I spent last Friday afternoon sitting at my kitchen table with Agent Frank from the Geek Squad. Could a Friday afternoon get any more exciting than that? I mean, really. Computer meltdowns spiraling and client deadlines passing. Bring out the Advil. {I know. Why the Advil when I’m trusting Jesus to keep my head from exploding? Because I think there are times when Jesus and Advil is the perfect combo.} Continue Reading

  …We count our blessings instead of our hurts? …We consider the other person’s pain behind her unkind words before we react from our own pain? …We stop trying to control every situation and accept the fact that we can’t? …We said “I’m sorry?” …We accept responsibility for our mistakes and move on rather than blame someone / something else so we look better? What would happen if… …Today you behaved like the person you want to be? You would change your world. Why not give it a try?  “If it is possible, as Continue Reading

Comparing has been good for me lately. Ugly, but good. I’m not usually a voice for comparative-itis, but I’ve discovered and embraced a lesson in its messiness.  Here’s what I’ve found…   When I compare myself to others, I find… Women who are skinnier; Girlfriends who have more energy; Writers on the best seller lists; Business owners receiving awards. Sometimes these “I wish I was as [fill in the blank] as she is” moments turn into hours. The hours can turn into days.  Times of comparing, fretting, and Continue Reading

Oh, I’m so excited to share this Friday’s “chocolate” (AKA life resource) with you! Parker Palmer’s book, Let Your Life Speak, was a life-changer for me. He reminds me that my life matters. That my life has meaning. Purpose. Read the quoted words below. Think on them.  Accept them. “She did not show up as raw material to be shaped into whatever image the world might want her to take. She arrived with her own gifted form, with the shape of her own sacred soul. Biblical faith calls it the image of God in which we are all Continue Reading

Spending any time in the kitchen is not usually a good time for me.  But in my commitment to getting healthier, I spent an hour this morning cutting up fruits and veggies.  (I count this as “cooking.”  Steve says it really isn’t because no water was boiled and the oven wasn't on.) I can read, and have read, a lot of books and blogs on getting fit and staying healthy.  I love buying cookbooks - just don't know what to do with them.  I love listening to CDs, watching the programs, and learning from the best. The people that have helped Continue Reading

Greetings from the land of “Will working out ever be a fun activity?” I started working out again this week at the local YMCA.  Good grief. I had forgotten what happens when you ask your muscles to do things they don't want to do--they scream! My commitment to getting healthier and “more fit” includes getting more exercise, and I’ve accomplished two goals thus far: Call the Y. Show up at the Y. I’m really quite proud of myself! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.  How is your “get healthier” program working for Continue Reading

Last night I listened to several of my National Speaker’s Association (NSA) colleagues discuss the activities they’ve initiated during the last year to grow their speaking business.  These are some of the best of the best speakers in our industry.  Good information. Each had a different strategy and tactics.  But there was one common activity… Each of them acted.  They created plans, and then executed the plans. It’s easy to stay in a planning mode when we’re trying something new.  We can hide behind our planning, using it as an Continue Reading

As little girls, my sisters and I loved watching the Miss America pageant.  We’d pick out the gowns we wanted to wear, use our homemade score cards to judge the talent competitions and cry when Bert Parks would sing, “There she is, Miss America.”  (If you don’t remember Bert Parks, my apologies.)  It all looked so easy.  It still does. What we didn’t see during that two-hour television show was the incredible amount of preparation and planning that took place before the competition.  A young woman doesn’t wake up one day and decide Continue Reading

Living with purpose and making smart, healthy, and productive daily choices is something many of us strive for.  But it’s not always easy living an intentional, faith-based life in a world that demands so much. Don’t you agree? I swear the joy of the Lord just stays in bed some mornings, even when I choose to get out from under the covers.  I know that exercise is good for me…but it takes energy!  And let’s not even start discussing all the reasons why I know my eating habits need some tweaking.  I love spending quiet moments with Continue Reading