Rewrite your story with inspiration and action.

I expand in abundance, success, and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same.

I read that affirmation, or ultimate success mantra (USM), last year in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. The content of the book taught me so much, but it was this affirmation that I ran with upon finishing the book. I eagerly wrote it on Post-it notes and put one on the mirror in my bathroom, another on the dashboard in my car, and a third in my wallet. I wanted to see it and read it and soak it in multiple times per day.

Finding Your Inspiration

The eagerness I felt came for good reason. Something lit up within me when I read the mantra. I thought of what a bumpy ride my career path had been and how lost I felt at different times throughout the ride. So lost I didn’t know if I’d ever find the “right” career path to follow. In focusing on the Ultimate Success Mantra, though, I realized I’d done exactly what it said at every stop in my career.

As a teacher of third and fourth graders, inspiration was a huge part of my job. From conflicts on the playground to home life challenges to difficulties with math, reading, and social studies—those kids relied on me to be a consistent source of encouragement and motivation, and I was honored to do so.

I increased my knowledge of what it means to be an effective leader in my next career stop at a legal services business. I learned my responses to my team members’ challenges could either inspire them to learn something from the experience or diminish them from trying again.

And now as a leadership coach and team development professional, I live and fully embrace the mantra. The message is at the core of all I do with my clients, and it comes with such clarity. That clarity wasn’t always within me, though. For years I questioned what I was supposed to be doing. I wrestled with compare and despair syndrome as I watched others succeed professionally and be fully aligned with what they were doing to change the world for the better.

Rewriting My Story

I stayed stuck for far too long. Until one day I decided it was time to get un-stuck. As I think back to how I did that, three main practices come to mind:

1. I got clarity through action.

When I left the legal services business to start my own business, it didn’t look the way it does now. I started by providing corporate training sessions all over the country every week. I learned what I did and didn’t like about that and then made changes. I stuck with those changes for a while, evaluated what was and wasn’t working, and made a new round of changes. Bottom line: I didn’t just think about what was and wasn’t working and accept it. I took action. And then I took some more. The more action I took, the more clarity I gained.

2. I found my flow.

A flow state can be defined as an optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best. Time passes without us even realizing it because we’re so immersed in what we’re doing. In looking back over the course of my career, I now see I was seldom in a flow state. I did what needed to be done, and I did much of that well, but I didn’t feel like I was doing what I was put on this earth to do. When I found my flow, I found my place in life.

3. I stopped punching myself in the face.

As a little girl I remember my dad playfully using my own hand to slap me in the face. I’d giggle, and he’d ask me why I kept hitting myself. As an adult it wasn’t my physical hand that slapped myself. Rather it was the story I played on auto-repeat in my mind. I beat myself up for not finding the perfect job for me. I’d tell myself I’d never figure it out, and spoiler alert: it was hard to do that when I told myself I couldn’t. It was a bit of a catch 22 I put myself in. I didn’t find the perfect job so I told myself I couldn’t. And when I told myself I couldn’t, I didn’t find the perfect job. Stopping that whole story helped me find my true passion.

I didn’t have a to-do list with these three practices listed. I figured them out along the way, and in figuring them out, I continue to live that Ultimate Success Mantra: I expand in abundance, success, and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same.

Need some help finding what will help you expand in abundance, success, and love every day? Let’s talk about how I can help you do just that.

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change?

We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back up due to the years of use those cushions had endured.

Tip #1: Accept that often, prioritizing change is a process.

I brought up the need for new furniture last summer, but it became one of those topics that got brushed under the rug. We had ball games to watch, grandkids to push on the swings, and summer evenings—and summer drinks—to enjoy on our deck.

As summer turned to fall and winter began rearing its ugly head, I brought up the furniture topic again and was met with the best response any husband could give. “Sure; let’s do it. I’ll go with you, but this is something that’s important to you so whatever you like is what we’ll get. I’m happy when you’re happy.” Smart guy, right?

We ventured out on Black Friday to get the best furniture deal we could, and I easily chose our new set. Before we finalized the purchase, though, we checked out a couple other furniture stores and then went out for lunch.

I noticed my husband was sticking with his plan of “whatever Tracy wants,” but he had also chimed in with a few comments during the morning shopping spree. The set I was sold on didn’t have an ottoman with the chair. “I think we’ll miss that,” he said. I also heard, “That’s the color you wanted to get?” and “I wonder if we should wait until after the holidays.”

