Personal Leadership

Courage – an expanded definition (It isn’t what I thought it was)

We’ve all heard these definitions …

Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquering of it. (I’ve seen this attributed to Dan Millman)

Courage is resistance to fear. (Thanks Mark Twain)

Courage is mastery of fear. (Mark Twain again)

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. (Kelly Clarkson made this line famous in her pop song)

In other words, grit your teeth and move on regardless. Tough it out. Toughen up.

A lot of people who know me say I’m one of the most tenacious, determined, “courageous” people they know. And I’ve always kind of liked this. I’m proud that I ‘hang in there’, dig deep and find my way through challenges.

My father (bless you, dad) had a saying that went something like this: “The real measure of a person’s character is how they handle adversity.” And I liked this too – for most of my life.

Whenever I was going through a tough time, I’d remember my dad’s words and think ‘keep going, Sandi – you’re developing character. People will admire you for the fact that you’ve made it through all this crap.’ And so I did keep going (though I’m not sure this really earned me brownie points in the admiration-from-other-people stakes).

( Posted in: Reflections & Inspirations )

Do you ask for help as often as you should?

I've just received my latest Post Program Executive Report for a client I worked with last week. I used to do these myself - but then I finally saw the light ...

( Posted in: Learning )

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Are you living your full potential?

In my work, I frequently speak with people who are disenchanted with their lives.

“I feel so frustrated … I’ve been doing the same thing at work for years and I just can’t seem to get ahead.”

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“Maybe I’m just not meant to do anything else. I mean, who am I to want more?”

I find this very sad.

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The phrase itself suggests a couple things that are inherent in the problem:

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