So picture yourself standing at the Starbucks counter for the first time. You want coffee, you need coffee. It smells good, it even sounds good – just walking in the door perked up all your senses. You want to get it right, make the right choice, without making a fool or yourself. Last week we […]

You’re intimidated. People are watching, you feel pressured. It’s not a life or death decision, but it will mean the difference between pleasure and pain. You have high expectations. You’ve heard good things. You’re paying top dollar. There are so many choices! You love the choices, and you hate the choices.  What if you make […]

My daughter loves to go the dentist. She’s had more than her fair share of cavities (bad genes) and fillings that fall out. But she’s fearless in that chair, her little feet dangling just over the edge of the seat. The dentist once told her to close her eyes so none of the “sleepy juice” […]

What time is it? Do you have an internal alarm clock that awakens you every morning? Do you always know what time it is, to the minute? Or are you lucky to be somewhere in the ballpark, give or take an hour or two? I bet at work you always know what time it is… […]

It’s always in the back. It’s never in the front. No matter how big of a hurry you’re in, you will always have to go to the furthest corner of the store to find the milk. Same goes for bread, only it’s in the opposite corner. Go figure. We all know this clever trick of […]

Who is stinking rich with an acerbic tongue and bad hair? Who has cheap prices, low wages and comes to a community with controversy? Where does a coffee-drinking, college-educated liberal live? It takes only a few well-chosen words to aptly and immediately convey the image of Donald Trump, Wal-Mart and Seattle. Your company has an […]

“We need to talk about our relationship.” That sentence sends shivers down some spines, especially if it’s your significant other making the proposition. In the workplace, some people will respond with a hug and say, “Great! Let’s get to know each other better and talk about any conflicts we might be feeling!” Others will moan, […]

When you’re shopping for a new dry cleaner, do you ask a friend with nicely pressed clothes where they go? When you want a new haircut, do you ask a nicely coiffed neighbor for a referral? When you need a new employee, do you ask your customers? They already know you, and they like you […]

Why is the sky blue? Why does the dog stink? Why do I have to go to bed? The questions of a child are as infuriating as they are thought provoking. Sometimes we make up the answers as we go along, combining folklore with the bits we remember from school: “Well, Johnny, it’s because the […]

Keeping it real. Real life. Reality television. You might have your own little reality show going on inside your company, but is Ms. Jones watching? You can bet she’s too tied up in the melodrama playing out in her own life to get caught up in yours. How do you become relevant to her? 97 […]