I take private Pilate's instruction with a wonderful teacher named Brooke. She has been working with me over the past month or so on engaging certain muscles and muscle groups to become stronger.
At first I honestly didn't have a clue how I was going to ever get to the point where I could scoop out my belly and roll myself down onto the machine. I mean, yeah, I understood what she was saying, but understanding it and making my body do it are two different things.
I started noticing how I engage my muscles yesterday while doing some hill runs. In the past I would plow through them, but my back would hurt a little afterwards. Yesterday I decided to make a small shift in my spine (engaging my abs and pushing my hips forward just a little as I was running up hill) and do you know what happened? I ran faster and had no pain afterwards.
This morning, while in Pilate's, I told Brooke about the run. She just smiled (the kind of smile you get when you are trying to teach someone something and then all of a sudden they get it) and said she was proud of me.
OK - so I have been talking about working out in today's post - but the analogy I am trying to get at is that no matter what we do in life, sometimes it is the small adjustments that have the biggest impact. If you are a sales person, making just a small adjustment to a prospect call script could mean the difference between losing or getting the sale.
Think about the "business muscles" you either have not developed or have been resting for awhile. Are there any "strength moves" you could do to bulk them up? Can you lift heavier weights while at work (it's analogy folks - remember? I am not suggesting lifting actual weights - I am suggesting doing something harder, or with more effort). Are there more people you need to incorporate into your work "workouts"?
What can you gain today by putting forth more effort? Just engaging on a deeper level may have you running those hills faster and more efficiently in no time.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
What do you say?
Reba McIntyre sings a song called What Do You Say. For all my country music loving friends reading this, you probably remember it coming out in the 90's. I really like it.
The song is about what to say in uncomfortable situations. She gives a few examples. One is what to say to your young son when he asks what the XXX means outside of an adult bookstore. Another is what to say to your teenage daughter when she calls to ask you to pick her up from a party because she drank too much. Her last is what to say to a spouse on their death bed. Check out the 3 lines of lyrics below:
What do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way
It seems that each day we all get an opportunity to speak the truth to those that we love or those that we lead. It is a privilege to get to be the person that communicates this truth to those in our lives. The catch is, sometimes it isn't something someone wants to hear. Or, we may not be speaking it with kindness or compassion.
Communication is tricky. We each have our own style, and it is comfortable for us to communicate in that style. For example - you may be a people person, social butterfly, life of the party type of communicator. You love to speak with enthusiasm and are optimistic that those you speak to want to hear what you have to say. Well, if you are speaking to a introverted, task oriented individual, you could come across as overly enthusiastic and disorganized - which in turn will shut down that introverted individual.
On the flip side, if you are an extremely detail oriented individual - loading up someone who is not with too many details is a no-no.
So, how do you figure out how to speak truth to someone who may not share your communication style? First, consider getting a DISC profile. It will spell out exactly how you like to be communicated to as well as take you through an exercise to identify those in your life and what style they fit into. Also, if you are a leader, consider getting your team profiled as well. Second, take a moment to slow down and think about the person you are talking to. Don't jump to conclusions about them or their specific profile. Ask yourself to pause before speaking truth to them, and then consider how to move forward with your communication.
The better you communicate with those around you, the more opportunity you'll have to positively impact their lives.
The song is about what to say in uncomfortable situations. She gives a few examples. One is what to say to your young son when he asks what the XXX means outside of an adult bookstore. Another is what to say to your teenage daughter when she calls to ask you to pick her up from a party because she drank too much. Her last is what to say to a spouse on their death bed. Check out the 3 lines of lyrics below:
What do you say in a moment like this
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way
It seems that each day we all get an opportunity to speak the truth to those that we love or those that we lead. It is a privilege to get to be the person that communicates this truth to those in our lives. The catch is, sometimes it isn't something someone wants to hear. Or, we may not be speaking it with kindness or compassion.
Communication is tricky. We each have our own style, and it is comfortable for us to communicate in that style. For example - you may be a people person, social butterfly, life of the party type of communicator. You love to speak with enthusiasm and are optimistic that those you speak to want to hear what you have to say. Well, if you are speaking to a introverted, task oriented individual, you could come across as overly enthusiastic and disorganized - which in turn will shut down that introverted individual.
On the flip side, if you are an extremely detail oriented individual - loading up someone who is not with too many details is a no-no.
So, how do you figure out how to speak truth to someone who may not share your communication style? First, consider getting a DISC profile. It will spell out exactly how you like to be communicated to as well as take you through an exercise to identify those in your life and what style they fit into. Also, if you are a leader, consider getting your team profiled as well. Second, take a moment to slow down and think about the person you are talking to. Don't jump to conclusions about them or their specific profile. Ask yourself to pause before speaking truth to them, and then consider how to move forward with your communication.
