Is your glass half empty or half full? It’s an old adage, but a meaningful one because it describes the focusing point of your attention. Are you mourning over what isn’t there, grateful for what you have, or delighting in the many possibilities to refresh the glass to full. There’s an argument to be made for […]
Articles
When Focusing Is Folly
Has a hardship hit you or someone you love — shattering life into many pieces? That’s a tough shift. Learn about the TOUGH SHIFT Turnaround, the program designed for moving your positively forward in a day with support for a year.
The Promise of a Focusing Process
Are you overwhelmed, excited, or numbed by the New Year? Experience tells me these three “emotional states of being” represent about 90% of our feelings. Whew, think about the past month! Argentina won the World Cup. The holidays are over! College football is close to crowning its champion. The NFL ramps up for the playoffs culminating […]
Listening and Reflecting On-Purpose
As the family gathers for the holidays for what is intended to be a time of reunion, remembrance, and celebration, please consider employing the power of asking questions, listening, and reflecting. In short: Be a humble conversationalist, not a debater — don’t play one-upmanship. Don’t go into events planning to iron out political differences, fix […]
Reflecting on Your Responsibilities
Judith, my wife, recently showed me a two-paneled cartoon. The first scene features a ferocious T. rex dinosaur attacking a village with the caption “Mom doing Christmas Preparations.” The next panel shows an enthusiastic, loving, and welcoming Barney-like dinosaur with the heading “Mom when the guests arrive.” We chuckled in recognition. Our December “home” used […]
Reflecting on Your 2022
Does life really begin at 40? Think about it. You’re closer to retirement. Your kids are young adults. You’re looking over your life and reflecting on your accomplishments. You delightfully realize you’re living goals you may have set 1, 3, 5, or 10 years ago. Each year and stage of life brings bring different challenges […]
Respecting the Needs of Others
Today is Giving Tuesday, a day for not-for-profit organizations to focus their fundraising campaigns. If you’re like me, you get a barrage of requests. All have great needs as they share their accompanying strategic stories for how they’re making a difference. How do you decide where to invest your charitable contribution? Give on-purpose. Let’s say […]
Respecting All You Meet
I learned about “respecting all you meet” from my Dad. Social standing, financial wealth, title, race, ethnicity, or whatever didn’t matter to him. He was friendly to all he met, and he met many. His perspective was grounded on basic human rights and dignity. Born in 1924 and growing up poor in the aftermath the […]
Respecting Your 2-Word Purpose Profession
What does it mean to have a profession? Typically, one thinks of it as their work or occupation. Being paid to do a job. That, however, doesn’t make one a professional. It just means a person is showing up at work to trade their time for money. For example, when the neighborhood kid asks to cut […]
On-Purpose Post: Respecting Tradition
Obstacles keep us from being on-purpose. Traditions are touchstones to remind us what’s vital to our well-being. Respect them and you respect yourself. Did you participate in the Halloween festivities last evening with little goblins, ghouls, and assorted super heroes knocking on your door for treats? Or, did you risk tricks and not participate? Perhaps you […]
Developing an Appreciation for Sin
Sin gets a bad rap. I’m not advocating you go out and sin. Sin informs us when we’ve crossed a dangerous boundary. It’s to our benefit to be aware of risky behaviors and their consequences. Absent this moral standard, anything goes. It would be utter chaos. At one time, Christian broadcaster Steve Brown hosted Steve Brown Etc., an Orlando-based […]
Developing Your Spiritual Life
Mind, Body, and Spirit are nearly universally accepted as the holistic elements describing the human experience. Purpose informs the Spirit and profoundly influences the Mind and Body. Yet, the Spirit remains largely debated, ill-defined, and shrouded in mystery. It seems so impractical when the mortgage or rent is due. Yet, the Spirit is inescapably in […]