Ellen Lubin-Sherman

Ellen Lubin-Sherman got her start in business feeding gossip items to Liz Smith, the esteemed former gossip columnist at the New York Daily News. Those early days of name-dropping were the perfect foundation for her later work in cultivating and branding identities for some of the country’s most luxurious products. Today she uses that expertise to coach corporations and business leaders in the art of creating a polished presentation.

Today, in addition to executive coaching and consulting, Ellen is a sought-after speaker for companies and groups that are desperate to know how they can become fabulous.  Contact Ellen www.essentialsoffabulous.com

I just spent a hilarious and whirlwind weekend with my most beloved friend of 34 years.  We haven’t lived in the same city for 24 years but it doesn’t seem to matter.  If she gave up cheese or stopped eating protein after 2 p.m., I would know.  Our conversations are always free-flowing and filled with seemingly unimportant chitchat which is precisely what keeps the friendship so fresh and vibrant.

On the way back from driving her to the airport I thought about the two of us. I  think when we’re together, she’s free to be herself.  She can be silly, giddy, frustrated, exhausted, honest, serious and euphoric.  She can buy zany shoes that probably won’t be a hit in her home town of Atlanta but she’s with me so she can do it. She can pile on the junk jewelry, buy a dress that’s sleeveless, she can eat and not count calories — she says she’s feels “safe” with me and she is. Maybe I’m just giving her permission to be “the one” which she is.

You can’t be “the one” if your head is full of self-inflicted insults and you’re walking around with a 75 pound suitcase filled with old pain.  That oversize suitcase has the power to pull you into a bubbling cauldron of insecurity and self-doubt.  Dump the suitcase.  Throw your shoulders back. Strike up the band!  Smile and laugh (especially at yourself.)  Be bold, audacious or even off-beat.  Buy black patent oxfords with taffeta laces. Break a rule. Sit at a counter and strike up a chat with a stranger. Wear polka dot socks or a beret (or both). Stop saving your best stuff for a special occasion — your life is a special occasion.

And have your E-Z Pass handy so you don’t have to slow down as you head to extraordinary.

Postscript: Apologies to those who say you cannot start a sentence with “And.”  You’re probably right but I dumped my suitcase a long time ago.