Decades before anyone talked about random acts of kindness, a man named David Dunn found a new hobby. He wrote about it in a wonderful book called Try Giving Yourself Away which first appeared in 1947.
The story actually began some twenty years earlier when Dunn had an idea while riding on the Twentieth Century Limited from Chicago to New York. He began to wonder where the eastbound and westbound trains passed.
 “Where the Centuries Pass” would make an interesting advertisement he mused. The next day he wrote a letter sharing his idea with the railroad company. They liked the idea [...] Continue Reading…

Five years ago, Marilyn decided to leave her soul-squashing job and start a business that would share her love of animals. Today she’s still dragging herself to that same job and her entrepreneurial enthusiasm is weak from neglect. 
When questioned about her business plans, she replies, “Oh, I decided in this economy it was better to hang on to what I had. Besides I hate to give up my benefits and I really need the money from my job so I can remodel my family room.”
What Marilyn—and so many others— demonstrate is that whenever we ignore our dreams we [...] Continue Reading…

If you had lived in the neighborhood where Tony Hsieh grew up, you might have met an earnest little door to door salesman just discovering his entrepreneurial spirit. Now at the ripe old age of 36, Hsieh shows us the path that took him from selling earthworms and photo buttons to running the success story known as Zappos.
As highly publicized as Hsieh and his company have been, his new book Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose  tells a far more complex story. In the first part of the book, we get to know Hsieh; in the [...] Continue Reading…

Last weekend I painted a picture of the bouquet of flowers on my coffee table. After I’d finished that, I wrote across the top, “Making It Better Starts Here.”
It was meant as a reminder to me that the opportunities to improve and shine surround us. That’s why Making It Better isn’t just the June theme of this blog; it’s also my summer project.
There is no shortage of projects right under my own roof, although my plans go beyond my personal environment. Impacting a larger world starts with small deeds inspired by a conscious decision to make things better wherever [...] Continue Reading…

A few years ago, I noticed that I often felt as if I was on the verge of tears. Since I associate crying with sadness, I took a look at what might be causing me to feel this way.
There was absolutely nothing that was making me feel sad, so I kept poking around. What I finally realized was that I had just discovered my own Stress Response.
It was not a familiar feeling.
Running a homebased business has eliminated many of the causes of stress that plague other people. Running a homebased business that’s having a growth spurt brought stresses of [...] Continue Reading…

Over a quarter century ago, writer Dianne Hales fell in love with the Italian language and has invested much time in learning to speak it. I spent the holiday weekend sharing her adventures thanks to her delightful book, La Bella Lingua.
What Hales discovered along the way—which explains why this is about much more than simply becoming bilingual—is that the Italian language has had a deep impact on creating the culture.
Readers of the book are treated to discussions about music, art, history, literature, movies, cuisine and, even, profanity (which the Italians have elevated to an art form of its own).
One of [...] Continue Reading…

Nobody described the dangers of working from home better than author Jessamyn West who said, “Whenever I’m writing a book I never get out of bed, because if I get out of bed I always see something that needs dusting.”
I know the temptation all too well.
My way of dealing with homebased distractions is to cluster domestic duties on Saturday. Just as I have a different  business project assignment for each day of the week, personal projects have their day as well.
After being away from home for the past five weekends, my house was dangerously neglected. I decided nothing was [...] Continue Reading…

When I think about my Dream House, it’s not a big glistening kitchen, high-tech family room or backyard swimming pool that catches my fancy. 
No, my perfect home has a library, a real library, with  floor-to-ceiling books, and aladder on wheels for exploring the top shelves. There’s a fireplace with a cozy reading chair and a good light.
I’m am not alone in thinking that would be exquisite. “When I have a house of my own,” said a character in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, “I shall be quite miserable if I have not an excellent library.”
Eda LaShan once said that [...] Continue Reading…

Every so often I’ll be chatting with someone and mention a book that I loved or that seems appropriate for them. I’m always startled when the response is, “I don’t read much.”  
Why would anyone deprive themselves of the pleasure, ideas, information and inspiration that can be found in books? 
During a time when I was wondering if I’d ever figure out what to do with my life, it was a book that lit the way. One evening years ago, I read a short newspaper article about two women who had started their own business using their natural talents and [...] Continue Reading…

Not long after Making a Living Without a Job was launched as a seminar, I had a hunch that a book would follow. I also was certain that it would take some time until I had gathered enough stories from seminar participants to use in the imagined book.
When I felt confident that I was ready to take on such a project, I explored the traditional ways of getting a book published: write a proposal, shop for an agent, revise proposal, have agent search for publisher. I knew, also, that as an unpublished writer, this would be an long process.
Perhaps [...] Continue Reading…