As I write this, it’s mid morning Monday. At 6:30 a.m, I debated with myself whether I could actually spare the time to take my morning walk along the river. You’ve maybe had similar conversations with yourself from time to time!
The situation for me this week, is that Tuesday I’m headed to Vancouver for a business conference that will take up the rest of this week. I return to Saskatoon in time to attend a friend’s memorial service, empty my suitcase, and repack for a two week fall vacation get-away. A flurry of pre-travel tasks is queued up on the to-do list; and before I leave I need to take care of the final prep for a series of programs I’m booked to deliver on the heels of my return.
In the end, habit won the debate. I laced up my sneakers and headed for the trail. Here’s how things unfolded from there.
As I left the yard, a stunning red maple leaf caught my eye. I picked it up and took it along. My feet crunched as I made my way through the yellowed poplar leaves strewn across the path.
Mid-walk, I perched on my riverside rock for a moment’s meditation. The sun popped over the crest of the riverbank, flooding the valley with gold as far as the eye could see. Hundreds of geese veed up as they flew south along the river. A beaver nosed his way upstream, trailing twigs in his wake.
Apparently, relocation and dam repairs are underway as summer winds down and winter approaches. I don’t really need a calendar to know that the seasons are changing and time is moving on.
This churning and turning of the seasons was on my mind last weekend as I MC’ed the wedding reception for my niece and her new husband. Two decades ago, much shorter and younger, my niece trundled down the aisle as a flower girl at my youngest sister’s wedding. Saturday, she blazed her own trail to the future.
Yes, time is moving on; and I’m grateful every time I realize I’ve actually been present for another moment along the way. Apparently, in retrospect, I did have time for a walk along the river!
ACTION:
Life and time move quickly. A day, a week, a month, a year can all evaporate before our very eyes.
Reminder note to self: Don’t talk yourself out of making and taking time for what you know to be good for your heart and your health.
Questions to ponder: What habits help you tune in to the moment? What would increase the likelihood you’ll take time for those things that energize your heart, mind and body – despite the never-ending pressures of work at hand?
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“The best way to get where you’re going is to be where you are.” – Noah Ben Shea
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Here’s an upcoming opportunity to dive more deeply into issues of life balance. On Tuesday, November 9th, I will be delivering a Life Balance Leadership seminar here in Saskatoon. This program is offered through the University of Saskatchewan Business & Leadership Programs. We’d love to have you and your colleagues join us for the day. For program and registration details check online at: http://learntolead.usask.ca/easetheload.html
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READERS WRITE:
If you appreciated last week’s wellness and travel tips, you might also enjoy travel suggestions contributed by a handful of Pause readers. You’ll find them posted to the Pause Blog at: http://www.pauseworks.com/wp/?p=1560
REFLECTION: As I write this, it’s mid morning Monday. At 6:30 a.m, I debated with myself whether I could actually spare the time to take my morning walk along the river. When life gets busy, you’ve maybe had similar conversations with yourself from time to time!
The situation for me is that Tuesday I’m headed to Vancouver for a business conference that will take up the rest of this week. I return to Saskatoon in time to attend a friend’s memorial service, empty my suitcase, and repack for a two week fall vacation get-away. A flurry of pre-travel tasks is queued up on the to-do list; and before I leave I need to take care of the final prep for a series of programs I’m booked to deliver on the heels of my return.
In the end, habit won the debate. I laced up my sneakers and headed for the trail. Here’s how things unfolded from there. (more…)
Travel Tips From Pause Readers
September 27, 2010
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…)
PAUSE – 10.28 – On The Go
September 21, 2010
REFLECTION: Knowing that I do a fair bit of travel in my work as a conference speaker and seminar facilitator, a Pause reader recently wrote to ask me to share a few helpful travel hints.
Specifically, she wanted ideas for maintaining a healthy balanced rhythm of work and renewal when you are far away from your everyday routines and supports.
If you find yourself on the road from time to time – or frequently, for that matter – you might find some of these ideas helpful, too. If the challenges of travel aren’t part of your world, pass this message along to your trekking friends and colleagues.
ACTION: Seven tips for staying well on the go: (more…)
REFLECTION: For some time now, I’ve been writing and speaking about the impact of overload and overwhelm in our lives and workplaces. We’re all familiar with the near term impact of overload – feeling crunched for time and stretched in capacity. Still, when overload is only a temporary situation, we tend to adapt and work around it.
Problems arise when overload moves from a temporary to chronic state. Chronic overloading drains energy, saps productivity, cripples capacity and poisons relationships.
