Water's Edge Coaching

Our hearts are heavy as we said good-bye to our friend of 14 years, Groucho.  In honor of him I thought I would pass along some of the wisdom he shared with us over the years.

• Stop thinking so much and just do it!  If you want to lie on the chair or next to the person on the sofa get up there and do it.  Stop waiting for the perfect moment or an invitation.
• There is nothing more important than spending time with people you love.  Whether it is watching television or just hanging around while they read a book, make a point of enjoying your time with them.
• Feed me dammit!
• Keep your claws sharp but retracted.  Just because you have them doesn’t mean you have to look for reasons to use them.
• One of life’s great pleasures is lying in the warmth of the sun streaming through the window with your dogs and your people by your side.
• You can get along just fine with those who are different than you if you’ll just make the effort and follow a few basic rules.  After all, Groucho worked things out with 2 dogs in the last 4 years.
  • Stand up for yourself, don’t compromise who you are and let others know where you stand. 
  • Respect differences and dare to be curious about them.
  • Set your own boundaries and respect those set by others.
  • Be forgiving.  What’s done is done.  Leave it that way.

We will miss you Groucho.  You were a good friend, a mostly patient teacher, and a great source of warmth curled up on my lap on cold winter nights.  Cheers buddy!

Tis St. Patricks Day and so to all who may read this I raise my glass and say, Sláinte!  That is a traditional Irish toast that means “health.”  What are you doing for your health these days, emotionally and physically?  How are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along?  The weather has begun to warm up here in Chicago and soon we weekend warriors will be out and about working in our yards.  Ibuprofen sales will correspondingly spike I’m sure.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  You can make preparations now.  How are you making space in your life for things that are important to you?  Feeling overwhelmed about by life?  That happens to all of us.  What’s your plan to deal with it?  Health takes a lot of different forms, mental, physical, emotional, financial etc….   Struggle though we may to deal with them all (Lord knows I do) looking for a healthy balance in our healthy life is important.  So my friends, at this early hour of St. Patricks Day I raise my coffee mug (non-spiked) to you all and say Sláinte, may it be found in abundance in every aspect of your life.

I swore I wasn’t going to do this but it seems that my first blog entry for Water’s Edge Coaching deserves to stand on a little bit of ceremony.  The focus of my coaching practice is on making work an exciting and engaging place to be.  To all who should happen to read my writing, whether you are searching for work you can be excited about, or a leader of others looking to bring out the best from your team, I hope you find value in what I write.  I realize you may not always agree with what I have to say but I ask that you give it some thought.   I will always make space for healthy debate and discussion on my blog.  I look forward to spending time with you on this page.  Well there we have it…. my baby is born…. I shall name it blog!