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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Michael Jackson’s memorial service ended a few minutes ago and besides the tears and the laughter that I am grateful to have been able to share with everyone else who was watching it on TV or present in the Staples Center in LA, I was reminded, in such a poignant way, why I do what I do for a living… (more…)

Charitable giving must be in the air. Last night, a colleague and I were talking about one of the main benefits of earning lots and lots of money was how fun it would be to give a whole lot of it away. Then, this morning, I received an article about an award a friend received for her extensive charitable giving in the town where she lives. (more…)

Climbing the mountain of success and reaching our goals can be a heady experience. Though, reaching the ‘top’ of the mountain offers an, often, unseen danger: the choice, conscious or not, to feel contented and satisfied, or instantly craving MORE.

There are SO many ways that fame can provide this opportunity for choice: rave reviews, accolades, media coups, winning awards-heck, even that elixir of love-like energy; applause.

In any of those situations, it’s our job to decide what success means when we get it-and that will inform whether we are satisfied with that success, or immediately starving for the next one.

A deeper question to ask ourselves, to find this out, is, often, “Am I trying to meet a need with this goal I have?” (more…)

Most people cringe when they realize their day in the sun is over—or, more kindly stated, when their day in the sun has turned into an evening in the twilight. I know it seriously pained my ego the first time I was called “ma’am” and the person who said it really meant it. Or when I realized those gray hairs really were here to stay.

Though, from what I hear from my clients, being called ma’am or admitting we’re getting (ouch!) old is nothing compared to being labled a “has-been.”

This is one of those very common points in the arc of fame. Almost every “Somebody” does become a “Nobody” or worse, a “Who? I don’t remember you!” It’s ridiculously common, yet can be so painful that nobody likes to talk about it. Perhaps because ‘fame’ in this country is so present moment that to admit the moment ends kind of messes with the whole illusion and tarnishes the American Dream… (more…)

“Her legs are too long…And that hair—that really isn’t what we’re looking for…Turn around. Well, maybe with some airbrushing…We can fix that in post, right?”

Sound familiar?

You leave the house feeling like a normal person, you come home feeling like an over-handled and useless piece of produce… (more…)

Ah…The eternal question!

The other night, I was surfing the net and read an article about how Jack Benny not only never put a fence around his home, but that he’d even, occasionally, answer the door when his fans would come up the walk and ring the bell. Seems unheard of in this day and age, with stalkers and obsessed fans out there. But it does pose an interesting question. Two, actually:

1)      What’s the difference (to you) between a “fan” and any other (non-fan) person you would meet?

2)      How close do you let ANYBODY get to you? (Or: What’s your inner circle criteria?) (more…)