How To Tell a Failure Story

Photo of golden cogwheel on black background

Being a career coach in Silicon Valley, I hear a lot of stories of failure from entrepreneurs.

Indeed, anyone who has taken a shot at a startup has a ‘failure story’ to tell.

As a resume writer, I’ve figured out the way to tell ‘failure story’ honestly… Read more...

Default to Positive

Calm body of water during golden hour

Hello

Good morning

I appreciate that

Yes

Okay

Let’s go

You first

I’m sorry

I will

You’re great

I love you

Thank you

That’s awesome

Good for you

Good luck

Good anything

These words are the passwords to the universe. And you don’t have to even feel like using them to … Read more...

Tired Not Tired

Shallow focus photo of woman leaning on doorway

It’s okay that you’re tired at the end of the day.

You’ve worked hard. It takes a lot. Mentally. Physically.

You’re human!

Up and down is our way forward.

Just because you’re tired, doesn’t mean you have to rethink your life.

Instead, when you recog… Read more...

My Anxiety

It took a while, but it came.

I thought I was immune, but no one is.

There is a tree with thick, knuckly roots driving into the soft green earth. Its branches do all sorts of interesting things: hold nests and tire swings, block the hot sun, reach into other trees, click against on… Read more...

Jogging After the Fireball

My grad school professor, in describing my laid-back ambition said it was as if a fireball were blazing down the street and there I am jogging gingerly after it, big dopey smile on my face, looking around at the sidelines.

I think of this jogging metaphor often.

It’s widely b… Read more...

The Race

I was helping my daughter put together her pinewood derby car for Girl Scouts. We were laying on our stomachs lining up the nail to go through the tire at the exact right angle. As I was explaining why it was important to make sure the tire doesn’t rub the wood she surprise… Read more...

Dreams And What They Do

I have a dream.

All the greats said that.

I think dreams get a bad rap. They’re usually portrayed as wispy clouds in the sky, nothing you can hold onto, a thing to revere from a distance.

But don’t be fooled by the floating. If you examine a cloud closely, you’ll s… Read more...

Props from Chester Copperpot

In the movie Goonies, a group of subterranean adolescent adventurers revel in the fact that they made it farther than the legendary treasure hunter and riddle solver, Chester Copperpot.

They had less experience and less training than the Great Mr. Copperpot; afterall, they’r… Read more...