Blog
When You’re All Over The Place (WT671)
I have a feeling this week’s thought will resonate with many of you. Let’s talk about how to focus when you’re all over the place; when you’re feeling overwhelmed and you have too much to do. You know that horrible feeling you get when you just can’t focus. You can’t seem to prioritise or get into your tasks. What do you do? I have a few “go to” strategies that I turn to: I tap. (I use Emotional Freedom Technique, not tap dancing.) I breathe. I meditate. I go for a walk. I sit and have a cup of tea and stare out the window. I chant the phrases for Ho’oponopono. I write. When we’re in this...
Get Yourself Organised (WT670)
Get yourself organised or get someone to organise you. That may sound harsh, however it’s not meant to be. It’s meant to be practical and encouraging. The past few days Ross was preparing to get ready to go away for a few days on his motorbike. He was heading for a rally with some friends interstate. He decided he wanted to leave by 3:30pm. We were getting down to the wire. “Have you seen my gloves?” he yelled. “What sort of gloves? Aren’t your riding gloves next to your boots?” I answered. “No! Not those gloves. I want the waterproof gloves.” I had no idea what gloves he was referring...
I Took One For The Team (WT669)
What does that saying mean? “I took one for the team.” To me it’s about working as a team and using the strengths of each team member OR stepping up when a team member needs help OR doing something that needs to be done when another team member doesn’t want to do it. Tick, tick, tick. I took one for the team this week. We had seen evidence that we had rodents in the house. Yuk! We put baits out. We set a trap. The evidence seemed to stop. No noises in the ceiling and no gifts on the architraves or window sills and no smell. Yet! Ross showed me where there had been yukky little gifts left on...
No Thinking Is Required (WT668)
Last week I shared an activity that we do in the Leading Yourself and Leading Others experience. This week I’d like to talk about the aha’s and outcomes that participants gain from another activity. Whilst not sharing the details of the activity, I am hopeful that this week’s thought will get you thinking about how you make decisions. The activity is called “No Thinking Is Required, Only Action”. Participants are given a set of matchsticks and some instructions to complete the activity. They can ask for help if they need it. Insight number 1 – most won’t ask for help. Insight number 2 – if...
Be Assertive – Ask For What You Want (WT667)
The past few weeks I’ve been working with my editor, Kellie O’Brien, to write my second and third books on Knowing Yourself, Knowing Others and Developing Communication Skills to help you become a better leader. I was explaining some of the activities in the Leading Yourself and Leading Others experience to Kellie as we considered what to include and not include. “It’s like buying a record and wanting to go see the artist in concert”, I explained. I read Jack Canfield’s book, “The Success Principles – How to Get From Where You Are Now To Where You Want To Be” and couldn’t wait to sign up to...
You Don’t Need To Say That (WT666)
Have you ever noticed that the words we choose and how we say things can have a remarkable effect on others? I was just typing an email to a client and I started to type, “I called you yesterday and left a message”. As soon as I typed it, I realised, I don’t need to say that. The effect of saying that could make the receiver feel bad. She might feel guilty because she didn’t call me back. She might feel annoyed and frustrated because I reminded her that she didn’t do something. She might be angry with me for being passive aggressive and making her wrong. By typing that, I ran the risk of...
The Goldilocks Zone (WT665)
I love it when my peeps embody what they have learned. By embody, I mean they live it; they act it as opposed to having what we call “propositional” knowledge, where we think we “know” something but aren’t yet doing it. They actually do something with the knowledge. For the sake of privacy, we’ll use the names Jim and Jane. Jim and Jane work together. Both are leaders and managers. Jim is an Advisor personality. Jim is a great risk mitigator because he considers all the information and ramifications of different scenarios. He needs to research and think about things before making a decision....
Sometimes You Have To Sacrifice (WT664)
Most mornings, when Ross and I have breakfast, we play Wordle on the iPhone. It’s amazing how much of our school English grammar and spelling lessons come back as we attempt to work out the word for the day. We often start with a word that has at least two different vowels so we either eliminate them or find that they are in the word. We look at the possible endings for the word. Sometimes it could be “ed”, “er”, “ey”, “et” etc. And sometimes, we have to sacrifice a letter that we know is not in the word but could help us work out some more letters. We acknowledge that we are sacrificing an...
Thanks Lady (WT663)
Last weekend Ross and I decided to go for a motorbike ride. We love the beach so thought we would head down the coast and have breakfast. It was a beautiful morning until we arrived at the destination to find that the café appeared to be closed. A lady was walking her dog as we got off the bike. “Excuse me, do you know if the café is open?” I asked. “I don’t”, she replied. “Even though the lights look they are on and I’m a local, I don’t know.” “Oh well, not to worry”, I said. She thought for a minute, then said, “Actually, the surf house around the corner has just opened up a little café...
It’s Not On The Run Sheet (WT662)
Last week I was challenged to walk my talk. It was the last 90 minutes for the Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience. We celebrate with a graduation party. I ordered some beverages and a cheese platter and asked them to be served in the room because last time they were left outside the room and someone out of our group helped themselves to a couple of beers. I poked my head out of the room at the agreed time to see the events person walking away. “Excuse me”, I called. He came back. “I asked for this to be served in the room on a trolley please.” “I can’t give you my trolley”, he...