The better you communicate with those around you, the more opportunity you'll have to positively impact their lives.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Swing Vote
Today I watched the movie Swing Vote. If you haven't seen it - I highly recommend it.
Besides the humor, the great cast (Kevin Costner, the late/great Denis Hopper, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer and more) and the wonderful daddy/daughter moments in the movie, I really felt drawn in by the overall message.
Or should I say the overall two messages that I took away from the movie.
One - never trade in your convictions and your long term goals for a short term victory. It was pretty comical how the Democrat (Denis Hopper) was spouting pro-life support and anti-immigration in order to get Kevin Costner's character to like him. It was equally laughable to see the Republican (Kesley Grammer)running an add for gay marriage and green living. What wasn't funny was the fact that many of us out there today (me included at times - I don't sit here in judgement) toss aside our beliefs if we feel it will "win" us something in return. I don't mean we'll kill people to get the last iPad, I mean the more important, everyday stuff like respect, humility, patience.
Two - when are we going to wake up and realize that if we don't start helping people now, tomorrow we may not have a chance (yes, I understand I say this a lot in my posts - repetition is after all the mother of persuasion isn't it). A great line from that movie goes something like this, "If we are the richest country in the world, why can't so many of us afford to live here." Wow, that really hit me pretty hard today. I ask myself, what am I doing to change that? What can I do to step up my commitment to helping? How can I be more proactive?
So, for a little movie I thought would be a refreshing 2 hour break from all of my thinking, it made me think the whole way through.
If you don't have a set of values that you live by, by all means, figure them out, write them down, and share them with those important to you. Then, the next time you have to make a decision, pull them out and ask yourself if the decision will honor your stated values.
Also, if you aren't contributing to this world we live in right now, consider how you can. What talents, hobbies or interests do you have that can make a difference in the lives of those around you? If you are already doing something, consider if you feel it is enough. It may be - and if that is the case - I want to thank you. If it isn't - step up and do more. You'll be the better for it, and so will the rest of us.
And finally, if you haven't seen the movie - rent it. It was a great one to watch and I believe Denis Hopper's last.
Besides the humor, the great cast (Kevin Costner, the late/great Denis Hopper, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer and more) and the wonderful daddy/daughter moments in the movie, I really felt drawn in by the overall message.
Or should I say the overall two messages that I took away from the movie.
One - never trade in your convictions and your long term goals for a short term victory. It was pretty comical how the Democrat (Denis Hopper) was spouting pro-life support and anti-immigration in order to get Kevin Costner's character to like him. It was equally laughable to see the Republican (Kesley Grammer)running an add for gay marriage and green living. What wasn't funny was the fact that many of us out there today (me included at times - I don't sit here in judgement) toss aside our beliefs if we feel it will "win" us something in return. I don't mean we'll kill people to get the last iPad, I mean the more important, everyday stuff like respect, humility, patience.
Two - when are we going to wake up and realize that if we don't start helping people now, tomorrow we may not have a chance (yes, I understand I say this a lot in my posts - repetition is after all the mother of persuasion isn't it). A great line from that movie goes something like this, "If we are the richest country in the world, why can't so many of us afford to live here." Wow, that really hit me pretty hard today. I ask myself, what am I doing to change that? What can I do to step up my commitment to helping? How can I be more proactive?
So, for a little movie I thought would be a refreshing 2 hour break from all of my thinking, it made me think the whole way through.
If you don't have a set of values that you live by, by all means, figure them out, write them down, and share them with those important to you. Then, the next time you have to make a decision, pull them out and ask yourself if the decision will honor your stated values.
Also, if you aren't contributing to this world we live in right now, consider how you can. What talents, hobbies or interests do you have that can make a difference in the lives of those around you? If you are already doing something, consider if you feel it is enough. It may be - and if that is the case - I want to thank you. If it isn't - step up and do more. You'll be the better for it, and so will the rest of us.
And finally, if you haven't seen the movie - rent it. It was a great one to watch and I believe Denis Hopper's last.
A Change Is A Coming
As I mentioned I am making some changes to my blog.
First - I will be merging this personal blog into a professional blog with Building Champions. I am very excited. This will take my viewership from about 60 to over 400 - yeah.
Second - I bought a car. Yes folks, I said it, I bought a car. A Mercedes to boot, so the four month experiment turned into a two month experiment. I guess I should be upset or disappointed with myself but in actuality I am quite proud.
Proud because I really learned a lesson about myself. I learned that I wasn't as shallow as I thought I was. That I wasn't as vain as I thought. That I love the city I live in and the people who live here. That I am kind and that I give back.
