Recently, I was at group lunch with 20 colleagues from Raytheon. Fifteen fellow retirees were relaxed with smiling faces. The 5 who were still working had frown lines and green eyes – green with envy. We, the retirees, were talking about adjusting to life as a retiree. Some of us adjusted quickly, others not so…

I am an NFL owner. Really! For a modest sum, I purchased one share of stock in the Green Bay Packers. I would post a picture of the stock certificate, but it is in a pile of papers [See my speech, Piler’s Anonymous, to get the reference 😉 ]  Instead, here’s a screenshot of the…

This past weekend, in Las Vegas, I spent two days with a dozen amazing champ-campers and two award winning speaking gurus, Patricia Fripp and Darren LaCroix, at the Get Coached to Speak Champ Camp. Patricia Fripp was the first female elected President of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is a member of the NSA…

At the Toastmasters District Conference I attended on Saturday, one of the Toastmasters told me he enjoyed my book. He read it in an hour and really liked what I had to say. He told me that he passed the book on to another Toastmaster. He also mentioned he had received the book from another…

When asked how I am doing, I often respond that I’m “Living the Dream.” Recently, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban got into trouble for comments he made that said, basically, we all have preconceived notions of various things. He was not promoting racism but pointing out that we all have flaws. However, the “Gotcha!”, sound…

Last week, I attended a meeting of my Mastermind. I walked away with a list of things to do. By sharing this list with you, I am making you, the reader, my accountability partner. Don’t worry, it requires no action on your part … but you will still get credit 😉 Here is a list…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” ~Marianne Williamson Last weekend, I attended the Get Paid to Speak Bootcamp in Las Vegas, put on by Darren LaCroix and Ed Tate. During the course of the weekend, I learned of a new term for…

Yesterday, I spoke at the South Bay Professional Association (SBPA) in Torrance, CA. The SBPA is a networking group that connects employers with professionals and executives for employment opportunities. The week before the talk, I was thinking about my message. I had a half hour to speak and a half hour for Q&A. What does…

Last week, I blogged about my big week. I started acting classes and gave my first hour-long keynote speech. Today, let’s look back at the week and frame it into a big “Aha” moment. At the acting class, my first acting class ever, I was understandably lost. However, after observing my first cold reading scene,…

In December, I attended a retirement party for a former co-worker. I asked her, “What are your plans for retirement?” She immediately said, “I have a few things I want to do, but I am not going to be crazy busy, like you!” My new motto is “Living the Dream!” And when you live your…

Last week, in part II, I shared fifteen specific take-aways from the Lady and the Champs speakers conference (and the EDGE members-only summit, which was held the day before). Today, I will share more specific take-aways from the conference: You don’t give a speech, you deliver a speech. Have interesting conversations with successful people Record…

Last week, in part I, I shared my general great feelings about Lady and the Champs. Patricia Fripp, Craig Valentine, Ed Tate and Darren Lacroix put on an inexpensive yet incredibly valuable speaking conference. On Sunday Feb 23rd, I had the privilege of introducing Hall of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp for her keynote speech.. Today,…