Embrace the Paradox

Embrace the Paradox

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” — Albert Einstein Things can be simple and easy if we let them. Also living and learning the lessons that expand our horizons have a touch of complexity as well. Decisions are not always binary: Yes or no....
To Retire or not to Retire

To Retire or not to Retire

“Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.” — Sterling K. Brown   My writing about not retiring and becoming a...
Being Unretired Comes With New Titles

Being Unretired Comes With New Titles

“In case you’re worried that you’re too oldto pursue your dreams,Frank Lloyd Wright completed 1/3 of his life’s workbetween the ages of 80 and 92.” — Unknown On Memorial Day this year, the organization that I founded celebrated its 37th...
Still Ruminating

Still Ruminating

“When we were small children, we all played dress-up and everybody had a good time. So why stop?” — Iris Apfel The conversations I am having about the concept of being ‘unretired’ are stirring up all sorts of trails of thought to follow. I realized during...
Joining the Ranks of the Unretired

Joining the Ranks of the Unretired

“Fight for the things that you care about,but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg I am and am not a joiner of groups. I like to facilitate groups and love being in a community. However, you might find this surprising...
Life Delivers Lessons

Life Delivers Lessons

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. All is riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson One of the constants of life is that there will be many lessons to be learned. And many opportunities to learn them....
The COVID Coverup

The COVID Coverup

“I learnt lessons at every step of life.COVID-19 pandemic was the examination.And Innovation will be the new normal.” ― Omkar More I don’t have the answers, but I do have many questions and observations. Perhaps we can discover some solutions together. We have changed...
Chasing Eclipses

Chasing Eclipses

“When the sun and the moon cycles come together, that’s been a really important moment for many civilizations.” — Tok Thompson I was standing on the shore of Lake Erie with friends and neighbors when the moon blocked the sun, and the noise grew quiet. I can still feel...

Releasing the Feelings

“His jargon conceals, from him, but not from us, the deep, empty hole in his mind. He uses technological language as a substitute for technique.” — Richard Mitchell,“Less Than Words Can Say” Words and experiences aren’t in your lexicon until you run across them. Many...
Like a Dog with a Bone

Like a Dog with a Bone

“The difference between people who believe they have books inside of them and those who actually write books is sheer cussed persistence.” — Jennifer Weiner I have a reputation for being persistent. It is an important quality in my life. I think living through...
What Are You Saying Yes to?

What Are You Saying Yes to?

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.” — Steven Spielberg   A colleague invited me to speak to her class of college juniors and seniors who were practicing...

Are You Pulling Together or Pulling Apart?

  “The harder we worked to convince each other that our way was the right way,the further away we got from understanding each other.We were pulling apartinstead of pulling together.” — They Just Don’t Get It,” p 97   I am a practitioner at heart. What do I...
Gardening My Inner Landscape

Gardening My Inner Landscape

  “I can do anything I set my mind to.Watch me.”   ― Pippi Longstocking • Is there a message from a childhood book that is seared into your brain? While reading a colleague’s post about leadership, what danced into my head was the very memorable phrase from the...
Learning the Benefits of Breaking Away

Learning the Benefits of Breaking Away

Aging gracefully is an art, Aging disgracefully is an Absolute Blast! — Unknown Here is a statement for your imagination: Can you imagine sixteen, mid-life women, who don’t know each other, traveling from all corners of the United States, living together, and...
No Regrets

No Regrets

“The inspiration you seek, is already in you.Be silent and listen.” — Rumi I spent most of January battling a virus and then struggling with our healthcare system. For this first month of a new year, the dogs and I were getting sick, being sick, seeking care,...
Once You Know, You Can’t Unknow

Once You Know, You Can’t Unknow

  “Fatigue is the price of leadership.Mediocrity is the price of never getting tired.” — J. Oswald Sanders Many days end with a conversation with a tired leader. I seem to be talking to many tired people these days and I love to support leaders who are...
Going Out into the World Again

Going Out into the World Again

“Meantime, life outside goes on all around you.” — Bob Dylan   Though I have been traveling during 2023 — and in the months and year before this — I have not been flying on planes or attending big conferences for a long time. 9/11 changed us forever and the...
Brothers

Brothers

“That girl wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore,but sometimes you don’t get to choose who you are.”― Catherine McKenzie   My family had a secret it kept. I did not learn of this secret until I was a teenager. It was like a ghost in our home. The event and the...
When I . . .

