Why it’s so hard to hear ‘No’

  Failure is essential to growth. We can’t succeed if we never fail.   And while failure might be a great opportunity to learn — it still stings, burns, and sometimes feels downright agonizing while it’s teaching us.   The strength of that discomfort is usually proportional to the investment that’s been made — the…

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3 Things Failure Teaches

 A few weeks ago, I wrote about how much failure can hurt.   And why trying again — despite the burn — is so important.     We’re human, so we don’t love admitting we’ve failed. And we live in a culture that celebrates slaying and winning.    That’s why it’s important we talk about the…

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Vacation

When was the last time you took a summer vacation? How about just a week? A long weekend? Oh, boy…   Too often I hear from burnt-out business owners who are unable [read: afraid] to take a summer vacation because of the repercussions it could have on their businesses. If I’m not there to do…

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Small Things that Get You Big Wins

I’ve said many times that sales is a marathon, not a sprint.    There are a thousand decisions and adjustments that a marathon runner makes before, during and even after the race and each one helps them reach that finish line – and makes them just a tiny but faster, tiny bit better every time.…

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Don’t Fall in Love with your Plan

“Don’t fall in love with your plan.” That was a lesson that my Dad taught me from a young age. My Dad, who died a little over a year ago (love and miss you every day, Dad!), was a licensed AMP (for the uninitiated, that’s an airplane mechanic). Over the course of his career, he…

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Work Addiction

For years, I was addicted to my work.  I slept with my laptop, wrote emails at all hours of the day and night, called colleagues or clients every time I set foot in a car and did NOT know how to unplug.    At all.   I continued that obsession from my early career years…

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Don’t Die Broke!

“The Entrepreneur. Visionary. High risk tolerance. Short Attention Span. Usually dies broke.”   A few minutes and a little bit more conversation later…   “The Artist. Creative.  Talented. Heart-centered. Usually dies broke.”   It was a bleak picture that my business partner was painting of the typical archetypes of founders of businesses. And in two…

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Who’s in your circle?

Over the past several decades, I’ve taught, studied, and pondered the impact that our circle has on our life. The circle of close connections, the people we see, interact with and spend the most time with.     And, this past week, I was beautifully reminded of just how magical and meaningful that circle can be. …

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Transparency

Early on in the process of writing my book (coming out a bit later this year), my incredible book coach, Kim, introduced me to a concept that really challenged me.   She told me that, as a writer, I was going to have to grapple with the role that accuracy played in my stories.    …

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Layers

Remember the moment in Shrek when he’s telling Donkey that Ogres have more to them than people think.   Donkey demands an example, Shrek searches for something to say and suddenly spots the onion in his hand.   “Ogres are like onions,” he says.     In response, donkey lists a bunch of silly things that…

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