Author Archives: Diana Shepherd

Small Daily Choices Create Extraordinary Results

We often look at big successes—like a growing business, a major career win, or a [...]

Halfway Through the Year: Are You Living Up to Your Potential?

We have officially crossed the midpoint of the year. If you look at the calendar, [...]

The Second Act: Why It Is Never Too Late to Define Your Potential

There is a pervasive myth in our culture that life is a linear journey: we [...]

Finding Your Footing: A Guide for the Caregiver

If you are reading this, you are likely someone who carries a lot on your [...]

Productivity Hacks: How to Maximize Your Time and Energy

Let’s face it: we’re all looking for the secret sauce to being more productive. We’ve [...]

Press Release: Willie Johnson receives Toastmasters’ Communication and Leadership Award

All of us at Willie Johnson Communications would like to congratulate our leader, Willie Johnson [...]

The Back-to-School Mindset: Lifelong Learning for Personal Growth

It’s Always “Back to School” Remember that feeling of a new school year? The crisp [...]

Unlock Your Potential: How to Stay Motivated in Challenging Times

Let’s be honest – staying motivated isn’t always easy. Life is full of distractions, setbacks, [...]

The Power of Daily Habits OR How to Eat an Elephant (and Other Big Goals)

Why Tiny Habits Lead to Big Wins You’ve probably heard the old saying, “How do [...]

12 Mindset Shifts That Help You Overcome Fear and Think Like a Winner

When it comes to success—whether that’s launching a new business, making a career move, or [...]

Upcoming Toastmasters Presentation

We are excited to announce that Willie will be speaking at the upcoming Toastmasters Conference! [...]

Who (or What) is Living in Your Mind, Rent-Free?

Clear Out the Negativity: Make Room for Growth and Success Ever heard the saying, “Who’s [...]

Weighing the Past and Planning the Future: A Blueprint for Growth

The past can either guide you forward or hold you back—it all depends on your [...]

Do Something That Scares You Every Day – Push Beyond Your Comfort Zone

“Dare! And dare again! And go on daring…” – George Danton Why do so many dreamers, [...]

Leadership: It Isn’t as Simple as Giving Orders

“Leadership isn’t just about giving orders. A fool can give orders. A leader listens. He [...]

Assess and Gather Your Tools for Your Leadership Toolbox

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, effective leadership is more than just a role—it’s a [...]

Leaders Are Made, Not Born: Embracing the Journey of Leadership

When we think of leadership, we often imagine it as a mysterious quality that some [...]

Different Strokes for Different Folks – Building Bridges of Understanding for a Stronger Team

Having the ability to recognize and understand different behavioral styles is a valuable skill that [...]

Engaged Customer Service = Brilliant Service

In the world of business, customer service isn’t just a courtesy; it is of vital [...]

Take Charge of Your Life – And Be Amazing!

It doesn’t matter what you drive – What matters is what drives You. We all [...]

Know the Fundamentals of Good Presentation Skills

In the fast-paced world of professional communication, the ability to convey ideas with confidence and [...]

The Challenge

As you look to the future, if you decided you were not going to let [...]

Leading with Vision: Unifying Teams for a Shared Future

Hello, Leaders and Visionaries, Creating a vision that unites an entire organization is a powerful [...]

Navigating Success with Purpose: A Leader’s Guide

“Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has [...]

Take Time to Regroup, Rejuvenate, and Remotivate!

Hello, my friends! Today, I want to talk to you about something incredibly important that [...]

Embrace Your Well-Being: The Magic of Self-Care Unveiled

Hey folks!  I’d like to take a moment to explore a topic that’s absolutely crucial [...]

Breakout for a New Start

One of the most common barriers I’ve seen people struggle with is negativity. It’s something [...]

Understanding the Power of Empathy

Empathy often makes you successful even when you have almost nothing else to offer. So, [...]

Overcoming Barriers to Listening

“Seek first to understand – then to be understood.” Stephen Covey makes this point in [...]

Preparing Yourself for Success

Depending on how you are approaching your life and managing your time, you are either [...]

District 43 Toastmasters Conference, Tupelo, MS

Had an amazing time in Tupelo, MS this past weekend of April 21-22 speaking at [...]

Communication Basics

Note: This blog post was originally posted in 2017. The information is still applicable today [...]

Announcing The Winner’s Edge by Willie Johnson

We are celebrating the launch of Willie’s quarterly newsletter, The Winner’s Edge! This inaugural edition [...]

Entrepreneurial Thinking

As we begin working on new and revised goals for FY 2023, I challenge us [...]

The 2022 Year End is Here – Don’t You Just Love It?

Wow! 2022 will go into the history books in less than 3 days. Have you [...]

What is the Picture on the Screen of Your Mind? What are You Becoming?

As you look toward the future, are you working toward becoming the empowered exposures you [...]

Perception Check: What Do You Say to Yourself When No One Else is Listening?

When we are kids, we believe we can do anything. As we grow up, we [...]

The Power of Love

Love is the strongest force in the universe. The power of love, which is so [...]

Lighten Up and Count Your Blessings

Last night when I got into bed, my heart was troubled with so many worries. [...]

Avoiding Regrets and Listening to Your Inner Voice

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the [...]

How to Boost Your Market Value

In our current economic and social climate, things are changing rapidly. Businesses are restructuring to [...]

Attitude of Excellence

Cultivating an attitude of excellence requires that you develop five cardinal qualities. Teachability: You must [...]

Active Listening: Part 2 Barriers to Active Listening

In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey points out that [...]

Remembering My Mother on Mother’s Day

May is a special “love” month for Mothers. During the month of May, flower shops [...]

Active Listening, Part 1

In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey points out that [...]

It Has Been Said, “A Life Well Lived is One Worth Living.”

If you buy into and embrace the philosophy that, “The Time Is Now – The [...]

Attitude – Attitude – Attitude

Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to circumstances. Your [...]

Secrets of Making Mistakes and Screwing Up

If you don’t learn from making your mistakes there’s no sense in making them. I [...]

Developing Valued Relationships

Have you ever heard someone say, “I am a self-made success?” We all have; however, [...]

Unrelenting Drive

My experience up to this point in my lifetime has shown that people from all [...]

A Re-Look At The “YOU” In Attitude

As we continue to deal with COVID, mental stresses and the question: “Where do I [...]

Are You Preparing Yourself for Success – Or Failure?

Depending on how you are approaching your life and managing your time, you are either [...]

How to Replace Negative Self-Talk

Remember when you were a kid; you believed you could do anything. However, as we [...]

Be A Difference Maker

Although we are going through challenging times in our world today and COVID has dampened [...]

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Have you ever wondered why people around you behave the way they do? Did you [...]

Attitude Into Action

When it comes to setting goals and creating a larger vision for our life, I [...]

Do You Have What It Takes To Be Effective?

In our society today, we often see examples of people who live by the personality [...]

Secrets of Making Mistakes and Screwing Up

If you don’t learn from your mistakes there’s no sense in making them I believe [...]

My Mother’s Pep Talk

It was the 30th of December, 2018, that my amazing Mother, after 93 years of [...]