When my son was a little boy, he had a friend who was scared of clowns. Whenever his friend slept over, we had to look under the bed, open the closets and check assorted spaces to make sure there were no clowns in hiding.

Some may think this is silly. After all, adults know that clowns are people dressed up in puffy clothes. But to my son’s friend, these clowns were very real. And if they were real to him, it was important to let him know we believed him and that they were real to us too.

What clowns do you know? Are they hiding in your office cubicles or do they just unabashedly torment you out in the open? Are you the only one who sees them or are they real to others too? [Read more…]

It’s that time of year again. December is rolling into January and as we wrap gifts, race to the post office, spend time with friends and family, we reflect on much of what happened in the year that’s about to close.

For those ‘A’ personality high-achiever types like me, it’s easy to focus on the haves: should have, could have or would have. The deals that should have come through but didn’t. The sales projections we could have made but missed. Or the assignment we would have gladly taken if only someone else didn’t beat us to it. [Read more…]