Archive for February, 2011

My toddler takes a small stuffed animal with her everywhere. Grubby and well-loved, Winky is the first one she turns to when things get stressful. By cuddling him my 2 ½ year-old centers herself. He truly is her touchstone.

Why am I telling you this?

Because cherished objects can be life savers in times of transition.

People contemplating deliberate, on-purpose change in their lives face an exciting and scary journey. In my one-on-one work with clients, we identify what a person most wants from their life and then how to make this vision their reality. The experience is both exhilarating and challenging, as transformative change implies altering deeply-engrained patterns of thinking and behavior.

To help feel centered when things seem daunting…

It was pretty traumatic. I danced my heart out at the audition and thought sure I would make it. Drill Team was cool and I really wanted to be part of it. I was so disappointed not to make the cut.

I still love to dance, so I’m thrilled to have discovered my new favorite class at the gym, Dance Boogie.

It’s awesome because:

• It’s exercise but doesn’t feel like it. The hour is up before I know it!
• The teacher pairs her instruction with fantastic music (Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas)
• We learn dance routines from movies I love

And the best part:

The morning was all right, but by evening things had taken a turn for the worse.

What hadn’t gone wrong?

My kids were sick, their naps were short, my daughter was whining (as two-year-olds do). My one-year-old was showing symptoms of a condition that landed him in the hospital late last year (so I worried about him). My husband was not feeling well, the dog needed to be walked, the dishes were stacked in the sink and the To Do list felt endless. I held it together until the kids were in bed and then I fled to the grocery store for some peace and quiet.


(Yes, the grocery store has become an escape. Welcome to the world of parenting, Mer).


As I went through the aisles restocking our pantry, I felt…

The No. 1 problem I see with resumes is that they talk about a person’s past instead of their future. 

Yes, this may sound counterintuitive – “Isn’t a resume supposed to describe what you’ve done?”

The answer is yes, and no.

Yes, you need to describe what you have accomplished, but ONLY in the context of what you want to do next in your career. In other words, you must identify and highlight the projects you have worked on that you enjoyed, and leave off (as much as possible) the work that drained you.

In my view, a resume’s true purpose is…