What is home? And all the ways we keep it close.
The task—bring back the witch’s broom. The small band would do anything to find a heart, some courage, a brain, and one longed to return [...]
Rainbows Where You Least Expect Them
I sit in my favorite spot every morning: on the love seat, next to the end table with stacks of books, photographs, a cup of [...]
What to do when you’re stuck in a rut—
Pack a bag. Let’s go! “Where are you going this summer? Any travel plans?” I asked my friends. dental hygienist, and a checker at the [...]
An antidote that costs nothing . . . but a moment
I started the day with a simple task. Call the bank. All I wanted to do—talk to a real, live, breathing, speaking human. I did [...]
Five years old . . . time for a face-lift and a new name!
On May 22, “Inspiring Your Best” weekly post turned five years old. I began sharing words of joy, kindness, happiness, and hope during the dark [...]
March—ing from Bewilderment to Possibility
I watch for little signs of hope. I hear a new birdsong, a visitor to our feeder found his way and stopped. I wish I could hear [...]
Weeds Are Flowers, Too!
Weed? Flower? Who can tell? Delicate yellow petals dance in the morning breeze. Mama calls them weeds. “Pull them up!” “Oooh, these are so pretty,” I [...]
What Happens When Sunlight, Atmosphere, and Water Meet
Sparkles danced across water holding magic. . . . When the sunlight glints across the water, I am always spellbound. Time and again, I’ve [...]
New Beginnings: New Year Thoughts Bring Hope
New Beginnings: A New Year Every set of eyes holds a dream, a hope a new beginning. I ponder what the year promises, what wonders, awe, [...]
How Quickly I Lose My Love
I’m working on building my gratitude muscles keeping them firm and steady. The first line of the poem "Two Weeks After a Silent Retreat" by Heather [...]
Poetic Thoughts on a Debut Book—In the Shadow of Rainbows
I don’t remember the first poem I ever read, but I have vivid memories of the first poems I heard. My mother read from the Little Golden [...]
Make Yourself a Promise and See What’s Possible
I fumed after reading my doctor’s note following my annual wellness visit. “Lose weight.” His advice? Eat more protein. Been there. I’ve passed through the hallowed [...]
Picture Books Are for Big Kids, Too—Try One!
Three bodies wiggled in close. “One more, please, mommy, read one more!” The educator in me delighted in the interest my children took in the picture [...]
30 Days of Poetry—My Cup Is Full and Ready for More
“Thirty days has September, April, June, and November.” 30 Days of Poetry The perfect number for any 30-day challenge, but April’s poetry marathon of 30 poems [...]
I’m Done! Change Is Never Easy Or All It’s Cracked Up to Be
I'm Done I’m done. I’m never going back. I’m irrevocably done. My words haunt the silence as old skin wrinkles, writhing against unwelcome habits, obsolete ways [...]
Why Do I Worry? How Many Answers Lie Lost in the Darkness?
Why Do I Worry? Why do I worry? The future frightens— full of uncertainty. Why is there so much uncertainty? I am no clairvoyant or crystal [...]
How a Flashback Can Pave Dreams of Coal Black Hair and Blue Eyes
Flashback Photos flashback in time to a youthful sailor blue eyes and a beguiling smile— Grandpa. Years pass four daughters laugh he walks each down the [...]
You Ask, “What Is It That Makes You Come Alive?”
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come [...]
Every Morning, Birds Announce a New Day—I’m in Awe
Birds Singing Birds singing— I follow the sound to find joy . . . Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone. —Lawrence [...]
The Wind Blows—What We Hope to Learn from Dandelions
Wind Blows Wind blows dandelions send life floating onward words spoken leech into our lives touching. . . . Poetry is the best words in [...]
Joy Waits, Clings, and Asks the World One Question
Joy My name is Joy. Today I feel like a solitary leaf clinging, waiting. Sometimes I am a cloud. Sometimes I am a rainbow. But always [...]
Living on the Edge in Dreams and One Day at a Time
Living on the Edge Tumbling head first off the jagged rocks into an unknown abyss feet flailing, arms reaching empty-handed into the air. I do not [...]
Possible—How Much Are You Willing to See and Never Forget?
I dwell in things possible I dwell in things possible Of poems more than prose Where all the world’s A window letting in Where doors send [...]
Delight in Daisies, Children, Sunsets, and Never Letting Go
Delight Daisies smile leaning toward the sun as playful laughs echo in the wind. These moments of delight embrace a wounded heart. All is never lost. [...]
Why Windows Open the Mind to Our Better Selves
Windows Open the Mind Always looking, waiting for beauty and peace of children laughing and playing, dangling feet from a swing ever ready to leap finding [...]
How Perspective Changes Everything from Day to Day
Two Perspectives Symphony Birds sing outside my door a mini symphony to delight and lighten the soul— I breathe. The Dull Drone The dull drone of [...]
