Years ago, I realized that words can really hurt us. Like many, I had grown up hearing the old adage: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” Then I realized how untrue that saying…
Jordan Spieth: Happy 24th Birthday!
Have you heard of Jordan Spieth? Do you admire grit? Determination? Do you celebrate excellence? I found myself thinking those thoughts again as I watched almost-24-year-old Jordan Spieth seemingly rise from the ashes — Phoenix-like — to a thrilling win…
“They Never Intended to Kill Anyone”
I am sitting at my computer, watching the news, and again, I’m struck with horror at the killing of an American student named Bakari Henderson in Greece by an angry mob a few days ago. It appears that the student…
3 Ways to Almost Guarantee Your Writing Will Make a Bad First Impression
I’m a copyeditor, meaning I read and edit others’ words to help them look and sound as smart as they are. Over the last 25 years, I have seen many ways of succeeding and, sadly, a few things that almost…
Fireside Chats — Online Presence
Many years ago, I ran across this piece of advice from Harvey Mackay, and it’s always been in the back of my mind ever since. Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty. It was written as a book title in 1999,…
A Time for Kindness
On Friday, March 17, 2017, Marcia Turesky Rooks died. She had lived a wonderful life, and she died just six weeks past her 100th birthday. She was my mother. And while her death was a blessing, as she’d gone rapidly…
Bloggers of the World: Untie!
How many of you are bloggers? How many of you can’t believe the title of this post? How many of you saw the goof right away? How would you feel if it were yours? A couple of years ago, I…
Three Women Who …
The three women who helped me become me will always be in my heart and memory. Without their efforts, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Each of us probably has / had a few people in our life who…
Networkers No “Premature Solicitation”
Networkers: “No premature solicitation!” should be tattooed on your forehead! For about 30 years, networking has been the word “du jour” or “d’année.” Everyone who is anyone in business networks. And while social media is huge these days, many still…
Fireside Chats: Milestones
What milestones have you seen and celebrated? Did you know that February is Spunky Old Broads month? I hadn’t until two years ago when a friend — Claire LeSage — told me about it. I wrote a post on it…
Perception is Everything
Do you realize that perception is everything? How do others see you? How do you want to them to see you? What are you doing about it — now? I’m bringing this up because a friend and colleague, John White, recently wrote…
The Gift of Enough
The gift of enough is probably the best one I was ever given. I saw this picture on Loribeth Pierson‘s final post of her excellent series called 12 Days of LinkedIn Tips — and I was struck by how it…
What Are YOU Missing
What are YOU missing by moving too quickly all the time? Before you read this article, please watch the short video below. A fast-moving montage or a moment-by-moment experience: Which is more powerful? There is clearly energy in the…
A Positive Visitor Experience
Do outsiders have a positive visitor experience when attending one of your public business meetings? Do you even know? Have you ever attended a business networking event where you knew very few people . . . maybe no one? How…
It Takes a Village …
Are you familiar with the expression “It takes a village to raise a child”? Well, this is a quick story of a village that changed a life forever, although it isn’t about a child. All my life I’ve been an…
We Have Our Hats
What does “we have our hats” actually mean? Well, to me it means “we have enough.” Growing up in a family that owned and ran a few small women’s clothing stores in the 1950s and ’60s, I often wondered why…
Aging
I woke up this morning. That’s a VERY good thing. I woke up with a few aches and pains. That’s also a VERY good thing. Why? Because although I’m in the last third of my life — or on the…
What is “Smart,” Anyway?
A few days ago, I remarked in an LI group I belong to that I needed some help understanding how to send Neil Hughes a voice message on my iPhone. Others were able to do that, but I couldn’t figure…
Thursday Thoughts: Give Your Readers a Break! Please!
Here on LI, I am part of a group / thread that is now talking about how long a blog post “should” be. The range mentioned is from micro (250-500 words) to macro/very long (1,200-5,000+ words), with several weighing in…
Perspective
A friend on Facebook posted this recently, and it got me thinking . . . sometimes it does take a thunk on the head from the universe (or from our guardian angel) to help us see more clearly . .…
Our Big Blue Marble and “Human Correctness”
There’s a truly negative vibe in America right now that some of our “President wannabes” are promoting nonstop. And one of the ideas that keeps coming up — on the political front and others — is the unwillingness to do…
A Rare Gift
Years ago, a wonderful man gave me a rare gift, a priceless one one that took me years to recognize and use. He was easily the friendliest person I’d ever known. No matter where we were – a restaurant, an…
How to Turn a Human into a Crankasaurus
This post is prompted by a TV ad — yes. Really. It’s an insurance ad, and although I have no idea of the quality of the company, the ad agency that created it definitely knows how to sell an idea…
Hiding Behind the Cloak of Invisibility
Do you remember the Harry Potter movies? I’m reminded of them every time I receive a private message from a reader of one of my posts. These messages are always complimentary, and I’m grateful to receive them. BUT. I’m reminded…
Last Thursday Thoughts for 2015
It’s the last day of 2015, and we’re all getting ready to celebrate the new year, right? One night that weighs heavily on our minds — one night! Why not celebrate every day? Why do we wait for a specific, artificial,…
Making a Difference
On December 6, 2014, I decided to take the plunge and write my first blog. Friends and colleagues had urged me to do it for a year or more, but I wasn’t sure I had a voice or a message…
Hanging on by my Fingernails
I am a spunky old boomer broad still hanging on by my fingernails! A few months ago, I wrote about labeling people and then seeing them more narrowly — read it here — and it got a few nice comments.…
Water and Gratitude
Water and Gratitude I am sitting at my computer desk, looking out at my view of the water in Buttermilk Bay, which is on the uppermost part of Buzzards Bay on the southeastern coast of Massachusetts, USA. I moved here…
It’s National Punctuation Day!
