BrilliantVisions Blog

My Theme for 2014: Spark

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Martha Carnahan | 5 Comments

Got big plans this year? Did you make any resolutions? Goals? As you probably know, the “honeymoon” period of New Year plans tends to fade away – sometimes as quickly as February! I have found that when I gift myself the soul-searching process of selecting a theme, the goals fall in line more easily. After doing this for more than…

How to Have More Powerful Conversations with Yourself

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Martha Carnahan | 19 Comments

When you are running a business you need a good team. You may be the captain, but your partners, employees, assistants, advisors, and vendors all play critical roles on your ship’s crew. There is another team on board too – your inner team. I’m sure you’ve noticed that sometimes you feel like you are at the helm and sometimes… well,…

Your Job is to Let In the Goodness

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Martha Carnahan | 0 Comments

“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.” ~Edmund Lee Someone emailed me the other day about a project we are collaborating on and in her note she said, “Thank you for being so…

Why Failure is FANTASTIC!

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Martha Carnahan | 3 Comments

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~Thomas A. Edison I know you’ve heard this many times, but it bears repeating: Failure = Opportunity to Learn. A device I use to remember this comes from a story I heard many years ago during a coach training class. We had just been taught a new skill…

The Key to Great Business Partnerships

Posted on September 13, 2012 by Martha Carnahan | 0 Comments

Coffee shop. Crowded and cramped. Awkward moment, attempting to close my ears to the crescendo of conversation between a man and a woman sitting inches from where I stood waiting for my Chai Tea Latte. I would like to have poked my fingers in my ears and sang, “la-la-la-la-la-la,” to drown out their argument. But maybe that would be even…

Fetching? Guarding? Herding? What’s Your Natural Talent?

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Martha Carnahan | 2 Comments

I truly get off on witnessing a talent shared and embraced. It’s a beautiful thing. Let’s start with dog competitions. I swear, I cry at dog shows and agility trials. There is something about seeing the natural instincts of a particular breed come to life that makes me weep. I once watched a television show where puppies were exposed to…

We Are All Self-Employed

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Martha Carnahan | 0 Comments

Often, new clients come to coaching because they feel trapped in their jobs. Trapped by money, loyalty guilt and quite often, fear of the unknowns of a new job. They hate Monday mornings, resent management decisions and often feel quite stressed out. There is actually a cure for this misery! And you don’t even have to quit your job to…

How to Get Your Values Honored at Work

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Martha Carnahan | 3 Comments

Do certain things about your workplace rub you the wrong way? Do you go home at night and tell your family and friends that, if you were in charge, you would do things differently? It could be a case of mis-aligned values. If your personal values and your company’s values are at odds, it may be difficult to feel at…

It’s Thursday… Time to Recalibrate!

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Martha Carnahan | 0 Comments

Almost every Thursday I announce that it’s “Recalibration Thursday!” on my BrilliantVisions Facebook page. Some folks have asked me, “What the heck is Recalibration Thursday, and what the heck do you actually do to recalibrate?” Well, here is everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Recalibration Thursday = A Mindset, a Habit and an Action First, a…

How to Clean Up Your Idea Clutter

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Martha Carnahan | 5 Comments

You know all about cluttered spaces. Even if you’re not a clutter person, you probably know someone who is. Or maybe you’ve seen one of those reality TV shows about hoarders. It’s rare to find anyone in Western civilization who hasn’t experienced even a short-term bout of clutter. But what about “idea clutter”? So many business owners tell me they…