Record and re-purpose everything to earn expert status. Write articles that become a book, record an interview, have your presentation videotaped so the content can be re-purposed in all three formats, says expert William Bell.

No doubt you perform certain activities every day in order to achieve your goals. Are you consciously focused on living a balanced, healthy quality of life? Or do you find yourself obsessing over work 24/7?  Or spend most of your time scrambling to climb the career ladder? To Achieve Your Goals, Include Balance Whatever your choice may be, to achieve your goals requires focus and productiv

By definition, “Living on Purpose” means that we align everything we do with our life mission and purpose statement. For 2012, consider creating a new habit with the Productivity Process template, one for each goal. Daily use and review of the five-level template can help reduce the time it takes to achieve your goals.

Life Purpose is an instant "Wow!" to some people, and a gradual discovery for others. Just begin, and allow your life mission and purpose speak to you as you work with it.

Your Life Mission expresses your passion, your action to be of service in the world. You may not make any money from this work, but when you write down your life mission statement and say it out loud, your body – or heart – may give you an internal “yes!”

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? The answer to this question and others helps uncover your personal life mission and purpose statement.

Is now the time to deepen important relationships? The reason to ask , “What do you most want to avoid, what are your greatest fears?" is to understand the values, words, and what behavioral meaning is attached to those words of pain, loss and disapproval. Making meaning and paying attention are what allows people to go deeper to relate better.

What do you value most? Depending on the relationship, the answers and meaning may surprise you

Building Relationships With Integrity In every area of your life, you have many opportunities for building relationships. If the relationships you have are producing exactly the results you want – be it love, financial reward, respect, and everything else you really want – don’t bother to read any further. On the other hand, if you believe that clarity and better outcomes are both desira

Yesterday started out fairly typically, but ended with amazing grace, thanks to a gift from Gwen. I arrived first at a charming Midtown restaurant, chose a window table in the sun, and scanned the menu.  It was unlike Gwen to be late, but couldn't resist sending a text "R u on the way?"  After 20 minutes, I ordered and enjoyed lunch immensely, unperturbed.  Choosing to live on purpose. H

Over 50 business leaders packed the room last night to learn about "Creating a Culture of Ethics."  The University of Phoenix hosted the launch of the Ethics Council, a sub-committee of the Memphis SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management), led by past SHRM-Memphis President Judy Bell, Senior Business Advisor of InnerActive Consulting Group. University of Memphis human resources professor Ch

Gratitude For Grace-St. Luke's As this long, relaxing weekend has come to a close, I am filled with gratitude, giving thanks for a life filled with much more than I ever dreamed possible. Gratitude For Fr. Richard On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Grace and St. Luke's churches, now called Grace-St Luke's, in the heart of Midtown Memphis.  As a community, we are overj

If you're on a quest for continuous personal improvement, you know that "School is never out for the Pro!" Wish you could have been at last week's Prosperity Series in Memphis, featuring the "brassy Brit" Patricia Fripp.  She shared two hours of "SuperStar Presentations: The Inside Secrets."  Yours truly was invited onstage for a mini-coaching, and Patricia modified my opening for a speech th

With less than two weeks left in the year, I hope you have been able to achieve your goals this year, and have started the process for 2012. You Can Achieve Your Goals Having read that 70% of people who make New Year's resolutions abandon them within 30 days, I recall an education catalog with the picture of a brain, with companion copy that read, "If you would simply brush your teeth with y

Relationships are improved when partners communicate clearly and consistently, giving one another the benefit of the doubt.

Refusing to participate in sending “mixed messages” requires breaking the habit of “going along to get along.” “A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” -- Mohandas Gandhi

How Can You Be So Positive? Recalling times early in my career when two separate people asked, "How can you be so positive?" I was puzzled.  "I have always been that way," I answered internally. But the way they each posed the same question seemed to challenge me, question my authenticity as positive person. Since the Law of Attraction is as irrefutable as the Law of Gravity, it should c

Mindfully evoking a feeling of gratitude every day, at every possible opportunity, is a rewarding habit. Gratitude releases endorphins, flooding our bodies with a sense of well-being. Think of a time when you were filled with gratitude for the opportunity to: * listen to a friend in need, * make a tangible donation to an inspiring program, or * learn that your encouraging words

Meaning Of Appreciation To You? To you, what is the meaning of appreciation? How do you feel when you hear appreciation expressed to you? As you read these words, I invite you to think of a time when you were filled with appreciation for the opportunity to “make someone’s day,” whether through a kind word, a tangible donation to a program, or something in between. Deliberately evo

Living On Purpose Recently, several people asked when I would offer my "Living on Purpose" seminar again in a live format.  Since it's one of the things I would do even without pay, I seized the opportunity.  You might say that teaching "Living on Purpose" helps me to stay on track, to continue living on purpose myself! Today I say that the "mistakes" in my life were "high-growth learning op

Brand and Image Proving the point that brand and image excellence comprise a timely topic in today's world, two Memphis-based CEO's each gave their spin on the same day, three hours apart. As a New York Times best-selling author, internationally acclaimed speaker, captivating storyteller and friend to many people around the world, Don Huston's name itself evokes a strong brand and image.  H

When you hear the phrase ‘balanced life’ do you say, “Yes, I’ve got it!” Or do you laugh and wonder how in the world you find this elusive place called living a “balanced life”? Every working person I know is juggling job demands with personal care concerns, based on conversations I hear every day. Challenges to Living a Balanced Life “My mother just broke her hip and s

Have you ever been so embarrassed that you wanted to disappear? Or at least re-wind the moment so that it never happened? Matter of fact, it happened to me just last night. I thought I was inviting someone I know well to join my professional network on LinkedIn -- only to discover that it went to EVERYONE in my database!

