It’s human nature to get frustrated. It’s a human skill to find the calm within. It’s human nature to feel angry. It’s a human skill to master your emotions. It’s human nature to fail. It’s a human skill to try again. We are human beings with all the genius and idiocy that brings with it. Similar to the age old …
Real Rest
“What are you doing?” asked my husband when he walked outside and saw me sitting in a patio chair. “Nothing,” I replied, “but I feel like I should be doing something.” “Then you’re not really doing nothing. You’re worrying about doing nothing.” Sometimes, he nails me. It was truly a rare sight for him because I’m in the habit of …
On Election Day, Choose Wisely
This just might be the most important Monday Morning Stretch I have ever written. As you read this, within 24 hours, we will elect a new American president. Whatever the results, half of the country will be disappointed, if not downright angry, frightened, and despondent, except for (I hope!) our readers. I’m banking on the notion that if you’ve been …
The Intentional Feelings List
This is a confession of a recovering OCD professional. Sometimes, I guess to feel productive and complete, I write things down on my daily to-do list that I’ve already done just so I can cross them off. Ridiculous, I know, but painfully true. This week, as I began to succumb to this silly habit once again, I wondered why. Why …
Triggers
Triggers. Just like a firearm, they get pulled sometimes with even the slightest touch. Emotional triggers get pulled all around us every day. Someone puts an opinion on social media, and then someone with a different opinion lobs an insult. The first person is triggered and fires back. In a flash it has escalated into an adult game of “I …
Focus
I have decided that I am a big fan of focus, not because I’m always good at it but because I’m not. I have a lot of interests, a busy life, and, like all of us, I live in a fast-paced world. It’s easy to decide that constant distractions and operating in a consistently fragmented way and juggling multiple demands …
Stopping the Train of Panic
On the 17th of August I turned 65 years young. It is hard for me to believe, and, at the same time, I’m grateful for every minute, every turn, every year that brought me here in good health, still enjoying my work with a beautiful family and a life I love. In some ways, I feel I’ve just hit my …
Don’t Wait to Start
You don’t have to wait until January 1st to get in shape. You can get a few more minutes of movement into your daily routine right now. You don’t have to wait until after the vacation to start eating healthier. You can eat smaller quantities by splitting your favorite meal with your spouse right there in Hawaii. You don’t have …
The Story Challenge
I have a personal challenge for every lion, lioness, and cub out there in the Lion’s Den—all you beautiful subscribers to this weekly Monday Morning Stretch. And, I’m serious about this. It’s a real challenge. It’s called Your Best Story Challenge. Here’s the premise: Ever notice how some people seem to live an easier life? Their businesses prosper even during hard …
Walking in a New Perspective
A couple weeks ago, Tom and I arrived at our small, rustic summer cabin on Echo Lakes, just south of Lake Tahoe. Nestled in the majestic 60-foot white pine forest of the Northern Sierras, at 7500 feet elevation, the Pacific Crest Trail runs literally right behind the cabin. The ice-cold water of the small mountain lake called Echo Lake is …