Watch Nature’s Amazing Revolution
Nature's Amazing Revolution I watched them inch their way out of the musty soil. Day by day the leaves stretched their arms embracing a revolution short-lived [...]
How Storms Creep into the Sky Suddenly Sweeping the Landscape
The Storm Flashing in clouds dark and foreboding rumbling and shaking solid ground birds take flight before the storm wind wails a soulful song trees bend [...]
Melancholy Moments Mist Lightly on My Mind
Melancholy Melancholy encased my heart a quick cold dart of pain yet bliss feeling amiss. The words I never chanced to say on any day slipped [...]
How Did I Lose It All Without a Trace in Silence?
How did I lose it all? Time waiting opened eyes to a new day planning, doing, more the minutes slip by gone stare into the setting [...]
Only a Moment Has the Power to Change the World
Only a Moment The smile took only a moment sending intent to a stranger spreading laughter A small gesture but so profound that I am bound [...]
Do Not Leave Your Longings Unattended
Longing Do not leave your longings unattended. Do not throw any of yourself away. Every moment of this life a thread. Do not leave your longings [...]
Life and Death in a Season, Clinging to Bits of Hope
Life and Death in a Season My walks along the garden path become a lesson in nature as green stems pierce the earth promising blooms of [...]
Pencils Seem to Hold the Precious Words of Every Poem
Only a Pencil Will Do The teacher handed me the big, fat, round pencil because only a pencil will do. My hand, small, awkward, felt overwhelmed. [...]
Two Roses Teach a Lesson in Hopeful Patience
Two Roses Heirloom roses side-by-side flaunting fanciful frills one crimson bud stares longingly my turn not yet your flowering unfolds in time for now you wait [...]
I Remember Vividly the Days of a Long Time Past
I Remember . . . I remember colored baby chicks, dying eggs, and filling baskets with plastic grass, and sometimes wildflowers, but only at the farm. [...]
Shadows—Only Here a Slender Moment of Time, Gone Forever
Shadows Shadows cling to the dry grass shaping vertical lines of fences and trees. In a moment, the black stripes disappear and what was seen will [...]
Blackberry Cobbler–Ripe Berries, Sugar, and a Little Love
Blackberry Cobbler My husband's favorite made with the berries from his garden. Bubbling butter forming a cinnamon crust purple juice swirling lightly, warm, and sweet. He asked [...]
The Gift You Least Expect May Sit Right Outside Your Door
The Gift I noticed tight white buds waiting to burst forth. I watched wondering when the blossom would unfold. On a damp day in in the [...]
Why Time With a Treasured Friend Can Change You
Time with a Friend a priceless gift of listening, sharing, embracing all of life's ups, downs, joy. . . . Music and poetry are transformative [...]
Coastal Winds Shape the Trees, Strong, Gnarled, Knotty
Coastal Winds Coastal winds whip across the marsh, trees submit, yielding—bent until the limbs gnarl and knot finding strength and hope. . . . Poetry [...]
What Nature Brings Always Astounds the Soul
What Nature Brings Every day something blooms, a songbird fills the breeze with music. I wait in anticipation of the next day wondering what will nature [...]
How a Book Cover and Country Cottage Spawn a New Longing
Longing Longing for the days lost behind stone walls and trees, verdant, lonely, hidden in time waiting. Oyster stones, cold, stand strong weathering silent storms leached [...]
The Day Poetry Grabbed Me I Never Let Go
Poetry Centers the Heart I don’t know if it was the fever or the simple beauty of the words. Words with sounds and images floated in [...]
Mountain Sunrise: One of Many Passions
Fuchsia Sky The fuchsia sky moved my soul playfully across the purple mountains while mandolins calmed the melancholy forests. I counted moments before the silent trout [...]
Around the Table
Around the Table Faces around the table The same but changed Every life a story, Adventures, challenges, and joys Laughter, tears, warm embraces Hold time gently [...]
Three Tips That Help Adjust Your Attitude
How's your attitude? I found myself second-guessing, making assumptions, and generally chasing Don Quixote's windmills this week. Attitude: "A manner of thinking, feeling, or behaving that [...]
The Unbarred View: Expanding Perspectives and Freedom
Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold. —Zelda Fitzgerald The Unbarred View The coastal plain of my childhood stretches long and [...]
Bluebirds — Flocks, Party, or Tidings?
I smiled. Bluebirds splashed in delight. Among the trees and gardens of our two-acre homesite, nature provides daily lessons on the survival of the fittest, squatters' [...]
Change Is the Constant That Creates Life
What’s Next When did the season change? How quickly mousy turned to silver and supple morphed into road maps of memories. Where flew the years of [...]
Freedom Is Not Just Another Word
I can hear Janis Joplin’s raspy voice as she belts out, “Freedom's just another word for nothin’ left to lose.” I've been thinking about freedom, what we [...]
