by Liz Clark | Feb 1, 2016 | Business Matters, Personal Development, Pursuits, Uncategorized
This mindset held me back for many years. I sincerely believe it was responsible for a lot of unnecessary unhappiness. Try this mindset shift experiment to begin enjoying your life right...
by Liz Clark | Nov 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
November is here! It’s sure to be full of everything we’ve come to know and love about the month: even more pumpkin culturally irrelevant graphic and interior design (does anyone actually relate to cornucopias?) The BEST HOLIDAY (Thanksgiving!) Facebook feeds and blogs overrun with “gratitude” and “thankfulness” posts. The driving idea behind these posts are absolutely wonderful. Many of us do get caught up in our relatively small troubles and forget to “count our blessings.” I’ve spent more than 25 years looking for the positive things for which to be thankful, even in some pretty awful circumstances. One example comes to mind. In 2008, my husband was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our four kids ranged between the ages of 2 and 8 that year. I was working full time. It was an incredibly stressful year. The kids missed their dad (as did I) and sometimes the smallest, most mundane thing would become the catalyst for a meltdown (for them or me). One day, in a moment of total frustration and exhaustion, I asked (maybe ordered?) them to tell me things they were thankful for. That went over like a lead balloon and resulted in that wide-eyed “uh-oh-Mom’s-upset-about-something” stare. I took a deep breath, apologized for my anger and said something to the effect of: “Can you just tell me at least one positive thing? Let’s make it a game. Finish the sentence: ‘At least _____.’ I’ll go first, “At least it’s not raining!” And so was born the Clark Family “At Least Game.” My sniffling kids all took...
by Liz Clark | Jul 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
My great-grandfather died long before I was born, but my grandmother remembered him fondly. He was a hard-working man. He worked with type setting for many years. It was honest, hard work and he developed a reputation for his excellent quality. As time marched on, industrial innovation marched in: big machines that did all kinds of fancy new things faster and “more efficiently” than my highly-skilled great-grandfather. The machines were quite impressive – and not at all something that he understood. My grandmother said he tried. He worked to try to understand these new machines at first. But he couldn’t adapt. He began working less and drinking more and – years later – became very ill and passed away well before his time. My grandmother said she believed he really died of a broken heart. She watched her father change from a big, joyful man who carried himself with pride and a twinkle in his eye – to a shell of a man who lost the will to live. Why the heck am I sharing such a sad story? I see this same dynamic play out in our modern world. Technology is hurdling forward at an unfathomable pace. My children make me feel older every day as they navigate technology and try to explain it to me with words that I’m pretty sure they made up. I’ve been feeling strangely akin to my great-grandfather these days. I’ve built a successful “brick-and-mortar” business. Now I am expanding and building an online platform. Some days, I look at this big machine called the internet and I think – “Wow, that’s impressive. But...
by Liz Clark | Jul 5, 2015 | Uncategorized
I’ve spent a long time thinking about this website. Thinking about what I wanted it to look like. Thinking about what I hoped I would have the courage to write. But, thinking was as far as I got for almost two years. I filled up my already-busy days with distractions to avoid working on it…because my focus was in the wrong place. My focus was on ME and MY thoughts. Slowly, with the help of a unique community of Dreamers and Builders, I began to understand that this website is not about ME. It’s about helping and connecting with a community of people. What kind of people? People who know there is more to life, but need a little encouragement or guidance to reach it. People with compassionate hearts and incredible dreams that are fighting doubt and fear. People who need practical advice and an inspirational advocate who knows how to overcome adversity and isn’t afraid to help you overcome it, too. People who are willing to be part of a community by encouraging others and participating respectfully. People like YOU. Once YOU became the focus, my daily schedule changed. I found time. It was hard. Some days I am still amazed at the interest that people have shown in what’s being built here. So, why did I start this site? What’s it all about? I want to use my writing, my experience and skills to help you find and reach what really matters in life and business. I want to build a community of like-minded folks who are reaching for what matters and are willing do so together. Last weekend, I...
