Category: The Pass It On Podcast
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Resolutions I’ll try to keep
Sydney J. Harris wrote for the Chicago Daily News and, later, the Chicago Sun-Times. He also authored 11 books and a syndicated column, Strictly Personal, that was regular reading for me when I was growing up.In 1980, he penned a New Year’s message focusing on those resolutions we love to make and so easily break.…
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When it’s time for a change..
By Scott Westerman“The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change” ~Heraclituse It’s impossible to stay in your comfort zone long without getting uncomfortable. Watch a satellite image of the inexorable progression of the weather across our continent and you begin to get a sense for the truth in the old saying that the only constant is…
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The view from here
We’re living on the Atlantic Ocean this summer. Colleen and I get up before dawn most mornings and stand on our 12th floor balcony to watch the sunrise. Every panorama is unique. Some mornings present an orange fireball that peeks above a placid sea into a cloudless sky. On other days, the horizon is boiling…
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We become what we think about
There are six magic words that determine everything that happens in your life. “We become what we think about.” Our thoughts define us so learn how to model winning behaviors and every goal you can conceive you can achieve. “Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day…
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Generosity: The greatest gift
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that you cannot sincerely try to help another without helping yourself. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson A great misconception is that money is the ultimate success metric. The dedicated contribution of inspired, caring individuals is the true coin of the realm. If we are generous in…
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Courage or Comfort?
“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both!” ~Brene BrownWe live in a culture that values making things easier, not harder, trying to eliminate risk and discomfort. And yet, everyone who has done something amazing with their lives has paid the price. No great achievements are easy.This is one…
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Understanding your “Why”
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” ~Friedrich NietzscheIf you’ve been a parent for any length of time, you’ve endured the “why” phase of childhood; that time when your kid continually asks “why” in response to everything you say. Eventually, we’ve all probably reverted to, “because I said so.”When it…
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On Circumstance and Grit
“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great.” ~ ORISON S. MARDEN”People who soar are those who refuse to sit back, sigh and wish things would change,” writes Charles R. Swindoll. “They neither complain of their lot nor passively dream of some distant ship coming in. Rather, they visualize in their…
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Extraordinary Social Media Engagement: How It’s Done
Can a police department gain a positive national following by engaging on social media? Here’s the story of one that did.I’m a huge fan of the Newport Beach, California, Police Department. Not only do they protect and serve their community with professionalism and class, they are best in class at telling their stories in an…
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Therapeutic Gratitude
I recently spent some time with Dacher Keltner, a perpetual student of the art and science of emotional wellbeing. He reminded me of one of its great prerequisites: Gratitude.This came home to me in a powerful way the morning after. A brave friend who deals with clinical depression uses gratitude as a weapon to beat…