It’s been more than three years now that I’ve been helping and encouraging people to find their buried treasure – the gifts, skills, talents and strengths they don’t even realize they have. One of the many things I’ve discovered in that time is that the more I notice the talents and strengths in other people, the more I find them in myself. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is simply a matter of awareness. Once something is on our radar, we find more of it [...]
“Where have you been all my life?” That question is probably on the Top Ten list of lousy pick-up lines, but it’s something I find myself asking – or at least thinking – whenever I come across something or someone that seems like the answer to a prayer. Or the solution to a problem or issue I’ve been working on or struggling with for a long time. Like getting organized. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’re somewhat familiar with my ongoing efforts [...]
Balance. It’s what many people today wish for, work toward, and try to achieve. Most of us would like to have more balance in our lives. But life is busier than ever, there are many demands on our time and energy, and we spend much of our time being pulled in many directions. Few of us ever seem to achieve the balance we’re looking for. Maybe we’re looking for the wrong thing. Say the word “balance,” and I picture an old circus act in which [...]
I’ve been going crazy trying to come up with an appropriate birthday gift for a friend of mine – especially since we’ve agreed not to buy each other gifts anymore. I’m not breaking our agreement by doing this, because we didn’t outlaw birthday gifts. Just buying them. She and I have been friends ever since we took a writing class together long ago. We stayed close even after my family moved – twice – to different and distant parts of the country. In the years [...]
I finally found it. It’s something that was missing for quite a while. At first I searched frantically for it, but then I just let it go. I knew it would turn up eventually. I also knew that when it did, finding it would represent an accomplishment in itself – and the information it contained would probably be even more relevant and timely than it would have been earlier. The missing item was an envelope containing a list of my professional dreams and goals for [...]
There are some days – as I’m reading about the latest scandal, shooting spree, or stalemate in Washington, for instance – when I wonder if and how we as a nation and a society are going to survive. On days like this, I truly worry about the fate of our country and the world. There are other days when I see such exciting signs of promise and potential that it’s all I can do not to jump up and cheer out loud. Last Friday was [...]
It’s been several years now since I started helping and encouraging people to find their buried treasure – the gifts, skills, talents and strengths they didn’t even realize they had. During that time, I’ve made a few interesting discoveries myself. One is that when you start looking for something and you do it consistently, it’s very likely that you’ll find it – and also that it will start finding you! Whether you’re searching for significance or looking for trouble, what you seek is what you’ll [...]
“You’ve got to feed your soul.” This observation came from a neighbor I was talking to not long ago. He had just commented on a few of my recent columns, and asked about my work in Uganda. His company has sponsored some projects and programs in Africa, and we were talking about how satisfying and fulfilling it can be to take part in such activities. We also talked about how people can be drawn to different types of projects or problems or missions or cultures, [...]
The stacks of books are gone from the end table next to the sofa. So are the magazines, mail, and other papers that used to live and grow on my kitchen counter. The desk in the kitchen is so empty and inviting that I actually sit down and work there. And several shelves, drawers, and cabinets in my home and office look like the “after” photo in a before-and-after makeover. Which, of course, is exactly what they are. My New Year’s Resolution this year was [...]