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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

You’re One of a Kind. Go With it.


You’re One of a Kind. Go With it.

 

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action.  And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique.  And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost.

 

It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions.

 

It is your business to … keep the channel open … Whether you choose to take an art class, keep a journal, record your dreams, dance your story, or live each day from you own creative source, above all else, keep the channel open?”

 

 

I really like this quote form Martha Graham because 1) it encourages you to look at what unique thing you have to offer and to express it 2) It reminds you that because you’re unique there’s no point in comparing yourself to others and you need be grateful for what you’ve got.

 

Sometimes you can get so focused on the talents of other people you forget that you have some too.  All that does is make you feel bad about yourself and that won’t make you happy.

 

It’s okay to acknowledge and appreciate someone else’s talents but remember you have some that they don’t have.

 

Action Step: Anytime you catch yourself feeling bad about yourself because someone else has something you believe or wish you did have, remember that it’s their gift.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Nobody Does it Better


Nobody Does it Better


“Nobody does it better.

Makes me feel sad for the rest

Nobody does it half as good as you

Baby, you’re the best”

These are lyrics from the song, “Nobody Does it Better” sung by Carly Simon.

When it comes to the combination of your unique talents, nobody DOES do it quite the way you do.  The problem is discovering what that unique thing you do IS.  What is it that makes you special that makes you stand out from the rest?

If you’re really good at singing or playing sports it’s obvious what your thing is. But even with these obvious talents there’s the underlying tenacity and driving force that makes the person strive to be better. 

Therefore, even though someone’s good at sports what makes him stand out might really be his willingness to go the extra mile, to have laser like focus on the task at hand.  That’s his real talent and it’s what will bode well when he’s an adult.

However, let’s say you can’t quite get a handle on what it is that makes you grand.  Perhaps instead it’s your encouraging words that lift another person’s spirit, to carry on, or your ability to listen intently when anyone tells you what’s going on in their lives.

These are the talents that aren’t going to make you stand out in a crowd or win awards but are going to give you the respect a and admiration of the people you have touched.  It’s up to you to decide what is more important and what would give you the greatest satisfaction.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Making the Shift from Smart to Wise


Making the Shift from Smart to Wise

At what point does one become wise? The truth is there really isn’t any one significant event or time when someone is considered wise.  It’s an accumulation of events, experiences, sadness and joy that ultimately earns the recipient the term wise.

Tis not knowing much, but what is useful, that makes a wise person”.  ~ Thomas Fuller, MD

A wise person hears one word and understands two”.  ~ Yiddish Proverb

Oh and one thing you’ll notice about people you consider to be wise, they exude humility.  It’s as if through all their experiences they’ve learned where they fit in the world and are grateful for all they’ve experienced. 

Here are some people who didn’t slow down as they were getting older but continued to pursue their ambitions well into their 60’s.

60 – Dr Hattie Alexander discovers the cure for bacterial meningitis.

61 – Sharpshooter Annie Oakley nails 98 of100 clay pigeons in an exhibition at a North Carolina gun club.

62 – Louis Pasteur inoculates his first patient against rabies.

63 – Eugenicist Francis Galton demonstrates that each person’s fingerprints are unique.  Criminals worldwide mourn.

64 – Betty Ford, wife of President Gerald R. Ford, opens her eponymously named clinic to treat substance abuse.

65 – Colonel Harland Sanders begins nationwide licensing for his special fried chicken recipe, which will come to be known as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

66 – Michelangelo completes his Last Judgment fresco in the Sistine Chapel.

67 – Engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss celebrates as his masterwork, the Golden Gate Bridge, is opened to traffic.

68 – Lillian Cater, mother of President Jimmy Carter, joins the Peace Corps and works for two years as a nurse in India.

69 – Mary Kaplan realizes her goal of running a marathon in every U.S. state – and finishing first in her age group in each race.

It proves age is but a number.  You have as much life left in you as what you put into it.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016


Middle Age – I Think Not

The fifties are more like coming into your own and hitting your stride.  By this time in your life wisdom takes over where knowledge and experience left off.  All the choices you’ve made have come to fruitation or starting to emerge.  It’s a grand time because if you don’t have the “I don’t care what anybody thinks” attitude already, you sure have it now.

Reasons that held you back in the previous years now vanish and you come into your own. Your true colors emerge.  But why wait until you’re in your fifties when you can work on that attitude change right now.

Take a look at the unique people who’ve made their mark at “middle age.”

50 – Charles Darwin publishes his pioneering work, On the Origin of Species.

51 – Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first woman justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

52 – Tchaikovsy composes a ballet suite called The Nutcracker.

      -   Ray Kroc, a milkshake machine salesman, starts a fast-food chain called McDonalds

      -   Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa.

53 – Margaret Thatcher is elected as Great Britain’s first female Prime Minister.

      -  Walt Disney opens a theme park he calls Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

      -  Ernest Hemingway writes The Old Man and the Sea.