So, how do we avoid that chronic state and those miserable outcomes? Downloading, uploading and offloading don’t always bring relief. What will make a difference is moving towards rightloading™. Rightloading™ engages minds, encourages hearts, energizes bodies and builds spirit at work and beyond. (more…)
Ready For Life
September 13, 2010
We met Jorge on Labor Day weekend as we strolled through the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton. As you can see from his photo, Jorge stands out from the crowd.
When I complemented him on his haberdashery finery, he explained his reason for being dressed so well so early on a Saturday morning. You see, at 85 years old, Jorge is looking for a wife. And, in case, the opportunity arises, he wants to be prepared for the wedding. Now, that is what I call being ready for life!
Jorge told us he arrived in Canada from Bulgaria when he was five years old, and spent many years performing as a magician. He certainly worked his magic on us that morning, leaving us with smiles on our faces, and warmth in our hearts.
Good luck Jorge. I hope your search for a mate turns out well! I’m sure she’s out there somewhere!
PS – Here’s a sketch of the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market that I did from our hotel room earlier in the day.
If you’re ever in the Whyte Avenue vicinity on a Saturday morning, it’s worth taking the time to drop in – especially this time of year when the produce is tumbling out of the gardens and into the market.
PAUSE – 10.26 – Buddy Up
September 7, 2010
REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
Could be that the person working next to you or just down the hall shares the very same concern. Here’s where it make sense to team up to calm down. (more…)
PAUSE – 10.25 – Making A Living Or Making A Life?
August 31, 2010
I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WONDERING … what kind of photos I received in response to the invitation to ‘Send Me Your Smiles’. Well, as it turns out, some fabulous ones! It was great fun working them into a short upbeat inspirational video. Check out ‘Sunny Smiles‘ and pass the link along.
REFLECTION: Last day of August. First day of September. Summer transitions to autumn.
I’m looking at the list of projects I’d planned to tackle over the summer months when my business is typically slower. Truth be told, I’ve made a dent, but not moved mountains. Research, redesign, product development. Yep, progress on all those fronts. But nowhere near what I apparently anticipated in those more optimistic, summer stretching out ahead of you, early days of July. Maybe you find yourself in the same situation – with merely a dent in work related tasks or home and family projects.
Frustrating? Somewhat. Discouraging? Only mildly. You see, one of the things I’ve learned so far in life is that my ambitions always have and always will exceed my time and energy. That’s just the way it is.
On the other hand, there were so many things that never appeared on the ‘To Tackle’ list in the first place that have contributed to two memorable summer months. Visits with sisters. Connections with friends and neighbors. Mentoring chats with ‘just beginning’ colleagues. Time with my folks at the farm. Adventures with my grandson, my husband, my children. Hours in the company of watercolors. Moments in the garden, along the river, appreciating the great outdoors.
The contrast speaks to the balancing act between making a living and making a life. (more…)
Sunny Smiles
August 31, 2010
Ask and ye shall receive. Through the month of August I invited Pause readers to send along pics of their favorite smiles and grins. What a fabulous collection arrived on my desktop – bringing me smile after smile as I opened each message and clicked on the pics.
I’ve put together a compilation to share with you and the world. Hope you enjoy these Sunny Smiles. Share the link with others who just might need a lift and a laugh!
PAUSE – 10.24 – Urgent … Or Not?
August 24, 2010
REFLECTION:
In the process of clearing out the pigeonholes above the kitchen desk on the weekend, I discovered a Fuji Quick Snap film cartridge with the words ‘Summer ’98’ pencilled on the label. It’s impossible to tell with these little guys if the film has been developed or not, and I could not stand the suspense.
Thinking, perhaps, I’d unearthed a gem of remembrance, I dropped the film off at the photo counter at the local Shopper’s Drug Mart on my way home around 6:00 the next evening. The young woman behind the counter assured me that they did still handle that kind of film.
Then she immediately apologized that it would not be possible for her to turn the order around within the hour as she had several other jobs backlogged and was closing at 8:00. She further noted, again falling all over herself in apology, that she was pretty sure she could have the prints ready by noon the next day.
I laughed and reassured her that since the film had been hanging around for at least 12 years, I could easily wait a few more days – or even weeks for that matter. She looked surprised at my reaction. Apparently she serves a lot of people who have ‘last minute – must rush’ photo emergencies!
ACTION:
Have you noticed how our expectations about turn-around times have ramped up in recent years? Even tasks that hold no pressing deadline are presented or interpreted as obviously urgent.
