Lynn Carnes

Are you willing to see it differently?

One of the best inventions ever is the deadline. The Elegant Pivot workbook went out to those who asked to be on the “early tester” list because of two deadlines. The first was self-imposed. I promised it by November 4. If I had not given myself a deadline, I would have kept dragging it out. The second […]

It’s All in How You See It

This week, I’ve been deep in the writing and completion of The Elegant Pivot Workbook. What seemed like a simple project at the beginning has become much more comprehensive (and difficult) than I expected. It hit me today that I was seeing it all wrong. Or upside down. That might be a less judgmental term

The Elegant Pocket Questions

When people ask me what my latest book The Elegant Pivot is all about, I almost always say “It’s a treatise on how to assume positive intent.” But there is something that matters even more. As I’ve been writing the companion workbook, more than ever, I recognize that The Elegant Pivot is all about keeping me curious, so that I

Being a Beginner

This was a full circle week full of circles. Did that sentence alone cause some dizziness? Let me explain! I spent several days in Oklahoma with a friend and her reining horses. She let me take lessons on a stud named “Magic Mike.” This horse is anything but a beginner. He knows his stuff! Me

And Yes, I Got Back on the Horse!

Note: Today I’m republishing a blog from 4 years ago. I found this one as I was wrapping up the first draft of my upcoming book “Dancing the Tightrope: The Gift of Pressure, Fear and Failure.” I wrote this piece 3 months before falling from a different horse in a much less scary situation. At

The Power is in Your Hands

Note:  I’m sharing a draft of a work in progress. In her endorsement at the beginning of the book, Shushan Aleaqui said: “[Lynn] offers us a gift by focusing on your growth and your awareness as well as the tools to be better leaders. This book is now one of the must-read workbooks that I

Recovering My Courage

Four years ago this week, I went for a simple trail ride with a friend that landed me in the hospital for three days. (A place I really don’t want to be these days!) Sometimes accidents just happen. Sometimes accidents happen because we take risks we have no business taking. Sometimes accidents happen out of

Amnesia for the Pain of Mistakes

Yesterday, I sat at the end of the lake waiting for the water to settle down before my next ski pass. When I said, “hit it,” I had the same moment of joy I’ve had at least 500 times since early April. Every single time I say “hit it”, I feel a moment of elation

Sailboats and Moments of Transcendence

Note: The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book Dancing the Tightrope, The Gift of Pressure, Uncertainty and Failure. Since hearing Dr. Gabor Mate describe the balancing act of Attachment and Self Expression,  I found myself using the two-part dichotomy as a self-awareness tool. Most of the time, I could see my ineffective actions

Grizzlies Just Are

Last week, Russ and I spent a glorious week in Glacier National Park, biking, hiking, paddling and riding horses. We left the heat of summer for a week of winter-like weather, where we spent most of our time in rain gear and warm clothes necessary for temperatures in the low 40’s to 50’s. As we