Dreams and Schemes for a Legendary Life

The Power of Gentleness in Everyday Life

on April 10, 2023

Discovering the Power of Gentleness is a Gift.

I was blessed to have dinner with both my parents this week for my father’s birthday. As we enjoyed food and wine and each other’s company, I was compelled to reach over and hold my dad’s hand in both of mine. We smiled at each other, said a few things, and had a moment. But what I felt was a flood of gratitude that we reached this moment in our relationship where we could express love and appreciation rather than what might have become the frustration and contempt I see in many relationships that are long in history. He was not always an easy dad. And I was far from an easy daughter. We challenged each other a lot—starting when I was…Read More

How to Fight for Your Dreams

on March 27, 2023

Fight For Your Dreams! There are so many great quotes from Robert Kennedy about the power of dreams, and following your dreams, but he is also the one who said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” Which is my note for today. It’s easy to say, dream big or go home. Dreaming is the easy part. It’s the doing that’s the scary part. Achieving dreams takes action—sometimes daring action. But there are also practical steps you can take to ensure your goals get a little closer within reach. 1-Knowledge: Become an expert on your dreams. Figure out what you need to know. What is your subject? What is required? What’s going on in the field…Read More

Disappointments Are Defining Moments

on March 13, 2023

How to Handle Being Replaced or Overlooked on the Job

There are always going to be times in our lives when we lose a role on a team, a part in a play, or are replaced by new fresh blood—either at school, work, or at home. This is never an easy experience. It is an experience that can make you feel too old, too young, too inexperienced, inadequate, threatened, embarrassed, and even fearful of becoming irrelevant (and therefore you will lose your job, your partner will dump you, your children will abandon you, and you’ll become homeless and die alone). Yes, there are some who take it all the way to the bitter end. I don’t wish this on anyone. All those emotions are uncomfortable. And I know personally, I…Read More

How To Be Happy By Doing This One Thing

on February 27, 2023

True Joy and Happiness is Internal

One of the things you find with age, is that your dreams achieved don’t always satisfy you in the way that you imagined they would. In fact, a lot of people around me seem to be suffering from a mid-decade malaise whether they are in their 20s 30s 40s 50s.  It doesn’t seem to matter. Writers call this the midway slump. It simply happens in the middle—no matter what your circumstances. And in books the writer often realizes, it’s because a character is not yet deep enough or connected/in conflict enough with other characters and nothing is driving the external plot. But real life can’t be written away. It requires action. Ultimately, happiness, joy and contentment cannot be satisfied by…Read More

A Month of Self-Giving

on February 13, 2023

28 Ways to Fill Yourself with Love!

Write down 28 things about yourself that you are grateful for—just about you and what’s going on in your life right now. “I am grateful for my patience…that I made someone laugh today…that I can smile at strangers…that I’m healthy…smart…” Meditate ten minutes a day, imaging sunshine filling every part of your being and shooting outward. Whatever your version of God or universal goodness, ask to be filled with so much love that it pushes all negative thoughts from your mind. Do this every morning. Drink half your weight in water every day this month. It will change your energy and alertness if you haven’t been doing this. Make it special with some lemon, cucumber or a favorite infusion. Get…Read More

Authentic Encouragement

on January 30, 2023

How to help a friend, colleague, or family member through a rough spot.

Encouragement is a basic human need. It was late in my life when I really learned the importance and the power of encouragement. Once it struck, it struck deep. I began to understand this basic human need, I’ve gotten a little better at it. I’ve also learned it takes time and practice as well as insight and sincerity to really get it right. It’s easy to be rah-rah. That’s the quick pass at encouragement when you are running around to get stuff done and don’t actually have time to look the person in the face and see what’s up. Or the quick, ‘you can do it’, without recognizing what it really takes for the person to do it. Don’t get…Read More

Leading The Way When There Is No Leadership

on January 16, 2023

How not to be Sucked Up by a Leadership Vacuum!

Phew! Take a breath. I just picked a really big topic for what was meant to be a short blog! The Vacuum of Leadership What do you do when you are in a job where there is a vacuum of leadership? When your leaders are so MIA, that people don’t even show up for work and no one notices. When the shop has not been minded for so long that the shelves are empty and even the employees are starving! This is what I’m going to talk about in my first blog after my book writing absence. Take another deep breath. All right let’s get into this. Identify immediately: Is this a transitional change or just how things are done?…Read More

The Smallest Table

on January 2, 2023

The Best Way To Connect With Others

In addition to writing, I spent a career as an experience designer—skills that I use today but primarily when I design my life. My expertise, beyond writing, is in interactive and participatory design. I did a ton of work on this while at Disney, but it was one night on vacation in New York City, with my husband and our two youngest children, that I realized the best design ever created… The Smallest Table The restaurant was crowded, as most were during Spring Break near Broadway and Times Square. There was a small square table in the center of a very crowded restaurant with a small chair on each side. Our knees easily touched and the length of the table…Read More

The Boyfriend List for Girls

on December 5, 2022

35 Things To Put On Your Boyfriend List

Hey, I know everyone would like to have a great boyfriend, right? Well, it’s not as easy to find the good ones as you would think. And let’s be honest, it’s a waste of time drifting from guy to guy hoping he’ll be what you are looking for when, you don’t really know who you are and what you are looking for. That’s why I always recommend The Boyfriend List. It’s important to be clear about what you want and expect. And to make sure you’ve got it right, write it down and focus on it. Of course, whatever you want, make sure you can also give it back. You need to be awesome to attract the awesome guy, right? Unlike in…Read More

The Gratitude List

on November 21, 2022

November is the perfect time to update your gratitude list if you haven’t done so lately. There is a long list to be grateful for by virtue of living in America, but this month I would challenge you to list out the people who made a difference in your life this year – whether it was monumental or minuscule. And consider including the people who made your life a living hell. There’s as much to learn from a tormentor as there is from a mentor. Either way, at least you know who your friends are! This year, my list seems incredibly long, but there is nothing like having that one person who makes your soul blossom no matter what is going…Read More