Pause & Reset

June 18, 2019 

For all intents and purposes, 2019 is half over. I am taking time to pause and reflect; How am I progressing on accomplishing my goals for the year? How are you doing on fulfilling your goals for 2019? 

In my opinion and from experience, I believe it is important to Pause before you Reset and move forward with renewed focus and energy to finish the year strong. In this newsletter we will discuss what it means to Reset your Productivity Mindset.   

In the past, a pause would mean taking about 5-10 minutes…. thinking through the 3 major objectives I laid out …. doing a mental checklist of good work here, more work to do there, and, oh cripes… I really got off track on that last one. Then I would refocus and gear-up to launch into the 2^nd half of the year. 

In the last 5 years I have learned a lot about what a comprehensive assessment really entails. I have also learned a lot about myself and...

New Beginnings

June 2, 2019
 

The focus of this week’s newsletter is twofold. First, it is a time for reflection – a time to introduce some poetry and inspiration for new beginnings and change. We are all on a journey. Secondly, it is a time to reflect on our journey together, since this newsletter, "Come Walk Your Path: Invest in Yourself and Grow," launched just over one year ago.

We have come a long way together. Thank you for your companionship and your camaraderie. It has been fun! 

Poetry is a language all its own – because it can speak to our hearts, ignite our imagination and bring new energy and motivation to our life. A good friend whose first passion is poetry brought this poem by John O’Donohue to my attention. I invite you to read “For A New Beginning” out loud because that is how poetry is meant to be felt – engaging our voice, heart, mind and body. 

For A New Beginning 

“In out-of-the way...

Slowing Down Time 

May 20, 2019 

Have you ever had a day or an experience where you just wanted to stop time or slow time – bottle the full experience – and savor the moment, the feelings and people, even the sights and sounds? 

The 2^nd week of May I was looking ahead to a series of small celebrations and I “just happened” to have a session titled “Slow Time”, Session 12 in Declarations, which is the third in a series of courses offered as part of our Certified High Performance Coaching™ Program. In my mind, there are no coincidences. 

I set my intention to be fully present in the celebratory events coming later that week. What did I do to prepare myself to be even more mindful and to Slow Time?”   

First, I started with asking myself questions, which are included in our “Slow It Down” Worksheet for Session #12 in the CHPC Declarations course. For example: 

1. What trigger would I use...

 Bring Your A Game

April 30, 2019
 

After my webinar a couple of weeks ago, several people suggested that one habit, Raise Necessity, could use more explanation. It can seem somewhat amorphous. It is complex. 

As Brendon Burchard explains in “High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way,” (page 130): 

“When you have high necessity, you strongly agree with this statement: ‘I feel a deep emotional drive and commitment to succeeding, and it consistently forces me to work hard, stay disciplined, and push myself.’” 

There are both internal forces, such a commitment to high standards of excellence, as well as external forces, such as a sense of duty and purpose, at play. For myself, two of my early role models played a huge influence in shaping my values. My Dad taught me to always do my very best – in sports and in Life. It was not about winning and money – it was about doing your very...

Try Something New  

 April 15, 2019 

Try something new. This week I learned a lot when I tried something new. 

I did a 1-Hour webinar on "6 Secrets of the World’s Most Successful People", in my makeshift studio in my office, a Loft with an amazing view overlooking Lake Erie. I learned a lot about accepting myself, just as I am. I learned a lot about measuring success – not by the numbers, but rather by my effort of giving it my all. 

While I really want to share more about my new webinar with you, I do not want this Blog to be only about me. Before I get into the  webinar, an overview of my high performance coaching program, let’s talk about Mindset. What is your Mindset for trying something new? What is your Mindset around learning and change and challenges? 

The definitive book on Mindset was written by Carol S. Dweck, PhD., Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, How We Can learn to Fulfill Our Potential, first...

On Grief and Grieving  

March 31, 2019
(Photo credit to: Mike Labrum on Unsplash)  

Grief is an emotion we all experience --  at times intensely, at other times fleetingly, or sometimes intermittently. It is a complex emotion because it often calls up other emotions, such as fear or anger. May this Blog help you honor the experience of grief, discover new ways to work through grieving, find acceptance, peace and the energy to move on and to grow. 

Grief is simply loss. The triggers for grief as we move through life are many, indeed. It could be loss of a loved one – husband, wife, partner, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, child, or pet. It might take shape as loss of health – either for yourself or a loved one. It might be a divorce or relationship breakup. The list goes on: loss of friendship; loss of your job; loss of financial stability; loss of a cherished dream or ambition; trauma; abuse. 

In my...

Only One Rule...

March 15, 2019 

This week I took a moment to celebrate a small win. When I paused, it suddenly occurred to me, I had not taken the time over the past six months working on this project, to celebrate the series of small wins which brought me to this place.   

• When was the last time you gave yourself credit?
• What did you do to celebrate?
• Have you ever found you are so busy doing, doing, doing…that you do not take the time to congratulate yourself on the progress you have made, rather than beating yourself up over what did not get done?
• Do you just check the task off your endless to-do list and immediately move on to the next thing?
• Do you ever find yourself saying, “great job, but…?”

We can be our own toughest critics. I know that has often been the case for me.

One of the ways I chose to celebrate what I had accomplished this week was to sit in my Loft and read out loud, “Only One Rule”, one of my...

Facing Fear, Finding Your Courage 

February 26, 2019 

I have been doing a lot of reflection on Courage, these past few weeks. Finding Your Courage is inspired by family, friends, colleagues and clients in their everyday acts of courage. I want to honor their struggle – our collective struggle.

Change is a constant. Sometimes change happens to us. Sometimes we make change happen. Either way, change can evoke fear or courage, or both. Courage really starts with being aware of what we fear – and taking action anyway.  

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the resistance to fear and the mastery of fear, as Mark Twain so pungently observes.  

So let’s get practical now. We all want to be courageous. We have role models for courage in films and books and cartoons. And what does everyday courage really mean? What does everyday courage really look like?

Recently, I came across an article by Melanie Greenberg which helps us think...

Just Breathe 

February 5, 2019

As I was caught up in the challenges of the Polar Vortex that gripped much of the US last week, I kept repeating to myself: Just Breathe.

Watching my good friend and neighbor’s house and his darling cat, I found the water pipes had frozen – and he had only been gone for 4 hours! Just breathe. His plumber came immediately -- problem solved, and no damage. Hmm…if that could happen so quickly, I thought, “Better check a few bathrooms in my house.” The pipes under an upstairs guest bedroom had frozen. Just breathe. I trucked my space heater over to that room along with a fan and waited. Just breathe. My wonderful plumber was at the ready next morning, when, miracle of miracles, the water started to trickle. Lesson learned, I let all the faucets trickle for the next several days. Just breathe. Well cripes – I missed my deadline to write and post my bi-weekly Blog. Just Breathe. 

Life happens...

The Conundrum: Balancing Family, Work, and Play Time

January 16, 2019

Like many of us I have long puzzled over the conundrum: “Is it possible to find a comfortable balance between family, work and play time ?” 

At one point in my search, I concluded the answer was No! 

I did not think it was possible to find an easy answer – much less any answer – to this question.  

You know… there are just too many challenges:

• Things, basic life circumstances like health and jobs, keep changing.
• Surprises, and not always the good kind, keep popping up.
• There is only so much time in a day, and my “To-Do List” never gets completed.

I don’t see these as excuses. I see these things as reality. 

There are only 168 hours in a week. There is no magic potion that can create time. There is no amount of money that will allow us to buy more time. For each of us, there are only 168 hours in a week. 

At one point...