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The Slow, Deadly Boil

You’ve probably heard the old (slightly morbid) fable of how to cook a frog. If you throw it in a pot of boiling water, the frog will immediately jump out of the pot to save its life. But, place the frog in a pot of cool water, put the heat on low, and slowly increase the temperature, and the frog …

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Stop Apologizing!

Recently, I enjoyed a week with some of my best friends—three couples who’ve been close friends for years, have much in common, and love just hanging out and spending time together.  One morning we reserved a pickleball court and challenged ourselves to 2 hours of non-stop friendly competition. With six people and only one court, we played to a score …

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Attracting Success

Tom is dreaming of a new truck… a fancy new 2022 GMC Sierra Denali with automatic side steps, multi-pro tailgate, heated seats, Bose sound system, and a big 3L Diesel engine—a far cry from his old 2005 Ford F350. And though he’s not quite ready to make the leap, he’s thinking so much about it that, of course, he sees …

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The Code of the West

By now, most of you know that I am a proud native Texan which means I have a strong affinity for anything to do with cowboys—art, history, ranching, rodeos, music, poetry, jewelry, and just Western culture in general.  Because of this, I’ve known about the Code of the West for a long time but was recently reminded of it by …

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Build It and They Will Come

One of the most famous movie lines in history is “Build it, and they will come” from the movie, Field of Dreams. The actual line is “Build it and he will come” which refers to the character, Ray and his deceased father, an avid baseball fan.  Regardless, the sentiment is that to attract what or who we want, we must …

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An Army of Champions

I recently watched a keynote address by master storyteller, Kindra Hall. In it, she related that her company, Stellar Collective, had interviewed thousands of employees in hundreds of companies and asked these questions: Do you know the story of how this company was started and why? Do you know what challenges or setbacks this company has faced and conquered? Do …

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Tell the Truth Mondays

As happens every year at this time, Monday night dinners at our house are eaten with Monday Night Football in the background. It’s a concession I make to my husband in return for all the times he attended art fairs and watched chick flicks without complaint. Last Monday, watching the Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens, I noticed the …

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Supervision or Coaching?

One day a man walked by a cocoon and noticed a tightly wound butterfly within it, struggling to emerge. As it hung vertically from a branch, he noticed a small hole at the bottom through which the butterfly would have to squeeze to make its way out into the world. Given the size of the butterfly, the man was convinced …

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Feedback for the Future

My friend and colleague, Dino Watt, recently wrote an excellent blog about the difference between feedback and criticism. In it, he mentioned that feedback focuses on outcomes and the future, builds strengths, inspires change, and communicates that the future looks bright. Criticism, on the other hand, focuses on what we don’t want rather than what we do want. It harps …

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Traditions

Since the beginning, humans have created reoccurring ceremonies and traditions that help us recall important moments in our history, signify significant rites of passage, and celebrate things which unite and bond us. Since I was a child, I have always loved traditions. Growing up in the Episcopal faith, I loved the seasons of the church calendar marked by different alter …