Autumn in Connecticut has been one of the most vibrant in years. As I drive to work I see colorful trees all around me. It hasn’t always been easy to photograph them, however.
(c) Kathleen Thompson
The power lines get in the way.
Category Archives: Personal Development
What Pond Scum Taught Me About Personal Growth
One recent evening I went for a short walk after dinner. When I got to the end of my street, I noticed the pond just off the road in and among some trees. I almost didn’t see it. Why?
(c) Kathleen Thompson
Because it was completely covered in pond scum.
Doing Battle With Perfectionism…Again
Perfectionism robs us of greatness. Even when we know that, we still fight with it. I have the scars to prove it.
(c) Thinkstock
Here’s what happened.
Plant With the Long View
For years I had a vision of what my front yard could look like. The house was newly-built, and had no landscaping other than a half-hearted attempt to grow a lawn.
(c) Kathleen Thompson
Because we had little money after we bought the house, I had to do the work myself.
Are You Afraid Of Your Own Thoughts?
You’ve heard the expression “A penny for your thoughts.” Well apparently many people don’t much like their own thoughts and even avoid them at all costs.
(c) IG_Royal?Thinkstock
Michelle Fay Cortez had this to say in her Bloomberg News article:
Lessons Learned From Growing Roses
I love roses. They are my favorite flower. I carried them to both of my high school proms. I also carried them in my wedding bouquet. I particularly love white and pink roses.
(c) Gyro Photography/Thinkstock
Over the years I have bought a variety of rose bushes – hybrid teas, floribunda, David Austin, and Knock-out. My latest purchase was two old-fashioned roses.
The Dark Side of Sucking It Up
For most of my life I have practiced the suck-it-up method. In fact, my family lives by this a good deal of the time. There is a lot to be said for this. We take responsibility for our own actions. We do not let small things derail us. We do not waste time wallowing in self-pity or engage in whining. Instead we do what we have to do, what is right, what must be done to get through whatever the situation is.
(c) Christine Whitman/Thinkstock
There are people who could benefit from sucking-it-up once in a while. People who blame everyone and everything else for their difficulties. Who collapse at the least sign of trouble. Then there are those like me who have practiced it to such a degree that we cause harm to ourselves. There is a dark side to this trait.
What Labels Do We Wear?
Did you ever read the book “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne? I read it in high school. Although my high school career was many years ago, one of the lessons in this book made a deep and lasting impression on me.
Artwork by Jonathan Alumbaugh
Update to “Why Integrity Matters”
Last week I wrote a blog post about why integrity matters. In that post I cited the example of Johnson and Johnson during the 1982 Tylenol scare. I also cited the recent National Speakers Association re-branding to Platform. I stated that our integrity (or lack thereof) shows when we find ourselves in a situation that we didn't expect and have to decide what to do.
(c) Triloks/Thinkstock
I am pleased to announce that the NSA has decided to drop the name and start the re-branding process again.
Why Integrity Matters
This week the National Speaker’s Association announced a new brand for their organization called “Platform”. That word sounds appropriate for a speaker’s organization, and we can all understand why the acronym for the NSA isn’t exactly held in high regard right now. However, there’s just one problem with this new brand. It’s uncannily close to Michael Hyatt’s.
