There is an obscure line between setting specific goals and creating 
self-imposed limitations. I recently engaged in an intriguing business conversation with a good friend when he suddenly said “Stephanie, take the limits off.” This suggestion was very random and was not connected to the flow of the conversation. My initial reaction was “What is he talking about? Limitations, I am the last one to impose limits. I teach people how to free themselves of limits.” In the midst of my rationale I glanced over to my dry erase board where, only minutes earlier, I had written down my 5 goals for the month. Each goal was assigned a numeric expectation. My reasoning was I wanted to be specific about what I wanted to accomplish. Here’s my original goal list for January 2010.
The Invisible Fence of Limits
Talk of Tupac: The Art of Speaking
My sophomore year in college I shared a semester of my life with a school that I was not too thrilled about. I was a top student in Speech class, not because of my interest in public speaking, but because I thought that the English language was simple to repeat in presentations. We were given an assignment to write a speech about a famous person who we had great interest in. My assignment was for the field of music. On my shortlist was Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Fleetwood Mac and Tupac Shakur. Who was my choice? The obvious lone ranger, Tupac. I chose Tupac for many reasons. Initially it was because I had poetic respect for Tupac’s lyrical expression. I thought he was a genius of his art form. I also concluded that my classmates knew very little of his musical talent and I knew for sure that my teacher was uncultured to his reputation. The deciding factor for my Tupac decision was that the first year anniversary of his death was approaching. What a perfect sign.
5 Reasons to LOVE your Job!
So, you hate your job. Everyone knows it. You complain on the job to your job a
bout your job. Then you leave the job and before you get in the car you are on your cell phone talking about your bad day at work. You go home to complain to your family until bedtime about your job. Everyone gets it but you?
Your outlook on your job is the reason why you are still in the same position. Dedicate the next 30 days to viewing your job through rose colored glasses. If you don’t have any glasses handy, I will let you borrow a pair of mine (or you can use your recycled Avatar 3-D glasses).
10 Commandments for the Absent-Minded Networker
I love networking! Any facet of human interaction is appealing to me. From a cocktail social to the corner supermarket, I have an interest in connecting with people. In business, networking has extraordinary benefits if done right. No matter what background, not everyone reads from the same networking etiquette manual. I have set out to change that. I have been working hard to advocate national networking etiquette.
I have sketched out my worst networking experiences in the form of a commandment tablet blog. 
Signs of a Poor Communicator: #1 – You don’t get your way
I pride myself on exceptional communication skills. Sure, I am not the Queen
- Frustrated you aren’t getting what you want?
of the communication castle, but I try with consistency to firmly listen to the opinions of others in a way that shows respect and interest. Lately, my attention has been intertwined in passionate conversations where there is no positive outcome and no plan moving forward. This, in part, is attributed to poor communication skills. How do you know if you have poor communication skills? Is your point of view being respected? Are you using trigger words to insight a verbal riot? Our “Great Communicators” blog project is dedicated to solving all of your blunders and alleviating your communication frustrations.
In this introductory post I will explore why not getting your way directly aligns with your less than favorable communication skills.
