Archive for the ‘Questions and Quests’ Category

What Have You Got to Work With?

Posted on June 30th, 2009 by by Barbara

A common trait shared by the successfully self-employed is their willingness to mobilize the resources at hand. You won’t find them stalling, making excuses about not being able to move ahead for lack of funds, equipment, experience. It’s…

What Did Alvin Learn by Being Homeless?

Posted on June 28th, 2009 by by Barbara

Soul Acrobats founder Alvin Tam uses acrobatic exercises to help people break through their fears. He also challenges his own fears in other ways. When I read this piece he wrote, I knew I wanted to pass it

Whose Dream Is It Anyway?

Posted on June 27th, 2009 by by Barbara

As I was running errands the other morning, I heard an author on public radio talking about how unwieldy suburban life is. He also talked about the environmental and psychic impact of long daily commutes and suggested we…

Why Is It Taking So Long?

Posted on June 25th, 2009 by by Barbara

One of the qualities that successful entrepreneurs share is the capacity for paradox management. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the need to be both patient and impatient at the same time. Impatience is necessary to keep…

Looking for a Good Book?

Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by by Barbara

My fantasy vacation would be a long train ride (perhaps across Canada) accompanied by a stack of books I’ve been meaning to read. Of course, I’m never without a book–or several–in some stage of completion. Since summer is…

What Shall We Call This Business?

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 by by Barbara

Anyone who notices business names knows that finding the perfect one can be tricky. Most names are serviceable and a few are showstoppers. Seldom are they as provocative as the one I noticed  in Bath, England. The sign…

Why Not Ask?

Posted on June 19th, 2009 by by Barbara

In her delightful book Educating Alice, author Alice Steinbach writes that as a child her family remembers her pestering them with questions. She explains it this way: “Given my insatiable curiosity and intense admiration for Nancy Drew, my…

Is Your Work a Fit for You?

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by by Barbara

There are numerous ways to became an entrepreneur. If you’re Italian, you might be born to it. Just as homes stay in the same family for generations, Italian businessowners commonly pass their enterprises down to their children. If…

Are You Planted Where You Can Bloom?

Posted on June 15th, 2009 by by Barbara

A talented and creative young woman I know, who currently lives in Madison, posted a message on Facebook that said, “Wishing I weren’t so hooked on Boulder so I could just move to Minneapolis instead.” I promptly responded…

Why Would Anyone be Joyfully Jobless?

Posted on June 13th, 2009 by by Barbara

Every Wednesday my suburban newspaper shows up in my mailbox. I always look forward to reading it since the editorial staff seems to think that the most fascinating folks in our community also happen to be joyfully jobless. …