Never before have I been more aware of the importance of developing trust. Yet, it’s scary how easy it is to get stuck in patterns that don’t work: neurotic fretting, rigidity, skepticism and depression. People recognize that they can’t trust the government, the federal reserve, their employer or even their family to keep things the same, safe and secure. No one is exempt. Everything is changing. The individual within each of us is being called forward. What will we individually do to rise to the levels of change that are all around? Click to Continue Reading…
Gail and I were at the Drive-In. I was driving and Gail was in the passenger seat. It was one of those places where you park, order in your car and they bring it out to you. I ordered cherry limeade and Gail ordered a blizzard, basically a milkshake with candy in it, butterfingers or M&Ms in vanilla ice cream. It was a hot June day and we were thirsty.
When the treats came, I handed Gail hers and I gulped my limeade right away. My dog Lulu was in the back and she paid careful attention to everything that was going on in the front. Gail approached her blizzard slowly, and made sounds of appreciation about the frozen treat as it hit her system. I looked at her ice cream and after my thirst was quenched, that ice cream started to look really good to me. Click to Continue Reading…
I am moved by the awareness that greatness is a showcase that embraces us all, if we will receive it. At a time when the winter Olympics show athletes pushing, challenging and disciplining themselves to strive for greatness, I see that one demonstration can lift a whole city, or country or the world. Such is the case with speed skater Apollo Ohno, and also my cousin’s daughter, Mackie, who received the “oscar” for Junior Equestrian of the Year.
The speed skater, Apollo Ohno, is now one of the most decorated athletes of the winter Olympics. But his journey to get there was riddled with challenges. His father had an early vision for his son to become an Olympic speed skater. Through many years of work and discipline, he was competing at the Olympic trials at the age of 15. But Apollo threw his chances that year, he came in last place, and wanted to quit. Click to Continue Reading…
Being happy is your essence. Working happy is your purpose. Keeping happy is the adventure of a lifetime. We have so many illusions of happiness and of work, yet there is an undeniable attraction to both. The formula we sell is – work leads to success and success leads to happy. We are incorrect on both counts. What we call work is labor, slave labor. And it has a high personal and general cost. It is a key component of the American dream, which we see crumbling around us. Now is a wonderful time to learn about work and happy—what they are and what they are not.
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When old time mariners needed to know about the weather, they had no internet or TV to clue them in. They relied on their powers of observation, their logic, and their experience. They would look at the sky, feel the wind on their faces, observe the surface of the sea. Some even swore they could smell any coming changes in the weather. The more sophisticated sailors would consult a barometer. All of them knew what to expect for their part of the world during certain times of the year.
The mariner’s ability to read the weather was of critical importance, even life-and-death importance in some situations. In the age of sail, every decision depended on the weather, and even these days, failure to pay attention to the weather can lead to disaster.
So, what is the weather like in our world today? Click to Continue Reading…
My husband, Jerome, was talking to a friend the other night about the economic climate and changing times. Jerome began talking about me and boldly proclaimed that I was “recession proof.” I looked at him quizzically, wondering what he meant by that. Jerome said, “You will weather this downturn and it won’t affect your spirit and your business. I just know it.” I was deeply touched by his sureness, and it made me explore my own feelings–how did I see it?
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Happy New Year! We say it every year, briefly, and then let it go. But with a new year, new energy comes roaring through. And we don’t tend to embrace that newness, not really. For new is an energy that commands change. We have to develop the character, the courage and the capacity to hold it, to be it and to embrace it. So we make some silly resolutions but we stay in the same game. New is here to kick our asses. Every fighter knows he must get in shape to face a championship fight. He often has to undertake new training to rise to the current level of engagement because the energy of the now is always new. And as hard as he trains, he must still show up to be present for the fight to get the credit.
And so it goes for each one of us, the new brings change and change is here for all. You can like it, not like it and even call it names. The more we can face the new, the more change we embrace, the more ease we can find through the ride. But make no mistake, when learning is required, there is a ‘going through’ it that takes a tremendous amount of courage. Click to Continue Reading…
My wife, Gail, told me a very interesting story the other day. Twenty-five years ago she was participating in a group workshop. As the workshop got started, the leaders gave the ground rules for the next five days. One of the ground rules over this time period was: “No side talking during the session.” As the workshop went on, she found herself sitting next to another participant, Henry Conyers, and tried to strike up a conversation with him. He in turn gave her a stern look as to say, “Didn’t you hear the ground rules?”
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Have you ever made a New Year’s Resolution that really worked? They usually don’t. Resolutions are the attempts to change, devoid of the principle that brings change. They are attached to fear and comfort: fear I won’t accomplish what I say I will, and comfort with the existing patterns that don’t want to budge. In order to change anything, you have to really sign up for the new. The energy of this New Year requires RESOLVE– resolve to learn, resolve to change, and resolve to release sabotaging patterns. Click to Continue Reading…
America was founded by individuals who were drawn to this land. What drew them? They didn’t come of their own volition; they were drawn by an attraction. They were drawn by a vision, a vision that sustained them through the forging of a nation. That vision pulled and sustained them so they could overcome impossible odds. The people who came here were deeply ingrained in slavery.
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