When the Marathon Becomes a Triathlon

When the Marathon Becomes a Triathlon

  “Normal life is highly structured for most people. This is because of the routine ofgoing to work, social interactions, and the like. The loss of these rhythms means thatwe are almost lost in time because we don’t have our usual cuesto what day it is, or...
The Power of Narratives

The Power of Narratives

“We use narrative to label the lens through which the storyline is told.I hear about narratives everywhere I go.” — Leslie Yerkes   When I was in school, a narrative was a literary term associated with the storyline of a book. To be a narrator is to be the...
Boundaries and Balance

Boundaries and Balance

“When we are no longer able to change a situation,we are challenged to change ourselves.” ― Viktor Frankl This morning I succeeded at maintaining a commitment to myself that I had previously let fall off my schedule. For the first time in many months, I...
Highs and Lows

Highs and Lows

“In the darkest of times, have faith and ask for support,and the light of hope, friendship, and help will appear. “ — Leslie Yerkes   I don’t have too many seriously emotionally hard weeks. I am not afraid of hard work or challenging situations. This week,...
Is Anything Weighing Heavy on Your Mind?

Is Anything Weighing Heavy on Your Mind?

“We can wait out the stormOr we can stand in the rain.Gonna have to mournOr hide from some pain. It weighs heavyOn my mind.So heavyOn my mind.” — “Heavy on My Mind”Mavis Staples I know, what a silly question to ask as we are eighteen-plus...
The Rusty Road Warrior

The Rusty Road Warrior

“The mind can go either direction under stress— toward positive or toward negative: on or off. Think of it as a spectrum whose extremes are unconsciousness at the negative end and hyperconsciousness at the positive end. The way the mind will lean under stress is...
More Complicated or Enriched?

More Complicated or Enriched?

“Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life. — James Cromwell Before the end of October, I will be adding a new responsibility to my life. I don’t need to make this life change, but...
Putting it out there. Again.

Putting it out there. Again.

“She tugged and pulled and pulled and tugged and slowly, slowly, slowly, they started off.”   — Watty Piper “The Little Engine That Could”   Today I will be making my first speech since the onset of the Pandemic. I trust that the venue and protocols...
The Dog Days of Summer

The Dog Days of Summer

“We learned that trying is not nearly as good as doing. So I don’t settle for “I’m trying.” But the most important lesson was this: When you make a promise, keep it.” Beej in “Lost, Found, and Forever.” Leslie Yerkes & Randy Martin Are these the dog...
Slowing Down, Looking Up

Slowing Down, Looking Up

“Anyone who stops learning is old,whether at twenty or eighty.Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ― Henry Ford This reflection was written in the winter of 2020 pre-pandemic when life seemed simpler and I was on a vacation to beat all vacations. Yet, the lessons...
Push, Pull, Tug of War

Push, Pull, Tug of War

  “Don’t wait for anyone to push you up, push yourself up; don’t wait for anyone to pull you up, pull yourself up!    — Mehmet Murat ildan   While walking my dogs, first on the shores of Lake Erie and then back along the sidewalk, I noticed something. The...
Change is Happening

Change is Happening

“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.”   — Deepak Chopra After college, I was working in a field I loved, doing what I loved. I enjoyed every day of work...
Off Road

Off Road

“Self-reflection entails asking yourself questions about your values, assessing your strengths and failures, thinking about your perceptions and interactions with others, and imagining where you want to take your life in the future.” — Robert L. Rosen I spent the last...
Be a Helper

Be a Helper

  “My goal in life? Be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am. ” — Unknown I was raised in Pittsburgh and we watched “Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.” So I’m certain his counsel to “Be a Helper” entered my psyche over time. However, I believe...
Coming Out of Our Shells

Coming Out of Our Shells

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg,not smashing it.” ― Arnold H. Glasow   This week, I shared with several clients my observation that right now people are like papier-mâché eggs. While this concept does...
Formative Experiences

Formative Experiences

“Rescue meOh take me in your armsRescue meI want your tender charms’Coz I’m lonely and I’m blueI need you and your love tooCome on and rescue me.” — “Rescue Me” by Aretha Franklin   What experiences of your life...
Currently Lost

Currently Lost

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford   Today at breakfast — while coaching a friend and former client — I found that what I had been discovering in my life...
Like a Low-Grade Fever

Like a Low-Grade Fever

“Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get warmer.” —  Anita Krizzan   We are emerging from the short, dark days of winter. With each day — which is now lighter, longer, and warmer — we are reminded of our resiliency. In my...
The Unwritten Rule

The Unwritten Rule

“In a wicked world, relying upon experience from a single domain is not only limiting, it can be disastrous.” — David Epstein For my entire career, I have been working to create, nurture, and reclaim the cultures of the organizations and leaders whom I...
How many hats?

How many hats?

We all wear different hats, wear various face-masks, every day under different situations and variable environments. Deep down, we all want the grasp of the hats and face-masks to get loosened so that we ourselves can find our true existence. — Subhashis Biswas  ...
At What Speed are You Traveling?

At What Speed are You Traveling?

“Slow down, you move too fast You got to make the morning last Just kicking down the cobblestones Looking for fun and feeling groovy Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy.” ― Paul Simon “The 59th Street Bridge Song”   As you make your way...
I learned today I am not so alone

I learned today I am not so alone

“When the wind blows in your face, when you feel you are losing your head, when the going gets tough, and when all else fails, look inside you, you are not alone.” ― Malak El Halabi   I live alone. And I am occasionally lonely. During this pandemic, I have spent...
Labels, Names, and Titles

Labels, Names, and Titles

  ” Who am I this time?” — Harry Nash, in Kurt Vonnegut’s short story of the same name   I have never been attached to having a title. We as people are always labeling people by their age, gender, hometown and so much more. The power...
Your Invincible Summer?

Your Invincible Summer?

  “In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus Did anyone else run out of steam towards the end of the year 2020? Did you struggle to find the holiday cheer during a social distancing pandemic?...