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The Struggle is Real…Sometimes…

I am a restless person.  You might even call me "Restless by Nature." That is not quite as cool as "Naughty By Nature" but I am anything but cool.  This restlessness is all too big a part of being human.  We struggle from the moment we emerge from the womb.  If you believe Maslow's hierarchy (or... Continue Reading →

Convey your idea, mission, or project through the power of story.

One of the most powerful ideas I have heard recently is that when you share a concept, in reality, you as the presenter are not the hero, your audience is the hero. Nancy Duarte shares this concept with us in her TED Talk as she reveals her passions for presentation.  This is how she describes... Continue Reading →

People are more important than things.

As I prepare to sit through this storm my thoughts and prayers are not for all the THINGS that are already lost and will be lost.

Unsunk and unstuck: Open the door to more!

My friends, what I have now realized is that those sunk costs had me sunk.  I was drowning in them.  I was mired in a morass of my own self-absorption, intent on getting and keeping...

Don’t Hate…but how?…and why?

When you are lost and you feel like no one is in your corner it is easy to gravitate toward hate.  Hate is seductive. Hate is unifying and affirming in a sick sort of way.  Hate feels good at the moment your stoking it or feeling it.  Hate can be a crucible to burn off, and distract from, your feelings of rejection, discontent, and discomfort. The ironic thing is the whole time your hating you are secretly yearning to love and be loved...read more at http://four4soaring.com

Do not wish to be…

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

– Francis de Sales

Summer Melt and Mentorship

I had the right people around me at the right times to avoid the "summer melt."  Summer melt is a term that refers to a phenomenon where every year, many students who have overcome daunting obstacles in high school receive good news — they've been accepted to college, and often they have been awarded enough money to attend, but they don't show up to start classes. 

How Can I Influence Others With a Shovel?

I was treated to a great lesson on influence recently at a conference I attended. Justin Elam's message was one he has been sharing for a while now about how to equip others by asking questions vs. providing ready answers.  The outline of his talk started with this Strauss quote: "The wise man doesn't give the right answers.  He poses the right questions."

What my grandfather taught me about being full of C.H.I.T.

There is a hilarious image I have in mind of a cartoonish, slightly more balding version of me, giving myself a Homer Simpson slap on the forehead and exclaiming "DOH!" as I think back on just how many things I got wrong as I was growing up.  For instance....

Moms and Teachers: Every Kid Needs A Champion, Thankful For You and Those Like You

Moms.  They are our champions.  Whether it is your actual Mom or someone who simply pulls you into their circle and treats you like their child, like the best teachers do, they are fiercely and ferociously for us.  They provide us with the unfathomable, unconditional love that we typically only receive from one Other Place, far above this one.

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