Self-Awareness – It’s All in Your Head! Often, we go about our lives with very little self-awareness. We just do what we do, without much thought. We’re busy with the hum of daily life. We’ve got places to go, people to see. We’ve got bills to pay. We’ve got stuff to do. And if we’re lucky, we carve out some time for ourselves. Yet, all the while, there is a constant whirr of noise in our heads. This noise subtly…
Your Thoughts ARE Showing; Developing Self-Awareness Think about all the people you encounter every day; in your work, school, church, gym or grocery store. Everyone you encounter is impacted by your self-awareness, as you are impacted by theirs. Are Your Thoughts Showing? Think about your boss or colleagues. Can you tell when they’re having a “bad” day? They may think they’re concealing it well, but you know when something is bothering them. You can see it in their body language, the look…
Self-Awareness Improves Your Life Have you ever been in a really crowded Subway/Metro or a packed elevator at quitting time? Your awareness is heightened in these extremely close quarters. You may notice your elbow touching someone, or your bag bumping awkwardly around you. You may notice the silence, or the noise, the whirr of the machine, the clanking, the quiet conversations, a burst of laughter, maybe even your own breathing? You may notice the scent of freshly washed hair, or aroma…
Leadership’s Secret Ingredient; Connecting What kind of leader or manager inspires you? Brings out your best? Makes you feel engaged, empowered, and valued? Think about your very best manager, someone you respect and admire. If you need to dig deeper, how about a special teacher or coach? A volunteer, a church figure or community leader? And the question I ask you is: What is it that makes them memorable? Did you think of their knowledge and skills first? Or their education and…
Failure is an Option Fear of Failure Does the fear of failure hold you back? Are you afraid to try new things? When was the last time you took on something new, something that challenged you, made you stretch beyond your comfort zone, something that was even a bit scary? Would you be more willing to make a mistake if you knew that failure really is an option? Real vs. Imagined Failure What does it mean to fail? How we think…
Practice Gratitude Before you think about making another New Year’s resolution…stop. Before moving forward with your goals and business plans, take a moment to look back. What did your life look like one year ago; your relationships, family, finances, career? Take stock of how far you’ve come, what you’ve learned, who you are becoming, and what you accomplished in 2016. Practice gratitude. Count your blessings. Your health and happiness depend on it. Gratitude Research According to the Harvard Health Publication Mental Health…
On average, you think 50,000 – 70,000 thoughts per day, most of which are subconscious. In fact, about 90% of our conscious thinking is habitual and automatic, like a program running in the background of our minds. Our brains are wired to maximize efficiency, but is this efficiency helping or hurting our ability to make good decisions? Think about this. Do you respond without thinking? How often do you jump to a conclusion? How do you handle an unexpected interruption?…
In our fast paced world sometimes it’s hard to hear yourself think. When our brains are in overdrive, constantly being bombarded by information, technology, advertisements, and interruptions, it’s a wonder we get anything done, let alone have room for ideas, original thought, or breakthrough moments. Try to recall the last time you had quiet, where your mind could wander, without something pressing to do. You need to slow down to hear yourself think. We Need Downtime Often we are list…
Do your performance reviews really improve performance? How often do you find yourself over focused on performance review issues like what to evaluate, how to be objective and make good judgments, the timing, annual or employment date, the frequency, wage increases tied to reviews, or not, pay steps, percentage increases, wage freezes, unions, supervisors, 360’s, remote employees? It’s exhausting! We do all of this, and yet no one’s happy, you don’t accomplish the results you really want, and then it’s time to do…
I’ve been asked “can you teach compassion?” and the answer is YES, but…. depending on how you think. For some, compassion comes from deep inside. knowing that people are valuable. Period. This is understanding from an intrinsic point of view. On the other hand, you may know that it’s important to be compassionate, and like our friend Sheldon Cooper, from The Big Bang Theory, when someone needs comfort, you’re supposed to offer a hot beverage. This is compassion from an…