Too often, my dreams and my deeds are two, That create a disconnect and an inner feud. I go looking for relief from the weight of things undone, And find a pathway where dreams and deeds are one.* After I wrote my last post, “Hold Fast to Your Dreams,” I realized there’s more that needs to be said and done. […]
Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. — Langston Hughes, 1902—1967 Life has a way of wearing us down and keeping us so distracted that our dreams get left behind and unfulfilled. What do you want to […]
Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” — Groucho Marx […]
Every day we need messages that encourage us to press on and live with grit. Storms blow. Life gets hard. Craziness happens. We say yes too many times and the result in stress and overwhelm. When I read what you’re about to read, it reminded me of who I am. The author, Jon Gordon, penned […]
“Worst Day Ever?” is a poem attributed to 11th grader Chanie Gorkin of Brooklyn, New York. It has been making the rounds on the internet and I thought was worth sharing, if you haven’t read it. The poem captures a worldview that is far too common, but be ready for an interesting twist at the […]
Years ago, at the great Bolshoi Ballet, auditions for the troupe were conducted among 8-year-old girls. That’s because it took ten years to become great. How did the auditions work? The teachers weren’t looking for the best dancers. They were looking for the dancers who took coaching the best. The rest would come with time. […]
There’s a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went. When he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. As he passed through life, he lubricated all the […]
There is a legend that tells of a German baron who, at his castle on the Rhine, stretched wires from tower to tower, that the winds might convert them into an Aeolian harp. And the soft breezes played about the castle, but no music was born. But one night there arose a great tempest, and […]
Thank you is a phrase that has the power to transform our health, happiness, and inner state of mind and heart. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. A state of gratitude, according to research by the Institute of HeartMath, improves the heart’s rhythmic functioning, which helps us […]
This is the talk I gave at the fall TEDxAbbotsford event. In it I tell my story of how I found opportunity in the midst of adversity. My desire is that this video will inspire you to see adversity as something with the potential to bring transformation in your life and in those you touch. […]