life

I just love this time of year. A new school year is ready to begin. And as we welcome back new staff and new students, a certain sense of hope is all around us. Every August and September feels like a "do over." We get another year to make a difference. We had high hopes and aspirations last year, but if we fell just a little short, this new year is yet another opportunity to leap high....and reach those goals. As the staff and students trickle in over the next few weeks, maybe you want to ask them.... What is your hope? And for your staff - what is their hope for their students? Their answers might inspire you. But before that happens, in case you aren't so sure this is a good idea, watch this and think again. Leaders....this is your do-over. This is your chance to build hope. This is your opportunity to make a greater difference. #itstartswithus

Well, maybe not all of it, but it helps. Learning to do this daily is a solution for anxiety and so much more. Anxiety hurts everyone. And usually the person who feels it first, hurts the most. The pain and worry can come out of nowhere. Anxiety can be socially triggered, or it can come from inner expectations and worry. The crazy thing about anxiety is that while it feels uncontrollable, that lie is actually its secret weapon. The lie of “lack of control” is the lie we need to ignore. Control is available to anyone who takes it. Anxiety can cause depression.  Anxiety can trigger stress. Brutal truth? Stress isn't caused by events. Stress is caused by your own interpretation of events. While not a solution for everyone, there are some magical ways to overcome anxiety. We can’t change most of our situations. So there is only one option left: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” -  Viktor E. Frankl ...

Successful People are often able to Handle Problematic Personalities they have to Interact with. It’s a Delicate Art, and One you can Learn as Well. But, as they say,  life happens.  You might have to work on a project with a vexing colleague. Or your biggest frenemy keeps showing up to professional mixers and social functions. Worst of all, you might find out your most irksome family members are coming for dinner. No one likes dealing with a   difficult person . Life would be so much easier if we could just avoid all the people we dislike. Successful people are often able to handle problematic personalities they have to interact with.  It’s a delicate art, and one you can learn as well. The first step is to take a deep breath and realize that this is part of life.  Sometimes we have to grin and bear it. But there are a few things we can do to make the best of a challenging situation. If you take these 12 tips to heart, you’ll be able to s...

You probably have no idea that it's happening. But when you open your mouth, or let your fingers dance across the keyboard, you may be killing your own credibility in the ears and eyes of whomever you are trying to impress. In many cases, you know exactly what you want to communicate to someone, but for whatever reason, you have an inability to communicate it properly. And that can send doubts racing through their mind. The result may be that you'll achieve the very opposite of what you intended to do. You won't get that contract. You won't get that promotion. You won't get hired. 9 career secrets a 25-year-old CEO thinks everyone should know   And once you've lost the credibility you were hoping to establish, it can be extremely difficult to get it back. Here's a list of some of the most common credibility-killing phrases we are guilty of using. Do any of them hit home for you? 1. "Like, uh, um..." We ...

People are being pickier about who they marry and  waiting longer  to tie the knot. And with half of marriages  ending in divorce , it’s gotten a lot easier to exit unpleasant unions. So, the state of the American marriage should be happier than ever, right? Instead, the quality of American marriages has dropped significantly. While most Americans say they’re  still “very happy” in their marriages, the number is down from the early 1970s, from 68 percent to 60 percent. What’s souring American marriages? University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen looked for clues by analyzing which Americans are happiest in their marriages. He used the most recent few rounds of the General Social Survey, a long-running study of Americans’ views and behaviors collected mostly through face-to-face interviews. More men say they’re happier with their marriages than women do, for example. That’s consistent with other research...