I have a great partnership with the folks at The Walk the Talk Company.  They have published three of my books: Leading With Values; Solving Performance Problems and Your Success GPS.  Later this year, they will be releasing a new book I’ve written: Common Sense Ideas for Building a Dream Team.  I’m on their mailing list.  Yesterday, this quote from Gail McMeekin, a Walk the Talk author, showed up in my in box.
“What are your personal anchors — people, things, places, or rituals — that keep you connected to yourself, your sense of well-being, and …

I’ve had a rough week.  My 85 year old dad fell and hit his head.  He didn’t realize it but he had some bleeding inside his skull.  This caused him to have more falls – especially when he was awakened in the night.  He had to have surgery to drain the blood from his skull as it was causing excessive pressure on his brain.  He is OK, but having lost my mother about a year ago, I was concerned and distracted.
When I get concerned and distracted, it is difficult for me to concentrate on my …

Like about a zillion other people, I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D over the weekend.  Tim Burton did a good job directing an enjoyable film. 
But as a career success coach, I’m always looking for messages that relate to my message on career success.  I found it near the end of the film.  If you’ve read Alice in Wonderland, you know that the White Queen tells her “Some days I believe in six impossible things before breakfast.”  I don’t want to spoil the end of the film for you, but in this version …

If you read this blog with any regularity, you probably know that I am a rugby football enthusiast.  I think it is a great sport.  I played for over 30 years.  I learned a lot about life on the rugby pitch.  I think I am a better career success coach as a result of my participation in rugby.  In my retirement, I support youth rugby. 
The other day, I got a note from Bill Baer, a friend and coach of the Denver East High School Rugby Club, the reigning Colorado High Schools Rugby State Champions.  Since …

As a career success coach, I’m always looking for new and different ways to get across my common sense ideas on career success.  On Friday I had a great opportunity.  I was invited to see the Go For It! Institute’s program in action at a K through 8 school in Denver.  If you don’t know about the Go For It! Institute, you should.  The Institute teaches kids the value of things like positive attitude, believing in themselves, positive habits, goal setting and persistence. 
Their work is based on ideas created by Judy Zerofa.  Judy has created …

I saw this quote from George Will on line the other day…
“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
I couldn’t let it go.  As a career success coach, I’m always telling my clients that they can boost their self confidence through the power of optimism.  So I don’t see a lot of value in being a pessimist.  If you’re “constantly being proven right” you’re probably creating your own self fulfilling prophecies.  Pessimism works like that.
I choose to be an optimist and create my own …

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work.”
This quote from Daniel Burnham is a perfect to begin a post on outstanding performance, one of the success competencies that is part of my Career Success GPS system and that I discuss in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, I want YOU…To Succeed, Star Power, Your Success GPS and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to be an outstanding performer, …

Self confidence is one of the four pillars of career and life success in my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success; Star Power; I Want You…To Succeed, Your Success GPS and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.  If you want to become interpersonally competent, you need to do three things: 1) become an optimist; 2) face your fears and act; 3) Surround yourself with positive people.
A while back in a post I did on optimism and self confidence, I mentioned a quote …

This week in Sue Shellenbarger had an interesting column in the Wall Street Journal called “Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work.”  The column focused on the application of recent research in positive psychology in the workplace. Put simply, positive psychology emphasizes building resiliency and positive attitudes instead of solving emotional problems. 
This is an approach whose time may have come.  The latest Conference Board survey shows that 45% of US workers are satisfied with their jobs, down from 52% in 2005 and 61% in 1987.  In my coaching practice, I’m finding that many people are unhappy with …

Self confidence is one of the keys to personal and professional success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Star Power, I Want YOU…To Succeed, Your Success GPS and 42 Rules to Jumpstart your Professional Success. 
You can become self confident by doing three things.  First, choose optimism.  Believe in your heart of hearts that today will be better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today.  Second, face your fears and act.  Procrastination and inaction feed fear and rob …