When Trying Harder Gets in the Way of Prosperity
Photo Courtesy of: istockphoto The wealthy man is not he who has money, but he who has the means to live in the luxurious state of early spring. ~Anton Chekhov Have you ever had a friend who always seemed to date the wrong people? Often this is the result of a confusion of values and standards. If your friend is choosing prospective mates based on certain standards, perhaps looks, he may be unwittingly overlooking the woman who is a good match for his values. When your standards don’t match your values or vision, the harder you look for what you want, t

The Innocent Origins of Scarcity Thinking
Once upon a time there were three little pigs. The time had come for the little pigs to leave home and seek their fortune. Of course, the first thing they needed to do was to find shelter. The first pig built a house of straw he found scattered on the ground. The second pig built a house of sticks he scavenged from the woods. The third little pig discovered an abandoned cache of bricks. “These would be perfect for a house,” he thought. But then he decided to live out in the open because he just didn’t feel right about taking anything without asking and he did

Why lowering your prices doesn’t work and how to resist the urge
A few years back (okay, 20, but who’s counting?), I participated in a three-day studio tour on beautiful, art-friendly Bainbridge Island. I spent most of the weekend scurrying around, pricing and re-pricing every scarf, sweater, and hats, certain that if only I chose the right price my work would fly off the walls. It didn’t. That weekend came vividly to mind as I read the following letter from artist Julie Sadler. I was recently in an outdoor art show and had to give prices to people

Why You Don't Need to Believe in Your Business
I know, it sounds crazy. Why on earth would I tell you not to believe in your business? I wouldn't. But there are times when we just don't have a lot of faith in what we're doing. Things go wrong. We feel tired. We lose a client or get hit with a late charge or miss a deadline. It hurts when things go wrong, and it doesn't help to insist that we buck up and "believe." A battle with confidence We put unnecessary and unproductive pressure on ourselves and our businesses when we think we need to believe in them. If we believ

Review: The Shadow Effect (Movie)
Over the summer I had the opportunity to review Debbie Ford's movie, The Shadow Effect. Ford, you may remember, broke ranks with the forces of relentless positivity with her 1999 book,