My first surprise of the day was the crowds. When my daughter and I were invited to a Gem and Jewelry show, I envisioned a small setup you could walk through in less than an hour. I should have paid more attention. It was held in the main part of the Houston Convention Center, and apparently we were late to the game for this phenomenon. If you've ever attended any large trade show at a major city's convention center, you will have some sense of what appeared before us as we walked through the ... Read More » about When was the last time you were surprised?
A funny thing happened on my stroll through paradoxes
When I was a young girl, I asked a lot of questions. Most children do. But in our house, a question rarely got a straight answer back. Instead, my parents would ask one of their own.Why do you ask? At the time, it felt like a dodge. I wanted an answer, not another question. But they weren't avoiding mine. They were looking for it — the real one, underneath the one I'd said out loud.It took me years to understand what they were doing. They knew that why someone asks is almost always more ... Read More » about A funny thing happened on my stroll through paradoxes
Is your birthday the end of a year…or the beginning of one?
I love stories. It seems that I always have. Even my spiritual heritage lives there. My first experiences with faith came from teachers who shared stories from the Bible. Not just lessons. Stories that helped us understand them and remember them. Then as a young girl, a librarian invited me into the world of other books, and I’ve never left. This week is one that in the past I’ve tried to just get through without fanfare. It’s my birthday week. I’m sure many of you can relate to what I ... Read More » about Is your birthday the end of a year…or the beginning of one?
Are you a possibilitarian?
Recently, I had the chance to listen to an interview with Simon Sinek. I’ve always appreciated the way he brings things to a human level—helping us find a different perspective so that we can make better choices. The question they were discussing was how we should introduce ourselves. An age-old dilemma. It usually starts with “What do you do?” or perhaps “Tell me something about yourself.” Our first response is almost always to begin with whatever we see as our most dominant role at the ... Read More » about Are you a possibilitarian?
What do we keep missing about failure?
It's not the risk. It's the resource. Author’s note: Selecting the right image for each article I write is part of the work. But it’s also a part I relish because I’m a visual person myself. When I come across something that halts my eye, I know I’ve found it. As it happened this week. What you see in the image above is something hikers will recognize. It's a trail marker. It's information for hikers, left by someone who went before. For us, it confirms that failure can be framed as a ... Read More » about What do we keep missing about failure?
What walls can teach us about decisions
One of the most fascinating things about the power of a decision is how many channels it opens for us to take action. Quite frankly, that’s how I know I’ve truly decided about something. The way forward stops being about the decision. That isn’t a variable any longer. It’s the foundation. In situations where the decision keeps coming up as an option, I know I still have work to do to get clear. That’s not always as easy as we may think for a number of reasons. But one of the most ... Read More » about What walls can teach us about decisions