I will bet most of my readers did not know this, but it really is! From Wikipedia National Punctuation Day is a celebration of punctuation that occurs each year on September 24 in the United States of America. Founded by…
What’s in a Name? (Quite a Lot, Actually!)
When I was just three days old, my adoptive parents gave me my name: Susan Betsy Rooks. Easy to say, easy to spell, and easy to remember. Susan was for my mom’s mom, Sara. Betsy was for my dad’s mom,…
Just When Will You Get . .
How much time do we waste? With our busy schedules, I’m sure we all have our ways of doing pretty much nothing — right? For me, it’s solitaire on the computer. I can sit and play for a half hour…
Serena. Novak. Jordan.
Last weekend was amazing! And I guess those whose names are in my headline — Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, and Jordan Spieth — would agree. I often find myself fascinated by sports contests, especially when I see individual excellence. Let’s…
Why Are We on LinkedIn Anyway?
What are we all DOING on LinkedIn? I ask because I had a little extra time this morning, so I thought I’d visit the writing groups I’m in to see who’s posting interesting stuff. I admit I haven’t done that…
That Nice Guy Finished First Again: Gritty Spieth Makes Major History
Two months ago, I wrote a post about Jordan Spieth, the 21-year-old phenom who also comes across as a truly nice guy. I had seen him play last year, and something about him grabbed me. He seemed so unassuming, so…
Happy Father’s Day: Qualities I Learned to Value From my Dad
My dad — who was actually my adoptive dad — has been gone now for nearly 30 years, but I can still hear him on the phone saying, “Hi, Sis — how are things going?” (Sis stood for sister; I…
Well, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about me?
Hey, listen! Listen. Listen to the silence. Listen to the noise. Listen to the birds chirp, the clock tick, the babies giggle, and the wind blow. Oh! You can’t hear those sounds? Why not? Are you too busy talking? How…
U.S. Memorial Day, May 25, 2015
Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. I will not be posting a Monday Grammar Checkup today in honor of the day’s importance. The picture is real. It was taken by an amateur photographer, Frank Glick, and there’s a wonderful…
The KISS Principle — My Way
The KISS Principle — My Way Many of us know the KISS acronym, which is too often used with these words: Keep It Simple, Stupid. You’ve heard it or seen it, right? Faithful readers of my blogs know how much…
Nice Guys DO Finish First!
You may not be a golf nut — nor watch it on TV — but you can’t escape knowing that there was a Major Event in the golf world this weekend: The Masters Golf Tournament. And if that weren’t enough…
Hiring Others: Lessons Learned
A while ago, I had a project I could not complete on my own. I knew my own limitations – I can do a lot of stuff, but sometimes we all need help – so I went looking for recommendations…
Courtesy and Customer Service
In my last post , I wrote about recently giving a refresher program on manners to some men in a long-term drug rehab. While we talked about a wide range of ways to use good manners, but this particular one…
Of Manners and Men . . .
I had a really different kind of request recently: a friend asked if I could or would teach a class in manners — to a group of men in a rehab facility. These men were in the last phases of…
I Gotta Be Me — ISTP!
I was adopted right after my birth by a wonderful set of parents who got far more than they had bargained for, and so the story of a little girl struggling to figure out who she was began. Growing up…
Swear Words. Nasty Words. Hurtful Words. Labels.
Funny (?) how we so often don’t actually say a “bad” word, but we say or write something like “that ‘b’ word” or even worse. Do we all know which word is not being said? Of course we do. But…
Surprise! The English Language is Evolving!
A few days ago, I shared an article written by Oliver Kamm in The Wall Street Journal on “Proper English.” I had hoped it would spark a few comments, and boy, has it ever done that! Who knew so many…
Spunky Old Broads Indeed!
Did you know that February is “Spunky Old Broads” month? I sure didn’t, but according to Claire LeSage, it is! And when I read her short piece, I laughed. I loved the vision I had of her mother, and all…
How 3 Strangers “Created” the Grammar Goddess
Did you know that 3 strangers helped to “create” the Grammar Goddess, and that’s how I got started in the training business? It was partly pure dumb luck and partly their efforts, even if they never intended it! It was…
Networking 1-2-3, Plus 1
Updated 4/19 Everybody’s doing a brand new dance now – and I don’t mean The Locomotion. I mean Networking! Networking has become such big business that it’s hard to keep up with all the possibilities. No matter where you live,…
Fish and Trees
Does this resonate with you? Did you grow up as I did, hearing and believing that a smart person — however that was determined — would always succeed just because of those smarts? Did you also realize that it didn’t…