Holding On and Letting Go
Leaves can teach us how to do it better. Nature never mourns or complains about the cycle of life from seed, to bud, to blooms, to decay, [...]
How One Person Can Make a Powerful Difference
I've wondered, "What can one person do to change a troubled world?” I found a few ideas from Brad Aronson in his book, HumanKind: Changing the [...]
Life When the Lights Go Out
I wake to the popping sounds of lights and electric objects flickering on and off. A surge of volts trying desperately to come to life. Then [...]
Looking Through Other’s Eyes
Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant. —Henry David Thoreau Others’ Eyes I like to think [...]
How to Manage the Proper Care and Feeding of Your Muse
Every morning, I read. I venture into newsletters, writer websites, news, and literary offerings. I meander the expanse of words on the internet. Why? Feeding the [...]
Resumes Never Tell the Whole Truth
I’m Nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too?” —Emily Dickinson Who am I? I sat on a zoom call of unlikely poets. Analysts, [...]
Seasons and Life–Both Bring Change and Hope
The leaves fall. A cool breeze offers relief from the last hot days of lingering summer. Every year, without fail, we follow this cycle of change, hardly [...]
National Poetry Writing Month 2022 Part II
Welcome to Part II, 30 Days of 30 Poems Year after year, I started with good intentions to complete 30 poems in April. I haven't accomplished [...]
National Poetry Writing Month 2022 Part I
Welcome to Part I, 30 Days of 30 Poems Year after year, I started with good intentions to complete 30 poems in April. I haven't accomplished [...]
The Moon: A Story of Mystery, Hope, and Wonder
“It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.” —Carol Anne Duffy Nature holds many fascinations, like the moon that revolves around the earth that revolves around [...]
Lessons on Humility from an Unexpected Source
A Six-Word Photo Story No one told me—wear red. . . . I stood waiting while she decided where to sit hoping to capture her simple [...]
How to Do Nothing and Still Live a More Meaningful Life
The very thought of doing nothing runs counter to everything my dad taught me. His favorite admonition when we looked too idle always began with, “Are just [...]
How Do You Capture Shivers? Feeling and Seeing the Seasons
Winter Clouds mask the earth cold, wet, haze no wind Stillness shivers, hours pass no sun, shadows minutes stretch Aimlessly one after another trees stand silent [...]
4 Reasons to Hold Onto Hope and Why You Should
A young woman sat on a stump wearing khaki pants and a shirt, gazing into the eyes of a wild chimp. I wondered how someone could [...]
My Year of Reading: The Best, the Good, and the Unfinished
Some books leave us free and some books make us free. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson If you are a lover of book lists and share my obsession [...]
How I Started Looking for Creativity in Only the Best Places
Here's the scene. Creativity in Action Two little blond-haired boys gathered out all the small metal cars, re-purposed the plastic racing rails, and spent hours in [...]
Wonder—A Word Worthy of a Year, Maybe More
I’m a logophile—a lover of words. Or logomaniac might better describe my lifelong obsession. Since I first uncovered the magic of the lines and scribbles that [...]
Never Give Up—You Don’t Know What Surprise Awaits
A tiny life moment gives way to hope. The Moment Never give up on children or strangely blue orchids. My son beamed as he walked into [...]
Standing Out Doesn’t Mean Alone
You stand out — but never alone. * * * I have never accomplished anything entirely on my own. Family, friends, and sometimes people I don’t [...]
Doors of Remembrance
“Heroism doesn’t always happen in a burst of glory. Sometimes small triumphs and large hearts change the course of history.” — Mary Roach The gateway to [...]
Abandon Time to Find the Present
If you abandon the present moment, you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply. —Thich Nhat Hanh * * * I think of many [...]
Yes, I’m Ready to Listen
I’m ready to listen, really listen, but I want to look you in the eye, smile, nod, and see you—nothing else can substitute face-to-face interaction to [...]
Lost Words Tell a Story
I didn’t know what to say. The consequence of my mother’s words ricocheted pain that bounced back and forth across our family. What do you say [...]
The Careening Quadrille Finds a Home
Careen The pencil danced perfectly in my hand. But the words—the words could not find a home. Are they waiting for a more inspired writer? How [...]
What’s in a Day? One-Liner Wednesday
This day offers me 1,440 minutes to grow, to love, to hope, to make a difference in a world longing for kindness. * * * Have [...]
Being Rooted Makes All the Difference
We have much to learn from trees. I have always marveled at how trees can bend nearly to the ground and survive. Living near the Gulf [...]
And the Sun Spoke
Are you there? I am waiting. . . . Lying in the grass, she gazed at the sky wondering how the clouds knew which way to go. [...]
I Thought I Was Too Old…Until
Does age matter? For the past several months, self-pity shrouded my thoughts, convincing me that age did matter. It mattered a lot, and the clock for [...]
A Daughter’s Fervent Question: Is There Hope?
