The most inspirational message I read today came from Brene Brown who wrote “The Gift of Imperfection.” Her message, “Most compassionate people have the best boundaries.” Boundaries are the path to self-respect. Good boundaries say, “I choose self-love and self-respect over what you think of me or the possibility of disappointing you.”

Fear can and does stop us in life – from being ourselves, speaking our truth, and going for what we really want. But, when we remember with compassion that there’s nothing wrong with us for getting scared and when we’re willing to lean into our fears with vulnerability and boldness – we can literally transform them into something that catapults our growth and fulfillment in life

I heard a wonderful and inspirational message today that I wanted to share. Pull your weeds means getting rid of people in your life who are pulling you down, sucking all your energy with their negative and dysfunctional ways. Instead, surround yourself with people who you admire or want to emulate, who will bring positive energy into your life…thus, bringing you up, not pulling your down. You are influenced by those you associate with …ask yourself, is this the life I want, or, shall I pull my weeds and get the life I want. Now seize the day!

According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully related to truth as a value. This includes listening, and any action in the human repertoire, such as body language and tone used while speaking. The meaning of the word truth extends from honesty, good faith, and sincerity.
Honesty means simply stating facts and views as best one truly believes them to be. It includes both honesty to others, and to oneself and about one’s own motives and inner reality. Dishonesty, at times, has the ability to cause misfortune to the person who displayed it.
Isn’t it interesting that we judge ourselves by our intentions and judge others by their actions. Now go seize the day with truth and honesty!

What to do when life takes a turn that we don’t understand, nor are we happy about. What I find in life is that each of these turns helps us toward the spirituality we are craving…peace and harmony in our lives and the lives of those who surround us. I am thankful for the people in my life who have helped me through one of the roughest and most grievous turns in my life…the loss of my dear husband. It has been six years and the emptiness left in my heart and soul remains. I have learned that by doing these six (6) activities each day, your life gains some relevance and purpose once again. I wanted to share with each of you…
1. Walk or exercise 30 minutes each day.
2. Each morning, focus on five things that you are grateful for.
3. Make three (3) people smile today…yes, smile more and hug often.
4. Stay positive, in the present with energy, enthusiasm and empathy.
5. Talk to your family and friends often and send them messages that you are thinking of them.
6. Before bed, give thanks for…..whatever you succeeded in doing today.
And, if you don’t get all of these done today, that’s okay, too. Be kind to yourself. You are special just the way you are.

Fear can and does stop us in life – from being ourselves, speaking our truth, and going for what we really want. But, when we remember with compassion that there’s nothing wrong with us for getting scared and when we’re willing to lean into our fears with vulnerability and boldness – we can literally transform them into something that catapults our growth and fulfillment in life.

“Having No Goals” according to Kate Lorenz, Editor of Career Builder.com, is a fatal Career Move. Lorenz says, “Failure doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal, but in not having a goal to reach.” It is my belief that having goals applies to not only careers, but also life. Careers require professional goals. Life requires personal goals. Having both personal and professional goals result in a balanced and successful life. Lorenz says, “Eighty percent of your effectiveness comes from 20 percent of your activities.” Visualize your goals, write them down, and commit to daily activities. Prioritize and focus on those daily activities that will assist you in achieving your goals.

Fear is something that we all experience throughout our lives, especially on our journey toward deeper authenticity. Being who we really are, expressing ourselves honestly, being bold, and going for what we want in life can cause a great deal of fear in us.
I get scared all the time. When I was younger I thought there was something really wrong with me because I would get so nervous – in sports, in school, in social settings, and more. I now understand that everyone else experiences their own version of the same basic fears I have (being judged, making mistakes, looking bad, failing, disappointing others, and more). It’s just part of being human.
Many of us run away or hide from our fears because they seem scary, uncomfortable, or embarrassing. We also erroneously think we “shouldn’t” have them or that we are somehow “wrong” for feeling scared. However, most things that mean a lot to us in life don’t show up without any fear at all. And as we strive to live with authenticity, it’s inevitable that we’ll experience quite a bit of fear along the way.
The question isn’t whether or not we experience fear in our lives (because we all do and always will for as long as we live); the more important question for each of us to ask and answer is, how can I move through my fears in an honest way so they don’t stop me from being who I really am and going for what I truly want in life?

Several years ago, I completed a master’s thesis on Personal Mastery in Organizational Leadership in which I interviewed seven leaders in our industry who were considered successful by their peers. One of the common themes that emerged was the fact that successful leaders demonstrate caring and compassion for people. They show deep sympathy and empathy which is an intellectual or emotional identification with another; mutual understanding or affection; ability to share another’s ideas, emotions; to feel concerned about or interested in another.
Personal Mastery is defined as knowing who I am, how I come to believe what I believe, knowing me really well and how I filter things in the world. To get to know yourself, try working to bridge the gap between your own perception of Self and others’ perception of you. Because each of us knows who we are and we know what our motives are.
What I truly learned through the years is that these common themes not only apply to successful leaders, but also to successful people, no matter who you are or what you do.

Lorna Hines, a Real Estate Consultant, teaches and coaches effective and efficient dialogues for buying and selling homes. I wanted to repeat something that she said, “The power of negotiating is the ability to walk away; and, the skill of negotiating is never having to.” What a profound concept. I believe that the best negotiators are those who do not damage the relationship between the parties.

August of 2007 a few months prior to his death, I had the opportunity to have lunch and talk with Coach Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers who told me that his success came from the fact that he maintained relationships throughout his life, even when negotiating with others.