I work with people who want to get un-stuck in big and little ways. And I’ve just about concluded that that most of us are stuck on something somewhere in our lives most of the time: Maybe you’re stuck between competing commitments (how can I lose weight and still enjoy life?), Or on just not knowing what to do next (big bite or little bite?), Or on how to do it (what if I raised...

I love learning which is good because my clients, and the coaches I train and mentor are always hot on my heals with their own insights. Two topics are always front-and-center for me: How can we understand and solidly unleash our signature strengths, and what is the difference between change and compliance. Check out these two terrific (and easy) reads–both have inspired me. 1. Positivit...

My all-time favorite TV detective died today. For most of the hour, Peter Falk’s Columbo would watch and listen and take in information. And then he would pay a visit to the always-dapper-and-dismissive guest villain. Ever so gently, he would begin to muse about his conclusions. And then came the moment. Columbo would start to leave and then he would turn, pause, raise an index finger scru...

I spent yesterday afternoon with a dozen people who are in my corner. I bet you know the type. They cheer when you walk in, expect you to be your best most of the time and don’t write you off when you mess up. Not that they won’t tell you. And they would defend you in public. You share stories from years ago and talk about being younger next year. I have long believed that the peop...

In the inbox this morning was a note from one of my favorite entrepreneurs. Steven has turned a passionate avocation into a business, and he wrote, “A year ago today, we were exhausted from three years of work…And a year later I’m still exhausted, but energized and cautiously optimistic that we might actually make it to a 2nd anniversary!” Then he went on to talk about h...

I’m sure you’ve read this quote before: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates said that at his trial for heresy. Friday is my birthday. In fact it’s a particular birthday. I first thought about this one as a kid, “Someday, when I’m really really old, my birthday will be 11-11-11. I wonder who I’ll be, what I’ll do, where, how an...

A few years ago I was in London during Thanksgiving. Or as it’s known there, Thursday. Having planned ahead, my American friends and I were equipped with a large candle in the shape of a turkey. And we placed it in the center of the table at the Indian restaurant we picked for the big dinner. Our waiter approached with a smile, and with that lovely, lyrical East Indian accent, looked at ou...

I confess to a little life-reflecting this morning. So far, this quote by Edith Wharton is the quote of the day. She probably wasn’t think about Christmas when she wrote it, but it fits. “In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow: one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, intere...

I remember my first résumé. I think it looked a little random, with lots of sweet-teenager factoids. I included my parent’s address and phone number and typed it on an extra-nice piece of paper. No typos, which took several careful attempts on the typewriter. Luckily, my first employer read between the lines and saw an earnest, light-hearted, social kid. And at seventeen I be...

...it seems like I make a big change. Maybe it’s the embedded high-school-then-undergraduate habit. Maybe it’s temperament or attention span. I like to think of it as aspirational restlessness. Whatever, it’s just happened again. Right on schedule. Four years ago, I launched the SeattleCoach Professional Training Program. Since then, thirty-five spectacular people have finished e...