When I . . .

  “Don’t simply retire from something;have something to retire to.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick Have you ever said….’When I ……’ • Graduate• Marry• Have children• Become an empty-nester• Have this amount of money saved• Sell my...
Choosing the Right Gear

Choosing the Right Gear

 “ Life is like a ten-speed bicycle.Most of us have gears we never use.” — Charles M. Schulz I was happy to be invited to speak at a monthly safety council meeting in Cleveland. I am always up for a conversation about safety. Though, you might wonder why a consultant...
My Complicated Life

My Complicated Life

“I’m a problem solver. I love people. The more complicated they are, the more I get into them, and I just want to understand what makes them tick.” — Paul Walker I am a very goal and activity-oriented person. Action is my preferred gear. I need to be...
Where is Home?

Where is Home?

“Dwelling on the past only blinds you to the future. Missing home is natural, but embrace the present and create a new place that feels just as comforting.” — Dale Carnegie I have just returned from five days committed to being in a different environment with...
Still Crazy After All These Years

Still Crazy After All These Years

“Now I sit by my window and I watch the cars.I fear I’ll do some damage one fine day.But I would not be convicted by a jury of my peers.Still crazy after all these years.” — Paul Simon This morning I stepped both back and forward in time while using...
Back in the Saddle, Again

Back in the Saddle, Again

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength— carrying two days at once.It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time.Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow,it empties today of its strength.” — Corrie ten Boom This past week I found myself picking up...
Are We Safe in a Safe Harbor?

Are We Safe in a Safe Harbor?

“A ship is safe in the harbor, But that’s not what ships are built for.” — Gael Attal While I was enjoying a well-needed vacation — one that really caused me to let go and disconnect — I still managed to compose a blog. In my last one, I told you I was on an...
The Best Definition of Friendship

The Best Definition of Friendship

“I learned that a friend may be waitingbehind a stranger’s face.”  Maya Angelou It is a good morning when your day starts with a phone call from someone with whom you share the same values, interests, and intentions. Many of my friendships start with one kind of...
The Risk and Impact of Isolation

The Risk and Impact of Isolation

“All things are subject to interpretation.Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche   Researchers report: Civility isn’t just in decline, it is disappearing. Because we are losing...
Who Am I?

Who Am I?

“Who am I really? What have I done? What is important and meaningful to me? What difference does it make that I have lived? What does it mean to be truly human, and where am I on that scale?” — Morrie Schwartz     The Wisdom of Morrie:Living and Aging Creatively and...
What Simple Fun Teaches

What Simple Fun Teaches

Fun itself hasn’t changed — the nature of work has changed and will continue to change.But fun is fun, as much fun now as it was then.Forever.” — Bernard DeKoven, “The Playful Path” A Playful Path is the shortest road to happiness. — the Oaqui   I love stories...
Team Chaos!!!

Team Chaos!!!

“Chaos was the law of nature;Order was the dream of man.Chaos often breeds life,when order breeds habit.” — Henry Adams   More than one dog is a pack. I have five smaller dogs, 4 French Bulldogs and an English Bulldog. They have been given a nickname...
More Fun with a Partner

More Fun with a Partner

“It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too)those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” — Charles Darwin I believe that everyday experiences and formative life experiences are good fodder for building...
Discovering More Gears

Discovering More Gears

“More coal, more smoke, more heat,more steam, more pressure, more speed. ― Martin R. Jackson I have operated with several gears for most of my life. Gears is my metaphor for my work/lifestyles that I move in with ease. Life and work require us to have a full range of...
The Caregiver Syndrome

The Caregiver Syndrome

“Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters.” — Amy Leigh Mercree   My recent health challenges have caused me to be even more reflective than I am normally. In sharing my experience with a...
Gratitude and Breath

Gratitude and Breath

 “They’re funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you’re having them.” — Eeyore, “The House at Pooh Corner”   When I tested myself today, COVID still registered positive. I will have to relearn how to mask — and take things more...
Late to the Game

Late to the Game

Drawing by Kei Acedera © Disney Productions “I’m late, I’m lateFor a very important date.No time to say hello, good-bye,I’m late, I’m late, I’m late” ― The White Rabbit March 27 had been circled on my calendar for months....
Two sides of the same coin: Love and Grief

Two sides of the same coin: Love and Grief

“A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than it loves itself.” ― Josh Billings My Facebook page shares with me the posts from previous years. Each day I visit the label called ‘Memories’ to view what was happening in my life on this day from...
Unraveling the secrets to love, relationships, and marriage

