BRAND NEW this summer is the ‘7×7 Summer Sunshine Sizzling Sketchbook Special’.
Here’s the first in a series of 49’ers: PauseGarden Night Light. That’s an original 7” x 7” watercolor sketch – 49 square inches of original art for $49 (plus tax and $10 for shipping).
To make it yours, just send me an email with ‘I’ll Take It’ in the subject line. The first reader to call dibs on each of the nine pieces (one a week) takes it away.
This is your chance to pick up an original piece at a sizzling summer rate. Enjoy … and may the early bird snag the sketch!
BTW – if another early bird beats you to it, and you’d like your own reproduction OR you’d prefer a print in a larger size, here’s the link to make that happen: PauseGarden Night Light.
During the months of July and August, your weekly Pause blog postings will feature the ‘Best of Pause’. These are readers’ favorite messages from the earlier years of the Pause e-zine. Featuring these Pause Gems will give me a bit of a breather, and also introduce our newer subscribers to some of those early gems.
Whether you are a long time subscriber, or new to our list, I sincerely hope you enjoy these messages. Come September, your messages will once again feature all new info and resources.
Reflection & Action: Take a close look at your to do list and a serious glance at the piles in the corner. How much of a backlog do you see?
If you are anything like the rest of us, you are anywhere from four to six weeks behind in your work. According to research reported by David Beardley, the average business person faces a backlog of 200 to 300 hours of uncompleted work. That doesn’t even begin to consider what’s waiting for us at home or in the community.
How’s that for redefining normal? It’s little wonder you might feel overwhelmed and overloaded on any given day.
Stop giving yourself grief because you’re not all caught up. It isn’t going to happen! In fact, getting to the end of your list or reaching the bottom of your pile is more likely to be an abnormal, extraordinary, other-worldly experience. Look in the mirror and remind yourself, “You will never be done again!”
Then check today’s to do list and actions against the backlog to be sure you really are acting on what matters most. Credit yourself for the valued tasks you do tackle and complete.
Learn to see a sizeable backlog as just another normal fact of life. Don’t look at it as an Everest summit that must be conquered every day … or else! (more…)
Pauseworks Studio Summer Art Special
June 27, 2013
Frankfurt Courtyard
BRAND NEW this summer! A ‘Seven By Seven Summer Sunshine Sizzling Sketchbook Special’. (What do you think? Too many S’s?)
Each Wednesday through July and August a brand new 7” x 7” watercolor sketch will be on offer.
That’s 49 square inches of original art for $49.
The images will be posted in the weekly Pause ezine and here on the Pause Blog.
The first reader to call dibs on each of the paintings takes it away. That’s nine chances to own your own original 49er. Once a week all summer long.
So, if you love the art, this is your chance to pick up an original piece at a sizzling summer rate.
Enjoy … and may the early bird snag the sketch!
PAUSE – 13.25 – What Do YOU Need Most?
June 26, 2013
Reflection: Does your upcoming summer vacation carry a ‘same as last year’ flavor? This might be a time to change it up a bit. Start by asking yourself this question: “What do I need most?” See what shows up in your answer.
Might you need:
Serious solo down time with next to no demands?
The emotional lift of reconnecting with favored friends or family?
Spiritual renewal through a serious dose of time outdoors?
The excitement and adventure of seeing new places and meeting new faces?
The mental challenge of learning something new?
Catch-up time taking care of fix-its and tasks around home?
Couple time with a hint of romance?
Time to dejunk and and reorganize those out-of-control spaces in your life?
Could be one or some of these or something else entirely. Of course, if you’re not on your own, family vacations usually end up being a compromise of sorts. You may have a mix of extroverts and introverts – some longing for big time socials and others for ‘me’ time. You might be a ‘major road trip’ fan partnered with a ‘hang out in one place’ person. Family traditions might dictate a visit ‘home’ at the center of every vacation – no exceptions.
So, how to get around differing – and changing – needs or preferences? (more…)
PAUSE – 13.24 – Are You Present to the Presents?