Tip #2: Recognize you can be confident in your choice for change and still unsure of the results.

He and I figured out long ago that he is someone who plans and researches and plans some more while I’m more spontaneous. When I know what I want and see what I want, I get it. Over lunch I told him the set we saw at the first store was the one I wanted. I didn’t want to wait until the new year to get it, and I’d figure out the ottoman thing (because he was spot-on with that comment).

We bought the new furniture, and he picked it up a few days later. In that gap before the new furniture arrived, I reveled in what it would be like to sit on furniture with new cushions that weren’t worn out and how it would feel when guests came over, and I was no longer worried about losing them in those cushions. My husband brought the furniture into the house, installed the legs, and set it up in our living room. It looked just like I thought it would, and I felt the same excitement I did the year Santa brought me my Crumpet doll for Christmas (look it up; she was the best).

Then I sat on the furniture. Instead of thoughts like Yes! Exactly what I wanted, I had thoughts like, Ugh… this is firm. Like, really firm. And not all that comfortable. Uh oh. What did I do?

Tip #3: Any change requires acceptance.

We’ve had the furniture for several weeks now, and I’m embracing it more with each week that passes. It’s still the set I want, and I love the way it looks in our living room. My initial reaction when I sat on it, though, made me think of change and how it affects most people.

I knew the change I wanted—new furniture. When I brought it up in the summer months and we didn’t follow through, I didn’t stop wanting it. I put it on the back burner and then went right back to it a few months later.

When my husband voiced some opinions about the ottoman, the color, the timing of the purchase—obstacles that could have gotten in the way—I didn’t waver. I knew exactly what I wanted. Until I got it. Once I had it, I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore. That change I was so committed to—a living room with nice, new furniture—had lost a bit of its luster. Maybe I should have just kept the old stuff.

And that is change.

Tip #4: Living the results of your change—even positive results—requires continued commitment.

Think of the changes you’ve worked to implement. You likely began at least some of them at the start of a year (or decade as we’re experiencing now).

Excitement is high when we get started, but then January turns into February, and that new habit, change, or routine doesn’t seem as shiny and cool.

For a short time I doubted my decision to buy our new furniture. We were fine for years with our last set. Then I tapped into commitment to my goal of new furniture and gratitude for being able to get it.

For bigger, more important changes—like a new job, a new relationship or the end of an old one, healthier eating, or increased exercising—our commitment must remain even when the luster diminishes.

The uncomfortable feeling will show up. We’ll ask ourselves why we ever decided to do “the thing,” whatever that thing is. We’ll want to revert back to the old way of doing it. Even when it’s not in our best interest, the old way feels comfortable and familiar.

When our brain tries to talk us out of the change we’re working on, we must remind ourselves of our “why” for making that change. What do we gain by moving forward into uncharted territory? Who do we become in the process? Our new furniture provided the outcome I wanted. We haven’t lost any guests in our new couch cushions. Those big changes we’re working on in this new year, though? The results of staying committed to making those changes will take us to even greater new heights.

Here’s to a successful year—and decade—of positive, lasting changes! Want some help to stay committed to your goals for the year? Ready to make a big change but don’t know how to get started? I can help.

Now that you know your approach, it’s time to learn from it.

Last month we talked tortoises, hares, and ostriches. Sounds a bit like Dorothy’s lions and tigers and bears, and maybe it is just a bit. Dorothy and her friends feared the lions, tigers, and bears they thought they may encounter, and we, too, fear lack of progress with our goals. When we realize that’s exactly what’s happening, we show up as a tortoise, hare, or ostrich. None of these approaches is ideal, but it’s how many of us show up as we deal with the frustration of not achieving what it is we most want. [Read more…] about You’re a Tortoise. Now Let’s Apply That To Your Life.

You’re working on changing your story.

You’ve put in the work and taken all the action you should take. But you’re still not getting the results you want.

What do I do now?

You’re not alone. This is one of the most frequent statements coaches hear from their clients. The client hires the coach to accomplish a goal, achieve a milestone, or realize a result; she invests time and money in that coach; she does all the things; and she spins out when those things don’t produce the desired result.