Somehow we have it in our heads that tackling tasks at the last moment is a fact of life, that urgency and high performance go hand in hand, and that quality service is defined by speed and speed alone.
Pay close attention this week to expectations about task turn-around in your work and personal life. Don’t crank up the speedometer in situations where the task is less than urgent. Stop to ask about tasks shunted your way that appear to have ASAP labels firmly attached.
Chances are good that there’s wiggle room in at least some of the timelines. That extra margin might be just what you need to feel more in control of the load and less stressed by unnecessary ‘quick time’ expectations. And, committing that extra margin of time to tasks that really matter might short circuit a major last minute urgency somewhere down the road.
PS – Wondering about the pics from 1998? Turns out I had printed them before – images from a convention in Philadelphia and summer vacation at Waskesiu. Fun to see them again, anyway! The film cannister is now in the garbage!
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Apparently the proverbial Chinese and Greeks are in agreement in preferring patience over haste:
“One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.” Chinese Proverb
“One minute of patience, ten years of peace.” – Greek Proverb
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RESOURCE OF THE WEEK:
Seth Godin’s treatise on the shortcomings of urgency as an action default: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/08/hurry.html
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LAST CALL:
This is the final week to e-mail me a photo of your best smile – or someone else’s best smile. In September, I’ll pull together a shareable slide show/video to brighten everyone’s day. I’m loving the pics that have arrived so far. You will, too! Can’t wait to see your contributions!
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READERS WRITE:
In response to last week’s message, The Maturity Advantage, Pause reader JJ writes: Your comments remind me of the need to be able to identify and separate real problems from inconveniences. My husband and I often use the term “6 o’clock news” (as heard in a speech by corporate comedian Mark Mayfield) as a way of forcing ourselves and each other to stop and think of the true nature of the issue.
Is this ‘issue’ something that would qualify as truly newsworthy: your child is lost at the mall or your
employer just went bankrupt. Or do you initially just perceive the ‘inconvenience’ to be more important than it really is: your child just spilled juice all over the floor or you are in a hurry and have to wait in a long lineup?
“6 o’clock news” helps you put things in perspective. I challenge you to try it out…next time someone around you is upset about something, just say “6 o’clock news” in a loud enough voice to make them stop and think. It has worked every time for us.
REFLECTION: In the process of clearing out the pigeonholes above the kitchen desk on the weekend, I discovered a Fuji Quick Snap film cartridge with the words ‘Summer ’98’ pencilled on the label. It’s impossible to tell with these little guys if the film has been developed or not, and I could not stand the suspense.
Thinking, perhaps, I’d unearthed a gem of remembrance, I dropped the film off at the photo counter at the local Shopper’s Drug Mart on my way home around 6:00 the next evening. The young woman behind the counter assured me that they did still handle that kind of film.
Then she immediately apologized that it would not be possible for her to turn the order around within the hour as she had several other jobs backlogged and was closing at 8:00. She further noted, again falling all over herself in apology, that she was pretty sure she could have the prints ready by noon the next day.
I laughed and reassured her that since the film had been hanging around for at least 12 years, I could easily wait a few more days – or even weeks for that matter. She looked surprised at my reaction. Apparently she serves a lot of people who have ‘last minute – must rush’ photo emergencies! (more…)
REFLECTION: As I write this, it’s mid morning Monday. At 6:30 a.m, I debated with myself whether I could actually spare the time to take my morning walk along the river. When life gets busy, you’ve maybe had similar conversations with yourself from time to time!
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.
REFLECTION: Knowing that I do a fair bit of travel in my work as a conference speaker and seminar facilitator, a Pause reader recently wrote to ask me to share a few helpful travel hints.
REFLECTION: For some time now, I’ve been writing and speaking about the impact of overload and overwhelm in our lives and workplaces. We’re all familiar with the near term impact of overload – feeling crunched for time and stretched in capacity. Still, when overload is only a temporary situation, we tend to adapt and work around it.
We met Jorge on Labor Day weekend as we strolled through the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton. As you can see from his photo, Jorge stands out from the crowd.
REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.
REFLECTION: Last day of August. First day of September. Summer transitions to autumn.
REFLECTION: In the process of clearing out the pigeonholes above the kitchen desk on the weekend, I discovered a Fuji Quick Snap film cartridge with the words ‘Summer ’98’ pencilled on the label. It’s impossible to tell with these little guys if the film has been developed or not, and I could not stand the suspense.