Life in General

REFLECTION: A fresh new year. A blank slate of days stretching forward. How best to use your time and your energy?

January, for many, is a time of resolve. We create highly ambitious, jam-packed action lists of goals. In the end, we lose our focus or beat ourselves up as our super-human promises fall by the wayside.

The way I think about this practice has shifted over time. I have come to understand that HOW WE ARE in this world (our mindset – our character) is every bit as important as WHAT WE DO. And so, in recent years I’ve chosen to set one strong intention for being and not to create an exhaustive laundry list of resolutions for doing. Sure, I still make plans and set goals, but HOW I approach the demands of each day gets top billing. (more…)

REFLECTION: As a way of celebrating the season of light and winding up each year on a thoughtful note, I’ve ended several years of Pause messages with reflections on one key word.  Peace, joy, love, hope and grace have all taken their turns in the spotlight.

This year, the word kindness springs to mind. Throughout 2010, I have experienced many kindnesses – large and small. I hope that has been the case in your world, too.

May these thoughts on kindness light a candle of compassion in us all – bringing a warmth and generosity of spirit that burns brightly through the end of the year and long into 2011. (more…)

What a great honor for me to be inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame. The announcement was made December 7, 2010, at the annual CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers) Convention held in Montreal.

The Hall of Fame is a peer award for individuals who are recognized for their excellence on the platform, their longevity and success in the business, and their contributions to the speaking industry. That’s Warren Evans CSP, long time speaker colleague and friend (and HoF member himself) presenting me with the award. There are now 24 members from across the country who have been inducted into the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame.

I am the fourth female speaker, and the second speaker working from Saskatchewan to be honored as a member of the Hall. Needless to say, I am delighted by the recognition. Even more than that, I so appreciate the support I have received over more than two decades in business from this great community of generous and talented colleagues.

Congratulations to Linda Edgecombe, CSP, a friend and colleague from British Columbia, who was also inducted on the same evening.

Thanks to Dov Friedman, CAPS Convention photographer, for so graciously gifting me with these images from the awards ceremony. This link will take you to Dov’s website, where you can learn more about his wonderful photography.

REFLECTION: My three year old grandson has learned to count. Everything around him is fodder for practice: fingers, books, days on the calendar. As he gets more proficient at counting, concepts like yours/mine and more/less are also popping to the fore. Who has more smarties? Who scored more points? The comparisons fuel both victory dances and mini meltdowns.

As we mature, we continue to count. Only the objects of our affection or attention change. How many widgets sold? Clients served? Dollars banked? Gadgets owned? Miles traveled? This raises the question of what REALLY counts in life.

My niece waxed eloquent on this very concept in a recent blog posting. Jillian is a young entrepreneurial craftswoman currently living in Pocatello, Idaho. As a one woman shop, she’s making a name for herself in the world of web community and online commerce through her unique jewelry designs, novel photography and engaging writing. She notes the pressure to ‘make the numbers’. With Jill’s permission, I’m sharing her recent commentary on success.

“Which of these do you value more – quantity or quality? Success, for me, in this crafty world of mine, is when I enter into my creative space and perfectly translate a vision into metal and stone. Success for many others is in the numbers.  Numbers of Twitter followers.  Numbers of Facebook friends.  Numbers of sales.  Numbers! Numbers! Numbers!

Does any of that matter if you feel unfulfilled in your work?  Does any of that matter if you aren’t true to who you are? (more…)

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REFLECTION: Have you ever wondered if tapping into the ‘why’ of what we do makes a difference? Here’s a study that suggests it does.

Researcher Adam Grant, at the University of North Carolina put the thesis to the test. He divided employees at a university fund-raising call center (charged with raising funds for student scholarships) into three groups.

Group One read stories written by previous employees about the personal benefits of the call center job in advancing their own skills and knowledge. The stories also touched on how individuals had leveraged what they’d learned to their advantage in their own careers and grad school. (The Personal Benefit Group)

Group Two read stories written by scholarship recipients about how the funding they received as a result of the campaign had given these students better access to education. The stories described how the gift had connected them to fellow scholarship students, and helped them engage in important extracurricular activities.  (The Task Significance Group)

Group Three simply continued doing their job as before – no stories at all. (The Control Group)

What happened? (more…)

There has been a lot of talk about generations and generational differences in the media and in the workplace. Over the last couple of years, along with millenials and Gen X and Y, a new word has wormed its way into the generational vocabulary: Zoomer.

