“When speaking to the audience, people are going to respond to you as you speak and when they do, look at them. If someone laughs, look their way, if someone sighs, see who did it.  If someone smiles, check them out.”

—Seth Barrish,”An Actor’s Companion.”

What I love about Seth’s direction for actors is that he does not tell us why we should look at the audience when they react. He just lays out what to DO, an intention.  Look at the audience when they respond to us.

I can guess what might happen.  Can you? …Read on.

I did a one-year online mindfulness course with Rick Hanson called “The Foundations of Well-Being.”  For me, the practices were life-changing; for the first time, I understood how short, daily mindfulness practices build up a sense of inner warmth and calm over time.

One practice comes back to me every January 1st when we formulate our dreams, resolutions, goals, for the next year: “Making Your Offering.”

Rick has us re-formulate our personal goals and dreams as offerings and gifts.

In this practice, Rick has us disconnect…Read on.

Thomas Woltz, the extraordinary landscape architect, is also an extraordinary speaker. He carries himself with a dignity and calm strength and is a perfect example of someone who “magnetizes in.” His stillness and poise are riveting. We are pulled towards his words. In his Charlottesville TEDx Talk, we can see this calm strength, feel the dignity, and the magentic pull of our attention. On January 1, 2023, I began a year-long on-line program with Rick Hanson called, The Foundations of Well-Being. Rick is a psychologist and mindfulness practitioner. In many of the weekly practices, he uses the phrases “calm strength” and “sitting with a sense of dignity.” As I sit for the practices, I feel my spine unfurl, the crown of my head grow towards the sky, my ribs expand. As the physical sensation of dignity and calm strength spreads through my body, an inner sense of dignity and calm strength takes root. I walk, stand, speak, from this place. Calm strength and dignity are qualities that people associate with presence, charisma, power, poise, and trust. Simply do this, every morning for a few minutes before we begin our day…Read on.