Which Dog Will You Feed? Choosing Our “Reality”

In 1995 I decided to embrace optimism as a strategy for creating possibilities. It wasn’t a rational choice, it was an intuitive leap of faith. My many years of education as a physicist had taught me to ignore my intuition, but logic was insufficient to overcome my exuberance. You see I’d just had my eyes opened by a truly gifted coach who’d helped me discover that the person holding me back my entire life had been myself. Once I recovered from the shock of that revelation I made a decision to use my enormous power to shape reality to create a more hospitable environment, starting with my own attitude. …

Meditating for 2 Minutes

Recently I read “Creativity in Business”, by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers. This book is based on the famous Stanford University MBA program course launched in the 1980′s. Before reading this book I thought my highly engaging and interactive workshops were too wild and edgy for most of the business world. Now I’m worried that I might be too restrained! Some of the activities recommended by Michael and Rochelle include drawing Madalas, reading Tarot cards, and meditation. By far the most challenging exercise for me has been meditation. OK, let’s be completely honest, I find it completely impossible to meditate.

Two months ago I started letting a friend who is getting their coaching certification practice on me. One of the first exercises they suggested was meditation. …

Leading From Any Chair

Lack of employee engagement is a much discussed topic lately, with some studies indicating that around 70% of workers are either not engaged or actively disengaged. This has caused me to dig up an article I wrote for my newsletter several years ago. In my opinion, waiting for someone else to magically resolve our workplace woes isn’t the answer. Taking responsibility and leading from any chair we happen to occupy is. Enjoy!

In my experience working with people from over 50 different countries, they all share a common set of challenges in achieving results. I’ve found that the two reasons that smart, educated, experienced professionals say that they can’t do their jobs properly are:  1. They don’t have enough time because they are too busy, …

Being Well Doesn’t Mean Everything’s Easy!

WELLBEING ISN’T NECESSARILY EASY. Sometimes I fret that “wellbeing” will be misinterpreted as “Life should always be easy.” How dull would that be?!! My work mostly involves tackling challenges that most people claim are very difficult, highly unlikely, or darned near impossible, and I find the work absolutely exhilarating! Yes, I feel quite “well” when I’m in the midst of such circumstances, meeting tough challenges while shaking in my boots, staying committed to results that seem unattainable. Wahoo! For me, wellbeing isn’t endless days of paddling a lazy canoe toward my ultimate resting place (RIP). While I sometimes enjoy the tranquility of a quiet stream, I’m sure I’d go completely bonkers if I had to experience peace, calm and tranquility every moment of my life. …

Following Your Wellbeing North Star

Desiring wellbeing is one thing – attaining it is quite another. I’ve spent my entire career helping people achieve what seems impossible, but is only difficult, and lately I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to help people achieve wellbeing. It seems to me that my own sense of wellbeing is created by two main factors: 1) My circumstances, and 2) my expectations.  When circumstances exceed my expectations, wellbeing increases. When they fall short of my expectations, wellbeing suffers. So one obvious way to improve wellbeing could be to lower expectations. While that might not sound like an appealing solution to everyone, let’s give it a little thought.…

Wellbeing is Often an Interpretation

Over the years I’ve noticed that my sense of wellbeing has more to do with my attitude and interpretation of my circumstances than my circumstances.  Certainly some circumstances have made it easier for me to feel a sense of wellbeing, and there have been other circumstances that made a sense of wellbeing more elusive.  But lately I’ve come to realize that I could turn any “average” day into either a good day or a bad day just through the stories I tell myself about the day.  For example, I’m showering in water clean enough to drink.  Should I feel overwhelming gratitude for my good fortune, or should I despair because over 1 billion people don’t even have clean water to drink?  I have to admit …