Finding Harmony

Back in October, I celebrated the start of a new decade, excited to declare it my best yet. In January, I’m processing the news that four different friends have passed away in the last month. This was not in my plan. I now understand that to experience more ease and joy, I must also learn to find harmony between sorrow and celebration.

my weekly morning walk

The universe at large seems to test our commitments, checking to see just how devoted we are to them. Fortunately, I’m dedicated to mine. We held a wonderful family celebration to kick off the year, and we have fabulous travel planned in the coming months - lots to be grateful for. On the other hand, sad news abounds. Welcome to a rich life experience.

If this time finds you in need of more harmony, I’ll share what works for me in the hope that it helps you. I offer these words as comfort, in the spirit of community, and moving forward together. For me, finding harmony means allowing time to feel the grief, and the sadness, to rest, read, write, walk, and, when I’m ready, to keep going. Onward toward joy.

Declare Yourself Game-Ready

Hanging on the edge of our seats, forgetting to breathe, is how we’ve watched Olympic events thus far - and we still have a week of thrills to go.

One of the things we appreciate most about the Games is watching athletes declare themselves game-ready.

Each step onto the pitch, into the pool, or out on the road tests their ability to rise above, believe in themselves, and summon their best in the moment. #respect If you watched the final pommel horse routine of the USA Men’s Team Gymnastics or the USA Women’s Rugby 7’s win, you enjoyed two examples.

As business owners, these stories are an inspiring reminder of three important lessons on the road to success:

Pause the testing and tweaking, and give yourself a chance at winning. Once you’ve built strong fundamentals, it’s time to start talking about and sharing what you do in the Wild West of social media and online platforms. Let people get to know you and learn from your work - while you learn from them. Start posting, send the email, upload your video, or record that podcast. You can only get so far on the practice field.

Cultivate your creative edge and connect it. If you spend all your time immersed in skill development but never risk people seeing it, you miss the reward. While it takes persistence and commitment, impact happens when people value your work (buy), share it with others, and treasure it. Seeing your services transform someone’s life or your products make a lasting impression is powerful. Don’t stop before the connection part, keep going.

Building relationships and gathering feedback doesn't happen by chance; it’s the result of intentional engagement. Stand in the spotlight, attend events, and talk to potential clients—actual humans—to learn what's working. What if you score a win?!

As we enter August, the Games encourage all of us to sharpen our skills, focus our efforts, and prepare to shine in the season ahead.