How does innovation happen? Usually by surprise. We often say, “You’ve stumbled onto something,” which means you got there by accident. You meant to step one direction, but something unseen made you step in a new direction. Then when you looked into this new direction, you were overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Helping people

  Cruising my news feeds recently, a story caught my eye. The musician Billy Joel’s name was in the headline and, although I wouldn’t call myself a raving fan, I appreciate his gift. It made me stop and read the story. Apparently Joel was riding his motorcycle (I ride a motorcycle!) through Long Island, NY

  A few months ago, my mother’s brother died. I told her what we are all taught to say in times of grief: “I’m sorry for your loss.” My mother is one of the kindest and most gracious people I’ve ever known, but her response took me off guard: “I hate when people say that.”

  What distinguishes a professional-level coach from a beginner?  Several things, but one of the most important is the ability to invite and support self-awareness and self-change.  Sometimes we call self-change “internal shift.”  The idea is that the client realizes he or she is what needs to change. One of my clients recently demonstrated the

  Here’s one of life’s most important lessons (in my opinion): frustration is the distance between expectation and reality. I first encountered this truth as I conducted research for my doctoral dissertation, which focused on the positive psychology and human flourishing.  Every so often, researchers explore the happiest nations.  The Dutch and other Scandinavian countries

  James, the brother of Jesus, wrote: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. – James 5:16 The goal of confession is healing, and the means to healing is confessing. This is an intimate interaction that must be handled delicately. While the coach doesn’t formally hear confessions,