Unraveling the secrets to love, relationships, and marriage

Many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone. Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” ― Bell Hooks   No — I am not building a dating...
For better, for worse

For better, for worse

  “I used to think that the worst thing in lifewas to end up all alone. It’s not.The worst thing in life is ending upwith people who make you feel all alone.” — Robin Williams I have no experience being a married person. I have not yet fulfilled that commitment....
Food, Mood, and Learning

Food, Mood, and Learning

“Lunch should consist of at least1/3 relationship-building talk.If you don’t have time for business talk,it was a very successful lunch.” — Jeffrey Gitomer One of my favorite things to do is to connect with someone over a shared meal. Yesterday...
What’s in a (Nick)Name?

What’s in a (Nick)Name?

“Titles are but nicknames, and every nickname is a title.” — Thomas Paine   What do you think about nicknames? Have you ever given someone a nickname? Did they know? Did that nickname carry a positive, negative, or neutral theme? What was your...
Rememeber When?

Rememeber When?

“The bad news is time flies.The good news is you’re the pilot.” — Michael Altshuler Do you find yourself having conversations that reflect on things in the past? Remember when we used the fax machine? Remember landline phones with cords? Can you remember your...
Time is the Equalizer

Time is the Equalizer

Time is the most undefinableyet paradoxical of things;the past is gone,the future is not come,and the present becomes the past,even while we attempt to define it.” — Charles Caleb Colton For years I have maintained this reflective habit. When given the gift of time...
Embracing the Ache

Embracing the Ache

“I like the pace of my world. It’s busy, but for me, the less I do the lazier I get.” ― Hoda Kotb   This morning I found myself smiling as I bustled through the morning routines that have been made complicated by the acquisition of two new little French...
Fraying at the Edges

Fraying at the Edges

“Big stress or little stress—your body reacts the same way. The human body doesn’t differentiate between major or minor stress. Regardless of the catalyst, a typical stress reaction floods the body with a wave of 1,400 biochemical events. If this happens too...
Predictable Habits and Rituals

Predictable Habits and Rituals

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle   My Myers-Briggs-Type-Inventory personality style assessment is spot on. I am an ENFP. Let me explain for those who are not as enthusiastic about style assessments as I am....
No Brief Candle

No Brief Candle

“My father would tell me that there is a plan for me. My mother still tells me that all of my dreams will come true someday. Their hair is now as white as flames on candles. Wonder if they got everything that they wanted in life? Theirs is the greatest achievement of...
What Happens After Hello?

What Happens After Hello?

Mostly, it is loss which teaches us about the worth of things. — Arthur Schopenhauer   Recently, I complicated my life again, but in a good way. My most senior dog and working companion, Buddha Bear the Brindle Boxer, developed a brain tumor. When his seizures...
Trends Part Two

Trends Part Two

“The ability for a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people can pull together as a team.” — Simon Sinek   So, yesterday, I left you with a bunch of questions about what trends you’ve noticed recently. And asked how they...
Trends Part One

Trends Part One

“Unless commitment is made,there are only promises and hopes;but no plans.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson   I meet with a group of colleagues each month. Recently we were discussing the trends we were personally experiencing as well as those we see developing...
When my best self gets lost

When my best self gets lost

  “There is no elevator to success.You have to take the stairs.” — Zig Ziglar My intention every day is to be my best self in every interaction. I don’t always succeed in my goal.At the end of this week, while I was talking on an early morning call...
Wyrd

Wyrd

The World Wide Web is another interwoven network and a well-named one.It is truly a web of almost endlessly interconnecting nodules (of which this page is one)linked together by invisible strands of electronic connectivity.This page has existed, waiting for you. You...
Choice Starts with a Spark and Intention

Choice Starts with a Spark and Intention

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.” — Albert Schweitzer Recently, I was honored to...
Unexpected Doors

Unexpected Doors

“You have to come to your closed doorsbefore you get to your open doors.”—  Joel Osteen​   I have started to travel again. Though I am rusty in my pre-trip preparations, I am like a kid in a candy store with the discovery of the changes that have...
Me and My Shadow

Me and My Shadow

  “It is only through shadows that one comes to know the light.” — St. Catherine of Siena Do you have someone with whom you can talk without restraint? Someone with whom you can sort your thoughts, share your frustrations and unfiltered concerns? Does...