Now, I am not trying to pump myself up and brag about myself. I am just trying to show you that when you reflect on yourself, really reflect, you come to realize that you aren't a horrible person and you free yourself up to fall in love with yourself.
How many of you need that today? How many of you reading this beat yourself up for all the little things you do wrong and forget to pat yourself on the back for all the things you are doing right?
First - I will be merging this personal blog into a professional blog with Building Champions. I am very excited. This will take my viewership from about 60 to over 400 - yeah.
Second - I bought a car. Yes folks, I said it, I bought a car. A Mercedes to boot, so the four month experiment turned into a two month experiment. I guess I should be upset or disappointed with myself but in actuality I am quite proud.
Proud because I really learned a lesson about myself. I learned that I wasn't as shallow as I thought I was. That I wasn't as vain as I thought. That I love the city I live in and the people who live here. That I am kind and that I give back.
Now, I am not trying to pump myself up and brag about myself. I am just trying to show you that when you reflect on yourself, really reflect, you come to realize that you aren't a horrible person and you free yourself up to fall in love with yourself.
How many of you need that today? How many of you reading this beat yourself up for all the little things you do wrong and forget to pat yourself on the back for all the things you are doing right?
Monday, July 19, 2010
What If?
If you ask anyone from the ages of 10 - 35 what time is it - they don't look at their watches - they look at their cell phone for the answer. Have you ever noticed that?
If you drive down the street and look at the drivers in the cars next to you - they are talking on their phones - not looking at the road in front of them. Have you ever noticed that?
If you go to a restaurant and observe the patrons sitting around you - they are surfing the web or texting their friends - not talking to the people at the table with them. Have you ever noticed that?
One more for fun. If you have to connect with a prospect or update a client of a product or service - you email them instead of picking up the phone and calling them or getting in the car to go see them. Have you ever noticed that?
Now I am not saying that we shouldn't use every resource we have to live a more efficient life. I don't believe in wasting time just for times sake. Heck - I even coach my clients to use their time more efficiently in order to be able to get more done. But what I do notice is that we have gone from a society of relationship builders and maintainers to a society of "get it done as quickly as possible so that I can get to the next person" people.
What if we just focused on the people in front of us? What if we gave the gift everyone of us desires and deserves - the gift of undivided attention. What if we made a little less money - but we impacted peoples life more positively - MORE. What if we just put down that phone during a family meal and asked our kids how they are doing?
I know that earning a living and being more efficient is important. But is it more important than raising good kids, than being a good spouse, than loving our neighbors?
I hope you all consider this today - as you start a busy work week. Where can you be more present in the lives of the people that matter most to you this week?
I just hope that once my boss reads this I don't get a "Jerry McGuire like" send off.
If you drive down the street and look at the drivers in the cars next to you - they are talking on their phones - not looking at the road in front of them. Have you ever noticed that?
If you go to a restaurant and observe the patrons sitting around you - they are surfing the web or texting their friends - not talking to the people at the table with them. Have you ever noticed that?
One more for fun. If you have to connect with a prospect or update a client of a product or service - you email them instead of picking up the phone and calling them or getting in the car to go see them. Have you ever noticed that?
Now I am not saying that we shouldn't use every resource we have to live a more efficient life. I don't believe in wasting time just for times sake. Heck - I even coach my clients to use their time more efficiently in order to be able to get more done. But what I do notice is that we have gone from a society of relationship builders and maintainers to a society of "get it done as quickly as possible so that I can get to the next person" people.
What if we just focused on the people in front of us? What if we gave the gift everyone of us desires and deserves - the gift of undivided attention. What if we made a little less money - but we impacted peoples life more positively - MORE. What if we just put down that phone during a family meal and asked our kids how they are doing?
I know that earning a living and being more efficient is important. But is it more important than raising good kids, than being a good spouse, than loving our neighbors?
I hope you all consider this today - as you start a busy work week. Where can you be more present in the lives of the people that matter most to you this week?
I just hope that once my boss reads this I don't get a "Jerry McGuire like" send off.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Inside or Out?
Today I have to do what is called Fartlek's. For those of you out there that aren't runners, they are when you run at a regular pace, then sprint during certain times, and then return - all within the distance allocated on your run sheet for that day.
I enjoy doing them on my treadmill for several reasons. The primary reason being that I can monitor how fast I run and increase or decrease my speed in a controlled environment. This is the control freak in me I guess (ok, no guessing, this is the control freak in me).
I know that when you are training for something it is best to mirror the conditions of the race, but I really hate to do speed work outside. Also, I don't plan on sprinting or doing any speed work during my 3 legs of the Hood To Coast race in August, so am I really hurting my training by being on the treadmill? I mean, does it matter if I run inside during these days?
