I am happy to say that Offpoint Chatter has been accepted as part of Nightingale Conant’s affiliate network! I am excited about this for two reasons…

1) I am pleased because it will give me a way to monetize the site.

2) Now, having said that, more importantly, I will be able to recommend products that have helped me immeasurably the last 3 decades to grow as a human being, both personally and professionally. I do sincerely hope that when I recommend a product that you take the recommendation seriously and click through on the links and at least take a look at what is offered. I believe that I have purchased, listened to and learned from every audio program published by Nightingale Conant the past 30+ years. I owe much of who I am and what I have to their authors and publishers.

When I was much younger, I would spend countless hours at the side of my maternal grandfather. I am the oldest son of his only daughter. He took over my life at a very young age and had a significant influence on my life. One of his greatest concerns for me was that I get an “education.” To grandpa an education meant a college degree, period. This is something he longed for and never had the opportunity to obtain during his lifetime. However, the word “education” has meant much more than that to me in my life. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve tried to write another post for three weeks now and have run into an old monster that terrorized me for years, one I thought I had captured, caged, and would never see again. I have a hard time doing certain things, especially things that will be seen or read by others. A terrible weakness to overcome, especially for one who feels at their core they were placed here on this beautiful blue globe to help others and express themselves through creative endeavors. I believe it can be traced back to my, at-one-time, almost manic obsession with being perfect. I affectionately call this terrible monster “The Perfect Lie.” Read the rest of this entry »

I have been thinking about what should be the first post in this particular conversation. One of the focuses of my book Warming Trends is the principle that “dust does not always equal progress.”

It has been my experience that action usually creates “dust” – or evidence of activity – however, not all action leads to progress. Sometimes this falls into the category of keeping oneself busy because one is too fearful to face the rigors of a truly adventurous life of discovery.

A few years ago, there was a morning when I awoke terrified by the looming day and all that it held. I was in a place where it seemed the Universe was pounding me for every poor choice and questionable decision that I had made to that point in my life. Read the rest of this entry »