Giving Care in Life Transitions No matter where you are in life, you will have to deal with life transitions. Chances are, your parents, your children, and maybe even your grand-children’s life transitions may find you in the role of caregiver. Recently, I lived through the most emotionally taxing of the life transitions I’ve ever faced. Worst of My Life Transitions Even more than my own

Life Transitions Stress Adding to the stress of my mother's health crisis, life transitions, and other issues, she was in the hospital when I had to leave town for an important business presentation. Assured by the doctor that Mom would not be discharged until I returned, I was stunned to receive three phone calls pressuring me to read 52 faxed pages, sign 25 and fax them back.  They were pu

Almost every day I'm asked the question, "Where did you learn how to start your own blog?" or "How did you start blogging?" Here are the first three steps I took. How To Start Your Own Blog, Step 1 Start Writing. If you want to keep it simple, here's how to start your own blog: write about something you know about, care about, and think others care about. Start writing. Even if you

How to Start Blogging: Answers Remember that blogging is about having a conversation online, building one relationship at a time, based on authenticity, integrity and service.  People do business with people they know, like and trust.  Give relevant information, with answers that your reader is researching.  Speak their language, use words they use. Based on the positive response to my last

With about one hundred billion nerve cells, the complexity of the brain is mind-boggling. About 10% of our life activity is attributed to the conscious mind. Ninety percent is attributed to the power of the subconscious, based on past programming stored in the subconscious. If we don’t like the results we are getting, we can re-program.

What is a successful life? Its foundation is life purpose. It aligns with core values, goals, and daily action. It is a life of integrity.

What are the best blogging practices for beginners? The same basic, best blogging practices for those bloggers who are more experienced! Best Blogging Practices: Personal 1.    Have a meaningful, personal conversation with your readers.  Give relevant content to your readers, whether your blog is one of personal reflections, professional expertise or related to business activities. 2.   �

Do you believe that managing time more effectively could help lower your stress and add productive years to your life? What's holding you back? Could a simple 5-step process help you get back on track to managing time better?

An ideal week strives to achieve balance in nine different life domains: body, mind, spirituality, romance, family, community, money, career and play. While mindful of each domain when planning a single day and its activities, make sure that each life domain gets intentional focus at least once during your ideal week.

Social Media success depends on a commitment to connect, engage, and listen. Communications guru Terri Murphy shared her top tips in "Start Connecting!"

Last night we watched a dream come true for 7-year-old cancer survivor Lauren Alexandria Lewis. Diagnosed with cancer before the age of two, Lauren became a medical miracle and poster child for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. Thanks to God, this was her first dream come true. Another Dream Come True? Lauren's mother, Benita Lewis, encourages her two daughters' creativity. 

School's never out for the pro, and that's never been truer than when trying to master social media success. Many thanks to Memphis communications expert Terri Murphy for more social media success tips.

Enjoy the holidays more by handling stress more easily. Communication tips for you and the ones you love, right on time.

C. S. Lewis was featured at a "Moveable Feast" at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Midtown Memphis. His truth? "You are never to old to set a new goal or dream a new dream." C. S. Lewis

We pray that your Thanksgiving Day has created special memories with those you love, and hearts filled with gratitude.

My greatest thanksgivings include that I am married to my ideal partner, John.  This past weekend we celebrated another year as best friends. It’s no accident that he believes he married his ideal partner, too. It's also obvious to others.  We smile when friends introduce me by including something about John, adding what they like the best about him. (Which, charmingly, embarrasses him.

The best networking communications are confidently conveyed and integrity-based. After a student protégée attended a recent business social event, we shared observations about habits to break, habits to make in order to make best possible impressions. Networking Communications And Credibility Even if the situation seems social, you can be sure that business behavior is expected.  Don't get t

Living on Purpose is an intentional choice to align one's personal life mission and purpose with values, goals, and daily activities. We can choose to deepen our discovery with fresh definitions of personal truth in communication, values clarity, and balance, one day at a time.

To Get Hired, Do Your Homework A big fear that people face today is wondering if they will get hired after graduation.  For those still in school, it is common knowledge that a college degree adds significantly to lifetime earnings.  Recently, I’ve seen really talented students struggle to master the skills of business networking, interviewing for a job, and doing what it takes to get

More About How To Get Hired Yesterday I talked about my brilliant young mentor, an aspiring accountant, who aced an interview with the goal to get hired as an intern next summer. It was a great experience, all the way around, for Ruta, the interviewers, and me. Have you ever had the experience of starting off meeting people well enough, then having your job hopes dashed during the intervie

Using positive affirmations can accelerate goal achievement by intentionally re-programming the subconscious mind with values, beliefs, and feelings in alignment with taking necessary action steps to succeed.

As 2011 comes to a close, carve out time to translate your goals into some form of creative visualization tool, whether simple or elaborate. Why? Because the mind thinks in pictures, and creative visualization will help re-program the subconscious mind, turbocharging change for desired outcomes.

Still savoring a sweet Mother's Day, my favorite things are richer and even more treasured this year.  How so?  Favorite things, content are much the same; context is oh-so different. Church, Family, Food Top Favorite Things Mom, John and I enjoyed attending church together for the first time in weeks.  Our "adopted daughter" Ruta joined us for a yummy Mother's Day lunch. Since the day's

Seeking a specific "blessing of the day" reveals a richness unto itself. Whether you find your blessing of the day in something simple...overtly obvious...or amazingly extraordinary, the practice of being in the present moment can be life-altering.