3 Public Speaking Hacks
“Your bullet points will only take you so far. As a matter of fact, even the best note takers still do not retain more than 10% of what your communicate to them. Your information should be good but when speaking, your body language and your perceived goals are what do the talking.”
Shoe Swap: Empathy in Action
“Practically speaking, empathy requires us to act with and on purpose. The key to unlocking more empathy in our relationships is to be planned without being forced. If our goal is anything but to grow as a person and learn about another - it’ll be sniffed out from a mile a way…”
Shoe Swap: Why Empathy Matters
It’s likely that we can all look back on situations where we wish we would have seen things from a different perspective. It’s also likely that we can look back on situations where we wish we had focused more on the person instead of the problem.
Empathy is the key ingredient to looking back on the next situations with fewer regrets and more peace.
Shoe Swap: What is Empathy?
“We all have moments where we sincerely desire for people to be more empathic towards us. We all have moments where we sincerely disregard being empathic towards others. That’s why this conversation is crucial. Learning to swap shoes with the people we interact with can change our personal and professional relationships for the better.”
2 Keys to Legacy Building
“Far too often, when people ask me, “How are you?” my answer has sounded like “I’m okay” or “I’m tired.”
It makes me cringe just thinking about it. The reality is, those are both true, honest answers in those moments. But my goodness is that how I want to be remembered? I’m okay. I’m tired.
When I take into consideration the tools of storytelling, I want to curl up in a ball when I read those statements as part of my character development.
How many endearing characters in the latest book you read are described as okay and tired?”
When Limits Are Lethal
“I’m not asking you to become a religious-zealot and love everyone on the planet without limitation. I’m also not asking you to start tolerating any sort of abuse or mistreatment… My questions come from observations and genuine concern. When I look across social gatherings or around on social media, there is so much hate. Some of it seems warranted. The majority of it does not. It appears as if one headline, one social media post, one comment can be enough to establish our lines that we won’t cross. That is a problem.”
One Daily Question
“Our lives don’t always need drastic changeover. They need a simple, small decision to move 1% closer to where we want to be.”
How to Outlast a Trend
“ We’re all imitating something… Whether its the way we grew up or the exposure we’ve had, we all have trends we imitate. And with so much vying for our attention, it’s important for us to recognize who and what we are following.”
Reflections on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“…Racism. Discrimination. Hate. The list goes on and so do these movements. They live in our hearts, in our minds, in our biases, in our privileges, and if not carefully addressed, they could be what we pass on to our children and those within our layers of influence…”
A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way.
“Count your blessings” is a nice saying that probably sells a lot on pillows at Hobby Lobby. As cheesy as it is - it’s also a saying that brings a lot of meaning. Being grateful doesn’t come naturally for most of us. It’s a learned trait. The power of gratefulness is worth the effort. There have been studies done on what it does to improve your overall mood and health…
3 Secrets to Progress.
…Consistency and sustainability are more than just buzz words. To be consistent, we need to have discipline. To be sustainable, our target needs to be attainable. In order for both of these to happen, we need to measure how we progress…
A New Approach To A New Year
…Most of our goals fail because there’s not a clear process laid out in which we were set up to succeed. Any of us can write what we want to do on a board - Few of us (less than 8%) put a plan in place to make it happen…
How to respond to tragedy
Two weeks ago today, there was a devastating school shooting a few towns over from where we live… In the moments following trauma, there are two words I want to share with you that have been helpful to me…
3 Truths About Change
Am I not a fan of change? It’s a fair question. I would argue (with no current facts to back my opinion) that most people would say they don’t oppose change. I would also argue (with no current facts to back my opinion) that most people who say that don’t oppose change live like they are drastically opposed to change. So now what?
1000 days.
I remember having thoughts, ideas, empathy and compassion for those inside the foster care system. But it’s hard to say, “I understand” until you’re crying in the back of a court room over the life of child and family.
Stop cleaning up the mess.
“Often times, this scenario manifests as an illustration for our nagging struggles. We “fix” things (I say loosely) for the moment but we haven’t contained the source. Without containing the source, the problem is destined to return.”
How To Not Labor In Vain
Too many of us wander through our days without an enthusiasm for what we get to do. I’m not going to pretend there’s no such thing as a bad job because that’s just not true. Whatever your situation, I want to share a few introspective thoughts on laboring.
How To View Your Day As A Story
Your story has value and no one else owns it. Your story has beauty and you have the opportunity to put it centerstage.
3 Ways To Protect Your Time
“When we overload our calendars, it spreads us thin. Odds are, we are not doing anything very well, but we’re probably doing okay or good at a lot of things. And I don’t want to be remembered or thought of as just getting by. I want to do things intentionally, diligently, and exceptionally. The reality is, I can’t do that when I overload my commitments.”
A Winning Strategy For Your Next Goal
Share what you are working on. “Where there is no accountability, there is no responsibility.” - someone smarter than me. Motivation can often be stirred on by knowing someone is going to ask you the simple question, “how’s it going?”
