Last week, I wrote to you about not taking “No” for an answer. “No” was simply not an option! It was such a powerful reminder to "stay calm and carry on". It was remarkable how fast an alternate solution came to mind when I became present in the moment, was clear with “my ask”, and then waited to receive an answer. I remained calm when I realized the person in front of me was not going to be in any way helpful. No point wasting my energy on something that she is unable to change, so it was best to keep moving forward. While waiting at the attendant’s desk, I did what I teach: I practiced … [Read more...]
Presence
You know when you are and aren’t present. One of the challenges in living fully in the moment is that so often we’re busy running through our day. Or perhaps that’s just me? We may be tired and with the thought of slowing down for just a moment to be present, we fall asleep. I do not think it’s just me. We’re just dog tired. So what do we need to improve our presence? First, bring awareness to what you’re thinking about in this moment. Notice if your thoughts are in the past or future. The key to presence is “being” in this moment. The one happening right now. Catch yourself by doing a … [Read more...]
Flexible Mindset
Insights come to me at what appear to be the oddest times. But is there really an odd time or is it that we're "in the space" to see, hear or feel it? If one takes the position that "right here and now" is the perfect time, then the space where we are is perfect. Today I did my Yoga practice on our dock. With a background of birds chirping, the wind light enough to keep the bugs at bay and making me really work on holding the balance postures, our resident mink swam from the dock to the big rock to watch as my dog fell asleep by my mat. My awareness zoomed into the increased tension in my … [Read more...]
Anything We Touch, Touches Us
Have you seen the movie Runner, Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake? In it they say, "Anything we touch, touches us". What struck me is how significant that line really is. While I believe we are much more than the sum of all of the life experiences we've encountered, the point is made that there are gradients of events and experiences, interpretations and beliefs, that when we engage with them they change us in return. In changing us, it’s hard to go back to where we were before. I also thought about our how we’re continually interacting with the nature of our environments and … [Read more...]
Presence in the Work Place: The “Check-in”
Last week, we talked about leading with your heart, but how does this work in the corporate world? In professions? Yes, you have corporate missions, strategies, goals and targets to meet yet behind them all are people: people who have lives and who may be going through difficult situations. Whether we like it or not, we bring our lives with us to our job and it colours how we see our day and it also effects how we interact with others. We may not even be aware we are doing this. One of the exercises I've used in my workshops over the past year or so is to get you to do a check in. So, let's … [Read more...]
Routines and instinct…part 1 of 2
Ever consider how much you run your day on reflex? At the extreme, reflex is the coordinated response with a result from the body at the survival level, it's instantaneous. Step on a tack on the floor and your body is responding before you are fully aware of what has happened. Reflexes protect us from immediate harm. As a child, we initially had to expend a coordinated effort in learning tasks. We learned how to walk, jump, brush our teeth, write numbers and our name. We repeated these things until the skills were developed and became a habit. Initially we had to think a lot about how to do a … [Read more...]
Can’t is a 4-letter word
Can’t is a 4-letter word because like many of the 4-letter varieties, it declares something to ourselves and also to others. I call it a closer, since there is not much that can be said after it’s spoken. How can we argue with can’t? When we say can’t we are really reducing our responsibility in whatever endeavour we’re applying it to. Do we want to give up our power? What’s even worse is when we personalize it with an I: I can’t get this job done I can’t get the kids' meals on the table on time I can’t workout 5 days per week I can’t lose those 10 pounds I can’t make a relationship work I … [Read more...]