What’s Up With Me, Really.

That’s me.
I intentionally chose this photo because it’s not typical of the images I generally include when I talk about my life. But the few times I’ve gone skeet shooting, I’ve been good at it. And I need to summon the spirit that makes me lean into a shot gun, fiercely determined to blow something to bits.
A little honesty goes a long way. Most of us avoid anything that comes close to true self revelation in the world of social media. Blogs are generally used to convey evidence that we are subject matter experts, or the kind of all around good folk others might want to hire.
But what if we all just laid bare the way life really is for us? I shower you with my accounts of my abundant blessings. I am known to be perpetually perky. But, those who have witnessed the unraveling of the last three years of our lives would say I am simply resilient… Click here for the rest of the post.
Here’s the real scoop.

July 2008–working as a professional speaker. Love the flexibility it allows us

Just put one foot on the ground…

… Click here for the rest of the post
When I was a teenager, I had a really hard time getting up in the morning. It was especially challenging in the wintertime, when the Southeastern Montana cold crept in across my floor.
My mother would come to my door (likely for the third or fourth time) and say,
“Darlin’ girl, just put one foot on the ground.”
Her assumption was that the rest of me would follow the progress of my right foot.
And she was right. I just had to remember how to get started.
So whatever you’re doing today–risk just stepping out.
Whether you lead with your left or right is up to you, but once you find that there is solid ground beneath that foot, momentum will build.
Some days, our boldest move may seem to be getting out of bed. Other times, maybe we’ll be bold enough to pursue a new career, a new relationship or just to rock our convictions with a bold new act of forgiveness.
Here’s to sticking your foot out. Your neck will follow. Goodness will grow.

Wherever You Go, There You Are

… Click here for the rest of the postI’m back!
My adventure selling cars stretched from August 29th to November 30th. It was a lifetime and it was a blink. So it is with most of the experiences in our lives–whether we’re attempting to cling to each joyful moment, or find our way out of dark and heavy times. It all passes.
Many friends have anticipated hearing what I experienced in the past 90 days. Others are sure this was all research for a book on management styles.
The fact is, I’m not sure where to begin.  I have to sort through what may be relevant to you and what may require you to have “been there” to understand…like the night I fell in a hole showing two students from China a Nissan Maxima and seriously sprained my ankle, which resulted in being whisked away for a drug test…
On a personal level, I learned (or relearned, as I believe we all know it to be true) that when I am true to myself, I am my best. When I try to “improve” according to others standards, I

Good times. Bad times. What’s the difference?

When some little good thing happens in your life, do you celebrate? Do you say to yourself, “I can’t believe how many good things happen to me! I am so fortunate!!”
I ask because I think many of us process setbacks by adding them to a long list of Bad Stuff That’s Happened to Me that we quickly recite to our wounded spirits. We offer ourselves pity. We rant, “I sure as hell didn’t need THIS right now!” Or, as I’m known to say, “I didn’t need another character-building experience, thank you very much.”
If we objectively charted the moments of our days, we would find the good outnumber the bad. We just forget to celebrate the good with the same energy we expend on our frustrations.
If you allow bad news, difficult times or disappointment to send you back to your cave to lick your wounds…or to a friend to commiserate with you and validate how bad you have it…you will waste a lot of time. Scott Peck… Click here for the rest of the post said it best: Life is difficult.
When a basketball player misses

Connect to What Matters

It’s been raining here. The kind of weather that drives you inside to read, play games and to appreciate disconnecting. So, today is the perfect day to sit outside and enjoy the freshness that only a breeze off rain-washed cedar can provide.
But here I am, writing you. Why? Well, quite honestly, because I start to miss you, and I don’t want to drop out of community with you for long.
Here’s the news. None of you are as important to me as I let myself think. I know that your lives don’t really revolve around hearing from me. But sometimes, my ego let’s me think that might be true.
I know that I could stop writing.
…and we’d all be just fine. But the communication age is a tricky web of connectivity. Texting, email, tweeting, followers, subscribers, comments…all that feels really important–vital to our success, even–and all of it feels urgent.
Two bloggers I follow, Erica Allison and Mark Schaefer… Click here for the rest of the post have both wrestled lately with the addictive qualities of technology and social media tools. I have it a bit