“Did you hear me? I want to know why. How can you keep going day after day as voices spin a web of untruth? Don’t you [...]
3 Healing Powers of the Ocean Offer Hope
I have a love-hate relationship with water and need the healing powers of the ocean. I love to watch the waves roll in or gaze at [...]
Why Book Lists Fascinate and Inspire My Muse
I can’t help myself. If the headline tells me I have a chance to add more books to my reading list, I will fall in every [...]
The Lonely Cry of Human Trafficking — Look at Me!
A poem paints the picture. Look at Me Look at me. Say yes to me. You barely notice a life cast aside fractured and defenseless. When [...]
No Other Choice—I Must Open the Door to Hope
No Other Choice I’m confused as I mourn this mountain of hate. Demons seek to capture my hope. I will not condone this evil or ignore [...]
Humor: Do You Ooze Or Have No Hope?
Good humor makes me laugh, but I didn't inherit the funny gene. Funny movies uplift my spirits. My husband rolls in laughter during Funniest Home Videos. [...]
Days of Hope Wait Patiently. Act Now to Unlock the Door.
I feel like a child trying to decide what she wants to be when she grows up. But I’m far past that stage. I’m at an [...]
Why Garden Walks Spark Joy and Remembering
She told me all about the plants and flowers, but I also learned about life. Garden Walks and Memories I remember most the reverence of walking [...]
The Wonder of Clouds Sparked My Creative Muse
Curiosity, my chosen muse, speaks to me in the clouds. What hides in the wonder of clouds? The small, blond-haired girl lay in the grass, watching [...]
Muse. Noun or Verb? Does It Matter?
Do I have a muse? I wonder As a pragmatist, I’m not inclined to hand over my creativity to something or someone beyond my control. I [...]
3 Definitions of Love to Help Find Clarity
I needed words to give voice to this thing called love. I wanted the storybook version—the 1960s TV rendition of a family and a dad. I [...]
We All Want Love But Do We Understand It?
Most of us remain confused and silent about love. When we love we can let our hearts speak. —bell hooks I set an intention this year [...]
How I Hold Myself Accountable and Still Enjoy Life
This year, I set bold intentions for my writing, photography, and living well. I’ve spent much of my life in the hustle lane. Along the way, [...]
How to Expand Your Imagination and Make YOUR Art
A robin stood resolute in the brown grass. He wore his redbreast proudly, announcing his arrival to anyone who would stop to look. He stood alone, [...]
3 Thoughts About How We Move Into an Uncertain Future
When will I wake up from this nightmare? When the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 0f 2020, little did I realize that we would end that [...]
How Perfectionism Protects, Keeping Me Safe
It’s time to come out of hiding and face the truth. Perfectionism Protects Perfectionism is a defense mechanism. For years, I viewed my tendency for perfectionism [...]
The Power of Play: 3 Reasons You Should Do It Every Day
There's power in play. “Go out and play.” That’s what I wanted to hear in the past few days, weeks, well, since 2020. I wanted to [...]
The Myth of Creativity: 31 Easy Steps to Build a Powerful Habit Instead
I used to believe that creativity belonged to a privileged few. Those unicorn people who just knew what to say, how to dance, create art, or [...]
How I Chose My Best Word for Life Plus One for Every Year
Can one word make a difference? I believe it can. What’s your word? My what, you say? Your word. I first heard about choosing a word [...]
3 Ways That Helped Me Get Unstuck and Inspired
I stood on the beach allowing the sand and waves to bury my feet. Before long, the sand engulfed my ankles. How long would it take [...]
5 Simple Rules for Living an Ethical Life
Making the right choices requires a different kind of intelligence. Build an ethical life. Do you know your ethical intelligence? You can find quite a bit [...]
How Living in the Moment Softens the Pain of Lost Memories
The memories still hung like strands of gossamer, but for how long? I don’t know the exact day and time when she took the first step [...]
Customer Service: When It’s Good It’s Very Good, But When It’s Bad . . .
Some days I wonder if customer service has become a lost art. The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow nursery rhyme captures my thoughts about customer service. "When she [...]
What Stops You from Being Your Absolute Best?
How do you clear the obstacles that stop you from being your best every day? There is a way out of this dilemma. Four simple concepts [...]
Variation: No Matter Where You Look You’ll Find It
Variation—it is natural, cannot be eliminated, but it can be controlled We like variation. At the same time, we like consistency. Can you have both? Variation exists in everything. [...]
Stop Setting Goals If You Never Do These 3 Things
Stop! Stop setting goals. It is a waste of time and effort. If you know me at all, those words are nothing short of blasphemous. I [...]
Perspective-How to See Through the Eyes of Others
Perspective changes everything. How can we see through the eyes of others? Why would we want to? When I can stop and consider how someone else [...]
What Makes the Best High-Performing Team?
High-performing teams are not born. They are made. Humans are social. We come into the world hardwired to survive, find our tribe, and discover where we [...]
