Be crystal clear and deeply committed to what you want. Then clarify the path necessary to achieve what you want and say “I will” to the work the path requires. Want without will doesn’t work. If you are not willing to make the required investment, if you aren’t willing to pay the price, if you…
In every situation you are dealing with, there are two dynamics at work: The first is how you see the situation, and the second is what you do in response to how you see the situation. It is essential to understand the relationship between those two dynamics. How effectively you respond is largely determined by…
You’ve heard it said many times: Building a healthy relationship takes work. You don’t get the relationships you want; you get the relationships you build. You also know that communication is the heart of a healthy relationship. However, even though we know this to be true, we sometimes fail to communicate the way we should,…
Our lives are full of talking and communicating. We talk to family, friends, colleagues, customers, and our teams and organizations. We communicate to express our thoughts and feelings. We communicate to express our observations and define our experiences. We communicate to connect with people and convey important messages. The way we communicate has a profound…
Emotions are a powerful force in your life. When it comes to shaping your decisions and actions, emotions are a factor that affect you every bit as much as thinking. Your mindset — your emotional state — is your choice. You can create a mindset that helps you, or you can allow a mindset that…
In the Academy Award winning movie Braveheart, there is a fascinating scene that speaks profoundly to what it means to be a leader. The segment opens to a chaotic scene of an assembly of Scottish nobles arguing about power and control among the clans. On the outskirts of the group is William Wallace, who clearly…
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” — Mark Twain — The big message today: Be humble. Be wise. Don’t believe everything you think. Having said that, the prevailing mindset in our culture is to use personal preference and strong feelings…
Many years ago I made the decision to untether my emotions from my circumstances. It is one of the most important decisions I have ever made and has served me well in life and at work. What motivated me to make that decision was a pattern of behavior I observed in some people. I noticed…
Here are three dangerous (and common) traps we must be careful to avoid. These traps are common and easy to fall into. Why? Because we are attracted to things that look good; we are stimulated by things that feel good; and we desire things that we think will make us look good. Avoiding these traps…
Everyone has a circle of influence. That is to say, everyone has people around them who shape and influence what they think and what they do. It is a simple rule for an effective life: You are the company you keep. An oft-used quote says, “You are the average of the five people you spend…