Battle of the Bulge

Special note: From time to time my PGG ‘s have a slightly more political bent, so bear with me if that’s not your cup of tea. But with all that’s happening in the news recently, I thought I would re-run this one from June 2011 when the coverage was dominated by the sexting scandal of then Congressman Anthony Weiner (whose transgressions seem almost benign compared to what we’re now learning about other prominent men).

The entire topic of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault are very serious and warrant a national conversation and cultural transformation, therefore the focus should be about how we can reconcile and heal this systemic issue, not just regurgitate salacious details and engage in outright shaming. We also need to be aware of the timing and balancing of the coverage of such stories and how they are dominating our psyches, while many other things of significance are happening simultaneously. In other words, as the saying goes, “Stay woke.”

P.S. I also found it a bit uncanny that the PGG references our current President, who clearly has issues in this department as well…who knew this is where we would be six and half years after I published it? The truth is indeed stranger than fiction…

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Last week my relative from Argentina couldn’t get here due to the fallout from a major volcanic eruption in Chile which kept flights from leaving Buenos Aires – it was so massive it was affecting air travel as far away as Australia! Iceland recently experienced a volcanic eruption as well, though not quite as disruptive as last year’s. Arizona and Southern Colorado are on fire and not in the ‘cool’ way, massacres and secret wars are happening in the Middle East, the economy is imploding, but you wouldn’t know what’s really going on these days from watching the news.

There is no doubt that sex sells, but at what price to our dignity and destiny as individuals and as a country? The media blitz about a certain congressman with an unfortunate surname to match his current predicament clouded the media landscape to the point that we could not seem to find out much else – except perhaps the hot air being blown about by a former governor from Alaska, with her accounts of American history and the news of her old emails, or her lunch with a NYC “landmark” with bad hair.

In the famous WWII battle, which was one of the Nazi’s biggest attacks on Allied forces, particularly the Americans, Hitler’s divide and conquer strategy was helped by the weather – actual fog – that settled in for two days, grounding the Allies’ superior air power and the reason why we suffered greatly at the time.

Besides the literal wars currently taking place across the globe, we are experiencing a war over our minds and hearts, about what merits discussion and analysis and what is simply gossip. It’s easy to get sucked into whatever the media is doing to grab our attention, so we must to fight to separate the wheat from the chaff in every area of our lives, redirecting our focus to something more productive and meaningful.

Summer is a perfect time to expand your horizons, to travel and explore. But if you can’t physically make a journey, there is always dance, art, literature, and learning about other people’s realities – not from a “reality” TV show, but through documentaries like those shown at the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Can’t quite discern what the fog is concealing, the volcanic ash is covering up or those smoke signals are trying to warn you about? Give me a buzz and I’ll help break through distractions that block you from dealing with the important stuff in your life and the world at large. Because it’s only On a Clear Day when we can see what’s really going on in and around us so we can keep on reachin’ for that Higher Ground!

(Today’s PGG was originally published on June 14, 2011)

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This past June 2017 I had someone film parts of my New Attitude Summer School series (see info below), which resulted in this very-roughly-edited-not-the-best-quality video of uninterrupted remarks wrapping up the workshop “Lead Yourself to Success (in Work & Life!)”

In this excerpt covering the final ten minutes, I summarize my thoughts about confidence, being a leader in your own life, maintaining your individuality and humanity in the times we live in, and why the world is relying on you to be successful. Enjoy & Stay Tuned for Fall Classes!

Click here to watch video

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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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