Houses Fill the Blanks Memory Has Lost
As I opened the black pages of the worn photo book, moments in time found new life. A small black and white photo reminded me of [...]
Storms of Life: Thoughts for a Rainy Day
Storms of life bring constant change In the middle of the cacophony, rain and storms are both frightening and cleansing. Life is like that. We need [...]
Reflection Is Good But Your Best Needs Action
What should you do first? Reflect on what you need or want to do? Or should you just begin and see how things work out? I’ve [...]
How Do You Find Your Real Purpose?
Finding our mission, our purpose can become daunting. Not just on a personal level, but in our professional lives. But perhaps we make this search too difficult. [...]
The Lost Art of Happiness—Just Smile
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” —Thich Nhat Hanh Some people just naturally wear a smile. For the most part, I’m one of [...]
A Poem: The Noise of the World
How often do we reach for help but turn the other way? Sometimes, the soul must break before giving voice to the cry for help. A [...]
Life Is Like a Daring Hummingbird
Every spring and late summer, the hummingbirds stop by to visit the milkweed, lantana bushes, and the sugar water we set out for them. For several [...]
Women Leaders Show How to Be Your Best
Strong women. Strong words. Strong hearts. We have much to learn from women up close and in the world. Women lead every day. Not all of [...]
Bikes & Excellence: What Do They Have in Common?
There is no doubt about it — excellence is hard work. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” [...]
Is Lonely the Same as Alone?
“…whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting— over and [...]
Will Minimalism Guarantee Peace and Happiness?
Will minimalism guarantee peace and happiness? I thought I knew the answer, but I wanted to know what others thought. The idea of less is more [...]
Love Grows Wild As the Summer Rose
Love Grows Love grows wild as the Summer rose and hearts In fleeting seek the warmth Of tenderness and peace. Fear not your love’s end As [...]
Learning: Inspiring You to Be Your Best
When you keep learning, the world and your mind reach beyond the limits of your imagination. Our reality has strung out into endless days of worry, [...]
Create Urgency for Change in a Complacent World
The mind and heart are critical to producing significant change. Change. Where does it begin? With me, with you—because we’re all for excellence until the consequences [...]
The Truth About New Beginnings
You hope and dream of new beginnings and second chances. What is stopping you? Three myths keep us bound to the past and longing for more. [...]
When Is It Time to Look at Things Differently?
You can transform anything, but not unless you can answer a few questions and understand the environment. Let's start with a definition. To transform means to [...]
Unlimited Possibilities Are All Around You
In Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Alice encounters the White Queen. The Queen explains to Alice how you can’t do [...]
Warning! Your Life Is in Danger
I’m glad I knew the warning signs of a stroke. “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – John Rohn [...]
Hidden Hopes Look for a Home
Hidden Hopes The vast landscape of the sea Unwrapped hidden hopes in me. Standing on the distant shore Waves beckoned — opening the door Quickening my [...]
Living on the Edge—A Musical Tribute
Living on the edge of her future, a six-year-old stood in the spotlight of the sun. Her voice, clear and unwavering, belted out the song to [...]
What If You Committed to Four Simple Agreements?
So much is wrong in the world. How do I even begin to make a difference? I have faced this question many times in my life. [...]
Daring Leadership for the Future Begins with You
Leadership is not someone else’s problem. In this article, I propose that the responsibility belongs to each of us. The future depends on how we model [...]
Managing Through Mental Models Is the Best Secret
Do you ever wonder why people refuse you to consider new ideas or accept change? A secret of good leaders will help you understand their reluctance. [...]
Wake Up! It Matters to Listen Carefully, Now
Wake Up! It Matters to Listen Carefully, Now She called out to her wayward child— don’t. Words will hurt each other, you must— think. Your actions [...]
The Road Less Traveled Gave Me the Best Life
Life offers a road less traveled. Every choice opens and closes a door. “I’ll never know, and neither will you, of the life you don’t choose. [...]
Grasping for Gratitude: Inspiring You To Be Your Best
You may find yourself grasping for gratitude. In 2020, I never imagined that the world would lose its footing to a virus. Those stories belong in [...]
12 Wistful Questions to Excite Your Imagination
I accepted a friendly challenge to reflect on confinement. I thought of them as wistful questions. None of us will forget the year 2020. Our lives turned [...]
Forgive Yourself to Be and Become Your Best
Forgive Others First All she ever wanted was for someone to love her. She didn’t deserve to die. The man shot her at point-blank range. The [...]
Defining Moments Unlock the Secret of a Great Life
In the Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath call us to think in moments "to recognize where the prose of life needs punctuation." Chip and [...]
Becoming More You One Moment at a Time
Becoming More You The bubbing water fills the air opening the door to bird songs floating above and over the sky. If you listen closely, you [...]
Is it Anxiety or the Compulsive Worrying?
