Treasures all around us are hidden in plain sight
I’m always amazed when I see, for the first time, something that was right in front of me all along. Sometimes I even have to laugh at the irony. Such was the case a few years ago with a coffee mug I had owned and been using for several years before that. On the mug is a picture of a scene from nature – snow-capped mountains alongside a forest of deep green pine trees, and the rushing waters of a [...]
A positive experience outshines negative ads
“Quiet on the set!” Yes, they really do say that. At least, they did last Sunday when I was in St. Paul for a taping of the show, “It’s a Woman’s World” for SPNN – the St. Paul Neighborhood Network. But they – meaning the producer of the show – said it just once, when two of the people in the room were having a whispered conversation on the side and didn’t realize that an individual recording of one of [...]
Passion and compassion lead to a cycle of success
“You’re passionate about what you’re doing, and you really care about the people you’re working with.” I’d love to tell you this was something that was said about me, but it wasn’t. It was said to my friend Ruth, and it’s something she shared with me when we got together recently to catch up on what’s been going on in our lives. Ruth is an indoor cycle instructor. She leads classes at the fitness centers where she works, and she [...]
Find your voice – and use it!
“I found my voice. Now what do I do?” That was the subject of a session I presented at the Toastmasters District 6 Fall Conference last Saturday, and it’s a question I spent a long time trying to answer for myself. When I first joined Toastmasters, one of the reasons was that I felt I could express myself fairly well in print, but not when I was speaking out loud. I didn’t have any noble or global ambitions at the [...]
Enjoying the changes that autumn brings
During the past few weeks, I’ve been at three different Toastmasters meetings where the theme of the meeting was autumn, or the changing of the seasons. At all of them, participants and guests were asked what they liked best about the fall season. Probably the most popular response was about the fall colors. Even though we experience it every year, there’s something magical and mesmerizing about the glorious colors of fall when they first start to appear. Throughout the season, [...]
Travel is time for reconnecting
As the days grow shorter, and the weather turns colder, we start winding down in anticipation of the dark, dreary winter months ahead – at the same time we start revving up in preparation for the holiday hustle and bustle to come. Although I’m busier than ever right now, I’m enjoying the “winding down” feeling, reflecting on some of the events and activities I’ve been taking part in lately. Especially on my mind are the three trips I took between [...]