Blog

I don't know what this has to do with being Gutsy, other than look at my Mom in that bikini at around 50!

That was gutsy!

I just wanted to share this memory of someone who taught me that Gutsy is also about taking time to stop and smell the marigolds. When I was a little girl, I remember the small backyard of our two story flat in Chicago was mostly grass. My Dad took care of it.

He watered it, mowed it, trimmed it, watched it grow, and admired it. There was a small strip of dirt between the …

Whenever my life is overflowing with fullness and I get overwhelmed, I reflect on what I need to let go of.

Recently, I sat to reflect on my overwhelm and looked around and quickly came to the conclusion that I must let go of the attachment I have to my stuff. I have lived in the same home for a long time and I am feeling a bit crowded. As I look around, I see that the majority of the things that are taking up space are things that either hold some sentimental value for me or I hang on to becau…

“The opposite of NET working is NOT working.” – A Very Smart Person

I once coached an executive in a company whose job was eliminated suddenly and without warning. After we worked on her surprise, anger, and fear of the circumstance, it was time to begin to focus on networking. When I broached the subject her response was, “Pat, I have no other network than the people I work with.”

She had stopped networking outside of the organization and neglected to plan for the time that she might need to…

When you decide to play a bigger game in your life, the good news about your decision is that you don’t have to do it by yourself. Not only that, you cannot do it by yourself because it is not a bigger game if you do. That would make it a self game.

The allies you have in your life can be your supporters; the champions who support you in your game or the cheerleaders who voice their encouragement. They might be co-players too; someone who is right alongside you playing the same game.

Naysayers…

I work with many women who say they want to find their voice. They want to have input at the table. They want to appear confident and competent. I’ve found that sometimes it is what we do not say that is more powerful than what we do say.

I’ve learned that women must stop saying certain things that when said, have the impact of giving power away. Power in this context simply means “ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.”

The first step to giving your power away …

I sat at my desk this morning savoring my first cup of coffee watching the day get lighter and lighter with the sunrise. I was ready to begin my morning work ritual. I looked at my daily calendar that still displayed yesterday’s date and saying:

MON APR 02 do your work.

Not very exciting. I got a bit excited thinking of today’s message, as today is my birthday. I was expecting some amazing words of wisdom from my calendar that would tell me what was important in my new birth year. It would be …

"A man who says he has never been scared is either lying or else he's never been any place or done anything." - Louis L'Amour 

Think of a time in your life when you were just about to take a big leap forward by doing something you had never done before. What did that feel like? Perhaps you felt anxious. Perhaps your heart was racing, palms sweating. Perhaps you had shallow breaths and were nervous and shaking. Perhaps you wished you were any other place than where you were at that moment. Perha…

A client asked me the other day about how I’m doing on the five productivity tips I was trying this year as mentioned in my January 2, 2018 blog. I had to look her straight in her eyes and confess that I didn’t even remember what I was going to try, but I would get back to her.

Looking back at the blog I have some good news and some not so good news. As you can tell, if I didn’t even remember what I was going to practice, how in the world could I be practicing it? The good news is that some of …

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear. Out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress." ~ Bruce Barton

I have been exploring the question, "Is change good or bad?" I'm finding the answer is consistently "Yes."

Change is always happening regardless of how we feel about it and at times it is good and at other times it is not. Leaders have always looked for a good way to motivate others …

As Mitchell Levy, The AHA Guy, states in the forward of my newly released Gutsy Leaders: 140 Bits of Wisdom on How to Build Teams with Vision and Compassion,

"Gutsy leaders are human. They live and act in alignment with their values and with the traits of authenticity, integrity, and trustworthiness. They are fun to hang around and aren't afraid to give feedback to transform and help inspire those around them, and to receive feedback to become better leaders."

I have always been inspired by ot…