Wisdom – Thought Changer

What are your philosophies and how do they impact your career? A belief is the most powerful magnet in the world. Your beliefs are what push and pull you in all you do in your life. They are your personal magnets. They affect thoughts, feelings, and actions. And when you start to think about what you believe, really what you hold true, then you can recognize some of the philosophies that guide your life. A philosophy is a universal theme or through line that many times drive the events and actions during your lifetime. Your theme or philosophy is the connector to how you build your career and live your life. And they stem from your core beliefs and values. The reason philosophies are important in your career is because when you put together your career blueprint and brand platform, when you’re able to put out in the world what… Read more →

For several years now there’s been a growing movement of global thought leaders who broadcast their notions and philosophies to an audience of seekers, seekers who crave possibility. Many of these thought leaders are indeed wise; they speak and teach in sound bites and give (or sell) systems that promise to change lives and/or seriously pad bank accounts. Many of these mogul leaders have become very rich selling possibility. And, the problem with some (not all) is that they’ve become so big that they’ve lost sight of what made them transformative thought leaders in the first place. Their celebrity has caused them to become out of touch with the ever-changing groundswell of society, surrounding themselves with gatekeepers and large staffs so that their followers are left feeling disengaged, disregarded and frankly taken advantage of. There’s a paradigm shift taking place in what people respond to. The most effective thought leaders… Read more →

This is a whirlwind time of year when it feels like we can’t cram one more thing into our holiday infused schedules. There was a story on CBS Sunday Morning this week about the world of nutcrackers, which will be forever associated with Christmas due to the ageless Tchaikovsky classic, The Nutcracker Suite. Nutcrackers used to be placed on the dinner table for the final course of the meal, the nuts. This is where the phrase “from soup to nuts” came from. It got me thinking about my own soup-to-nuts this year. And, wow what a feast of activity it’s been! When things get to be so busy every year at this time, it’s easy to get lost in the minutiae of the to-do list instead of taking stock and appreciating everything you’ve accomplished in the last 12 months. A dear friend reminded me of this last week as a… Read more →

Does gratitude make you a better leader? “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Melody Beattie, Author Gratitude is the highest of attitudes. This thought came to me full throttle this past week. And, when gratitude is combined with wisdom, lessons can be learned, embraced and then taught. Last weekend my computer got a nasty virus! I actually started writing this at the library because after SIX days Geek Squad had still not fixed the problem. (never again will I use Geek Squad but that’s a whole other story) So, I was without a dedicated computer and the internet for a week. And. sadly, I went through a withdrawal that brought up some… Read more →

There was an interesting piece recently on Good Morning America about flowers, and how using a drop of ordinary bleach in flower water keeps the flowers fresher longer. Who knew? So, I wondered, did the first person who tried this do it by accident or by design? It got me thinking about how there’s always an alternative way to get things done. In other words, if the conventional approach is tired or no longer working, look for an unconventional approach that many times will accomplish even more. You may surprise yourself! As Thomas Edison said, “I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2000-step process.” He kept trying different approaches and each one sparked a new idea for the next approach. This most certainly applies when it comes to your personal brand. After you’re solid on what your brand’s core values are, look for the unconventional ways of… Read more →

“Then the time came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin Read more →