Business Coaching
Someone from my family of origin who I was very close to growing up and trusted my whole life just isn’t that “best friend” and protector anymore. This person has betrayed my trust and behaved very badly.
It’s hard to acknowledge it when you see someone changing in front of your eyes, but life experiences can sometimes alter who they are to the point you don’t know them anymore. The person I knew is gone.
Dilemma.
A client called me recently. She wasn’t sure what to do. She’d made a special offer for a complimentary session on her blog.
I have to tell one on myself.
I noticed recently that my response to suggested changes in the way we were doing things or plans we had in place had become an automatic no.
Let me ask you a personal question.
What do you have to do to prove yourself in this life? What’s required of you?
Do you have to behave a certain way? Do you have to accomplish something notable?
Have you ever offended someone without meaning to? Well, read on. The screw-up in our second story today takes the cake.
When my partner Tom’s brother, Jim, was just a little guy, their mother told him about the tradition of certain Native American tribes.
If someone admires something of yours, it was considered the gracious and generous thing to do to give it to them.
She’d related the information as an interesting bit of information without really thinking what effect it might have on a five year old.
It wasn’t good.
Jerry Seinfeld’s a funny guy. That said, I’ll bet you could name several comedians you think are funnier.
But can you name any who are richer?
No, you can’t, because he’s by far the richest. So how did he get so rich?
Please, don’t worry so much. Because in the end, none of us have very long on this Earth. Life is fleeting. And if you’re ever distressed, cast your eyes to the summer sky when the stars are strung across the velvety night. And when a shooting star streaks through the blackness, turning night into day, make a wish, and think of me. Make your life spectacular.
– Robin Williams from the movie Jack
Would you ever want to give someone the impression you don’t really need or want their business? Of course not!
But, could you be doing this unwittingly? Hmmm …
Now what would possibly give people the impression you’re not all that interested in serving them?
Fumbling. Bumbling.
That’s what happens when you try to go fast, and instead of gaining an advantage, you wind up in worse shape than if you’d taken your time.
Let’s say you want something. You get 89% of what you asked for. How would you feel?
Pleased? Upset? Which would you focus on? The 89% you gained or the 11% you came up short?
I know it depends on the circumstances and how attached you are to reaching your original goal.
In my case, I was very attached. I wanted to lose weight … 83 pounds to be exact.
They’re so cute and so funny.
We just took a trip to Charleston on the South Carolina coast, spending several days on the beach at Sullivan’s Island.
And if you get there around mid-morning, there are lots of little ones on the beach … from tiny babies to toddlers.
It’s really the highlight of a day on the beach to watch them in their little bathing suits with their pudgy arms and legs and sunhats.
What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want your legacy to be? In what way do you want to leave the world a better place?
And some are Maybes.
Let’s say you have someone who’s expressed interest in your professional offerings. You’ve talked with them, and they’re impressed by you and intrigued by the possibility of working together. Sure enough, they may want to hire you.
Cool. But they’re not sure. Let’s say they’re a definite “Maybe.” Never mind why exactly.
So, what do you do? Do you …
Our sweet kitty cat, Tootsie, died on February 7. She was 18.
I still “see” her everywhere around the house. She was my constant companion for as long as I’ve lived here. I got her from the pound when she was just a baby kitten. She was the loudest one of the litter, mewing constantly, trying to climb up the cage, insisting that I take her home.
I did. She fit in my hand.
