Lizette Claudio » RANDOM THOUGHTS

Dealing with Change

18 January 2011

Can you pinpoint an exact moment in time when your life changed? Maybe for some of you, it’s the day you got married. Or maybe it’s the day your first child was born, or the day someone you loved dearly passed away. It’s as if your life changed overnight, and you feel like you’re in [...]

I’ll take one grande cup of strength and an extra-large serving of courage, please!

5 January 2011

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“Be strong and courageous…” - Joshua 1:6 Don’t you just wish you could go to Starbucks and get some strength and courage to-go? I do. But as we all know, our favorite baristas may be skilled enough to whip up a tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot (two shots decaf, two shots [...]

Five Ways to Get Your Joy Back

10 December 2010

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My word for the month: OVERWHELMED. I have been so overwhelmed with all the things that I need to do: between Christmas shopping and Christmas gatherings, weddings and training sessions, I am just about ready to fall apart. Plus I need to start preparing for a big move in January. Whew! I’ve been so overwhelmed [...]

Comfort in the Uncomfortable

24 November 2010

5 Comments

Sometimes I listen to myself and I cringe. Too much worrying. Too much whining. Too much complaining. Too many questions. Too many excuses. Too many doubts. Sometimes I'm like a child who refuses to jump into the swimming pool for the first time. [...]

Gift ideas for Christmas (and for the rest of the year!)

18 November 2010

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Christmas is known as a season of giving, but it's also a stressful season for a lot of people because they feel like they don't have anything to give. The truth is that you and I actually have so much, but oftentimes we're too worried about the state of our wallets and bank accounts that we forget about all the other wonderful things that we can give. [...]

On waiting… (again)

16 November 2010

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Waiting can really bring out the worst in people. I’m not very good at waiting, and this is proven by the fact that I am writing about this yet again (if you missed it, I first wrote about it here). When I find myself in a situation where I have to wait, not only do [...]

The Soundtrack to Our Lives

9 November 2010

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I like listening to film scores. The music tells stories, just as much as the visuals do. I specifically like listening to the first and final tracks. The first tracks are usually played in the beginning of the movie while the opening titles are appearing–there’s that feeling of hope and anticipation and excitement. I love [...]

5 Reasons why Teaching & Speaking are like Kayaking & White-water Rafting

3 November 2010

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“You never paddle the same river twice.” My uncle–the adventurer extraordinaire Anton Carag, Jr.–was in the middle of briefing our family about kayaking and white-water rafting when I stopped to write what he had just said. I had a feeling there was a deeper lesson in there somewhere. Fast forward to today. I was busy [...]

What are you doing with your talents and gifts?

27 October 2010

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When I think of giftedness, I think of Howard Wong. You know, Howard. You don’t know Howard? Well, you should. This is Howard. This Malaysian boy is 3 or 4 years old in this video, which I think was taken this year. (You can find the awesome excerpt below, but if you want to see [...]

Your love is better than life. (Psalm 63:3)

23 October 2010

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The view from home / 10.23.10 / 2:58 pm

How to make an impact when teaching, speaking, or simply sharing

20 October 2010

10 Comments

I have two more talks lined up this month, and when I prepare for a talk, I put a lot of thought into my outline or mind map for the talk. I don’t get too picky about every single word that I’ll use as I speak, but I do make an effort to make sure [...]

Don’t you love surprises?

19 October 2010

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When I don’t know what to write, it helps to go back to my old diaries and blogs. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt. There are lots of random stuff, there are lots of stuff that are better off staying hidden, but there are also a lot of memories, thoughts, and insights that are [...]

Do all leaders really have to be readers?

18 October 2010

14 Comments

There is a famous phrase that says “Leaders are readers.” I can’t verify if this has been consistently true throughout history, but on a personal level, I do know this for sure: reading helps me learn better, and learning helps me lead better. Personally, I prefer reading books. I can go on and on about [...]

Have you reached a breaking point lately?

11 October 2010

4 Comments

While I was in China, I was offered to eat something that looked somewhat questionable. My friends and I were walking down a night market, and our local guide bought his favorite snack and eagerly invited me to try it. It looked like gelatin with pasta bits, served with parsley, wasabi and soy sauce (I [...]

5, 6, 7, 8…

27 September 2010

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The subject of this post is attributed to an interesting conversation at my friend’s birthday dinner. The dinner was filled with creative types because the celebrant was my uber-talented friend Chinie, who is a theater actress/singer/dance choreographer. Sometime in the middle of dinner, our friend Steve Cadd (who also happens to be a director, singer, [...]