I read the obituary for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi this morning and recalled how influential his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience was for me when I read it in the early 90s. The Times article linked to his 2004 TED talk which I also watched today. It...
Every day this month, well since January 6th, has been unprecedented. It's hard to know what to do in light of our country's events and uncertaintly of what's ahead. I'm disturbed, anxious and tentative. That said, I also feel that my best contribution is to take...
What does Harry's and Meghan's 'step back' from royal duties have to do with small business, entrepreneurship or anything I might choose to write about? Why would the 6th in line for the throne be important to me as a business owner? The fact is, I'm completely...
Mary, a friend and colleague in my Visions Group, works a pipeline in her sales job for a lighting company. She's got a long list of vendors as well as interior designers she's to keep in touch with regularly. During our bi-weekly sessions we brainstorm ways to...
I'm sensitive to the way things are said. Thought I'd share a perfect example of what used to set me off. I came across it in my apartment's compactor room, where our trash and recyclables are disposed. There's a large garbage pail with a liner for our empties. My...
I find the daily obits in the NYTimes interesting and informative. Today I noticed a name that sounded familiar: Donald Keene. Is he the translator I once sought out I wondered to myself, only to read in his death notice to find out that yes, this was someone with...
"Is everything okay?" This is something I've been asked a few times in the last month. How do you interpret that question? My take on it may be different. As I was going through a late adolescence (say, 40-ish), my mother noted, "You've changed, Jane!" The...
A funny thing happened as I was editing my memoir's final draft. I decided to disguise a few names and places in my book and used the 'find and replace' tool in google docs. My kids went to the Columbus Magnet School, but to protect a few identities, I changed it...
Gems poured out of the mouth of Michael Katz last week at the EWC lunch event in Stamford. This exuberant and growing network was host to this out-of-town expert, the founder of Blue Penguin, a company that helps small businesses niche themselves. The image on the...
Very early on my enlightenment journey I listened to cassette tapes - that'll date my journey for sure! - where Wayne Dyer told a story about 'fan' mail from two particular sources. (Maggie, this one's for you!) One wrote to tell him that he was the biggest phony...
I'm changing banks and was at the new branch office this morning for 90 minutes to open my accounts. Standard. I had allotted plenty of time for this activity. My Financial Services Rep dialed HQ's to get further information. The recorded message that came over the...
A common challenge my clients face, and I do too, is getting the attention of the public for a webinar, an in-person event or to enroll in ongoing workshops. Not that it was ever easy, but there are more shiny objects calling for our attention today than ever. I...
For months in 2008, my mastermind group encouraged me to start a blog. Let me set the context here in a time where blogs are now everywhere. It would be the equivalent of my saying to you, my audience in 2017, that you should start posting on snapchat. You've heard...
I'm often confused by the question, "How many hours a week do you work?" What catches me up short is the fine line between what feels like work-writing a blog post--and what can fairly be labeled as work but is actually fun. Not that writing this entry isn't fun......
"I ask for a sign that even I can understand," a friend once instructed me as I expressed uncertainty about a now long-forgotten issue. Her comment came back to me yesterday when I received an ultra-clear message from the Universe about the timing of a new phone...