You might be asking yourself, what am I doing wrong? [Read more…] about I’m Taking All the Actions and Still Not Getting Results. Now what?

Allowing Room in Our Lives for our Needs

I am a woman of routine. I eat the same five or six meals with no desire to venture too far out of what I know and like. I stay in touch with the same friends I’ve had for decades—the ones who have known me through many stages of life. I go to the same church I’ve always been part of. And I walk the same three-and-a-half-mile route several times each week soaking in the beauty of the same tree each time I walk past it. Right behind the tree is the house my parents moved into on my first wedding anniversary. My dad spent 30 years there; my mom spent 20. After they were both gone, my daughter and her family bought the house, and it is where they’re now raising their family. [Read more…] about Are You Making Room in Your Life to Fulfill Your Needs?

Crossing from Unsatisfied to Fulfilled

Last month, I shared the importance of getting our feet muddy while going after desired changes in life and crossing what I call the Ditch of Despair. This month is all about the how-to portion of crossing that ditch. How exactly do we get from the side of the ditch we’re on, the side where we’re unsatisfied, to the other side, the side where our biggest dreams come true? [Read more…] about The Ditch of Despair, Part 2: How to Cross the Ditch

Change starts slowly.

Women hire me because they long for change. They want to feel more fulfilled in their relationship with their significant other. They want the business they started to be more successful. They want to be fully present with their kids after the workday is over (even when emails and texts continue finding them at home). They want to feel less overwhelmed, less stressed, and more worthy of an incredible life.

These women not only long for change; they long for change that happens quickly and easily. And they don’t want to get stuck along the way in what I refer to as the “ditch of despair.” [Read more…] about The Ditch of Despair, Part 1: Understanding the Work of Change

Passion and Purpose

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love suggests there are two types of people in the world: we all either fall into the jackhammer or the hummingbird category. When I first heard about her theory, it intrigued me. 

So what is this theory? To understand that, we first have to understand the two categories. [Read more…] about “Following Your Passion” Isn’t for Everyone

What is spiritual clutter?

With the popularity of Marie Kondo and her Netflix series Tidying Up, many of us are paying more attention to the physical clutter in our lives. Some of us are even clearing out that clutter.

Marie’s goal, according to her website, is to help more people tidy their spaces by choosing joy. As Marie helps families rid themselves of things that no longer bring them joy, she asks them to thank those items for what they’ve provided. Essentially the KonMari method not only helps people clear their physical clutter; it also helps them clear their spiritual clutter.

Spiritual clutter is lack of peace; lack of contentment; lack of forgiveness. [Read more…] about Decluttering Part 5: Spiritual Clutter

Emotions Impacting Your Life

I am a life coach. When I share my profession with people, I get a variety of responses. I know when I’ve met someone who gets what I do when I hear this:

“Great! I need to ask you something!” And this post is dedicated to those people. The questions they ask are also often asked by others. They’re important questions. They’re meaningful questions. And they’re questions that get to the core of what all humans experience. [Read more…] about Decluttering Part 4: Emotional Clutter

Mental Clutter

Clutter. When we hear the word, we most often think of physical things—the stuff that literally gets in our way, the papers that cover our dining room tables, the boxes full of we-don’t-even-remember-what on our shelves. It’s another type of clutter, though, that is responsible for holding us back and getting in our way in an even more invasive manner—mental clutter. [Read more…] about Decluttering Part 3: Clearing Out Mental Clutter

Digital Clutter

In the five decades I’ve spent on this planet, technology just keeps making life easier. We no longer need to unfold that huge map in the car when trying to find our vacation destination (thank goodness). Wondering what the outside temp is? No need to walk out the front door, look in today’s newspaper, or even get out of bed. Simply ask Alexa (or Echo or Siri…you get it), and you’ve got your answer. CDs, cassettes, and those wonderful eight-track tapes are also a thing of the past now that music streams wherever and whenever we want it.  [Read more…] about Decluttering Part 2: Digital Clutter

Clutter from All the Stuff

I think we can all agree we have too much stuff. For the few who may not be in agreement, here are some startling statistics from becomingminimalist.com:

• Storage units are part of a billion-dollar industry.
• The average American home holds 300,000 items.
• 25 percent of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park cars inside them.
• Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours searching for misplaced items.

