What feels like a frustrating block, can actually be God's way of protecting you from taking a difficult path.
Door locked? Find another one.

I spend every morning on Facebook, catching up with friends, reading articles, and laughing at cat videos (OK, not really, but did you see this cute one about cats saving tigers)? It’s in this sea of randomness that I find entertainment, information, and (more than occasionally) inspiration.

What feels like a frustrating block, can actually be God's way of protecting you from taking a difficult path.

The badge I found on Doreen Virtue’s page spoke to me loud and clear. There have been many times where I have come up against locked doors, brick walls, and obstacles of all types. Living in self-will, I proceeded to call the locksmith, buy the jack hammer, or suit up to climb. What I didn’t realize is that sometimes blocks and obstacles are there for a reason. We are being redirected to bigger and better things in life. Lost jobs resulted in happier situations. Unexpected moves resulted in life-changing experiences. Before I learned to “embrace the suck” as a dear friend of mine says, I would rail against it, fight, cry, self-medicate, and do whatever I could to rattle the locked door.

Now, when I face a locked door, I look to my left and right to see if I see other options. If I feel too far off the beam, I will course correct and choose a new direction.

Daily Exercise: What are you facing today that might be an indication that you need to change your path? Make a list and mind map out a solution. Bubbl is a free mind mapping program you can use.

I’d love to see your results! Comment below!

Do you see the person or the persona?

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Robin Williams’ suicide really touched me in a place deep down in my soul. I realize the depth to which I can, occasionally, put on a mask. I use my experience to help others through their business challenges. But, often, I’ll mask it up when it comes to my personal life. I posted last week about being single and I got a Facebook message from a colleague which read “You know. I can’t help myself from micromanaging… so may I suggest you keep your personal stuff off of your WWC FB page? The “Single. And learning…”  feels too personal to show your professionalism.” In other words, dear coach, wear your mask.

Robin Williams wore his mask well. It wasn’t until his re-entry into rehab to “maintain his sobriety” came to the forefront that anyone had an inkling there was something going on behind the scenes. Still, the statement of maintaining sobriety thinly veiled that Robin was seeking help outside himself in a safe place. The media made that unsafe.

Actors rely on their persona. Often, in the process, the inner person gets ignored. Dustin Diamond recently came to Reno to perform. His “person” has been eviscerated in the media for the actions of his “persona.” Finding out a bit about the real person, thanks to a friend of mine, I find out that he’s happily married and good natured about people seeing him through their own lenses.

But where is the line? I find that actors aren’t the only people being judged by the characters they portray. We, as wives, mothers, husbands, fathers, friends, leaders, and professionals, may do the same. We may not have characters, but we have assigned roles and expectations we strive to live up to. Think about how you approach the people in your life. Even in your private life, do you assign a persona to your doctor, your teacher, your lawyer, your spouse? Do you ever spend time with a person and get real for a moment? If you do, you may be surprised by what you find out.

Today’s Exercise: See the person inside the personas you meet. Find out one new, non-professional, thing about the people in your immediate circle. What did you discover? Were you able to help someone you didn’t know needed it?