Reinventing Ourselves

One of my favorite television programs is "Biography." As I watched a recent program, I noticed that there seemed to be a common theme running through these uncommon lives. After reaching a pinnacle of success, they encountered the down slope in their lives and careers.

As I recalled the numerous biographical or autobiographical books that I have read, I realized that the reason that the books were so impactful was that each person featured in these books found some wa...

Pruning

I love grapes. I recently had the opportunity to sample some grapes still growing on the vine. They were sweet and delicious. I wondered what made a grape vine successful and productive. Now I understand that it is the same process that makes our lives successful, happy, and productive.

The success of the grape vine and the production of juicy grapes are dependent upon the proper pruning of the vines. Only the green shoots from the plant bears the grapes. The vines must be trained ...

The Power of Commitment

There is a common thread that runs through successful activities, a common trait among successful people, and the key to the achievement of goals. That thread and trait is commitment. Merely wishing that something will occur or hoping that an act will lead to success is not sufficient; there must also be a commitment.

W.H. Murray, a man who climbed Mount Everest, offered the following insights to achieving a task or goal.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitance, th...

What happens when others do less than is expected? What is our reaction? Our expectations for the performance of others may be very high. In many cases, we would not settle for less that the best.

We expect airplane mechanics to do their jobs because passenger's lives depend on it. We expect a nurse or doctor to do their best because our health and well-being depends upon it. We expect a sports player to do his or her best because we ha...

Recently a friend shared with me frustrations she felt about some life challenges. As she aptly described how she coped with the struggles in her life's journey, it reminded me of the following poem.

Some folks ride the train of life
Looking out the rear,
Watching miles of life roll by,
And marking every year.
 
They sit in sad remembrance,
Of wasted days gone by,
And curse their life for what it was,
And hang their head and cry.
 
But I don't concern myself with that,
I took a dif...

Almost every morning before going to work, I work the "USA Today" crossword puzzle. Some days, I find that the puzzle seems to solve itself. Other days, I struggle with each and every answer. More often than not, I will get a few of the clues correct and when I return later, the answers to the very clues that eluded me before seem to present themselves. Once I get one answer completed, often it provides me with the letters that I need to solve the other clues.

I have fo...