Posts by Mary Ellen Clagett
A Life of Service
I was blown away this week by the example set by Elizabeth Bonker. At 15 months, she was diagnosed with nonverbal autism. Last Sunday, she gave the valedictorian speech at Rollins College. Her speech and her journey are inspirational. Encouraging her classmates to use their voices, she said: “God gave you a voice. Use it.…
Read More24/7 Feedback
Thanks for the Feedback, by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, reminded me that feedback surrounds us 24/7 when we pay attention. Thinking about this took me back to when I hired my first coach. It was the year after my sister died and I decided to make a major career change, moving almost 5,000 miles…
Read MoreBe a Hero
If you were to pick up one of the books in my library, you would find them filled with highlights and notes written in the margins. Over this past month, I’ve been revisiting them, curious about what I was thinking when I originally read them. Five stars were next to a passage from Think…
Read MoreOverwhelmed
We’ve just passed the two-year mark of the start of the pandemic and we’re still processing the aftereffects: We’ve become more attached to technology to connect and work — we find news at our fingertips, continuously streaming the crisis in the Ukraine, the political divisions within the US, hate crimes and more. Many of…
Read MoreWe are Human
My best varies daily. Some days I’m able to “save the day” and solve complex problems, and other days I spend 15 minutes looking for the phone that is safely encased in my back pocket. Over time, I’ve come to understand that my value doesn’t diminish on the days I don’t think I’m performing at…
Read MoreSpuddling
I was browsing a friend’s Facebook posts and came across “Word of the Day is ‘spuddle’ (17th century): to work ineffectively, to be extremely busy whilst achieving absolutely nothing.” ‘Spuddle’ seems the perfect word for this phenomenon. I’ve been finding myself ‘spuddling’ a lot lately. I start the day with a “to do” list, and…
Read MoreReset
I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I prefer to take time to reflect on the previous year, acknowledge what went well and what didn’t, and reset where needed. While I enjoy using my imagination to dream about the “big” goals, I find that I don’t reach them unless I think about the…
Read MoreTake a Break
Today marks the first day of Winter – the Winter solstice. Winter is a time when trees and plants go dormant and both animals and insects go into hibernation. Nature supports a complex system for sustainability and renewal. Seeds dropped in the Fall germinate underground waiting for Spring to sprout, and animals that might not…
Read MoreBe a Redwood
Fun nature fact: Those massive Redwoods that are so awe-inspiring have shallow root systems that go out over 100 feet from their trunks. Their strength to withstand strong winds and floods is because their roots intertwine with the roots of the other Redwoods. What a beautiful lesson from nature about the value of support systems…
Read MoreWhat If?
My second favorite thing to do while traveling is to stop in locally owned bookstores; invariably, I find a gem. My latest find is a children’s book called What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada. It’s a wonderful story about a small child who has an “idea” and not a clue what…
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