54 – Henry Heimlich makes public a choking-prevention maneuver that will eventually be named after him.

55 - Author Alex Haley publishes his epic masterwork, Roots.

56 – Gustave Eiffel completes the design for the Paris tower that will bear his name.

57 – George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States, receiving all 69 electoral votes. He will stand as the only President unanimously elected.

      -  Annie Peck becomes the first person to reach the summit of Mount Huascaran in the Andes.

58 – W. H. Hoover develops an electric suction sweeper that is soon dubbed a vacuum cleaner.

59 – Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross

    - Madeleine Albright becomes the first women Secretary of State for the United States.

 

This just a reminder that it’s not over till it’s over.  Make the best use of the time you have here because when you hit 50 you may only be half way there.

Thursday, March 10, 2016


The Case Against Diversity

Yep I’m against diversity. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m fascinated by different cultures, heck, that’s what I found most interesting when I was in college learning about international business. The difference in cultures plays a huge part in how products are marketed from the taste, the color of the package and how business is conducted.

When I travel abroad I much rather travel on my own versus in a group setting because then I have the opportunity to discover, feel, hear and taste the culture I’m being exposed to. I can venture into the path less taken. Looking back I’d say I go into a bit of a trance as I try to absorb all the sights and sounds around me. I leave in wonder and appreciation for the experience that has expanded my world.

As odd as it may sound but I do tend to attract people from different countries into my world. A long time friend is originally from Mexico. I was in her wedding and she was in mine.  Through my husband and work I’ve become friends with people from Brazil, Ukraine and Romania. They certainly have enriched my life.

However with all those friendships and travels I’ve expenenced one thread always remained, the more I’ve discovered that in the end we are all more alike than different. We all want the same things; a health, happiness, good friends, a better life for our children and a love and appreciation for our Creator.

You see I’m against diversity for two reasons; 1) its unnatural and 2) it pulls people apart instead of bringing them together.

For example, when you first meet, run into or are around people you’re not familiar with do you start talking about how you’re different? No! You immediately try to develop a connection through some common interest such as sports, children or the situation you’ve found yourself in with the other person. When you’re at a wedding you might ask the other person how they know the bride or groom.  When you’re watching a sporting event you might ask the person what they think of a certain team or player. The most common ice breaker is to ask the other person what they do to earn a living. The bottom line is you’re always searching for some commonality in order to make a connection with the other person. It all starts with small talk.

It’s not until you’re comfortable with the other person do you bring up the differences and that can take some time. Through the 30 plus years of conversations with my Mexican friend I’ve found out things about the culture she grew up in. The information was revealed and then I’d ask inquiring questions. Rarely have I asked an outright question about her background. To tell the truth it really isn’t an important part of our friendship, although it is quite interesting when a tidbit of unknown information is offered.

For example, several years ago I invited a new friend to attend a convention with me. Afterwards as we were having a few drinks when she complimented me on how my skin looked and wanted to know what I did to keep it that way. That’s when she told me that Apache Indians (she was Apache) were very vain. She told me that people thought they painted their faces to look mean but it was really to protect their skin. Who knew? It was new information coming right from the source. She was obviously very comfortable with me or really wanted to know how I took care of my skin.

Yes, I’m against diversity. We as humans have so many things in common than we do differences that it is tearing us apart rather than bringing us together. In my mind there will always be a curiosity, enthusiasm and appreciation for what diversity brings to the table but the accent should be on what brings us together. When you’re focusing on differences it’s hard to make peace with a religion, race, gender or nationality particularly if you don’t agree with it. When we focus on our commonalities it brings a sense of community and togetherness that unites us in a bond of love and friendship.

I think that’s the Creator’s goal, to love the person inside and not be influenced by some shallow casing.

I think Madeleine Albright said it quite well.

“As world events reflect, we remain far from mastering the art of human relations. We have invented no technology that will guide us to the destinations that matter most.

After two world wars, the Holocaust, multiple genocides and countless conflicts, we must ask how long it will be before we are able to rise above the national, racial and gender distinctions that divide us and embrace the common humanity that binds us.

The answer depends not on the starts or some mysterious forces of history; it depends on the choices that you and I and all of us make.”

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Fabulous 40’s


The Fabulous 40’s

 

Just when you think your life is on the down swing along come some remarkable people proving you wrong by hitting their stride. All the hard work and lessons they’ve learned have finally reached a climatic point where everything starts to come together and presto, greatness.

 

Life isn’t over.  It’s just beginning.

 

You know the saying “I wish I knew then what I know now”, that’s part of the wisdom you have in your forties. The forties are the accumulation of what you learned thus far but the difference is now you’ve got the courage and maturity to pull it off.

 

Just look at what these people achieved and they haven’t even reached middle age.

 

40 – Harriet Beecher Stow publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

     -  Leo Tolstoy finishes writing a mammoth novel he titles War and Peace.

