Recording studios are rarely glamorous places. If you aren't in the music world, you might assume that all of them are the posh creative dens that you saw in a documentary about your favorite musical legend. Those are the studios for true rockstars. In reality, most music is recorded in conditions that are less than ideal. Even if it is a nice studio, when you add a bunch of people, long hours, and the stress created because you need to get it perfect, it gets cluttered, sweaty, and well, smelly, pretty fast. When you get right down to it, a lot of the music you enjoy is recorded in pretty grungy circumstances. This just goes to … [Read more...]
Expected Emergencies Aren’t Emergencies
It was horrible watching my friends in Texas deal with Midwest-style winter weather. Life ground to a halt and parts of the state were declared a national emergency site. I have friends in Austin who were without water, electricity, and heating gas for days. That takes the regular challenges sub-freezing temperatures and makes it even more brutal. Luckily, they were able to weather the crisis and get back on their feet. At the same time, the Chicago area was dealing with 3 feet of snow that had accumulated over three weeks of super-cold weather (it didn't go above freezing for a month). Nobody was excited about it, but life pretty … [Read more...]
15 Important Business Lessons I’ve Learned in 15 years of RockStar
It’s still hasn’t sunk in that I started RockStar Consulting fifteen years ago. I’d like to think that I had a master plan when I hung a shingle and decided that I was going to be a professional coach and speaker (“author”, “podcaster”, “thought-leader” weren’t even on the radar). But no, looking back, I just couldn’t find a job that seemed like a good fit. So I’ve been making up my job for the last decade and a half. It’s been a pretty amazing way to pay the bills. I’ve had the opportunity to help thousands of professionals on all the continents (still waiting for a speaking gig at McMurdo Station). I’ve met lots of wonderful people … [Read more...]
If 2020 Is a Vanquished Villain, Is 2021 Our Happily Ever After?
"Happily ever after." That's the phrase that's used in fairy tales after the villain is vanquished, the hero or heroine gets their prize, and they settle in for some well-deserved enjoyment of their new life. So now that we're in 2021, with the villain that is 2020 behind us, are we at our "happily ever after"? I think we'll find (if we haven't already), that we might want to leave that idea to the children's books. What a New Year Can't Do The problem with taking our cue from fairy tales is that they're stories. And stories have an end. We eventually close the book and stop the telling. But our lives keep going. There isn't … [Read more...]
Why Self-Awareness is Only the First Step
I love that mindfulness has become a bigger thing. I'm basing this on my very unscientific observation that when my mediation practice comes up in conversation, people don't look at me funny. When I suggest that my coaching clients should use mindfulness techniques to improve sales and business performance, they don't think it's an "out there" idea. And many people are excited to share their favorite meditation apps with you. I'm still not sure if it's totally mainstream. But the tools of mindfulness, things like meditation, journaling, or gratitude lists, are becoming much more common in conversation. This is important because … [Read more...]
Acting Perfectly in an Imperfect World
I'm publishing this the day before the national elections in 2020. So that's weighing on my (and everyone else's) mind. The message I want to share is simple. And it might be one of the most political pieces of advice you'll hear from me. Vote. Not just in this election, but every time you can. Show up for off-cycle elections and engage in local policies. Participate. In politics, and the other aspects of your life, when you have an opportunity to act with intention it's important to take it. What if You Are Facing an Imperfect System? I don't think that my exhortation to vote is going to be what gets you off your butt and … [Read more...]
When Saying “I Don’t Understand” is a Cop-Out
I was warned about the joys of watching a small child learn. It really is amazing. Almost daily I can watch my son's understanding of the world evolve and grow. One day he grasps the connection between the light switch and the ceiling fan. The next day he waits by the back door because he knows that when we put his shoes on that we're going out for a walk. He is constantly observing, weighing, and testing. You can almost see his mind work out the causal relationships that govern how the world works around him. I know he still has a lot to figure out (pretty much everything, in fact). And I hope he never stops going through the … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 13
- Next Page »