Posted on Wednesday, April 19, 2017

So you think you had a hard day at work? Talk to Louie…

Louis Zamperini, credit: NBC Los Angeles

I walked into the house, sighing as I drop my keys on the counter with a thud. It’s been a long day of grinding through reports, dealing with irritated customers, co-workers expounding on how management doesn’t understand the strain everyone is working under, given the prevailing atmosphere of economic uncertainty, prospective clients haven’t called back… and no one refilled the coffee pot. As I walk through the living room, my blood pressure climbs, caused by finding chewed up scraps of paper strewn across the floor. Bending down I realize that my five-pound alarm systems (also referred to as miniature Pomeranians and sometimes devil children) have found page 3 of a report that I had been searching for but apparently dropped. It has been a long, hard day.

Not compared to a day in the life of Louie Zamperini.

Posted on Thursday, April 13, 2017

The Power of the Pen, the Clock and the Spoken Word

Every now and then, someone comes along as an example of authentic leadership, whose keen insight into the hearts of others compels people to stretch the horizons of their possibilities. Every so often, someone shares a profound message that on the surface has value in business but if you allow, it can strengthen your foundation at home.

I was surprised when that introspective, tender-hearted, spirit filled “Yoda” turned out to be linebacker…

Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2016

2017: Ready to Follow the Early Explorers to Achieve Your Dreams?

I have often wondered what it might have felt like for the early explorers to set foot on new land, horizons yet to be discovered. As 2017 is about to unfold, can we follow in their footsteps and consider the New Year as uncharted territory waiting for you to discover the treasure to be found.

Will you follow in their steps?

Have a map

What success would they have had if the explorers left port, opened their sails to the wind without plotting a course, to be carried where the current would take them? Have you mapped out your direction for what you want to accomplish or are you drifting into the year hoping the current will be kind to you.

New destinations or same rut

The explorers bravely sought new doors to open, which literally changed the face of the world. Do you have a “reach” goal to pursue, something that makes the heart pound when you think of obtaining it? Adrenalin inspires creativity.

What are you committed to?

A waiter once asked what was the difference between bacon and eggs. In the process of reaching my breakfast table, it was pointed out the chicken is involved, the pig is committed. The explorers, rather by sea or land, left fueled with a commitment that discovered majestic mountains, mighty rivers, endless oceans and spectacular ice caps. Think of what you can achieve by committing to new actions.

When I push myself to take action, something magical happens. – Nely Galan Media Mogul

2017 is a blank page, waiting for you to craft your story. It can be a special journey. The ride is quite simple if you focus on taking 5 steps each week. Can’t wait to hear what you discover along the way.

Need Help Building Your

2017 Action Plan?

Are you tired of chasing problems instead of developing strategies that drive you toward your goals?

Click here for info on a special one day workshop

Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Choice of Focus

Each morning a battle rages as my eyes open, signaling the start of a new day. One eye stares at the clock trying to determine if night had truly ended and morning arrived or is my brain still slightly in a dream state. As I muster the energy to throw at least one foot over the side of the bed, it starts. The most crucial conversation of the day begins…it’s the one that is taking place in between my own ears, consisting of the thoughts I convey to myself.

Psychologists believe we have as many as 70,000 thoughts in a day. Given there are only 86,400 seconds in a 24 hour period, the mind controls the flow of traffic, streaming information, data, and visions at warp speed for my psyche to process. Studies have shown that up to 80% of the deluge coming at me is negative in nature rather than positive. I find this frustrating as it is not intentional or even requested. So given the miraculous power of the brain, how do I win the war?

If you met Mike Scimemi, you’d find the answer. Mike was

Posted on Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Social Media Is Only a Contact Sport

Connectivity…

You finally did it! The perfect lamp that both accents the room and casts just the right amount of light rests next to the couch. The one shrouded elegantly, yet with warmth by a shade matching the accent colors of the small stitches in the sofa. This is not an inexpensive piece, it is unique and the result of countless hours of planning and talking and searching.

Yet, it sits in the corner, pale and shadowy, adding nothing to the room. Frustrated you stomp over to see why this rare find has no energy. As you trace the cord running from its base you find that somehow no one has plugged your treasure into the electrical outlet. With a simple flick of the wrist power flows and the beauty created by its Maker radiates, filling the room.

The same is true of the people who choose to follow us. Without connection, they will never become what they were intended to be.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief architect of FaceBook, is on a mission to connect the population of the world via the internet. His zeal for technology, along with the creators of LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media outlets, provide a valuable tool for us to establish and maintain contact with family, long lost friends as well as be stalked by total strangers. What is missing from their algorithms and equations is

Posted on Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Will You Open the Door?

Saturday night I peered through a door opened over 30 years ago. On stage Faith Ayers “brought down the house” at a concert at Ovations, an intimate nightclub in Houston. I sat mesmerized by the power of her voice, captivating the room with her heart and soul. Memories of an eighth-grade young girl bouncing in the door of the youth room at our church flooded my mind. Faith and her sister Amy circled the room in seconds, then bolted out the door. Our journey together, as she grew through the awkwardness of a teenager into an amazing young lady, included weekend activities, summer trips and countless small conversations about “stuff”. Her voice was quiet; her heart was loud. Faith occasionally asked questions, mainly listened. Pondered.

Her spirit grew stronger as she took on life. Music became an outlet to express herself, to process the complexity of deep emotion that welled up in her. After 9/11, while chairing a statewide conference for the recruiting industry I asked Faith to open our sessions singing 2 songs: one spiritual, one patriotic. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I made in preparing the event. She again “brought down the house”. Jim Jacobus, our keynote speaker’s first words were:

Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2016

The Choice of Focus

H. G. Well’s “The Time Machine” is no longer fiction.

I found myself a Time Jumper into the dream my daughter, Nikki, has had repeated for 17 years. At 8 years of age, she turned to me on the way to school and confidently expressed “I’m going to be a vet when I am older.” She never wavered (except for the brief period she wrestled with being a Super Model or answering the switchboard at my office). Even during high school when I inadvertently crushed her heart by asking questions of pursuing alternate studies with a more liberal arts orientation, sending an unintended message that I doubted her abilities.

Today, she is in Arkansas working on an externship project with Texas A&M. I remember the day she walked across the stage to receive her Doctor’s white coat at a special ceremony at Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Each step carried its own message: confidence, joy and grace. For a brief moment, I was transported back to the earlier car ride when Nikki was 8 as I questioned her newly found career choice.

“When did you decide to become a Vet?” I asked with paternal curiosity.

As she stared out the car window, deep in thought she replied, “I saw how much they charged to give Benson (our dog) a shot.”

Having choked on the bill myself, I was curious. “How much would you charge?”

Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2016

A Four Letter Word Renews Me

I have a debilitating disease that throws off my focus, robs me of energy, pushes my attitude over the edge beyond cranky to insufferable. It is not Mono or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, rather one of the most common illnesses society faces today. My loved ones have diagnosed it as Blurriness from Busy-ness. The cure is produced not in pill or liquid form but in a four letter word: REST.

The hectic pace and demands at work and home create a yearning for more time, more space. Yet the answer is not in MORE, it is