I recently had a speaking engagement in Pittsburgh. While there, I was able to visit the Heinz History Center, where they have a collection of props and set pieces from the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, including King Friday’s Castle and X the Owl’s tree. Like many, I have been greatly impacted by the work and life of Fred Rogers. As we perused the gift shop, I was looking for a magnet to add to my big yellow tool chest in my studio. There were a number of options to choose from, each featuring different sentiments. The one I was most drawn to, and ultimately bought, …
You & Improved
What to Do About The Weeds in Your Life
If you’ve ever been to one of my speaking programs, there's a good chance you’ve seen me share this artwork.Recently, a person came up to me after a talk, and under her breath, sheepishly admitted, “I’m sorry, but they’re still weeds to me.”I thought that was interesting, especially because I never actually said they weren’t. Dandelions are, at least horticulturally speaking, weeds. But they are also, according to most four-year-olds, wishes. (And flowers for Mom.)The thing is, challenges are like weeds. Once a challenge has sprung up in your life, pretending that it doesn’t exist doesn’t make …
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How to Make Your Dreams Come True Faster
We recently surprised the kids by taking them to see Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin. (All five of us give it two thumbs up.) Us grown-ups can see a movie like that, a fantastical tale of magic lamps and genies and three wishes, and acknowledge it as a work of fiction. And yet, when our own dreams don’t come true as fast as it takes a blue-skinned genie to snap his fingers, we think something is wrong. Ok, maybe we don’t expect our dreams to come true the instant we wish for them, but I know there have been times in my life when the realization of a dream seemed to be in slow …
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Set In Stone: Lessons from an Old Savannah Cemetery
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with making a difference in the world. The bigger impact, the better.But the question I’ve come to wrestle with is, how does one measure the impact one’s made?Kim and I recently celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary in Savannah. It’s one of the most charming and unique cities in the United States. A highlight was walking through the Colonial Park Cemetery in the heart of the Historical District. Established in 1750, it's the oldest intact municipal cemetery in Savannah. I just love old crypts and gravestones. A number of them …
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Finding Magic When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned
Life rarely coooperates in delivering the perfection we plan for. The good news is that it doesn’t have to ruin the story. Last week, my family made our annual family pilgrimage to Wrigley Field. Even though it was a bit chilly, the sky was clear and the game was fun. Only problem was the home team lost to the rival Brewers. Afterwards, we hit the gift shop and I let the kids pick out brand new Cubs hats. They each chose one that fit their personality perfectly (my youngest, who goes by "Rose," found one with little flowers on it!), and we got to take a photo wearing them next to …
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Managing by Magic 8 Ball
The leader of an organization was preparing for a long overdue two-week vacation. He had spent a month preparing for his absence by setting up systems and training his second-in-command to step up while he was gone. But still, his protégé was nervous. She proposed several hypothetical scenarios, wondering how she should respond. The leader calmly explained the processes he set up to handle each situation. “Don’t worry, you’ve got this,” he reassured her. “But, if you find yourself in a spot where you don’t know what to do, let me show you something I rely on in situations like …
Enlist Your Enemy to Help You Succeed
When I am almost done with a painting, I give it a time out. I let it hang out on the side of my studio while I begin work on a new one. Every time I walk by it, I sneak a peek at it, trying to pretend as if I’ve never seen it before. I’m not trying to make it jealous; I'm trying to look at it with new eyes. The goal is to figure out if it really is finished. I’m always doubtful that it is, but sometimes I struggle to find anything to fix. A recent painting I’d been working on had a couple of areas that I knew would be tough going into it, particularly the water in the swimming …
Are You Suffering From Indecent Exposure?
Do you ever feel like our world is going to heck in a hand basket? Are you discouraged by current events and the downward spiral of civility? Does it seem like nobody cares anymore? You might be suffering from indecent exposure. What we watch on TV, the discussions we engage in online, and who we spend time with all influence our worldview, casting it in either a positive or negative light. If we are exposed to negativity, that negativity will influence us. Let's start with the so-called "news." No matter what side of the political aisle you are on and which cable news show you …
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The Bad Thing About Tax Refunds
Tomorrow is tax day in the United States. For many years, Kim and I looked forward to a tax refund, dreaming about how big it might be and what we'd do with the windfall. It felt like a little present, which is weird, because if you buy a sandwich with a twenty dollar bill and the clerk gives you fifteen dollars back, you don’t thank him for the gift. Of course, it was really our money all along. We simply paid more taxes than we were required to over the course of the year, and the government sent us back the change. In the early days, the main reason we got such a good refund is …
A Message for When You Feel Like a Failure
Grace is a tricky thing. It’s something we all need but are loathe to accept. Although we perhaps aren’t as generous with it as we could be, we’d still much rather give it than receive it. My son Ben is seven. He has been writing books, typing pages on the computer and printing them out, leaving plenty of space for illustrations. (As I have taught him. ;) His most recent version was about Ninjago, a weighty tome that was a full eight pages in length. Ben’s big sister Lucy served as editor, helping correct some misspellings and punctuation errors. Before her involvement, the sentences …
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