Tag Archives: The Quotable Coach

What are you still carrying that isn’t yours

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“What are you still carrying that isn’t yours and is weighing you down?”

—Rita S. Wilkins, lifestyle design expert

Image from Unsplash by Graham Covington

Some of the heaviest things in life don’t show up on the bathroom scale.

They are worries, expectations, and “shoulds” that somehow ended up in your mental backpack without your permission.

Take a moment and imagine emptying that backpack onto a table. What’s in there that actually belongs to someone else?

  • A parent’s voice about who you should be?
  • A friend’s drama you keep replaying?
  • An ancient rule that says you must keep everyone happy?

EXERCISE:

Picture yourself picking up only what’s truly yours and leaving the rest in a nice neat “lost and found” pile.

You might notice you stand a little taller, walk a little lighter, and suddenly have more energy for the life that actually fits you!

I prefer radio to TV because the pictures are better

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“I prefer radio to TV because the pictures are better.”

—Alistair Cooke, late British-American journalist

Image from Unsplash by Dave Weatherall

Today’s quote is a brilliant reminder that imagination always outshines production value.

Radio doesn’t hand you finished images — it invites you to create your own.

In that sense, it’s pure partnership between storyteller and listener — a co-creation.

Today’s screens try to show us everything, leaving little room for wonder.

Maybe that’s why so many feel numb: our inner worlds have gone quiet.

What if we turned off our desire for 3D graphics and let our minds paint again?

Whether in conversations, a book, or the pauses between thoughts — imagination is still the best screen we own.

EXERCISE:

Close your eyes and sit quietly for three minutes, tuning into all the sounds around you: a hum, a car, a bird, distant voices.

For each sound, imagine a little story about its source and what happens next — build characters, locations, and motives using only your ears and your mind’s eye.

It’s comforting to rest in the space that everything is in the right place

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It’s comforting to rest in the space that everything is in the right place.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Coen Staal

There’s a quiet comfort in trusting that everything is unfolding as it should.

Even when life feels tangled in uncertainty, there’s a deeper order beneath the surface — a rhythm that holds us steady.

When we pause long enough to notice, we see that each moment, each choice, each breath has brought us exactly where we need to be.

Resting in this space allows peace to replace pressure, and gratitude to soften our striving.

Not everything may be perfect, but it is aligned in ways we often can’t see.

For now, let that be enough — everything is in the right place.

EXERCISE:

In what ways do you trust that beneath the noise and questions of the day, everything is quietly settling into its right place?

How can this very moment be a doorway to everything you’ve been seeking?

Friday Review: FRIENDSHIP

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Friday Review: FRIENDSHIP

What does it mean to be and have a friend? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

“Probably the most neglected friend you have is you.”

 

 

 

 

“When people are like each other, they tend to like each other.”

 

 

 

 

“To be a good fisherman you must detach yourself from the dream of the fish. This makes whatever is caught or found a treasure.”

 

 

 

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

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“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Randy Jacob

You can say yes to every client, every project, every invitation. You can fill your calendar, your plate, and your mind until there’s no room left for you.

You can push your body past exhaustion and call it “commitment.”

The real question is not “Can I do this” but “Does this align with who I am and who I am becoming?”

Every yes that isn’t grounded in your values is a quiet no to your integrity, your health, and your happiness.

Today, dare to disappoint others before you betray yourself.

EXERCISE:

Consider reading “The Power of a Positive No” by William Ury. He shares a powerful three-step method for saying “no” in a way that protects your core needs while preserving important relationships and opening the door to better yeses.

One who looks around him is intelligent

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“One who looks around him is intelligent; one who looks within is wise.”

—Matshona Dhliwayo — Canadian Philosopher, Entrepreneur, author

Image from Unsplash by Laurenz Kleinheider

The intelligent person studies the world around them as a keen observer of trends, systems, and human behavior.

They learn from what they see. But wisdom begins when the gaze turns inward.

To look within is to face the silent questions: What drives me? What am I resisting? Where am I not free?

Intelligence gathers information. Wisdom transforms it into understanding.

The outer world shows us how to succeed. The inner world teaches us how to live.

The balance of both creates a life not just well-informed, but deeply anchored.

So, look around to learn, but pause each day to look within to see, to listen, and grow truly wise.

EXERCISE:

Create your own list of provocative questions to pursue your inner path toward greater wisdom.

Consider discussing these questions with a friend, mentor, or coach to make even more of this inquiry.

Your reputation isn’t what you shout

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“Your reputation isn’t what you shout. It’s what people whisper.”

—Shane Parrish, author of the Farnum Street Blog

Image from Unsplash by krakenimages

You can post daily affirmations, list your virtues, or tell the world how honest you are — but eventually, your echo fades, and all that’s left is how others felt when you weren’t performing.

Reputation lives in the quiet corners of conversations — the “He’s always fair” or “She really shows up.”

It’s built in moments too small for applause: a promise kept, patience shown, help offered when no one’s watching.

The whispers aren’t made of hype — they’re made of consistency. The good news? You write that script daily with every small act of integrity.

Whisper-worthy reputations always last longer than shouted ones.

EXERCISE:

In what ways can you stop chasing a great reputation?

What actions can you take to earn it so steadily that eventually it comes looking for you?

When we explore and embrace deliberate slow rituals

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When we explore and embrace deliberate slow rituals, we experience a kind of sacred time not accessible in our everyday existence.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Benita Anand

In a world that worships speed, slowness feels rebellious. Yet when we choose to move deliberately — to sip our morning coffee without distraction, to walk without hurry, to breathe with awareness — we step outside ordinary time.

These slow rituals become portals to what feels sacred, spaces where life expands, and moments that stretch beyond measurement.

In deliberate slowness, we discover presence — the kind that connects us to meaning, not momentum.

The world keeps spinning at its manic pace, but within our chosen pauses, time softens. These small acts of intention remind us that depth, not speed defines a life well lived.

Sacred time isn’t rare; it’s quietly waiting between our breaths.

EXERCISE:

What are some ways that you can introduce more deliberate, slow rituals into your day?

Please reply to this post with the strategies you try and how they enhance your experience of living.

Just about always, our beliefs arise as a result of our actions

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“Just about always, our beliefs arise as a result of our actions.”

—Seth Godin, author, entrepreneur, teacher

Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan

We like to imagine our beliefs guide our actions, as if we think first and move second. But most days, the opposite is quietly true: what we repeatedly do carves grooves in the mind.

The way you handle conflict, food, money, rest, and risk eventually becomes a story about “who you are.”

Skip difficult conversations often enough and you begin to “believe” honesty is dangerous.

Show up for others consistently and you begin to “believe” you are dependable.

If someone watches only your last 30 days of action, what conclusion would they draw about your deepest beliefs?

To what degree would that be actually what you want?

EXERCISE:

Choose something you “believe” you are not (examples: courageous, disciplined, healthy, creative).

For the next seven days, take one tiny action in that direction — send the email, take the stairs, stretch for a minute.

Each night finish the sentence “Someone who does what I did today must believe…”