June 19, 2013
Reflection: How present are you to the everyday gifts of your everyday world? That’s what I asked myself after last week’s activities. And, on reflection, I noticed that every experience brought with it something to savor.
Tuesday’s commitment – facilitating a team retreat – took me on a trek to north-east Saskatchewan – a 3 hour drive each way. I realized as I traveled, what a treat it is to cruise through the spring greening of the crops in the country. The sun in the sky, an interview with Joni Mitchell on the radio, fresh coffee at hand…it was beyond pleasant. The gift of a road trip!
The planning committee for Wednesday’s engagement (an Art of Insight presentation for the Leadership Saskatoon Alumni) went all out to make their guests feel at home. Personal greetings at the door, rose bowls replete with flowers and paint brushes on the tables, tasty nibbles, and a very inclusive welcoming atmosphere! The gift of hospitality!
On Thursday, I joined a group of close friends and colleagues for conversation and dinner. We’ve been meeting a few times a year for a decade to support each other in our lives and businesses. We problem solve, strategize, laugh, cry, and generally lift each other’s spirits. They are GEMS, every one of them. The gift of being known and appreciated warts and all!
Friday, I facilitated another team retreat. The session design was highly interactive. I learned again that when people connect deeply to each other and commit to the focus at hand, more energy is created than consumed. The gift of engagement!
If you’ve followed my Pause blog for a while, you’ll know that over the last few years, my Beginner’s Mind has been highly engaged in studying and learning about the world of art – sketching and watercolor painting, in particular.
A year ago, I turned the tables to pause and explore what painting has been teaching me about life while I’ve been learning about art. There was plenty to discover. Out of that experience, I created (and spent the last few months testing and tweaking) a new keynote presentation titled: ‘Live & Learn: The Art of Insight’.
The images are original. The stories are unique. The lessons are timeless – and applicable to every walk of life. But what’s even more significant is how this message can inspire you and your colleagues to mine YOUR everyday experiences for learning and insight.
I’m happy today to announce that Live & Learn: The Art Of Insight is ready for prime time. You can read a more detailed description on my website.
This could be just the original, thought-provoking (and highly entertaining) message you need to add a spark to your upcoming conference, professional development program, or retreat.
Give me a call (877-728-5289) or drop me a line (pat@patkatz.com) to learn more and book a date.
I’m very excited about sharing this fresh new message with you and your organization!
PS – If it’s not a fit for your group, please pass this link along to any other groups that come to mind! Many thanks and happy learning!
PAUSE – 13.23 – Are Curiosity & Discovery Top Of Mind?
June 12, 2013
Reflection: So here I am on a bright midsummer morning weeding in the front yard. Down the sidewalk comes a three old youngster on his tricycle with his mom trailing behind.
As they reach our front yard, Junior spots a shiny penny on the sidewalk. He hops off his trike, picks up the penny, and spends the next few minutes in a solitary game of Fetch – tossing the penny, retrieving it, and throwing it again. Eventually, it lands in the lawn. Lost!
No tears – just resignation – as magically, in place of the penny, a ladybug appears. He scoops the ladybug up in his hand and watches it crawl up his finger. With mom’s help, he masters the art of transferring the bug from one hand to another, until it spreads its wings and flies away.
No worries – there’s more to discover. The crows in the birch tree launch a caw fest. The little guy looks up to check things out, and his hat tumbles off his head onto the sidewalk.
Bending over to pick up his hat, he finds an earthworm. Dropping to his hands and knees, nose near the action, he patiently follows the worm’s wriggling progress from one edge of the walk to the other.
At this point, an airplane approaches. Junior jumps up, points it out to his mom and stands with his arm in the air tracing the aircraft’s path until it disappears from sight.
By this time, he has worked up quite a thirst. The little guy begs a sip from the juice box Mom holds at the ready, hops back on his tricycle, and off they go.
