Disaster struck on Oct 10, 2018 – 6 months ago to this day. We had a 48 hour window of time from when Michael came into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm to when it plowed into us as a Category 4.9 with winds of 155 mph. There was nothing that could …
Disaster Recovery: 10 Things Adversity Has Taught Me Read More »
When I was a child, one of my favorite toys was Bozo the clown. Our inflatable Bozo might have been 3 feet tall, which means he was about the same size as me. Bozo provided my first lessons in resilience and consistency. I could bop him in the nose and he would bounce right back. …
Resilience: Bouncing Back from Disappointment, Difficulty, and Disaster Read More »
Nature speaks and I am listening. A decade ago, when I studied in Central America with the Rainforest Business Institute, I was fascinated by the opportunity to apply lessons from nature found within the world’s most productive ecosystem to principles of business. Because of my educational background in horticulture, concepts such as biodiversity, symbiotic relationships, …
Thrive, not strive is my new mantra. Rise and grind is how tons of people start Monday. Rush, work, and strive through pressure, stress, and frustration. If this sounds all too familiar, it’s time to make room for thriving and flourishing. How can you shift negativity into motivation? Wouldn’t it be grand if instead of …
Self-Limiting Beliefs A small incident last week put me face to face with the reality of self-limiting beliefs. It wasn’t a life-changing issue, but it brought to mind the weightier beliefs we all have that don’t serve us well. Often, they show up in our self-talk. “I could never write a book.” “I’m no good …
I spent every summer of my childhood at my grandmother’s beach house in North Florida, cavorting with my cousins in the waters of the bay that served as our back yard. We always had crab traps and it was a grand adventure every day to haul them up from the edge of the dock to check …
Who among us hasn’t dreamed of being extraordinary? To be noticed. To do things no one else is doing or go beyond what has been done before. You’ve probably never verbalized you want to “Be the Miracle”. But we all have high hopes for doing something incredible. This can be both rewarding and disappointing. Exhausting …
Hurricane Irma is steadily moving toward Florida as I write. I have dozens of relatives scattered across Florida – all in the path of this dangerous storm. I refuse to give in to fear so I don’t keep the television on to watch the continuous reels showing the devastation in the places Irma has hit already. As …
Do you know the elevation where you live? Florida’s Emerald Coast is where I work and play. Local coastal locations have an elevation of about 10 feet above sea level. Not an ideal place to be when hurricanes make landfall. Our home is on 20 acres inland with a 60-foot elevation – giving us a …
Strength of heart. That’s something we all want and need, right? Encourage literally means, “to provide with strength of heart.” For years, I’ve been choosing one perfect word to carry with me throughout the year. A word to ponder and grow into. I’m always surprised by what comes to the forefront as I sift and …