Yes, physical clutter is a thing. A really big thing for so many people.  [Read more…] about Decluttering Part 1: Physical Clutter

A New Year with Less Clutter

A new year. A fresh start. It seems January is the one month of the year we all agree to set ourselves up for success in the year ahead. We wipe the slate clean and energetically jump into the new year with resolutions and goals to achieve.

That energy? It doesn’t last long. The clutter we tried to manage in the prior year somehow finds its way into the new year. Before we know it, we’re back to doing everything the way we used to, the way that feels comfortable and easy. It’s also the way that doesn’t help us achieve what it is we most want in life.  [Read more…] about Clearing Our Clutter for an Extraordinary Year

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change?

We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back up due to the years of use those cushions had endured. [Read more…] about 4 Tips for Committing to Change in a New Year

Recognizing Old Patterns

The holiday season is upon us again. For some, that fact brings thoughts of delicious food, memorable songs, fond traditions, and amazing time with family. For others, not so much. In fact, according to a survey from Think Finance, forty-five percent of Americans would actually prefer to skip Christmas.

There are probably as many reasons for why some people dread the holidays as there are toys on Santa’s sleigh for all the children in the world. For today’s purposes, though, let’s tie the holiday theme back to last month’s theme of replacing our bad habits with good ones.  [Read more…] about Change Your Old Pattern of Coping with the Holidays to Enjoying Them

Recognizing Old Habits

I raised a son who is an analyzer extraordinaire. When our family (eight adults and five young kids) decided to spend a week together in one house for a vacation we’d never forget, our son got to work finding the perfect house for our crew. He pored over the listings and finally found a home that was built just a few months ago. It had everything we needed: bedrooms and bathrooms for us all, a large kitchen/dining/living area, outside decks and patios and lanais, and even a pool for everyone to enjoy.

When we arrived, though, we learned it also had something we didn’t need—a ground floor made up of a laundry room, bathroom, and kids’ bedroom along with a sliding door leading out to a gorgeous pool.  [Read more…] about Making Lasting Change in Your Life Starts with Nourishing Good Habits

Effective Leadership Requires Many Skills, Including Self-Care

Leadership is difficult. It involves a daily lineup of needed skills and responsibilities. Diplomacy, accountability, problem solving, decision making, delegating, goal setting, team building, innovative thinking… The list could go on for days.

Effective leaders—the kind that leave a positive imprint on our professional slate—understand that consistently bringing their A-game to their leadership role is essential. It is that A-game that develops team members and encourages them to bring their best to the table impacting the overall success of an organization.

I have the privilege of working with several A-game leaders, and I’ve been amazed at how many of them add a needed item to each day’s to-do list: self-care.  [Read more…] about Becoming a Leader Part 3: Practicing Self-Care

Be a Better Leader by Knowing Your Truth

The truth. It’s what we expect from others, and yet, it’s often difficult to accept when we do receive it. Life teaches us that sometimes the truth hurts. And often when it does, that’s exactly what we need to create a new, better truth. What is a better truth? A better truth is what your everyday results can be—if you accept the hard truth and commit to implementing changes. Oh, boy, does that sound simple! It rarely is, though, right?  [Read more…] about Becoming a Leader Part 2: Embracing the Hard Truth

Qualities of Leadership

A 45-minute break between client meetings typically means I head to the nearest coffee shop. Once inside I’ll cover my lap with a napkin for warmth from the frigid air-conditioned atmosphere of noisy espresso machines, people chatting and the clacking of laptop keyboards.

On this day, though, I decided to practice the self-care I encourage my female coaching clients to practice. I went to a nearby park and sat on a bench hoping to soak in some of the summer sun before I walked the short distance to my next meeting.  [Read more…] about Becoming a Leader Part 1: Winning Trust with Curiosity

Understanding

I watched an acquaintance from afar for a few months. First, I noticed she’d been dropping out of activities she’d always been part of. Someone who had been a steady presence in my circle of activities vanished, and I wasn’t sure why. She is the dynamo I’d always seen taking charge of committees and helping those in need and signing on to lead new initiatives.