This morning, I woke up full of hope and captured a lovely morning sky. All seemed rosy until I began to read stories about the pandemic. My [...]
The Teacher Appears and This Is What Happens
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. This statement has several attributions, including Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and Lao Tzu. As a teacher, [...]
Trees Hide Secrets and a Daring Little Girl
“I think that I will never see A poem lovely as a tree.” Joyce Kilmer’s poem, “Trees,” expresses the beauty and majesty of trees. As a [...]
Lean into Sorrow . . . I Need You Now
I didn't want to lean into sorrow today. As I started my morning, a song from the Broadway play and movie, Camelot kept playing in my [...]
Stumbling Stones: A Painful Reminder to Never Forget
Stumbling Stones Stumbling stones reminded me of a past I would rather forget. I must not. As we strolled the cobblestone streets of Mainz, Germany, the [...]
Live Life to the Fullest, Now
"Live ife to the fullest." Cliché? No, a warning you don’t want to miss. We sat in the pool, floating along with the sunset. The water [...]
How Do You Build Persistence When You’re Lost?
Finding Nemo is a story that can teach you how to build persistence. In the backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef, Marlin and Cora wait for [...]
Silence Is Found in the Waiting for Stillness
Silence gives the mind a moment of peace, a chance to listen to nothing and everything. Leaving words hanging until a clearer thought breaks through. Silence [...]
Flannel: Inspiring Ideas to Be Your Best
Never underestimate flannel—or people "Now, each of us has his own special gift. And you know this was meant to be true. And if you don't [...]
Joy in the Wilderness: Where Have the People Gone?
Joy is in front of us; if we look. You don't need to search for joy. That feeling of well-being or good fortune doesn't elude you [...]
Life Is Like a Pot of Chicken and Dumplings
My sister sent me a text. Not unusual, except for her request. Can you send me a recipe from mom for chicken and dumplings? A simple [...]
Great Leaders: Are There Any Out There Now?
Great leaders share two critical characteristics: humility and will. This article explains what Jim Collins describes as Level 5 leaders He provides a glimpse of what to [...]
An Eagle Majestically Perched on the Dead Branch—Free
Watching from afar I wondered what the eagle perched on the dead tree could see that I could not. Never moving, only turning her head slowly [...]
Your Potential: Inspiring Ideas to Be Your Best
You've got potential Your potential has no limits. Only you can decide how far you can go. If you trust your inner voice, you can do [...]
Stop! Do We Really Need This Meeting?
Another meeting? How many of the following statements describe your feelings about meetings? I'm tired of: Having meetings, just to have a meeting or to say, [...]
A Heart Can Hold More Than You Thought
How Much Can a Heart Hold? "Nobody has ever measured even poets, how much a heart can hold." —Zelda Fitzgerald The depth of our compassion and [...]
Uncertainty: Finding a New Vision after the Darkness
Uncertainty Before the darkness sets on a new horizon, peace will settle over hearts that ponder anew their vision of the dawn. After all the darkness [...]
Kindness Thoughts: Inspiring Ideas To Change the World
A few thoughts on kindness to uplift and inspire you to be your best. For years, I have hoarded quotes on small slips of paper, in [...]
This Is What Happens When You Set an Intention
When we set an intention, we take the first step. But, it's only one step. The yoga teacher welcomes the student—me—to the mat. Gently and with [...]
Moving to Minimalism: The Most Important Question
Minimalism is more than the absence of possessions. It is about choices. “To be free from suffering, free yourself from attachments.” Buddha A Lesson Minimalism taught [...]
Silence Can Calm the Soul and Restore Bliss
Silence prepares our souls to see the world in full color—an extravaganza of life and bliss. Silent Walks Upon the Sand Silent walks upon the sand [...]
Food and Family Make the Best Memories
Whenever I feel adrift, I clutch the lifesaver of memories and can’t help but smile. My favorite? Any meal with the people I love and cherish. [...]
Resilience, the Ultimate Lifeline of Hope
In the dark, I stared at the phone. Please don’t ring. We left our small, helpless newborn in the neo-natal ICU. He struggled to stay alive [...]
What If, You Knew a Little More About Me?
My favorite question—"What if?" I am a relentless seeker of excellence and kindness. If you don’t see that your story matters, chances are no one else [...]
Adopt a Kindness Habit to Make a Better World
What would it take to create a kinder world? A kindness habit could push us closer to caring for one another in spite of our differences. [...]
What You Think Can Create an Amazing Life
“It is the mind that maketh good or ill, that maketh wretch or happy, rich or poor.” —Edmund Spencer What You Think Matters What are you [...]
The Crazy Hate Weighing Down the World
Fighting hate... The crazy hate weighing down the world can leave you feeling aimless and hopeless. How can we change the world? How can we change [...]
You See the Effect, But What Is the Cause?
What We Need to Find the Cause We need a new way of thinking to address the rapid spread of a novel virus now or in [...]
