They want to fly first class. I want to own the plane.
Recently I heard the expression, “They want to fly first class. I want to own the plane.” and it caught my attention. Because it’s so far beyond how I usually think. I’m a huge cheerleader; I encourage others and I think I encourage myself and yet – it never crossed...
Only You Can Limit Your Greatness
You are the only one who can limit your greatness. How do I know this to be true? Because when my eldest was diagnosed with autism, we were told he'd never live on his own, never hold a job, never drive, and never manage his own money. Guess what? Those doctors were...
It’s not having what you want. It’s wanting what you’ve got.
Do you remember the song “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crow? She sang those lines, “It's not having what you want. It's wanting what you’ve got,” and they stopped me cold on the street on my way to work. I was so saddened and depressed by the job I was going to. It was...
When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubts
“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubts.” Think about that. It’s brilliant! I wish I’d come up with it. When we doubt our power, when we doubt the thing we know we're great at, when we doubt what we know is the reason God put us on this planet, when...
When someone you love is grieving
When someone we love is grieving, our first inclination is to do or say something helpful. So, we rush in bearing food and hugs, and then we stand there, searching for the right thing to say. And then, because we're just clumsy about grief and grieving in this...
Super Stressed? Get Grateful.
Did you know that the quickest way to feel better when work has you super stressed is to express gratitude? It is. And it's easy to do. Open your eyes and look, really look, for the silver lining in the "project that never ends" or the "boss who never found a...
5 Do’s and a Do-over
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I don’t. Not new ones, anyway. Instead, I simply remind myself of the decisions I made a few years ago after my husband’s death. I call them my 5 Do's and a Do-over (because everyone deserves at least one do-over!) and share them in...
No Is A Complete Sentence
Have you ever set aside time to work on a big project only to have a colleague burst into your office the moment you start to dig in and say, “Hey! Have you got time for a quick meeting?” I’m willing to bet you have. I have. And what I want to know is, what did you...
There Is No Control
The fact is, there are so few things over which we have control. Beyond decisions like where to live, type of career to pursue, whether to see the glass as half full or half empty – because, indeed that is a choice – there are very few things over which we have real...
A Little Fear Is A Good Thing
A Little Fear Is a Good Thing... A few years ago, when my younger son and I left my ex-husband and moved into an apartment, I discovered a quote that I fell in love with. It simply says, “If you can’t beat fear, do it scared.” Every morning I’d read that quote and ask...
When Things Don’t Work Out
So, you land your dream job and not a week into it you make some unsettling discoveries. Your boss is a micromanager. Your boss is at his or her desk 24/7 and expects you to do the same. You try for a while, but it’s not working out. Finally, you leave, maybe for...
Are You Missing Your Life?
During my husband’s battle with cancer I learned a lot. I learned how to jump start the car in the dark and race to the hospital at warp speed without getting a ticket. I learned how to give a shot (step 1. close your eyes). I even learned how to make our health...
Say Yes, and Figure It Out Later
A few years ago, I was offered a job I never in a million years thought would come my way. I couldn't believe it. I was honored, touched, thrilled, and convinced I better say, "no thanks." I mean, how could I take that job? I didn't have the skills, the experience,...
No Guilt
A wise woman once told me, "Guilt is a wasted emotion." It's like sitting in a rocking chair; it'll give you something to do, but it's not going to get you anywhere. In fact, the only place guilt takes us is down a deep, dark rabbit hole of self-loathing where lots of...
Trust your gut
We know the truth by the way it feels. Trust your gut is one of those expressions it took me a long time to embrace. Why? Because I have a great gut and lots of times it tells me things I don’t want to hear. A few years ago, though after another of those life-defining...
You Can’t Pour From An Empty Vessel
We all need time to refuel and recharge. You can't pour from an empty vessel. In good times and especially during tough times, we need to take time to refuel. Read a book. Take a walk. Call a friend and, if you need to, ask that friend for help. Ask that friend to...
Survival of the Grateful-est
"Gratitude is the gateway drug to awesomeness." Jen Sincero There's something I like to call Survival of the Grateful-est. It's kind of like survival of the fittest, but better. It's good to be fit, but it's crucial to be grateful. In fact, the more we are thankful...
You’ve got to laugh
"Sometimes a laugh is the only weapon we have." Roger Rabbit You've got to laugh. People frequently ask me how I find the humor in hopeless situations like cancer caregiving and raising a child with autism. The answer is pretty simple: humor gives me distance, it...