to address the subject of attitude and the powerful influence that it has on us. He observed that only about ten percent of all people have enough courage to take the risks required to have the richest, fullest, and most successful life possible. The other 90 percent spend their time making up excuses for why their lives aren’t turning out very well. Our attitude is our disposition, our perspective – the way we see things. It is our response to a situation… [Read More]
Show Up
A recent article in my local newspaper told the story of three remarkable brothers. The youngest of the three had just graduated from high school, and the article reported that this young man – like his two older brothers – had completed twelve years of school without a single absence. Think about it! These three boys showed up every single day of their entire elementary, middle school and high school careers. No sick days, no “mental health days”, no cutting class. They were present. They were present not only in the sense that they were in attendance but also in the sense that they were involved. All three excelled in both academics and sports, and their teachers described them as… [Read More]
A Year from Now
I recently came across a statement from author Karen Lamb that got my attention. In fact, I wrote it on a sticky note and put it on my computer monitor where I see it every day. Karen Lamb said, “A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” Thought-provoking, isn’t it? How many ideas have you thought about but never executed? How many goals have you set but didn’t stick with? How many good intentions of eating healthier, exercising, saving money, building relationships, volunteering, connecting with family or friends, starting a business, writing a book, learning a language, working harder in your career have fallen by the wayside? Don’t you wish you had started a few of those… [Read More]
