“For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil there is one hacking at the ROOT!”
Thoreau
“Starting Over….. Rebuilding a Better America!”
“ We can only achieve quantum improvements in our lives as we quit hacking at the leaves of attitude and behavior and get to work on the root, the paradigms from which our attitudes and behaviors flow. “This statement is straight out of the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey.
“Everyone’s home should be as unique as the individuals that live in it.”
Marty Cohen
My Space!
When you walk through my front door and glance immediately to your right you will see a shiny black piano resting on an oriental carpet surrounded by canary yellow walls.There is a bass guitar, several other guitars and various other instruments poised for action at any given moment like they are all waiting a party.Continuing on your welcome walk through the entrance, you’ll notice paintings, several other interesting pieces of art and living room decor that may be cozy to some and messy to others.There is no TV, the fireplace is center stage for our sitting area in the living room, organized to encourage friendly conversation with friends over wine, coffee or the delicate treats.Music is the cornerstone of every room in our home and our individual personalities come to life in every room even without us being present.
“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.”
Muhammad Ali, American Boxer
“I learn teaching from teachers. I learn golf from golfers. I learn winning from coaches.” -- Harvey Penick
Over the Edge and UPSIDE DOWN with Coach Spangler!
What, you might ask, is there to be Over the Edge about being upside down? Let me share the story with you and the lessons that professional women and entrepreneurs can take away from it from being Upside Down with Coach Spangler.
It happened by pure accident. My husband and I were hosting a dinner evening for a family moving to Raleigh in the early spring of 2006. We talked about schools for the kids, we discussed the area attractions, the North Carolina Beaches, our favorite restaurants, college sports and of course we talked about the business culture in the Triangle. It was not until this family of four were about to walk out the door that the couple mentioned their daughter would be back soon for a pole vaulting camp at Duke over the summer. My husband’s eyes just about popped out of his eye sockets, he visibly transformed right in front me and as though he was a ventriloquist, the grinning lips on my face parted to mouth the words with him, “I was the Connecticut State Pole Vault Champion for my division in high school” my husband (Richard Spangler) announced to the world before us.
“A choice confronts us! Shall we, as we feel our foundation shaking, withdraw in anxiety and panic? Frightened by the loss of our familiar mooring places, shall we become paralyzed and cover our inaction with apathy? If we do those things will we have surrendered our chance to participate in forming the future.”
Rollo May, The Courage to Create, Written in 1975
Over the Edge about……Turning Ideas into Action!
My office has CNN constantly playing and as hard as I try I just cannot NOT peek at the headlines scrolling by as I pass the TV. The monitor is in our café break area so when getting coffee, or visiting with a client or just walking to my office from a conference room I read…..“EARTH IN PERIL,” “America’s Gas Crisis” (yes, America’s.. not the world’s), “Market Plummets,” “Teens in Crisis,” “Record Foreclosures, Financial Industry in Ruins” These headlines are enough to send anyone running! So what is a person to do?
The book Courage to Create, by Rollo May, was written in 1975. As you read the quote above, it would appear that the headlines of Rollo May’s day were no different. The earth changes, cultures shift, climates (albeit scary) change. If you recall, much of the area where we live (in the Triangle region in North Carolina) was once covered by ocean. Our home, farms and feet stand now on what use to be an ocean floor.
“I dream my painting and then I paint my dream!” Vincent Van Gogh
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase!”
Martin Luther King, Jr
Over the Edge about… Painting a Dream!
It can be lonely as a dreamer and sometimes things can be more lonely when it’s time to “paint your dream.” How about painting your dream in front of 1200 people, live, on stage while other artists are dancing, singing and playing instruments moving all around you and the blank canvas you stand in front of center stage? WHAT? Blank Canvas? On Stage? Painting Live? Are you crazy? Most artists would say, live, mmm, I don’t think so! To find your voice as an artist and make a living at the same time can be challenging if not near impossible. Meet one over the edge artist that I ADORE and want to see all her dreams come true.
