“MOTHERHOOD: 24/7 on the frontlines of humanity. Are you man enough to try it?” This is the agenda of Maria Shriver, who revealed this mission on Oprah Winfrey’s show a few months ago. Who is Maria Shriver? Well, if you were to ask her now, she would say, “I am a mother.” And then stop thjere. In the interview, Shriver, who is also a well-known journalist, the daughter of well-known public figures Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver and First Lady to California Governor Arnold... Read→
THE MORNING the lights went out was just like any other morning in a busy working mom’s day. At the crack of dawn, I was already cooking my daughter’s school lunch. While I was in the bathroom to do my morning rituals, the lights went out. There was no power failure; I had blacked out. Seconds later, my husband found me sprawled on the bathroom floor. From far away, I heard my husband’s voice shouting my name and I felt water on my face and the hard tiled floor on my back. I thought, as if... Read→
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“BE careful with what you wish for; you might get it.” This saying rings true like an alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning when you don’t like to. We have often been told that a person without goals won’t achieve success. But the problem is, sometimes we are so caught up in pursuing our dreams that we don’t realize that we are, in fact, in a nightmare. In the movie “Bedazzled,” a geeky man is so enamored with an office mate that he sells his soul to the devil (personified... Read→
IN Michael Useem’s book “The Leadership Moment,” he narrates the story of 16 firefighters who plunged into a raging forest-and-grass fire in Montana with only three of them escaping fiery deaths. Included among the survivors was the crew chief of the firefighters, Wagner Dodge, who survived because of an innovative technique he used to protect himself. As the fire chased Dodge, he set another fire in front of him which cleared an area where he was able take refuge in. He signaled his crew... Read→
A MOM’S life is a work in progress. We are forever fixing things, our houses, our children’s problems, our relationships. Sometimes, we feel that we can never create the home and the life we have always dreamed of. Then, when the first streaks of gray hair appear, we wonder where time has flown and if we have made the best use of our lives on earth. This nagging thought, this unsettling feeling, can be mistaken for guilt. But actually, it is the intense passion of the human spirit... Read→
IT never ceases to amaze me—my ability to become “invisible” at will. I discovered this ability early in my career when most of the time, people ignored my presence in the office. I believe all of us have this ability or “skill,” if you can call it such. To demonstrate this skill, try doing this when you are entering a restaurant: Think that you are the sloppiest person in the world, hunch your shoulders, squint your eyes and walk in short timid steps. Chances are the doorman won’t open... Read→
DO you feel like you’re just going around in circles? Bone-tired and soul-weary, you may sometimes wonder whether the hectic schedules you keep are worth all the stress. It is in times like these that we try to connect with our “inner selves” to find meaning, values and purpose to our existence. For Jay A. Conger, author of “Spirit at Work,” this process of connecting with our inner selves is spirituality. I had always connected the word spirituality with religion and never really... Read→
“YOUR face betrays no emotion.” This is what Alan Barker, a trainer on effective communication, told me several years ago. As a Human Resource manager, I had developed the habit of not showing my emotions especially during stressful situations. I thought it was a sign of efficiency. Instead, it was a symptom of career burnout. I wonder what Alan Barker would say if he saw me today? My face gets so animated when I speak that sometimes wonder if I overwhelm people with my enthusiasm. Why... Read→
