Tune In to Joy

Joy and Organization I have been captivated by the relationship between Joy and Organization…which of course came through falling in love with a new book (or two). The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Two of my absolutely favorite books are both by Marie Kondo. The first I read was her New York Times Bestseller that…

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Notes & Quotes – Show Your Work

Notes & Quotes by Nick Hendrix from the book Show Your Work, by Austin Kleon How to read Notes & Quotes: This is a five-minute review of an amazing book with real life application. Zip through find value and put it into practice! Pass it on and share it, feel free to credit anyone and everyone…

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(Don’t) Kill Your Leadership Initiative

As a coaching and consulting company we focus on helping learners and leaders adopt new initiatives that will help their organization and teams thrive and grow. But we know that anytime a business launches a new initiative, there can be serious challenges. Today we’re looking at a transformational framework, and three major ways to make a new initiative work for your team.

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Stop Over-Delivering

What happens when you over-deliver all of the time? Earlier this year John Maxwell shared some of the common sense that can seem to fly in the face of the “always over-deliver” wisdom. In addition to training us, John has stepped into the role of a mentor with his certified coaches. Becoming one of his coaches has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. He counselled us – “You cannot deliver your best 100% of the time.” Sometimes we make the mistake of confusing the principle – giving the best you have to the people you serve – with the practice of intentionally designing your work for sustainable excellence.

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Lost In Personal Development

I’d Had Enough of “Personal Development. “I am sick of personal development, it is positively endless, oh my gosh! And don’t get me started on the topic of leadership. There are like eight million leadership books published every year.” It was about four o’clock in the afternoon and my two buddies and I were making the drive through the Andes Mountains between Santiago, Chile and the fertile vineyards of Mendoza, Argentina. “There is so much to learn and practice every day, I feel like I am doomed to end up like the rest of the hope filled shmucks quitting on their resolution less than two weeks into the New Year. How can a billion dollar industry help so few people live better lives?”

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You Don’t Have to Do This

Are you having trouble connecting your multi-generational teams? We can call it the Age Gap, Experience Gap, Generation or Millennial Gap. In practice we are faced with the challenge of leveraging the talent, energy, and creativity of the young generation, and integrating it with the wisdom and expertise of our experienced team members. If you aren’t in management, chances are you still work closely with people on both sides of this gap in your daily personal and professional.

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Monday Meditation

Do you ever feel like your brain is in overdrive – thoughts flying around so fast that you can’t catch them? Well, this morning I woke up with a racing mind, excited about a new project I was working on. But unfortunately, my racing mind was accompanied by a racing heart, which is not ideal for my health, or my creativity. So I thought I’d share the mindful meditation I used this morning to combat that overwhelmed feeling. This simple 10 minute meditation is a great way to quiet your mind and open your heart to be able to focus on what’s right with you…beginning with your great brain!

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Falling Awake: Mindfulness in 5 Minutes or Less

This is the time of year we talk about Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men (and Women!) But for most people, this holiday is anything but peaceful! We already lead stressful lives that are jam-packed, and now we need to find time to bake, decorate, plan a party, and shop for presents. According to a national survey released by the American Psychological Association (APA), nearly half of all women in the United States experience heightened stress during the holidays at great risk to the health of their minds and bodies. Several years ago a major news network released a poll that said that 45% of Americans wished they could just cancel Christmas because of the associated stress that came with it. Sad, right? Despite repeated warnings about the effect of stress on physical and mental health, surveys show that people are engaging in unhealthy behaviors to manage stress more than ever before – especially during the holidays!

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The Science of Hope

In many churches this past Sunday, they lit the Candle of Hope to signify the beginning of Advent. If you are a person of the Christian faith, hope is what Christmas is all about…But hope isn’t reserved for religious circles. It seems that people have always felt that hope is an antidote to the evils of the world. And now that science is on the side of hope, you might be surprised at what two decades of research has found out about this four letter word.

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Think Pretty

When I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me each morning as I headed off to school: “Think Pretty.” As I became older, I came to understand that she meant that I should think about lovely things: the good – not the bad, the beautiful – not the ugly. That I should look for the “pretty” every day.

Since Mother’s Day was this past Sunday, I have spent a lot of time thinking about my mother and the best way to honor her. This year has been especially difficult, as she was recently diagnosed with dementia, which is the loss of cognitive functioning to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities.

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