Next, my grandson told me she was ill and couldn’t continue teaching his class (a volunteer position I knew she loved so much). At the time, I remember hoping it was a short-lived illness. Soon I did see her here and there. I didn’t ask her about her illness, though, for fear I’d be prying.  [Read more…] about 3 Unexpected Lessons on Making a Lasting Impact on Others and Yourself

Born Introvert

Being the seventh of eight children, there were many traditions well underway by the time I came along. One such tradition was the baby picture from Olan Mills we each had taken at around a year old. The six pictures before mine each showed a baby smiling from ear to ear. Mine? Not so much. I was a baby with curls on her head frowning at the photographer. After many attempts to get a smile out of that baby, Mom told me he finally snapped the pic of the frowning baby, giving up. Some would say I just wasn’t in the mood for a picture that day.

As time went on, though, and I moved beyond the childhood years, I came to realize that my you-don’t-impress-me-much attitude was sticking with me. [Read more…] about What Being an Introvert Looks Like for This Entrepreneur

The Hamster Wheel

Wake up. Shower and get ready. Go to work. Do the work. Drive home. Make dinner. Clean up the mess. Go to bed. Repeat. And repeat again. And again and again and again. It’s the hamster wheel of life that we often don’t even realize we’re on.

I remember running on that hamster wheel earlier in my career. I’d earned a job title that included the word director, and that meant my time while at work had to be used in the most effective ways. I needed to be on all day (run, hamster, run). The meetings I was part of needed to be focused on the agenda’s bullet points. The employees who came to me needed answers quickly so they could get back to the work of bringing on more clients and keeping the current ones happy. My calendar had to be full of appointments that would ultimately increase the bottom line for the organization.  [Read more…] about 3 Tips to Help You Take Charge of Your Time and Your Life

Networking.

When you read the word, what comes to mind for you? Joy? Excitement? Eagerness? Anticipation?

Or would you rather get a root canal than go to another networking event swarming with people focused on self-promotion and selling?

I recently attended a networking luncheon with the intention of learning more about the topic being shared as well as meeting some people I could get to know better at one-to-one meetings in the coming weeks. I accomplished my first goal but can’t say I’m satisfied with my progress toward the second.  [Read more…] about 3 Networking Tips to Help You Achieve Your Best ROI

Handling the Unexpected

A man is called into his boss’s office where he is ceremoniously told his 17 years with the company are much appreciated, but his employment is coming to an end due to a reduction in force.

A girl is called out of her 7th-grade science class so her mom can share the news that her dad was killed by a drunk driver on his way to work that morning.

A seasoned professional who is reaping the rewards of his career success gets the results of his recent medical tests, and he doesn’t get the news he was hoping for.

A young woman in her first year of college reads the + sign on her pregnancy test.

What do all of these people have in common? They’ve all found themselves in a situation they never would have chosen. And they all have a choice in how they handle it.  [Read more…] about Lifehack: How to Choose Happiness Even in Less Than Ideal Situations

Learning and Retaining Skills

How old were you when you learned to ride a bike? Four, five, six, or seven-years-old? I think I was five or six when my older brother and sisters began working with me day after day after day.

The process was simple: I’d get on the bike, and they’d run along beside me while holding the back of my seat. I’d scream from fear as I did my best to fall onto the soft grass rather than on the sidewalk. I’d get up, and we’d start the process all over again the next day.  [Read more…] about How to Retain the Soft Skills You Learn

It’s a New Year

As we turn the calendar page to a new year, many of us are motivated by the clean-slate feeling that a new year brings. We get caught up in how this year will be different than the last. We’ll eat healthier; go to the gym more frequently; learn new skills to help us in our work roles; and finally understand the new technology in our own homes (thanks to our kids who explain it to us!).

With that high level of motivation, though, how often do we think about sharpening our soft skills?  [Read more…] about Let Soft Skills Lead You to Job Success in the New Year

A Solemn Oath for a Girl

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law

I remember reciting this pledge to kick off each Girl Scout meeting many years ago when I was learning to cook, sew, and provide childcare all in an attempt to earn those badges for my sash. I hadn’t thought about those scouting years in decades, but tucked inside a goodie bag I received at a networking event last month was a Girl Scout bookmark that really got me thinking. Right at the top of the bookmark, I read “DNA of a G.I.R.L.: She’s a go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader!”  [Read more…] about What I Learned about Being a Girl

Your Most Prized Possession

If someone were to ask you what is your most prized possession, what would your answer be? And is your answer today different than what it would have been earlier in life? As we move through the stages of life, we change, grow, and learn, and what’s important in one stage of life might not mean much to us a decade—or two or three—later.  [Read more…] about Recognizing Real Value Through The Power of Sharing

Is time your friend?

