Did you hear the news? Neil Diamond has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! My recent tweet captured my feelings best:

“Heartfelt congrats to Neil Diamond R&R Hall of Fame Inductee! Amazing man, gifted musician, light in the world.”

Friendships come and go. Trends change. People grow older. And life continues. But one special ‘constant’ in my life has been the influence of Neil Diamond – singer and songwriter extraordinaire – which has etched a mark in my soul for 30 years. Read more »

By Bill Stimpson, Associate Editor

Everyone can examine their life and identify from their past what I call life moments. Some of those memories might be the obvious: Graduation day, a wedding, a vacation of a lifetime, or a memorable birth or death. But often these life moments are less obvious at the time and not even appreciated until later, upon reflection.

One such memory for me came on Christmas Day 1992. And every time I recall this memory, not only do I experience the immense joy of the moment – but I also realize its deeply meaningful significance in my life.

Setting the stage

At the age of 25, things were finally coming together for me. Within the prior two years, I had moved away from home and landed my first “real” job. By the time December rolled around, I had even managed to hold on to a girlfriend for an entire six months. Things were definitely changing!

My new girlfriend Read more »

Gail Lynne Goodwin is the founder of Inspire Me Today. For quite some time, I’ve been following her inspiration via her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. She always knows just the right thing to say! And then when I asked my friend Arielle Ford for a recommendation on a great person to interview for Following Your Joy, without hesitation she replied: “Gail Goodwin!”

So here we are. I’m so grateful that my path has crossed with Gail, and I’m delighted that Arielle connected us. What a joy to have a conversation with Gail about the “important” stuff in life – she’s full of depth and compassion and has a wise view of the world that I can’t wait to share with readers. Read more »

Did you read the recent post that highlighted tips for having a great vacation? Bill and I just returned from a Caribbean cruise (score!), and before we boarded the ship, I’m so glad we took our own advice and heeded the tips we routinely pass on to other travelers.

Our main goal for this cruise was pure relaxation and down-time, with no schedule and no ‘shoulds’ – just pure freedom to roam and do what feels right in the moment. So before the cruise, we did some research and figured out what we wanted to do on each island, making sure to keep it low-key.

However, during the cruise – each time our ship pulled into port, we both felt a bit uneasy. The truth was that neither of us wanted to get off the ship, despite the sheer beauty of each island that beckoned us.

So we did something crazy. Read more »

“Crying is a sign of weakness.”

“Keep quiet and don’t rock the boat.”

“You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t get good grades.”

These phrases are examples of the myriad of (unhelpful) messages we’ve heard along the way in life. They’re not truth; just opinion. And you know what “opinions” are, right? They’re like armpits – everyone has them and some of ‘em stink!

But when we’re young and vulnerable, we hear all kinds of messages that begin to shape what we believe to be true about the world. These messages can end up morphing into beliefs. And all of a sudden, we become adults and see the world through a particular filter that we’ve created. Often times, this filter doesn’t align with what we know is right, and the old beliefs get in our way. They get in our way of success, of relationships, of Read more »

I knew it was time to change into my shorts and tank top and get my butt downstairs. I could smell the amazing Caribbean-style dinner cooking, and I heard Bob Marley and his reggae vibe blasting through our speakers.

Our vacation kick-off party was getting underway! This “party” is a ritual of ours before going on vacation. Bill and I have a Caribbean cruise planned this winter, and several weeks out we like to get the excitement started. This usually includes looking at pictures from past cruises and vacations, going through travel documents, playing our favorite warm-weather music, and most importantly – setting our intention for the upcoming trip and discussing what we each want from it.

The evening of fanfare sets the stage for the two of us to get completely jazzed and fired-up for the upcoming trip!

We’ve been doing this now since our honeymoon cruise in 1994, due to important lessons we learned back then. While our newlywed time together was wonderful, something about the trip wasn’t quite right. We felt pulled in several different directions. We hadn’t really talked much about Read more »

Minding my own business at home one evening last week, I got a totally unexpected call. “Hi, I’m an Eden Prairie police officer and I’m sitting here at the softball field with your husband.”

In the millisecond before he continued talking, my mind raced with thoughts of: “WHAT did Bill do?” I couldn’t help but think of all the wild and crazy college tales that have lived on through the years. Several scenarios rushed to mind: “Did he drink too much and trash the field?” “Did he climb the water tower and spray paint it purple?” I wracked my brain and wondered what on earth the police officer caught him doing.

 “Your husband got hit in the face with a softball and he’s bleeding quite a bit. I’ll sit here with him until you can get here and take him to the hospital.”

That’s when the curveball came. Read more »

So I got a guy who knows a guy. A friend of mine said, “You’ve got to meet Joseph Wooten. He brings me so much joy!” He went on to say that “Joseph breaks the mold, and he’s living proof that our nation is on its course to righteousness and equality.”

Naturally, I couldn’t wait to meet Joseph!

He’s keyboardist and vocalist for the Steve Miller Band and one of the Wooten Brothers from Nashville. He calls himself ‘Hands of Soul,’ and he’s got his own amazing music to boot. When we did meet, Joseph and I really connected on his song called “I Matter.” It’s a song connecting people and addressing the deep need that we each, in our own right, matter.

Throughout my years of coaching, one of many consistent threads I see in my work with clients is their need to know that they’re important and that they matter. And I totally get that. I feel it, too. We just want to know that we’re significant – somehow – in this big, vast universe. It’s a fundamental need. I even addressed it in Read more »

These past few weeks I have been experiencing a (very minor) health issue, and the symptoms have been puzzling. Two important people in my life reminded me to never underestimate the mind-body connection and that the symptoms could be the result of an emotional issue. Hmmm.

So this weekend, Bill started asking me questions about what the symptoms might be related to. After an entire evening of deep and meaningful conversation (nice to be married to a trained coach!), I got to the crux of a big issue for me. It was about the way I occasionally hold myself back in important situations and don’t play as ‘full-out’ as I’d like to or as I could. I don’t always fully shine my light, letting the world see – and have – all of me.

As you may have read before, this has been an issue for me throughout the years. I’ve had past counseling sessions, great coaching guidance, and most recently it came up Read more »

I love to celebrate life. And one of my (many) favorite ways to do so is to plant myself among thousands of others at a concert. Inside the arena, we’re all there for a common purpose: To revel in music that fills our souls, touches our hearts, and connects us with something deeper inside each of us.

When I go to a concert, of course it’s about the music and the artist. But also right up there at the top is sharing the life-affirming experience with an enthusiastic crowd. Bill and I love to travel to see our favorite musicians and we have a blast chatting up the locals and meeting fans in various cities…getting each other all riled up for the great show about to start.

Some goosebump moments of joy during shows the last few years that stand out for me are:

–A Vietnam Veteran next to me who sobbed Read more »