"Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already belongs in the cause, and the end pre-exists in the means, the fruit in the seed." Emerson

Cause and effect. Input, output. That’s how life works, right?

Sometimes it’s hard to admit that we might be the cause of the results we don’t want in our life. When things are going well, we tend to pat ourselves on the back. When they don’t go as planned, the human response is to blame other people or our circumstances.

How’s that working for you?

It hasn’t worked well for me in the past! People-pleasing behavior, ignoring difficult conversations, and blaming my circumstances and heredity for my current health hasn’t helped me.

I came to a point in my life where I had to stand up for myself and say, “Michelle, that’s enough! It’s time to take responsibility for your freedom.” That’s a hard thing to admit- that YOU are the cause...

Creatives live longer. Michaelangelo was still working at 80, Gothe wrote FAUST at 80, Edison invented things into his 90’s, and Picasso was painting well after the age of 85.

Then why, when I talk to leaders, they are ‘done’ and stressed and overwhelmed at younger and younger ages? Why do some leaders believe the ‘job’ has to be stressful?

Sure, systems, processes, and building a team really helps but the belief is the real problem.

Are you excited about your work and your team? Do you believe your job has to be difficult? What would it be like if it didn’t have to be hard?

Creative people believe in play, having fun, and exploring. They tend to live longer and enjoy life better because of their belief that life doesn’t have to be difficult.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to just live longer, I want every day to be better than the last.

Take an honest assessment of your beliefs. Where do you stand? Are you an old...

"When a tough, challenging job is to be done, I look for a person who possesses an enthusiasm and optimism for life, who makes a zestful confident attack on his daily problems, one who shows courage and imagination, who pins down his buoyant spirit with careful planning and hard work, but he says, 'This may be tough, but it can be licked.'" Henry J. Kaiser

I’ve learned in my short life the value of one idea and the power behind a really great question. Here are a few to get you started on your own personal and professional development around the idea of resilience.

• How do YOU approach difficult tasks at home? Work? Personal issues?
• How do your team members approach challenges? Have you ever asked about their thinking process when they are facing challenges to get to know them more?
• How could you cultivate a more resilient spirit in your staff?
• Does your recruitment and hiring process reflect these qualities that you’re looking for?
• Do you promote people with this kind...

President Harry Truman was asked once how he handled the high-stress environment he was in. His answer: “I have a foxhole in my mind.”

I think about that quote often. As leaders, we can struggle with stress, demands, commands, complaints, and so much more that calls our attention away from the current task at hand. Successful leaders know when to separate those demands, which ones to address right now (very few) and which ones to put aside until later.

How can you designate a foxhole, a safe place, in your mind to limit your stress and response? I can’t answer that for you but let me give you an example I use. I love small thinking oases throughout the day. I schedule in random times throughout my day and put an alarm on my watch. When it goes off, I take 90 seconds to close my eyes and think about the ocean and the waves. It’s just enough to remind me that life is not all about the current problem I’m trying to solve.

What about you? What could you do...