As we enter this century’s decade of the “Roaring 20’s,” wouldn’t it be wonderful to have 2020 vision, looking into the year ahead with clarity and accuracy? Or… maybe not. If we could know in advance what tomorrow will bring, would we be better off? I’m not sure. When I reflect on the year past, I think taking life one day at a time is what we humans can handle best. A year ago I created a list of 19 goals for 2019, the second year I followed this idea from author Gretchen R

What is a mentor? Is it the same as a coach? Or, is it something different? The words mentor and coach are often used interchangeably. Most people would agree that the roles have much in common. Mentors and coaches help us grow and achieve our goals. When should someone seek the services of a coach and when should someone seek a mentor? A dictionary definition for coach is “one who instructs or trains.” Therefore, seek a coach when you need instruction to achieve a targeted s

When you are facing a big project or task, are you more inclined to get started right away, or put it off? If you are in the 20% of the population who are considered chronic procrastinators, your answer will be “put it off.” If you are among the remaining 80% of us who occasionally procrastinate, your answer will be “it depends.” Everyone struggles with procrastination at least sometimes and we procrastinate for many reasons. Whatever the reason, when facing a task you can’t

After work today, our oldest son, Joey, along with seven other adventurers (at last count), are driving more than 20 hours from Indiana to Leadville, Colorado. When they arrive on Saturday they will check out the trailhead, have dinner, and sleep for a few hours. On Sunday, they will rise before dawn to climb Mt. La Plata, which is one of the more than 50 peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation in the state, thus earning the name “14er.” Upon descent, they will begin the 20-hour

Looking for a proven method for self-improvement? Here it is: Engage in helping others improve by sharing your knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Why? Because helping others improve helps us in several key ways: First, we learn more when we are teaching others, whether it involves sharing knowledge or demonstrating a skill. Teaching requires greater cognitive and emotional investment than learning. When we teach, knowledge and application of knowledge become more deeply embed

This week the USA turned 243 and this blog turned 2. Happy Birthday! This is my 104th blog post since launching NutritionCommunicator.com two years ago in July 2017. Yay! I have continued to meet my goal of creating and posting a weekly blog. It’s time to celebrate… again! It’s good to take time to applaud our achievements. It’s also important to take time to reflect. One year ago I posted a blog celebrating one year of blogging and lessons learned (https://www.nutritioncommu

How do you and the audiences you serve view life – as the unfolding of events that happen by chance – or as a process of self-directed actions taken to meet personal goals? The first view takes the perspective of a victim and the second the perspective of a victor. A victor welcomes change, is empowered to change, and is not defeated by minor set-backs or obstacles to change. When we communicate with audiences about nutrition and health, our ultimate purpose goes beyond infor

Are you looking for an effective approach to writing New Year’s resolutions? A year ago, I read about author Gretchen Rubin’s plan to write a list of 18 goals to accomplish during 2018. The idea resonated with me, so I did it; and even better, I successfully completed nearly every one. You can read about it here: https://www.nutritioncommunicator.com/single-post/2018/12/07/Goals-are-wishes With that positive experience, it was a no-brainer to write “19 for 2019.” In case you

Brian Tracy, in The Power of Discipline, said, “A wish is a goal with no energy behind it.” I agree – goals are greater than wishes. I am certainly thankful that I set 18 goals to accomplish in 2018, because I know for sure many of the items on my list would not have come to fruition without putting them in writing and making them public. You can read my original blog post here where I credit author Gretchen Rubin with the inspiration to set 18 goals for 2018: https://www.nu

As we enter the final weeks of another year, what word best describes your state of mind: Panic? Dread? Anticipation? Excitement? Exhausted? Reflective? Thankful? All of the above? I must admit that “all of the above” may describe my state of mind over the final weeks of 2018. I am most definitely anticipating many wonderful holiday celebrations: decorating the house, taking my mother to the Purdue Christmas Show for her 89th birthday, get-togethers with friends – including o

The conference is over, your suitcase is waiting to be unpacked, hundreds of emails need to be read or deleted, piles of “real” mail need to be recycled, bags of expo swag are likely to sit untouched for months, and notes from sessions and meetings may be ignored until it is time to enter your continuing education credits online. Making conference attendance worth it Attending a conference has numerous benefits – visiting new places, sharing knowledge and ideas, connecting wi

This is my 52nd blog post since launching NutritionCommunicator.com last July. Yay! I met my goal of creating and posting a weekly blog. It’s time to celebrate! This is also a good time to reflect on lessons learned and look ahead to new goals. What have I learned from a year of blogging? Consistency is Key Making a commitment to write a weekly blog and post each Friday definitely kept me on track. My goal was challenging enough to stretch me but realistic enough to meet. I

Procrastination. We all do it – delay or postpone doing something. Is there something you’re putting off? Something you avoid doing even though you want to do it or know you should? Until yesterday, I was putting off creating my first “talking head” video to post on social media. Yes, I was procrastinating. Now I’m not one who likes doing things at the last minute, so I don’t usually procrastinate, but I just kept putting this off. Posting videos I create to social media, at

4 weeks into 2018, what percentage of New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten? Too many! Yours don’t have to be. Achieve your goals by taking to heart the advice contained in these 5 tips for achieving your goals: Tip #1 Assess your situation Begin your goal-setting journey by taking time to reflect on where you are now. What do you want to be different about your situation? What strengths and resources can you draw on to make the changes you desire? What is your motivatio

I am a goal setter, but I don’t limit myself to resolutions only at New Year’s. However, I do annually spend some time at the start of each year reflecting on the year past and pondering what I want to accomplish in the year ahead. This year, I was intrigued by a novel approach to this task. Author Gretchen Rubin, in the first 15 minutes of this podcast, encourages her listeners to identify “18 for 2018.” https://gretchenrubin.com/podcast-episode/147-happier-identify-18-for-2

What does the year ahead hold in store? We cannot look into a crystal ball, but we can determine what we would like our future to be and set specific goals and action steps to help us make our vision a reality. New beginnings, like the start of a new year, serve as prompts to take time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going. I encourage you to take time in January to reflect on your journey as a communicator. What are your communication strengths? What areas of