Years ago I had a friend going through a major transition trying to figure out what to do next, how to reconcile his past and secure his future; he was doing a lot of soul-searching excavating his talents, skills and passions. While he was in the process of shedding that old skin I suggested he let go of his action-oriented descriptions, telling him, “You need to decide who you want TO BE not what you want TO DO.”

I am always recommending that folks spend time in and learn from Nature because Nature Just IS. When talking about patience and process, my favorite saying is ‘the acorn does not become an oak tree overnight’. Also, remember that an acorn has the inherent DNA to become an oak tree – it doesn’t question it. It just unfolds and grows as it should, but will look and feel different at every stage of the process.

Many of my clients have recently had to confront being with being with people they had bad experiences with in the past or doing things they simply didn’t like or enjoy, two, ten or fifteen years ago. I let them know, however, that like those old clothes in the closet that you’ve outgrown or perhaps bought but never wore, or that simply don’t suit you anymore – who you were then is not who you are now.

I have witnessed the transformations my clients have made.  Because they have done the work I know they will approach, interact with and experience things in a vastly different way going forward, if only to show themselves that they have indeed changed.

So if you’re not quite sure if you’re an elm tree or an oak, or if you’re thinking about doing something you’ve been fearful of in the past, I can be like Christopher Lloyd’s time machine and help you go Back to the Future to dig around, let go of certain things and adjust your outlook to make your present the very best it can be!

(Today’s PGG was originally published on November 2, 2010)

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There’s just me. ~ Jill Scott 

The number one has always garnered a lot of attention – all that talk about the 1%, who came in first place and what or who gets to be number one on which list.

It only takes one person to change the world (for good or bad), and whether conscious of it or not, we all strive to have those blissful moments of becoming one with something or someone outside ourselves; it can happen with your loved one, but also with your dance partner, your paintbrush, your horse,  your golf club, your violin, with Nature and the whole of humanity.

We also need to take care number one, because if you don’t who will? How can you help anyone else if you haven’t first cared for yourself?  And hey, if you’re happy there’s a much greater chance of everyone around you being happy too, just like the pebble thrown in a pond whose ripples go out far beyond…

One doesn’t have to be the Loneliest Number, because at the end of the day you’re the only one you’ve got – no one else can inhabit your body, mind and spirit and experience your challenges and successes. You are ultimately responsible for your joy and fulfillment, how you relate to the world and make the most of what you’ve been given.

We only have One Live to Live, so how can you know and love who you are and what you think, feel and desire if you don’t spend some quality alone time with yourself on a regular basis?

The proverbial saying tells us a journey of a thousand miles begins with one single step, so now is as potent a time as any to finally make some effort, take some action towards a goal or way of being that you want to achieve and/or be open to discover new, unimagined opportunities and vistas that may bring you out of your comfort zone but closer to your best life.

As Bono sings, we’re One, but we’re not the same; we’ve got to carry each other, so give me a buzz and I’ll help you figure out how there’s just One in a Million You, show you what should be Numero Uno in your life right now and move you towards feeling One Love more than ever!

(A version of today’s PGG was originally published on November 8, 2011)

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If a human being dreams a great dream, or dares to love someone, dares to be bigger than the condition into which he or she was born, then so can you… I am a human being, nothing human can be alien to me. ~Maya Angelou

And what a human she was!  Dr. Maya Angelou possessed and cultivated a creative and brilliant mind, a powerful and compassionate heart, a flair for the dramatic, a serious sense of humor and a thorough appetite for all aspects of life. She was a phenomenal woman who spent every breath of her 86 years consciously striving to express the fullest embodiment of what it means to exist as a spiritual being in this physical world.

To me, this is her greatest legacy. Like my other six foot tall heroine Eleanor Roosevelt, she walked her talk, and therefore we all benefited. She served as an example for all she stood for and knew to be Universally true; she espoused the unity and dignity of people of every race and creed, recognizing that “we are more alike than we are unalike.”

And she was very aware that she was indeed human, and knew how dangerous it is to make people, like a Martin Luther King, Gandhi, or Mother Teresa larger than life – they were all human beings and when we idolize or put them on a pedestal they become inaccessible and we think we can never be like them. Instead they should inspire us to be extraordinary in our own way.

In our youth obsessed and advertising driven culture, it is unfortunate that we give so little airtime to our elders like Dr. Angelou, Nelson Mandela or Grace Lee Boggs, because when we listen to the wisdom that nearly nine decades of being a person who has chosen to love, forgive, learn and grow, who allowed themselves to reflect, observe and evolve, they teach us how to live. They are lighthouses that remind us who we really are and where we should be going, and these days especially when one is extinguished it feels like an even bigger loss because they are rare gems and we wonder who is coming up the rear to replace them.

In my work I have the honor and privilege of helping you discover that no matter how old you are or where you are from, you have a unique way of leaving our planet a little better off than when you arrived – even if it is simply by virtue of your own healed life.

Some of my clients have already gone on as a result of our meeting to win Tonys and Fulbrights, or are on their way to becoming a media moguls, best-selling authors, cutting edge inventors, or warriors for justice; whether they have an Ivy League background, were formerly incarcerated or are a ninth grade NYC public school student, every one of them has something to offer, an opportunity to improve their own world, a way to be the most human they can be.

Not quite convinced that you, too, can be a giant among us? Give me a buzz and I’ll show you how like those Redwoods of California, you are one of hundreds of special trees that make up a forest of awe-inspiring majesty and beauty, living in harmony with one another and Earth, and the very Nature of Life itself.

Click here for a pretty version of this PGG

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 If you like what I write, you’ll love what I have to say in person!  Click on above links for info about my coaching and speaking services and contact me today

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