Small acts of kindness have a huge impact — Hope you’re having a great day! Hope all is well with you! Hope you’re feeling fine and walking the line! Hope happiness and joy find you every day! How often do you hear — or use — these types of statements? Frankly, I’m beginning to worry why everyone is so damn hopeful that I’m doing well, feeling good, enjoying life, or being happy…

Brace yourself for a positive experience — You can almost sense it … And it’s hard to walk away. Because that warm, comfortable feeling inside is telling you the person you’re with is someone you’d like to get to know a little better. Whether an informal meeting or planned event, there are a few recognizable signs you’re in the presence of a “people person.” So how can we tell for sure? Because a few of us may have some doubts, even when we meet…

We’re splitting apart at the seams — Last week I broke one of my favorite vases. I’ve had it for a long time. In fact, the piece was a gift from a close friend. The vase had been hand-made from natural materials, sculpted by a skilled artisan and incorporating a fluted edge design and vibrant color scheme that always caught my eye. Displayed on a bookshelf…

What will you be thinking about when you approach the end? — Many years ago, I worked for a large corporation. The company manufactured electrical control parts, and my job was to support the salespeople and engineers by reading blueprints, creating a list of components, and pricing out the jobs. The salespeople called on customers, negotiated volume pricing, and managed distributors’ inventory. Our team had several large clients who were loyal…

Getting off track has consequences you may not like — One of my favorite board games my sisters and I played when we were young was Chutes and Ladders. The game was designed to teach us that making progress and dealing with unavoidable pitfalls often go hand-in-hand — in much the same way we’d inevitably encounter those types of experiences…

Get a grip on yourself, before the moment slips away — On some days, it feels like dueling banjos are giving a personal concert in my brain. Seems those two opposing forces of “pay attention now” and “think about tomorrow” have a knack for striking up a tune at any given time. …

Face it, there’s a reason you’re not living the dream — There’s a difference between a dream and a goal. We blow out the candles on a birthday cake and send a desperate wish into the universe. We cross our fingers and close our eyes, hoping for the best. And when our deepest desires don’t come true, we shrug our shoulders and wait for the next opportunity to toss out…

Maybe it’s time to pitch them in the trash — It was time to clean the refrigerator. I’d put it off far too long and, try as I might, I hadn’t been able to locate an outsource service to take over this unpleasant job. I put the excuses aside and decided to block out thirty minutes of precious time I’d never get back. Reluctantly, I approached the fridge and opened the door. I paused, wondering if I should go…

Your excuses are getting in the way of your dreams — “We have to live life with a sense of urgency so not a minute is wasted.” — Les Brown I’m getting older, and still trying to figure out how to write my story. In fact, I’m starting to believe my future plan is pure fiction. Why such a dreary outlook? I think it’s the result of conditioning. Throughout our lives, we’ve imagined the marvelous…