41 – The oldest punter in the NFL, Jeff Feagles is names by his fellow players as one of   the league’s top punters.

42 – A man apparently not afraid to seek guidance for direction, Galileo Galilei invents the compass.

43 – Physician John H. Kellogg creates a flaked breakfast cereal.

44 - Sam Walton founds Wal-Mart.

45 – Henry Ford introduces and automobile he dubs the Model T.

     - Gene Rodenberry unveils a TV series he calls Star Trek.

     - Walter Cronkite assumes the role of anchor of The CBS Evening News.

46 – Charles Darrow invents a board game called Monopoly.

     - Volleyball legend Karch Kiraly plays his final matches before finally retiring.

47 – Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovers an antibiotic called penicillin.

48 – Mark Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

49 – Chef Julia Child writes Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

 

Don’t let age be an excuse. 

 

“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.” ~ Confucius

Thursday, March 3, 2016

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?


What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

There are a while lot of people who would like to know the answer to that question. They may spend years trying to figure it out, searching in all the wrong places, but then again maybe not.

All the life experiences you have are getting you closer and closer to your answer.  With each new job, activity or situation you weed out what you do want from what you don’t want.  You find yourself making decisions about it without possibly being conscious of it.  It helps you make the distinction between what you value and makes you happy versus what you can do without.

However, wouldn’t it be great if you could save your time and energy to get it right to the heart of it?  You can - more on that later.

When I first asked myself this very question I got caught up in the “doing” part of it as in what am I supposed to be doing when I grow up.  Therefore, professions and crafts entered my mind.  Then I got caught up in the description of the profession as in what kind of education was required, what would a normal day look like and what kind of salary could I expect. Those things alone took a few potential prospects out of the picture.  These were all distractions from what I was truly looking for.

It took 30 years before I took the time to analyze this question.  When I realized what I really wanted to know is what am I supposed to “be” when I grow up, the question took on a whole new meaning.  To “be” meant things like happy, productive, respected, kind, loyal and loving.  It’s not a profession anymore but what I want to be on the inside.  And in the end, isn’t that what we all want from life?

And then another revelation happened, I realized what I really was asking is what is my purpose in life which isn’t a “doing” thing at all.  What would give me the most satisfaction?  What am I supposed to doing here while I’m on earth?

What an awakening revelation!

When you ask yourself what you should be when you grow up what are you REALLY asking?  Are you like me asking what your purpose is or do you want to know the profession you should be in?  It’s something to think about.

If you would like to discover what would give you the most satisfaction, what you’re truly looking for, then you should take the Core Passion assessment.  You can read all about it on my website. The Core Passion ® assessment will help you uncover the fire that burns inside you that longs to explode.  You can take the assessment at any time.  It will give you the tools and language to describe what you’re looking for.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

You’ve Only Just Begun


You’ve Only Just Begun


When I was a teen I thought my 40 something parents were old and that it was down hill from there, boy was I wrong.

The 30’s is when most people are establishing themselves in their career and settling into a family routine, if there is such a thing, where family plays a big part of life.

As the 40’s emerge there are the ceremonial “over the hill” parties and jokes.  The kids are more equipped to take care of themselves and you’re established in your career.

The younger generation looks at these times as being over the hill but really you’ve only just begun, typically it’s somewhere in the 30-40 age range when a person starts to really discover who they are.  What is it they really want out of life?  Where do they want to go from here? 

Take a look at some of the people who didn’t start to wither away but who continued to challenge themselves to be more than who they started out to be. In this list are some famous and not so famous people who have made their mark in profound ways. How many times have you sang, “Happy Birthday to You”? Do you know it was written by a 34 year old woman?

 

30- Sylvester Stallone stars in Rocky, a film he also directed and wrote.

30- Thomas Edison invents the phonograph.

31- Shakespeare pens Romeo and Juliet.

32- Lila Wallace, along with husband Dewitt, founds Reader’s Digest.

33- Thomas Jefferson pens the Declaration of Independence.

33- George Lucas creates a film called Star Wars.

34- Phil Knight launches a shoe and apparel company that he calls Nike.

34- Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

34- Kindergarten teacher Mildred hill composes the music for a ditty called “Happy Birthday to You.”

35- Margret Rey writes a children’s book called Curious George.

36- Albert Einstein proclaims his general theory of relativity: the fields of physics and astronomy will never be the same.

36- Ben Franklin invents the Franklin stove.

36- Johnny Carson debuts as host of The Tonight Show.

37- Ann Landers begins a newspaper advice column.

37- Amy Tan publishes The Joy Luck Club.

38- Dr. Jonas Salk develops a vaccine for polio.

38- Coco Chanel unveils her perfume, Chanel No 5.

39- After dropping 70 pounds, Jean Nidetch creates a movement called Weight Watchers.

This is just a small fraction of the people who have made a difference at a young age. Wait till you see the list for the fabulous 40’s.

The point being, age is but a number.  Don’t let it hinder you from what you were born to be.