Blog

For the first few years of my yoga practice, there were certain postures I didn’t even attempt. They just seemed too advanced for a beginner like me.  Until one day when my instructor said something I’ll never forget.  We don’t always need to get better, just less threatened.  A few minutes later, our class came to the dreaded camel pose. The back bending posture that opens the entire front…

The idealist in me believes that nobody should have their dreams deferred, but the realist in me remembers that eventually, everybody gets their dreams disrupted by the uncompromising forces of reality.  The question, then, is how do you deal with a changing dream? What story do you tell yourself when you discover that you don’t want what you used to want?  Hayes famously said that dreams don’t die, they’re just sewn…

The great thing about opportunity is, you don’t always have to invent it, you just have to recognize it while it’s already there.  The secret is asking yourself strategic questions.  From my new software program Leverage Junkie, let’s explore a list of these questions, along with a mini case study for each one.  How can I feed those who are already paying attention so that they will spread the…

All creativity begins with the moment of conception. That little piece of kindling that gets the fire going. That initial source of inspiration that takes on a life of its own. That single note from which the entire symphony grows. That single spark of life that signals an idea’s movement value, almost screaming to us, something wants to be built here. And so, in this blog series, I’m going to…

There’s a direct correlation between work commute and overall happiness. It’s been proven in a number of studies, one of which showed that each minute added to a commute affected people’s anxiety, happiness and general wellbeing.  Yikes.  Turns out, commuters are more likely to be anxious, dissatisfied and have a sense that their daily activities lacked meaning than those who don’t have to travel to work.  What’s interesting is,…

I have a friend who runs a knitting shop.  Brandi sells handcrafted scarfs, gloves, hats and other cozy fibrous accessories. What’s interesting is, that’s not the only way she creates value for her customers. In addition to selling her knitted wares, she also sells her knitting patterns.  Here’s why.  Brandi worked in a knitting shop for fourteen years. Growing up, she saw and touched and studied and sold everything a…

I heard a fascinating interview with a successful impressionist. She said that what she thought was wrong with her growing up, became the very thing that built her career. As a child, she admitted, she used to sit back and study people. For hours and hours. And now as a stage performer, she’s just being all the people she watched.  Don’t you just love it when talent comes full circle like…

Every time a new opportunity, project or partnership comes into my creative crosshairs, my initial feeling is gratitude. Because opportunity only finds a home in places where it’s appreciated. Where there’s a yessable heart and an abundance mentality.  The next feeling is hope. Because whether or not the opportunity comes to fruition isn’t the point. The fact that it happened at all means that it’s possible. And that it…

Look around. Mediocrity isn’t just rewarded, it’s demanded.  Our society worships incompleteness, celebrates stupidity, encourages negativity and retweets cynicism. Marginally talented people get fame they don’t deserve, land gigs they don’t earn, make money they don’t work for and achieve success they don’t sweat for.  Why?  Because mediocrity is safe and relatable. And that’s the very problem. We’ve been conditioned to blend in and bow to the common will,…

Ericsson’s famous study explained that greatness was a function of time. That ten thousand hours was the key to success in any field, whether you were learning an instrument, writing code or mastering chess.  The only problem is, that takes about ten years. And not to diminish the importance of delayed gratification and hard work and focus, because everybody should put in their ten thousand hours, but most people don’t possess…