TheresaCaldwell.com

ComFEARtable

Combine high doses of comfort and fear and you become comfeartable. You might feel very comfortable in your job, surroundings or relationship. That's great! But are you sure? The toxic mixture works so well that you might not realize it's coursing through your veins.

Are you so comfortable that you can sleep walk through a week at work? Have you gotten so used to certain negative attitudes, behaviors and comments that you barely notice them? Have you adopted them? Or maybe you are constantly whining and complaining to others at work or to your friends. Have you stopped dressing a little better for a night out with your partner -- if you still "date" at all? So the bottom line becomes this: Why are you still there? Maybe you're comfeartable.

I learned about it from Bill Treasurer, author of Courage Goes to Work. Do yourself a big favor and catch him on Say It By Heart the week of September 29th. To me, the title wound up meaning even more than being courageous in the workplace. It reminds me that the courage in our hearts can go to work on the gremlins in our heads that say we can't achieve our dreams.

After reading Bill's book and talking to him, I had an "Aha!" moment. I had an area of my life that I loved, where I felt comfortable. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I might actually be comfeartable. I was shocked! Now that I know, I feel compelled to ACT like I know. As a person who coaches people and often speaks about life transitions, I know that the beginning of the transitional process is an ending. Sometimes you don't know exactly where the ending was. However, in many cases, we can choose the end point and the squishy feeling that goes with it. We go out of our way to avoid that feeling -- the fear -- but this time I'm going for squishy. Check out my conversation with Bill Treasurer and several other inspiring people in the Say It By Heart archives. You'll be encouraged and supported as you move out of comfeartability, too.

We're In The Money

It may not feel like it, but apparently we are. We invisible taxpayers have enough money to prop up teetering financial giants. Who knew? I didn't think we had enough to improve schools or provide basic health care for our less fortunate American brethren, and I still can't figure out how we're underwriting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. All this while, literally, losing our own homes.

I now wonder if economics is more magic than math, especially when I see people from some of the same firms and philosophies who got us into this mess saying that things are better than they seem. Maybe we are just whining. Any child can tell you that there are times and circumstances when whining works. The problem here is that our whining is more beneficial for many of the people who created the mess than those who suffer as a result of it. If it wasn't clear before that we were on our own, it should be crystal clear now.

We have to think differently about money and how we manage it. For some, that may mean getting back to basics. Say It By Heart for the week of September 22nd can help that happen. I spoke with financial adviser Gary Demirkan about how we can change our thinking in order to change our bottom line. He considers the metaphysical (the impact of our energy on wealth creation) to the basic financial (protect the most important thing in your life: your earning power). In her no-nonsense style, accountant Mary Quigley shared ways to explore your tax options as the year draws to a close. I know, I know. Who wants to think about filing taxes now? But you know the old saw: forewarned is forearmed. If you don't feel "in the money," for the forseeable future you're going to need as much warning and armor as you can get.

"Sick Care" For All?

The United States "Health Care" System is actually built around being sick. It's easier to get an insurance company to pay for treatment if you're already sick, than to get proven preventive measures paid for. And that's IF you even have health insurance. Not to mention the fact that it often feels as if more of our health care creativity goes into curing sickness than preventing sickness. We can and must do better.

My guest on Say It By Heart the week of September 15th not only talks about moving from Sick Care to Health Care, she's doing something about it. She's Dr. Gloria Wilder, President and CEO of Core Health.

During our conversation, the passionate Dr. Gloria (as she's often called) talked about the universal keys to social justice. They are: health care, education, environmental justice, economic justice and a fair legal system. It makes sense for health care to come first on this list. I say that not because Dr. Gloria is a health care warrior, but because the old saw is true -- you have nothing if you don't have your health.

There's been a lot of talk about health care during the presidential race. There usually is, but significant solutions don't move from paper to program. Meanwhile the cost of quality care seems to keep going up while its availability keeps going down. I don't pretend to know what the solution is, but I do know there is one and that we can find it. My concern is that we won't commit to finding that solution in the near future.

The Thrill Of Victory

... And the agony of defeat. The old ABC Wide World of Sports program used to open using that line. The show has been gone for years, but that expression lives on because it so perfectly captures the sports experience. Even those who have never been big sports fans often enjoy the passion of those who are, appreciate the determination of talented athletes, and "get it" when a sports metaphor is used off the playing field.

The impact of sports on society is something I often think about, so I was happy to talk about it with award-winning Baltimore Sun sports columnist David Steele. He is the featured guest on Say It By Heart the week of September 8th. David is just the person to talk to because in addition to his ability to bring the fun of sports to a conversation, he is also the co-author of Four Generations of Color and Silent Gesture: The Autobiography of Tommie Smith.

You may have seen the famous picture of Tommie Smith, standing tall wearing his Olympic Gold Medal in Mexico City in 1968. Fellow teammate John Carlos is lower, to the right, wearing his Bronze Medal. Both men hold their Black Power salute high and their heads low. It was a powerful demonstration of their disgust at the discrimination faced by African Americans at home. They were criticized and even received death threats. Many people believed, some still do, that the international sporting venue was the wrong place for politics. Yet politics touch everything. Even this year, many people had significant issues with China hosting the Olympics. Baseball players have testified before Congress about steroid use, and football legends were on Capitol Hill with concerns about how the NFL treats its veterans.

Most importantly, there's just something about sports. Something that allows us to feel fully alive whether participating or watching. That's fine by me.