Two weeks ago, I had back-to-back trips. First, I was out of the country and then, once back in the country, I was home for less than 12 hours and then on my way out of state, and then, once home, my schedule was still packed. Although I’d met a number of great people along the way and had good trips, I realized the the only person I’d spoken to consistently in all that time was my cat sitter...
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With your career in full swing, you’re busy, you’re running around all over the country, sometimes, all over the world, your schedule is ridiculously unpredictable. One moment you’re totally excited, the next, you’re nervous and stressed out, the next, you’re catching up on sleep, the next, “Wait, what city am I in? What time zone is it?”

When you finally get a moment of actual FREE time, you want to connect with your friends and family. You want to share your highs and lows with them. But if you call them now, they’re at work. Or asleep. Or, huh? You got them on the phone, but they don’t really seem that interested in what you have to say! In fact, they actually sound irritated with you—and while you want to tell them all about this amazing experience you’ve just had, they want to talk about their job that’s exactly the same as the last time you talked to them? The silly thing their kids just did? The dog?

Wha????

What happened to your number one supporter? Why are they so annoyed? Don’t they GET that this is what you’ve worked all your life for and you want to share it with them?

The problem? Your friendship just became one-sided…

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I’m sure you’ve heard the (supposedly) motivational words, Failure Is Not An Option , as a way to inspire people to do great things. It makes great ad copy when selling sneakers or gatorade, and it ALWAYS makes for stirring interviews when people like Donald Trump, Olympic gold medalists, and award winners from every walk of life say it.

The Failure Is Not An Option perspective is a state of mind that can be extremely useful in helping us to keep moving forward no matter what setbacks come our way. But it can also do the EXACT OPPOSITE…

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When was the last time you took time off? Even just a day or two?

For many of us, we don’t even remember what a day off is-since we mix our work and home lives together so much that to have a 24 hour period (even a 12 hour period!) where we spend time just relaxing and not working is a rarity.

I took a few days off last week. I visited one of my best friends for her birthday and had the benefit of actual DAYS OFF while I was there. What did I do during that time? Well, we did some shopping, went out to eat a couple of times, sat on the couch, watched TV, talked, and played with her puppy. THAT’S IT.

But what was most significant about what I did during that time wasn’t the activities-it was my ATTITUDE about the activities. (more…)

When people consider an exciting, travel-filled life, one of the things we don’t often think about is the effect that travel will have on those we love.

I have many clients who routinely travel for work-whether it’s constant touring, brief media appearances, movie & TV shoots, or even vacations to get away for awhile, traveling, though it can be exciting, can have severe repercussions on our families and friends.

Usually, when I write a post on something like this, I’m traveling myself, or have just returned home after some trip. This time, however, I’m on the other end of it. (more…)

Yesterday, I was reading a fan website and someone was commenting on the entertainer in question’s wife. There was a picture of her on the red carpet with her husband and beneath it, a fan of her husband’s had written, “Die, Bitch, Die!”

Normally, when I see a comment like that, I glaze over and scroll away from it. But this time, I felt kicked in the stomach. Why? Because she’s a dear, sweet friend of mine (and one of the LAST people on earth I’d ever think of as a bitch—let alone one that should be (ouch!) killed for it). I suspect she doesn’t spend much time googling herself online, so she probably stays away from sites like this one (after all, she’s got a gaggle of kids to raise and a husband to support). But it brought home a subject that comes up for my clients a lot: how to deal with nasty comments from people.

What to do about it varies from person to person. For some, staying away from fan sites is a biggie, for others, wearing headphones on the street helps a lot. A few others outlaw TV at TMZ time. But most of my clients slip at some point and find themselves getting enraged at the chatter they hear & see about themselves… (more…)

Ah! The downside of extreme success!

When most of us dream of a successful career and life, we often dream about our accomplishments and some thought of how much we’ll enjoy our life when it “gets here.” But, in truth, sometimes when our success “gets here,” it can keep us so remarkably busy that while the rest of the world (and us!) may be reading about it in the papers, we’re definitely not FEELING it at home… (more…)