This poem was inspired by “Thirteen Ways to Love the Rain,” by Christine Valters Painter. Her poem was inspired by “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens. (Carrying their example let’s me express my gratitude for those who light the creative path before me.) The words crept up on me as I […]
I often have to laugh at myself for the company I keep. No, not because I maintain a cadre of invisible friends of the puppet or clown variety. Though there’s nothing wrong with invisible friends. Or puppets. Or clowns. Well maybe some clowns. Some do seem to have a curious, questionable, disquieting way about them. […]
One of the most revealing exercises that my clients engage in when we work together has them uncover and dig into their deepest, most important values. This work is one of the ways they start to better know themselves. It opens up an awareness of specific areas in which they can take action to start […]
Last week I experienced a tremendous disappointment. I learned that I wasn’t accepted into a program that I was really hoping to participate in. It sucked. When I got this news the feelings rushed in: sadness, rejection, anger, uncertainty about what this meant. My confidence took a pretty serious blow. I most definitely was not happy. […]
Without a clear meaning or connection with what truly matters or means something to you in the goals that you set, it is quite possible that the goals you’re targeting aren’t of any real value to you.
Confession. I am a recovering over-doer. Well, I like to think I’m recovering. Sometimes, in truth, I’m just as buried in over-doing as I’ve always been, but I tell myself that I’m not. My default MO is to commit myself to the extreme with tasks, obligations, friends, family, and work. Yes, I have a sneaky […]
Do you ever feel that you have a goal or target, that you’re clear on what you need to do, and that you’re working super hard to get there? Ever feel simultaneously like you are working your butt off to reach your goal and that everything seems harder than it should be? Have you pushed […]
If you were paying attention to my message yesterday you will have noticed that the title, your first point of contact with that message, incorrectly listed vulnerability as having five syllables. In actual fact, it has six syllables. I was wrong; publicly wrong. That’s vulnerability in action! As risky as it was to do that, I […]
There is much ado these days about vulnerability. Seen and understood as that opening up of oneself, being raw, exposing messiness or uncertainty, even showing weakness. Leaders and icons of business, sport, entertainment, and public service are praised for it. And it is no wonder, that we too, drawn in by the realness and truth that […]
Maybe it’s from all those childhood years of eagerly starting a new grade, or even a new school, in the fall. Or maybe it’s because as fall sets in we know the year is nearing it’s end, leaving us one last quarter to achieve what we set out to do for the year. Whatever the […]