Please tell me I’m not the only one. I decide on a goal. I’m on fire for a week or two, and then I slack off or get totally off-track. I know exactly what the behavior is that is sabotaging my intentions. I know the problem, and it’s usually me. Now I’m frustrated and feel worse and worse about myself …
Lessons from the Silver Strand
This month marks the 23rd anniversary of our Monday Morning Stretch, and to celebrate we are recycling some our most popular editions over the next few weeks. This Stretch was first published in March of 2014. Rereading it makes me want to dust off my old road bike, spin the tires, and feel the wind on my face again! As …
Legacy
I’m a big fan of Don Miller, founder of StoryBrand. In one of his personal vision workshops, he recommends writing your own eulogy, filled with all the things for which you hope others will remember you. He further recommends reading it every day as part of your morning routine as a way of keeping the legacy you wish to leave …
Lessons from the Trail
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” I can’t say I do something that scares me every day, but when I get an opportunity, I like to push myself. This quote from Eleanor Roosevelt reminds me of the time I was invited to join a small group of dental colleagues on a mountain bike adventure …
Seeking Advice
Have you ever been driving your car, exercising, taking a shower or just drifting off to sleep and suddenly feel a brilliant, daring new idea born within you? I had that moment a few weeks ago and immediately picked up the telephone to call a friend and discuss it. She listened and, as I had hoped, gave me some advice, …
Sour Milk and Leadership
I know. It’s completely unladylike to drink milk straight from the container. However, occasionally when I’ve needed an ibuprofen for a headache to get to sleep and to put a little something in my stomach, I’ve reached straight for the container so I don’t need to turn lights on or make much noise. The last time I succumbed to this …
6 Steps to Managing Unhappy Customers
Clarissa almost hated to hit the “send” button on her monthly statements. She knew from experience that by doing so she would trigger a cascade of unhappy phone calls to the office within 48 hours. “I’ve already paid my balance! Why do you now say that I owe $45 more?” “What kind of racket are you running over there! You …
Stepping Stones
We weren’t all born to be dentists or veterinarians or administrators. Some of us are working in these jobs as a stepping stone to something else, whether we’ve recognized what that calling is yet or not. When I was in college I worked as a cashier at a marina. I knew from the beginning it was not my final career …
Thinking Your Way Back
You can never think your way out of something you felt your way into. Consider the last time you had an instant emotional reaction to something that someone did or said. Looking back, you can almost feel the moment your executive “thinking” brain was hijacked by a highly emotional response. Scientists have observed that it takes us 20-30 minutes to …
Today’s the Day!
Today was a milestone. Today, I hit “SEND” on my book manuscript to my publisher. I made my deadline of March 31st after over two years of solid work. Though I’m still months away from holding it in my hands, the heavy lifting is done, and now I get to enjoy a moment of pride and accomplishment. There is definitely …