So I got to thinking, how much of the things we do right now or the choices we have to make today are do or die situations? What if we allowed ourselves to just relax and take a different path to doing what needs to be done. Now, I am not endorsing mediocrity I promise. I am just saying it is ok to give ourselves permission to do something not deemed "the best way" every once in awhile (or in this case - each Thursday). What do you have on your to do list today that you can accomplish differently?
I enjoy doing them on my treadmill for several reasons. The primary reason being that I can monitor how fast I run and increase or decrease my speed in a controlled environment. This is the control freak in me I guess (ok, no guessing, this is the control freak in me).
I know that when you are training for something it is best to mirror the conditions of the race, but I really hate to do speed work outside. Also, I don't plan on sprinting or doing any speed work during my 3 legs of the Hood To Coast race in August, so am I really hurting my training by being on the treadmill? I mean, does it matter if I run inside during these days?
So I got to thinking, how much of the things we do right now or the choices we have to make today are do or die situations? What if we allowed ourselves to just relax and take a different path to doing what needs to be done. Now, I am not endorsing mediocrity I promise. I am just saying it is ok to give ourselves permission to do something not deemed "the best way" every once in awhile (or in this case - each Thursday). What do you have on your to do list today that you can accomplish differently?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Irresistible Revolution
First I would like to thank my friend Jen Jones for recommending the book Irresistible Revolution by Jim Wallis. I just started it yesterday - but - Oh My Gosh it is GREAT.
Yesterday Rich and I ate dinner on our patio. The weather was perfect. It was during our after dinner - relaxing time - that I told Rich how overwhelmed I have been feeling lately. It is like I woke up last week and said "how the heck did I get here?" When did I become an adult. One that has to take care of a household, hold down a full time job and be a step mother to GROWN kids? I am not sure if what is going on with me is just a stressful time or the fact that I turn 40 in 6 months and maybe the concept of a mid-life crisis isn't so crazy after all. Anyways, I was feeling overwhelmed and sharing my feelings with Rich. I stared whining about how I wanted a car - a nice car - any darn car - but I wanted to give up on this experiment.
So this morning while I was riding my bike (no dog walk, those poor beasts, they are so neglected) I decided to just stop, grab coffee and read a little of my book. For those of you that don't get up early, I encourage you to try it out. The weather is usually amazing and you can actually sit back and relax a little. It was heavenly.
While reading page 21 I was struck by a statement. Check it out:
What if a fragile world is more attracted to God's vision of interdependence and sacrificial sharing than to the mirage of independence and materialism?
Yes - yes - yes people. This is what I have been talking about, blogging about, reflecting on. When we sit down and realize we are here together, like it or not, we can then start making changes for the greater good. We can do for others before we do for ourselves (without neglecting ourselves of course). We can share our resources versus hoarding them away for a day that may never come. We can share our hearts, our homes, our lives. WHAT IF we put aside our desire for more and put forth our desire to serve?
It was like the switch of my inner most thoughts was flipped. What a refresher.
Not sure what else to say other than this. So have a nice day.
Yesterday Rich and I ate dinner on our patio. The weather was perfect. It was during our after dinner - relaxing time - that I told Rich how overwhelmed I have been feeling lately. It is like I woke up last week and said "how the heck did I get here?" When did I become an adult. One that has to take care of a household, hold down a full time job and be a step mother to GROWN kids? I am not sure if what is going on with me is just a stressful time or the fact that I turn 40 in 6 months and maybe the concept of a mid-life crisis isn't so crazy after all. Anyways, I was feeling overwhelmed and sharing my feelings with Rich. I stared whining about how I wanted a car - a nice car - any darn car - but I wanted to give up on this experiment.
So this morning while I was riding my bike (no dog walk, those poor beasts, they are so neglected) I decided to just stop, grab coffee and read a little of my book. For those of you that don't get up early, I encourage you to try it out. The weather is usually amazing and you can actually sit back and relax a little. It was heavenly.
While reading page 21 I was struck by a statement. Check it out:
What if a fragile world is more attracted to God's vision of interdependence and sacrificial sharing than to the mirage of independence and materialism?
Yes - yes - yes people. This is what I have been talking about, blogging about, reflecting on. When we sit down and realize we are here together, like it or not, we can then start making changes for the greater good. We can do for others before we do for ourselves (without neglecting ourselves of course). We can share our resources versus hoarding them away for a day that may never come. We can share our hearts, our homes, our lives. WHAT IF we put aside our desire for more and put forth our desire to serve?
It was like the switch of my inner most thoughts was flipped. What a refresher.
Not sure what else to say other than this. So have a nice day.
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