Laughter: Is It Really the Best Medicine?
Laughter—it’s cheap and free. In the last several weeks, the news has brought only stress and concerns. My brain needs a break. Then I started thinking [...]
Accountability: How to Stop Being a Victim
Accountability presents us with a choice to live above the line or settle for the role of victim. Where is the line between accountability and victimization? [...]
A Love Story: The Boy in the Green Shirt
A mother's love . . . I watched him playing in the sand dunes and running through the waves. His hair blowing softly in the wind. [...]
Finding Peace in the Maddening Noise
9 quotes for finding peace in troubled times. When the noise of the world begins to close in around you, breathe. My advice to our children [...]
What Happens When We Collaborate to Be Better?
When we collaborate, we all get better. Yet, our culture values individualism above all else. “I can do this. I don’t need you. I won’t depend [...]
Have You Ever Wanted to Dance with Love?
“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful… This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for [...]
Make a New Friend When You Can’t Leave Home
You can make a new friend without ever leaving home. We need friends—old and new—even while never leaving home during a pandemic. I made a new [...]
What Happened When I Learned Perfect Was the Enemy
When you aim for perfect, you aim for nothing. I had to learn this the hard way—more than once. A sign on my desk reminds me [...]
Rain: A Poem for Letting Go
Sitting, watching, the constant drizzle of the rain. I want to turn my thought to days of sunshine, warmth, laughter. Yet while more pleasant thoughts are [...]
How To Face Fear Head On
Face fear because it can make us or break us. We can allow it to consume us. Or we can move in close to the truth. [...]
You Want to Improve? The Challenge Is Change
“I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll Mindset to Improve Are you [...]
Geraniums: Why Everyone Should Love a Red One
Who wouldn't love a red geranium? Geraniums have always made me smile. But red ones, they stand out in the crowd. Nestled in the dark green [...]
How Books Can Cure All That Ails You
Books can cure whatever ails you. Feeling a little down? Stuck in a state of melancholy? Find a book. I love books and always have. You can [...]
A Manifesto—Why I Think I Need One
A manifesto declares intentions, motives, or views. I think I need one. I went on a hunt to understand how a manifesto could help me in [...]
How Teaching Found Me and Created an Awesome Career
Teaching found me. I didn’t plan to be a teacher. Did you become the superhero, doctor, or fireman, that you imagined as a child? My son [...]
Mind the Gap. Where Do You Want to Be?
You don’t always start the day with spunk and enthusiasm. Do you “mind the gap?” What stands in the space between where you are today and [...]
How to Find Clarity in a Crazy World
Are you like me, looking for clarity in a world gone crazy? I will share the three steps that helped me the most in my ongoing journey [...]
You Need Intentions and Simple Routines Every Day
You and I make change much more difficult than necessary. We forget the power of stating our intentions. We ignore establishing simple routines to keep us [...]
Poetry—You Don’t Need to Fear It, Embrace It
Do you write poetry? No? What if I told you anyone can write a poem, and you should? Writing poetry doesn’t require knowing how to read [...]
You Want to Get Better? Ask This Question.
Most of us want to get better at something. You set a goal to lose 50 pounds, but the scale doesn’t budge. The next bestseller lies [...]
Vulnerability. We Fear It. But We Need It.
Vulnerability. We fear it. But we need it to press on and live a wholehearted life. Brené Brown, in Daring Greatly, defines vulnerability as "uncertainty, risk, [...]
What You Need to Know About Great Leaders
What do you look for in a great leader? Do you know leaders who don't hold the most senior-level positions? When you look for those defining [...]
How to Notice Your Surroundings: Ghosts and Ruins
Take time to notice your surroundings. You may discover mysteries in the ghosts and ruins that dot the landscapes. You pass the same signs, the same [...]
25 Encouraging Quotes for Change
Why do we fight change? Insects, animals, and plants accept change as the natural order of life. Not so much for the human species. Today, I [...]
3 Actions to Inspire Your Courage to Press On
Living your fullest life doesn’t come without challenges. You need the courage to press on. Even when you approach life with optimism and hope, something happens [...]
How Simple Images Can Unlock Your Thoughts
One day, I sat down to write, and nothing would come. No words. No thoughts. Nothing. I could not unlock the thoughts. The words caught in [...]
20 Books & 11 Months: A Journey to Find What Matters
Find What Matters Sometimes . . . You just need to think. And, ask a few questions to find what matters. Simple things like: Who am [...]
We Can’t Fix People, But I Wanted To Badly
No one ever told me we can't fix people—or I didn't listen. The words from Eowyn Ivey’s novel, The Snow Child, grasped all my feelings and [...]
What Can Happen When We Don’t Give Up
Don’t give up. You never know what lies within a broken system or a broken heart. On Mother’s day, my oldest son brought me a blue [...]
