By Ferrell Marshall “I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour. I dripped it carelessly, Ah! I didn’t know, I held opportunity.” Hazel Lee Today the world is coming together to help our planet by doing one simple thing… turning the lights off for one hour at 8:30pm. This da y symbolizes that by working together with a common goal, we can each make a positive impact on our future. Earth Hour was launched in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. I remember seeing pictures on the news of the city skyline going dark and was so impressed and inspired. The founders of this effort had a global vision and after proving it could be done, have each year invited more cities around the world to participate. “Since its inception, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination... Read more →
“You’re changing that boy’s life.” “No, he’s changing mine.” from a scene in the film, “THE BLIND SIDE” I recently watched the movie again (and again), and was once again entranced not only by the transformational journey of football great Michael Oher, but equally by the how helping him also changed the lives of his adoptive family, Sean and Leanne Tuohy and their two kids. And, while the film focused primarily on Michael’s story and Leanne’s crusade to give him a leg up on life, on closer examination much of the real-life story began with Sean Tuohy’s personal vision to help poor Memphis kids when they needed it. And, although they went the whole ten yards with Michael Oher, he was not the first, nor the last who received an outstretched hand from Sean Tuohy. It got me thinking once again about how having a clear vision brings so much... Read more →
That's what Tiger said in one of his five minute interviews this week when asked how he could have done what he did. "I got away from my core values." To me that says everything. I believe when you live your core values the results take care of themselves. What I mean by that is when you are connected to, stick to and live by your simple truths, otherwise known as your core values, your life sets itself correctly on your right path. Read more →
I love connecting with extraordinary people; it's part of my amazing journey in this life. And, in my current stead of helping people build meaningful and successful careers I have had the esteemed pleasure of running across remarkable folks who are really out there DOING IT, people who have exploded their personal brands! Your personal brand is the most important factor when laying out an effective career blueprint and then building and executing that blueprint into an targeted action plan. So, I have gathered 50 Seriously Greats Tips to Elevate Your Personal Brand in 2010 from people who are certainly doing it themselves and who were very quick to come forward, offering help to you. Many of them will be thought and game changers for you in your career and business. Your personal brand is the most important factor when laying out an effective career blueprint and then building and executing that blueprint into an targeted action plan. So, I have gathered 50 Seriously Greats Tips to Elevate Your Personal Brand in 2010 from people are certainly doing it themselves and who were very quick to come forward, offering help to you. Many of them will be thought and game changers for you in your career and business. Read more →
By Sarah Shaw So I have been thinking about fearlessness all week since sending my 26 month old twins off to daycare/preschool this week and how they just love it and seem to be thriving - total fearlessness. Deepak Chopra says there are no coincidences so I take that to heart! Everything happens for a reason – which leads me to this story. A friend of a friend called last summer and asked if we’d be open to housing and feeding a 17-year-old French girl named Marion, in exchange for some babysitting for two weeks. She wanted to experience America and work on her English – which I must say is quite impressive for an 11th grader. Her father has given me strict instructions to ONLY speak to her in English – I speak fluent French. Anyhow, Marion arrived, tired after a long flight, but cheerful and adorable all the... Read more →
“The key to change…is to let go of fear.” ~ Rosanne Cash I posted this quote on my social media this week and this question came back: How do you do that? It got m e thinking about fear and how just the very mention of the word can stop us in our tracks sometimes. FEAR. It can stop us from making decisions, or from taking advantage of an opportunity that puts us out of our comfort zone. The very notion of fear can cause inertia which is not helping you, or anyone for that matter. It’s helpful to re-define scary terms, to think about them in a new way. Some people define fear as False Evidence Appearing Real, in other words fear isn’t real. And, there is truth to that sentiment. But, when you’re in the middle of a fear it feels pretty darn real. Here are two new... Read more →
“We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” ~ John Gardner, Author During trying times sometimes troublesome situations at work do seem mountainous and insurmountable: shrinking budgets, staffs, client lists, time, etc. As a leader you're likely facing the daily charge of producing more with less. A key leadership attribute is demonstrating “Grace Under Fire”. And, here are a few tools for helping you get there. Utilize Filter Statements – A filter statement, like “it is what it is”, “this too shall pass”, or “it's a moment in time", filters the largess of the situation and immediately accomplishes two things. It brings people into the present moment narrowing the lens through which you look at the circumstance, so they don’t compound it into something it isn’t It centers the conversation, putting a calming prospective to things and allows you to get back to... Read more →
“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking.” ~ Leo Tolstoy Today I saw the riveting film, “THE LAST STATION” chronicling the final chapter of Leo Tolstoy’s storied life. Simply put, what I find so fascinating about Count Tolstoy is that he lived his life by a very strict set of rules, yet later in his life he was considered a prophet by those who considered themselves freethinkers. As a celebrated novelist and essayist known for his theories on pacifism, he eventually walked away from his previous set of rules and developed a devout group of followers of his theories on freethinking, thus creating a whole new set of rules. It got me thinking about rules. Do... Read more →
Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” I take that to mean that how you contribute and make a difference each day puts the “life in your years.” It got me thinking. To have a meaningful career means being driven by a vision or purposeful goal that is connected to making an impact, making a difference. And when you come from the truth of your vision and from a place of positive influence, people and opportunities will be drawn to you. Many times when we think about career, it’s about setting goals in terms of what we want to achieve, how we can climb the ladder, make more money. That’s all good. We all need goals. But to have true sense of accomplishment and purpose, if your overall vision is tied into how you make a... Read more →