Courage is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. And in our increasingly fearful world, it's a muscle we must practice daily. Here's 7 ways to help you do just that. Of course while fear often gets a bad rap, without it our cave dwelling ancestors...
"First say to yourself what would you BE, and then do what you have to DO." - Epiticus It's great to focus on what you want to accomplish in the year ahead. Habits you want to start. Or quit. Goals you want to achieve. Changes you want to make. Money you want to earn....
When I met Teresa while running a leadership program at her company, she was miserable in her job as a risk analyst and had been for over 12 months. A year earlier she had applied for more senior position in her firm. When it was given to a less experienced analyst,...
I’ve been doing a lot of rejigging of plans this week. I had big plans for a jam packed trip to the US in a few weeks, including day in Vegas to speak at a leadership conference. Due to some pretty major stuff that’s happened with the client organization, the event...
When I was living in Washington D.C., I landed a regular advice segment on the national cable show RLTV (Retirement Living TV). I knew their market was 'seniors' but I recall shuddering when the producer defined seniors as "50 plus". While I was further from 50 then...
Do not waste time focusing on the gifts or good luck of others. Focus only on making the most of your own. One of my favorite images from the Olympics was of South African Chad Le Clos in the 200m butterfly final glancing across to his arch rival Michael Phelps in the...
If you study history, you will find that all stories of great success are also stories of great triumph over adversity. But often we overlook the setbacks and only see the end success. We think the person got lucky: “He/she must have been at the right place at the right time.” Or maybe they were just really smart. Or talented. Or well connected. But that’s all bunk. While it may have been a little bit of each, what ultimately led to their success was their refusal to allow their setbacks and failures to define them.
When our guide came by our tent shortly after 3 AM to wake us up to begin the climb up Mt Kilimanjaro I’d already been awake for some time. The sleeping bags we’d rented for our week hiking to the rooftop of Africa weren’t quite up to the sub-zero temperatures so...
“Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause and contributes to a good life.” - Sir Richard Branson Maverick. Risk taker. Rebel. Trailblazing tycoon. Billionaire buccaneer. Adventurer. Disruptor. Sir Richard Branson has been called all these and many...
In recent months I’ve spent time with several people going through a tough time and struggling to hold on to hope and stay optimistic. Depression is tapping at the door of a few. I know there have been times over the years I’ve felt that way myself. When my brother...
"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." Viktor E. Frankl, Holocaust Survivor "What's the good of hate. It only ruins you," Saba Feniger said to me as she recounted her arrival at Auschwitz and surviving the Nazi...
Not long ago a woman in her 40s approached me after a speaking at her company’s annual conference to ask my advice on how to have a ‘courageous conversation’ with a colleague. After our conversation she said, “Before we talked I’d been quite intimidated by you. I...
It seems like every day that something pops up on my news-feed telling me how to 'think myself happy.' It's become a cultural preoccupation. But the illusion that we can live with a permanent smiley face does sadness a big disservice. Because while sadness and grief...
Growing up my mum always told me, "Margaret Mary, never compare yourself to others. It makes you either vain or bitter." It was good advice but, like all good advice, far easier said than done. Let’s face most of we mere mortals can be a bit insecure in our own worth...
I’ve clocked up a lot of air miles over the last six months and stayed in more hotel rooms than I care to count. I didn’t plan it that way but I’ve had some amazing opportunities (like the chance to spend a week with Richard Branson) that I just couldn’t turn down. A...
I recall once holding on to a pair shoes that made my feet ache every time I wore them for no other reason than I paid a lot for them. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid. I only remember thinking, “I need to get my money’s worth!” What about you? Ever stayed the...
“Your children are not your children. They are sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth....
Albert Einstein once said that our problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking at which they were created. It’s a powerful quote because, let’s face it, life is one long stream of “problems.” And in our increasingly uncertain and pressure-laden lives,...
We are all creatures of habit. The challenge is to create habits of thought and behavior that fuel our success and happiness, not stifle it. Indulge me for just a moment before reading further. Just cross your arms and once you have, uncross them and re-cross them the...
If you've never backed your car into a garage door, then I can highly recommend against it. However having done just that earlier this week, I can tell you that beating yourself does little to help. My latest blog & home-cooked video message (complete with all its...