Over the course of 15 minutes, they moved a grand total of 15 feet. Not exactly a power stroll or roll! But, an extraordinary example of living and learning – approaching everyday experiences with a sense of curiosity and a spirit of discovery- with what we might call Beginner’s Mind.
Action: We were all beginners … once upon a time. (more…)
PAUSE – 13.22 – Who Needs A Mental Wealth Break?
June 5, 2013
Reflection: I’d had a busy couple of weeks with projects, commitments and deadlines on every front. When the calendar cleared last Wednesday, I decided to pause and step away for a mental wealth day. That’s the kind of day when you focus on making a few sizeable deposits in the sanity bank account.
I spent ten minutes in the office, cleared a few urgent messages, put an away message on my phone, and settled in to enjoy the open space.
As the day unfolded, I puttered in the garden, visited on the street with several of the neighbors, lunched in the sun on the back deck, napped in the hammock, chatted by phone with several family members, and simply enjoyed the fish in the pond, the birds in the trees, and the tulips in the flowerbeds.
A greeting card from my sister arrived in the mail that morning and set the tone for the day. The front cover featured a figure reclining in a hammock under the palm trees with these words: “Nowhere to go and all day to get there….” That became my mantra for the day!
I love that sentiment, it’s such a contrast to what we are more likely to experience in our everyday lives: “Everywhere to go and no time to get there!”
Action: Life doesn’t always lend itself to a mental wealth day. But, it may be possible to create a mental wealth moment or hour. And as you step into that openness of time, try breathing in the possibility that just for now, you have: ‘Nowhere to go and all day to get there!” (more…)
PAUSE – 13.21 – Antidotes For Overload
May 29, 2013
Reflection: Suppose you’re chatting with a friend and she tells you that, in addition to working full time as usual, these are the projects she has planned for the summer: repaint the house, dig up a new vegetable garden, xeriscape the front yard, host a friend’s outdoor wedding, build a new deck on the cabin at the lake, take her parents on a weeklong roadtrip, manage her son’s softball team, and chaperone her daughter’s soccer team on a trip to Minneapolis.
Any thoughts? Any advice?
Suppose the list shifted from personal projects to an equally lengthy list of workplace assignments with the regular family and community responsibilities ‘on the side’.
Any thoughts? Any advice?
I can’t help but think of the old parenting adage: “Be careful how you load up your plate. Your eyes could be bigger than your stomach.” The same caution applies to our ambitions beyond the dinner table. Far too often, our aspirations outweigh our capacity. It’s little wonder that overload is so often the order of the day.
Action: What, then, is the preventive medicine to keep us from landing in a state of overload quite so often – especially with projects that are within our control or under our influence? (more…)
PAUSE – 13.20 – How Well Do You Pace Yourself?
May 22, 2013
Reflection: Have you ever walked alongside someone whose stride was much longer or shorter than yours? Have you ever partnered on a project with someone whose pace was entirely mismatched to yours? They moved, spoke and concluded everything in a flash – or they ambled, pondered, and decided waaaay toooo sloooowly for your comfort?
If you have, chances are that you know first hand the frustration of trying to keep up or the irritation of needing to slow down.
Our set points vary one from another; and they may shift over time. Life experiences can temper our choices along the way. If we’re paying attention, through trial and error, we learn when we need to give a person or an issue more room, and when the time is ripe to urge to action.
In any given situation or relationship, the ‘right’ pace energizes, while the ‘wrong’ pace exhausts. And, of course, it’s all terribly subjective and situation specific.
When lives are on the line (think fire or medical emergency), a fast paced response is essential. But not everything we face falls in that urgent category – even though much is presented that way.
There’s a leadership style known as ‘Pacesetting’ that invigorates some and frustrates others. Pacesetters are notorious for setting very high performance standards and modeling them for others. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – except that pacesetters tend to be obsessively high on expectations and perilously low on empathy. Without empathy, this kind of leadership may not even register – much less respond to – the stress that others experience along the way.
Action: So, how do you put these ideas about pace to work? (more…)
