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 …
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
We’re making it all up. We really are. How we view our reality is just a story we are telling ourselves. It is our truth, for sure, but make no mistake that others would view or live our exact same experience and come to a different conclusion about it. The events are neutral, but it’s we who give them meaning …
A Call for Love
I recently heard someone say that how people act demonstrates whether they are receiving love or putting out a call for love. When I consider this in terms of behavior and communication, I think it just might be spot on. Think about the last time you experienced someone “acting out”— a teenager, a spouse, an audience member, a team member, …
Foolish Tricks
I’m not sure what I was thinking when I began playing innocuous little jokes on my two boys when they were very young on April Fool’s Day. I soon regretted it. I quickly discovered their naughty little minds fell in love almost instantly with the notion of planning and implementing mischievous pranks on all of the adult members of our …
Oh, hey… Remember Me?
My son, Austin, is doing well after a decade of struggles. During those hard years, he would go “dark,” meaning I would not hear from him for weeks on end— a mother’s nightmare. Thankfully, as he has healed and found success in life, that has gotten a lot better. And yet, no matter how often he picks up the phone …
