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Our Little Green Monster

Over the summer, our ten year old daughter Gabby took a local theatre class. As part of her evening ritual of trying to avoid bedtime, she proceeded to (finally) talk about what happened during her day at camp. Gabby had been excited about the prospect of acting (“I want to be on TV!”) and that morning had shared her desire to try out for the main part in “Frankenstone.” That night she told me, “Mom, I didn’t get the main part in Frankenstone.” I asked her how she felt about that. “Oh, I decided it was okay because it allowed me to learn all the other parts in in the play.”  I was a little surprised and impressed by her ability to remain positive, so I asked her how she did this and she replied, “Oh that’s easy, I ignored my little green monster! You know the little voice in my head that told me I should be angry and give up?”

We all have a “little green monster,” that is the voice in our head that tells us “we’re not smart enough, capable enough, thin enough – that is – simply just not good enough.”

It’s really up to each one of us, as part of our own self reflection practice, to simply notice our little green monster (maybe even make friends with it), and to not overact or harshly judge it, so we can move on to becoming our best selves. To borrow a Nike saying, Just Do It, or as one book suggests, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.

Bob Parson’s 16 Rules for Success

A friend just emailed me these top 16 rules to success written by Bob Parsons, Founder of GoDaddy.

My favorites are #1: get and stay out of your comfort zone, #3: when you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think, #6: take things a day at a time, #15: don’t take yourself too seriously, and #16: there’s always a reason to smile. Would love to hear from you – shoot me an email – with which rules resonate with you and some “rules of your own.”

Click here for Bob Parson’s 16 Rules for Success

“Fake It to You Become It!”

Have an important job interview coming up? About to deliver a big presentation to the board? What are your non-verbals saying about you?

Do you have a confident, comfortable, authentic “presence” or are you “stress reactive?” In this TED talk, Amy Cuddy talks about how our thoughts, feelings, and physiology are directly influenced by our non-verbals. Take on a power pose and change your life in a meaningful way!

Watch the video