Gina slumped into the chair in my office and unloaded all the things that were bothering her – things she wanted us to work on. It was not a short list either. Her boss had overlooked her for promotion several times. At 45, she felt there was an age bias toward younger employees in the company that she that been with for 15 years. She was, she told me, “too old” to go back for an MBA. New neighbors had recently moved into the apartment above hers and every night sounded like they were rehearsing for Riverdance. On top of all this, the dating pool for a single over 40 year-old woman in Manhattan was slim. All the good men were either married, gay, or only interested in 20 year-old hotties.

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This past month, I traveled to Florida to deliver a presentation to a group of health and wellness experts, and I thought I did a bang-up job. My preparation went beyond the norm for this type of event, including a full week spent slaving over the PowerPoint, even going so far as to hire a presentation coach for two sessions to help me iron out some of the kinks (yes, even coaches need a coach!). So when the feedback arrived that my presentation fell somewhat below expectations, I was upset. My message had failed to land. Or as one reviewer delicately put it, "You didn't quite connect with everyone in the audience."

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Please consider sponsoring me: On April 18th I will be running the Boston Marathon in honor of Joseph Timperley, with the Run for Research team. More information on Joe's story and my mission can be found at: http://go.liverfoundation.org/goto/annmehl
 
It would mean a lot to have your support. My personal goal is to grant $3,250 to help fight liver disease. I thank you in advance if you are able to make a donation.

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About six years ago, my father passed away. I still think about him almost every day, but especially this time of the year when his birthday, February 14th, rolls around.

With my sister and brothers, I will sometimes reminisce about the small idiosyncrasies that made him our dad. The bulging pants pockets, filled with keys. The wallet held together with 3 elastic bands (this despite the drawer full of new ones we had given him over the years as gifts). The baseball hat perched atop his head (never on his head), reflective of his time in the military. His distrust of anything resembling a main road (his old trucks weren’t bred for the highways).

He was, like many of his generation, a man of few words. But when he did speak, it was usually to impart some wisdom or practical piece of advice. As I’ve gotten older, I have come to appreciate many of his great aphorisms, which remain lodged in my mind like an old song. With this Valentine's Day upon us, I thought I’d share some of his “greatest hits” which may help you in setting your priorities.

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One of my clients, Ed, a sales manager, came to see me in a state of barely-controlled panic. A recent round of layoffs at his company had left him with fewer sales agents and even greater demands for bottom-line results, for which he felt personally responsible. “I know there’s pressure in every job,” he said. “But I’ve never felt like this before. This feels like I’m literally drowning.” As we got into the session, he confessed that he had been experiencing panic attacks at home, when he was supposed to be away from work and relaxing. As he explained it: “I’m just tired of being scared all the time. I am tired of being afraid.”

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