Are You Living Someone Else's Dream?
Why do you do what you do? What drives you? Are you living out your dream or someone else’s? We once had a client we were grooming for his big moment in Nashville. He was an aspiring country singer with a voice that immediately captured the hearts of anyone who heard him. As a result, we’d managed to secure a meeting for a potential record deal for him. This was going to be the start of an amazing path forward—a career that he had previously described as being one of his prim
How Your Feelings Shape Your Future
In a recent article for Forbes, contributor, Joseph Folkman, shares how a well-communicated vision can truly inspire employees. To make his point, Folkman tells the story of a woman who was working at home one evening, when her husband’s friend came by to visit him. During the conversation with the woman’s husband, the friend kept noticing how deeply entrenched the woman was in her work. Curious and perplexed, the friend finally asked her, “For heaven’s sake, what are you doi
Is the Allure of Success Leading You Astray?
How easy is it to sacrifice your values in pursuit of success? Said another way, what are you consciously or unconsciously willing to give up in order to get what you’re aiming for? In our book, Thriving in Business and Life, we dedicate a chapter to the importance of infusing our values into everything we do, including our vision crafting. Values, ideally, are like a compass that helps keeps us true to our own values-based North Star while we pursue our passions. But, unless
Is it Possible to Die Without Regrets?
Most of us hesitate to give much thought to one of the few certainties in life—the fact that we’re all going to die. Some might say that the topic is too morbid, but we’ve found just the opposite to be true. Whether working on our own lives or coaching others, it seems that when we become clear on how precious each day of life is, we live with deeper purpose and authenticity. One step we can take to deepen our daily experience involves connecting more fully with our personal
How to Deal with Pointless Situations
Have you ever found yourself stuck in a job, a series of meetings, or situation that seemed pointless? Most of us have, at one time or another. And it’s likely to happen again. The question is, what can we do about it? We might choose to simply survive the experience; find ways to cope with the boredom or deal with the nonsense and drama that’s playing out. But, there is another option . . . one we explore in our book Thriving in Business and LIfe. It's an approach that puts
Something Magic Happens When You "Pass It On!"
Who do you want to be when you grow up? It’s an interesting question – fundamentally different from the usual one (what do you want to be…) – and it came to mind while we recorded our weekly podcast with Gary Dixon, President of the Foundation for a Better Future. In fact, I (Will) told Gary that I wanted to be like him when I grew up! Good joke but I kind of meant it. What an inspiring guy! You can listen in to our conversation with Gary at http://tobtr.com/10268253 I (Chris
Do You Have a Life Line?
Because we’ve both had near-death experiences, people often ask us the ponderous question, is there life after death? Well, let’s forget about esoteric musings on reincarnation or resurrection for the moment. We have an even more immediate question. What about life after birth? What do we mean? Too many times we find that our clients (and, at times ourselves) are merely surviving each day that passes. Surviving isn’t really living, it’s just existing. That’s why we spend our
Are Other People Trying to Force Their Values on You?
We’ve all met authentic people who were living their values. Most of them weren’t celebrities. They were ordinary people, like the car valet who loves cars and treats yours as if it were his own; the waitress who is genuinely friendly, loves serving good food, and does everything she can to help you enjoy a peak dining experience; and the teacher who extends her working day without pay and covers the cost of field trips for kids whose families can’t afford them. What do they
