November - 2016

I have a confession to make...

What’s my confession? I have not always been successful at business. In fact, I had a huge business failure about 12 years ago. It has taken me a long time to share this, even when I knew it was important to do. The funny thing is that when you actually share, people see you as much more real and realize why you do the things you do. So, here is the story... I thought I was pretty darn smart. After graduating valedictorian of my small high school, going to an Ivy League s

The Power of Gratitude

On our flight to Hawaii, we had someone in the row behind us who was complaining about their seats, the flight attendant’s attitude, and a whole list of other things. This is someone on a flight to Hawaii to spend a vacation with her family. How would her attitude have changed is she had been more grateful? One of the great things about gratitude is that it is hard to be angry, frustrated, or stressed when you are grateful. That is why I have been working to practice more

Embracing what makes us different

Who do you remember most? The people who have a quirk or passion about something unusual, or the people who are “normal”? I certainly know that there are some people in my past that I think of more than others because they were different. For example, my dad and I were talking about cleanliness the other day (not sure how we got on the topic) and my dad brought up a friend of the family who dusted the pipes in his basement every week. We have not talked with him in over 10

When Lightning Strikes...

The other day while listening to the radio in the car, I heard Lorde’s song “Royals.” For some reason, on hearing it for something like the 376th time, I got the meaning of it. Up until then, it had just been a catchy song. This is a lot like some companies’ marketing. They think they are being crystal clear, but their target market just does not get the meaning of their marketing message unless lightning strikes. Why is that? Well, it comes down to two challenges: The Mes

The Art of Being There

One of the great things about having my own business is being able to spend a lot of time with my boys. I am their primary driver for school, soccer, ballet, and so on. Much of the time, I am not much more than a taxi driver . However, the times when it is all worthwhile is when they choose to open up and share an experience or something they are thinking or feeling. It's a matter of being there when they are ready to share. Parents who are not around their children as much

The Right Pond

Planning or Testing?

Being Heard

I have a confession to make...

The Power of Gratitude

Embracing what makes us different

When Lightning Strikes...

The Art of Being There