As I understand it, a Zoomer is sub category within the Boomer age group (Boomers being those born between the mid 1940’s and mid 1960’s). The distinction appears to be that a ‘standard’ Boomer is someone on the decline – energy and involvement waning, aspirations dwindling, over the hill and coasting. In contrast, a Zoomer is considered to be someone who is fully energized, actively pursuing new goals, engaged in learning and exploring new territory.

I’m a proud Boomer with lots of life in me and ahead of me, and I find myself irritated by the word, Zoomer. I’ve come to understand it’s the word, itself, not the concept of long-haul vitality that gives me pause.

Synonyms for zoom include: buzz, speed, streak, whizz, flash. Zoooooom is all about moving fast and making noise. Showmanship! Razzle dazzle! Superficial, short-lived, flash-in-the-pan pizzazz!

At this stage of life with the hard earned maturity and wisdom we Boomers have at our disposal, we can do a LOT better than aspire to superficial zooming. We’ve learned what really matters – and the things that truly matter do not require running around like chickens with our heads cut off!

How about significance? Now there’s something long-lasting and meaningful – something that’s well worth pursuing.

Are you with me or against me on this? How does the Zoomer label strike you?

REFLECTION: It was a sunny clear October day, and my husband, Dave, and I (along with another 20 passengers) were enjoying a sailing adventure on the Mar, a 65 foot tall ship that plies the Halifax Harbor. About a half an hour into the trip, we made our way to the stern to check out the view from aft and chat with the crew.

After a few minutes of conversation, Captain Tim looked at me and asked, “So, do you want to steer the ship?” Of course this prairie flat-lander jumped at the opportunity. For the next 30 to 40 minutes, I found myself at the wheel, taking instructions from the Captain: “Line up to the second pillar on the bridge. Hold her steady. Shift a bit – one spoke to starboard.”

Wind in my hair. Sun on my face. Excitement in my blood. I’m pretty sure my Norwegian Viking ancestors were bursting their buttons to see one of their own as a deckhand.  Although I made no navigation decisions, only followed instructions, I turned the ship around in the harbor, sailed between two offset marker buoys, came around the other schooner cruising the harbor, and headed the Mar to dock. Thankfully, the captain took over before we got too close to land. Steering is one thing – braking quite another! (Can you actually brake a ship?)

Anyway, the adventure turned out to be one of the highlights of my vacation. As I’ve been reading this week about motivation and engagement in the workplace, my brief sailing experience has morphed into a learning lab of its own. (more…)

Nothing says New York more than Times Square – unless of course it’s the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Well, come to think of it, there are a lot of things that say New York!

We walked through Times Square many times during our visit to New York. The Square is central to Manhattan and the Theatre District, and it’s a great place for people watching.

Aside from the people, the other thing you can’t escape in Times Square is the advertising. Every surface that can be turned into a billboard, marquee, or projection screen has been nabbed by corporate America eager to promo the latest and greatest. The displays are dizzying –  up, down and all around. In my opinion, it’s worth a look, but not a linger!

Here’s my take on the commotion that is Times Square. Quickly sketched from my sidewalk perch looking south down Broadway from w50th (Gershwin Way).

REFLECTION: Earlier this year, I wrote about the value of ‘Getting Out There’ – making time to spend a few minutes or a few hours in nature. My last Pause message in September touched on the struggle between getting ‘things’ done and taking time for a walk. It’s not my intention to turn into a broken record on this subject. However, two events have inspired one more commentary on the impact of walking on well being.

First, a personal experience. We spent the last two weeks exploring New York City and cruising the coast of New England and the Maritimes. For all its cabs and subways, NYC is a walking city. And walk we did. If we’d had a pedometer, I’d give you a reading. But we didn’t, so I can’t.

What I can tell you is that it’s a long way from Uptown Central Park to the Financial District at the south end of Manhattan. Our soles covered most of that territory – some of it repeatedly. (I loved Central Park.) We stayed on the 6th floor of a Midtown Manhattan hotel, and other than using the elevator to haul luggage on arrival and departure, we took the five flights of stairs to and from our room – often several times a day.

As for the cruise, our cabin was mid-level in the ship. (more…)

An earlier Pause e-zine posting invited people to share their travel tips for staying well and healthy on the road. Here are the ideas shared so far by Pause readers. Hope they make your life on the road a bit easier to manage.

Carla T writes: I wanted to share a tip for travelers who are trying to find a healthy balance.  When I am going to be at a conference or meetings for a few days, I try to book a hotel with a kitchenette.  I do the grocery shopping on the first evening and make easy healthy meals instead of eating out at a restaurant every evening.  Most restaurants serve portion sizes 2-3 times larger than what people need and it is harder to find healthier choices at many restaurants.   (more…)