Why Kindness Is a Lifestyle
Is it just me, or do we seem to need more kindness reminders in this raging current of divisiveness and mistrust? Kindness “The quality or state of [...]
Make Optimism a Habit Worth Your Time
Is the habit of optimism worth your time? How can you cultivate the habit? Will it make a difference? Optimism is the "best thing" The word [...]
10 Quotes to Inspire Your Team
Every team team meeting would begin with building rapport, and relationships. I might ask a question as simple as, “How’s your day going?” Building teams requires [...]
Choosing a Life of Grace, Hope, and Excellence
What will you choose? Every life has its challenges. None of us are immune from daily distractions and annoyances. My friend, Linda, described these events as [...]
Changing the World: One Habit at a Time
How do you change the world? For that matter, how do you change yourself or an organization? We might start by looking at our habits. Many of [...]
Three Thoughts to Inspire Your Change Effort
Facing change efforts—large or small—can be overwhelming. Individuals, companies, schools—we all need a little inspiration and encouragement to press on. Here are a few thoughts to [...]
Processes: How Do You Do What You Do?
Every one of us interacts with and works within processes each day. Processes develop by design or by default. An organization is only as good as [...]
Can We Keep from Going Back to the Status Quo?
"I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." Alice in Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) Holding on to the way [...]
Gratitude-Make It a Daily Practice
Gratitude. The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Perhaps, the more important remembrance in the world we face today is [...]
Why Leadership Teams Are Important to Culture
We often forget about the role of leadership teams in building culture. Organizations, even small ones, rarely have only one leader. The CEO, president, chancellor, superintendent [...]
Three Things You Can Do to Start Leading Now
Do you wish you were the CEO? How many times have you said, "If I were the boss...?" Do you have ideas to improve, but no [...]
Seven Characteristics I Look for in a Leader
My view of leaders and leadership has evolved over time. I have soaked in the philosophies and perspectives of many people. They include but are certainly [...]
What If We Built Kindness into Companies?
What if? What if we built workplaces, one process at a time, that allowed us to do many excellent things? How could instilling respect and kindness make [...]
How to Tell a New Story about Change
Change. Where does it begin? With me, with you—because we’re all for improvement until the consequences of improvement jolt us and create discomfort. We talk about [...]
Why Kindness Matters to Me in Excellent Customer Service
Quite simply, customer service begins with kindness. Excellence in serving customers starts with leaders who value employees and model quality service. Leaders who respect and build [...]
What Is Your Good News?
What is your potential, your good news? We are all unique with gifts to share with ourselves, our families, our colleagues, and the world. Be kind. [...]
Four Revealing Ideas to Effectively Manage an Organization
To effectively manage an organization, we must first remember that it is a system. All systems left unattended will naturally find their state of disorganization. This [...]
How Do You Celebrate Excellence?
How do you celebrate? Do you have a party? Do you give each other a high five? What does it mean to celebrate excellence? The secret [...]
Every Day Is a New Beginning
Every day is a new beginning. Another chance — to learn more about ourselves, to care more about others, to laugh more than we did, to [...]
How Do You Value People?
Value people first . . . If we hope to transform our organization, our department, our team, we need committed and dedicated people. Without them, we [...]
The Secret of Leadership Is Simple
We are all leaders. The questions we must answer . . . How will you lead today? What actions will you take to help yourself and others [...]
Take Small Consistent Steps To Be Your Best Today
Being and becoming your best is hard work. Hard doesn’t mean impossible. Rather, it requires commitment, a goal, and most importantly, consistency. I love the way [...]
Find Your Inner Artist to Be Your Best Now
I’ve spent a great deal of time lately thinking about creativity, innovation, and the role of art in the workplace. We focus on the strategies, the [...]
What Kind of Garden Are You Growing to Be Your Best?
My own gardening skills remain a work in progress. But since my days as a classroom teacher of lanky and emotional thirteen-year-olds, I have often considered [...]
How Do You Reach Excellence? Start with Action
To reach excellence, start looking at the actions in the organization. Quality? Excellence? World Class? Trite expressions or powerful descriptors that differentiate the ordinary from the [...]
Three Actions of a Systems Thinker
What does it mean to be a "systems" thinker? “List everything you see in the room.” So began our study of systems thinking. We listed things, [...]
When Is the “Form” the Process?
The Form Is the form the process? We had already been in the meeting for an hour talking about the pros and cons of what should [...]
10 Deming Quotes You Need for Excellence
The Wisdom of W. Edwards Deming I first heard about W. Edwards Deming in 1982 during the broadcast of the NBC White Paper, If Japan Can, [...]
The Best Way to Get Better-Process!
How do you do something better? Stop for a moment and consider the last time you wanted to do something better than you had before. What [...]
What Drives Data and Decision Making?
What does it mean to be data-driven? The term “data-driven decision making” has become an overused phrase in business and education. What does it really mean? [...]