Leadership guru John Maxwell says:

“Time management is an oxymoron. Time is beyond our control, and the clock keeps ticking regardless of how we lead our lives. Priority management is the answer to maximizing the time we have.”

Last month we got the discussion rolling about how time actually CAN be our friend. Now it’s time to discuss how to take those many, many responsibilities that seem to end up on our plate each day and prioritize them. And since we’re thinking about those overstuffed plates, let’s fill them with healthy fare by making a priority management salad.  [Read more…] about Making Time Your Friend, Part Two

Time is Your Friend

Imagine you are holding $86,400 right now. Quite a chunk of change, right? What if you could actually receive that chunk of change—$86,400—every day for the rest of your life with just one stipulation? You must use ALL of the money every single day. Would you jump at the challenge of spending that money freely and entirely?  [Read more…] about 3 Tips to Make Time Your Friend, Part One

The Road to Greater Resilience

I stood on my tiptoes and reached for the familiar black box, the box that had ‘lived’ in our laundry room cabinet for the past 20 years. The clippers inside the box were used countless times over those years to give my two sons their summer haircuts- the kind that don’t require a comb for the months of June, July, and August!

[Read more…] about How to Stay Resilient in the Face of Fear

Doing for Others

Bogey. Birdie. Eagle. Common words for any avid golfer to hear and say. I wish I could say that’s how I know those words, but I am not a skilled golfer. I did, however, grow up under one’s guidance. My dad, the father of eight children, stayed active (and maybe saved his sanity!) by golfing regularly with a group of friends. I was the child who spent less time on the golf course than I did swimming in the club’s pool while Dad tried to beat his score from the prior week.

[Read more…] about Turning ‘Fore!’ into ‘For Others’

Be Kind to One Another

It seemed to happen in slow motion, and yet I couldn’t find a reasonable solution in the moment. I was in a busy airport refilling my water bottle at the fountain. I heard a loud voice but couldn’t be sure whether it was coming from someone being loud and fun or loud and mean. In fact, I couldn’t even find the source of the booming voice for a few seconds. Airports are full of people jetting off to exotic vacations, and sometimes the boisterous voices I hear are simply those of friends and family members who are excited to be escaping the stresses of real life for a while.

[Read more…] about How Being Kind Changes Our Behavior

Being Empowered

What is it that makes you ‘tick’? What is your passion? What were you made to do?

[Read more…] about The 3 Rs of Living Our True Passion

Getting a Different, Better, Clearer ‘Lens’

When I think of my career, I often wonder if I should make the word plural. Is it still called a career when you have ‘shifted gears’ and worked in vastly different industries (more than once, by the way), or is that when you switch to describing your professional history as careers? Regardless of the most correct terminology, I am continually amazed at the clarity I gain as I work my way further and further into my years as a professional.

[Read more…] about 3 Tips for Finding the Clarity You Need

Kindness

Tap, tap, tap, tap… fingers tapping away on keyboards. Business calls happening all around: “We’ll need to meet on that later this week. Can you do Friday?” And what’s that smell? Ah, yes—the delectable smell of buttery soft pretzels. It was just a typical day at the airport while I waited for my flight to board. And right about the time I noticed the normalcy of it all, the crying began.

[Read more…] about Taking Control with Kindness and a Little Go Fish

Accountability

Sing along with me if you remember the classic song “Already Gone” by the Eagles: “So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.”

Who knew back when we were REALLY singing that song the utter truth of those simple words? We’ve all heard of accountability, right? We know what an important trait it is to have. And yet, when we tune in to the actual definition—Accountability: a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results—do we really strive to project that trait each and every day? Or are we simply “living our lives in chains”?

[Read more…] about 4 Steps to Holding the Key to Accountability

We All Need the Same Basic Things

Having a ‘mixed bag’ of a career has been one of my greatest blessings in life. I taught eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds for more than a decade and then spent the same amount of time with adults working in the legal industry in corporate America. I’m often asked by new acquaintances how I could have succeeded in two such different roles. They’re surprised to hear how very similar those roles actually were.

[Read more…] about Positive Change Begins with One Question