Capture the Loveliness

A few days ago, the east coast of the United States was beyond dreary and gray. For what seemed like endless hours, the landscape was battered by rain, sleet and snow. Life couldn't have looked or felt more ugly. The next morning traveling was difficult, if not impossible. Meetings canceled, I was faced with the drudgery of playing cleanup in the office.

Fortunately, I received a call and an excited voice on the other end asked, "Are you looking outside? It's glorious. The sun and ice on the trees looks like thousands of diamonds." I could almost see her smile and I definitely felt the joy in her voice. My eyes moved to the window. She was so right - there were diamonds everywhere.

A simple call, a wonderful gesture caused me to stop being upset and negative about having to change my plans for the day. My energy lifted and I found myself cleaning up, clearing up and revamping some of my business plans. The call also brought to mind the poem by Sara Teasdale called Barter.

Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things;
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children’s faces looking up,
Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell;
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And, for the Spirit’s still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.

Give all you have for loveliness;
Buy it, and never count the cost!
For one white, singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost;
And for a breath of ecstasy,
Give all you have been, or could be.

The call, the poem and taking time to reflect has caused me to re-focus and re-charge my thinking, my attitude and my actions. Wonderful, positive gifts from others and myself to see thousands of diamonds and capture the loveliness of work and life.

New Year's Resolutions - aka - ACTS(TM)

2010 is coming to a close. Historically, at this time of year people generally start making New Year's resolutions. Popularly New Year's resolutions are regarding losing weight or to stop some other destructive behavior. The tradition is attributed to the ancient Babylonian's - the resolution - returning borrowed farm equipment.

I wonder who was more successful with resolutions, the ancient Babylonians or we in the present day?

There are four ways to make New Year's Resolutions stick.

Step 1 Assess what you would like to change.

At the end of 2009, I reviewed my journal, completed some psychometric evaluations and conducted some informal 360 degree evaluations. The results were astonishing - I needed to work on personal responsibility. (No really, that is not really a surprise, I am notorious for over extending, doing more for others and failing to accomplish my personal objectives and goals. Now, I had a starting point


Step 2 Create a purpose and vision for what you would have identified will help you the most.

I decided to allow myself to expand and innovate. I spent January reviewing my dream inventory (what I would like to accomplish in 2011). My passions came alive in quiet times of reflection and in conversations with close and trusted friends and advisers. I now clearly focused on what I needed to do to ensure personal accountability. and formalized my strategic plan in writing.

Step 3 Transform your life by setting goals and taking action.

I used the wheels of life to help me prioritize my goals physically, mentally, socially, spiritually, financially, socially, financially, and in my career to ensure ta for how I would be more accountable to my purpose with changes This really helped to break my resolution into interesting images for success and growth.Now I could set 1 goal for each area. This simplified the process it was and is easier for me to manage my time.

Step 4 Sustain your progress and success.

In the past, this has been the area where I and most people fail. No pun intended, but now we must hold ourselves accountable for our actions in order to get the results that we desire. I enhanced an approach that I used to monitor my progress weekly, monthly, quarterly and at the end of the year. I changed how I journaled daily to monitor daily when I started something new.

Now you have it, my approach to New Year's Resolutions. This year has proved to be an amazing year in all aspects in my life. I have a very long way to go with personal accountability and I am now in year two for starting ACTS(TM) all over again.

Here's a start for you with ACTS(TM)

What have you Assessed that needs to change in 2011?

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What is the new image, vision or picture that you will create for 2011?

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What goals will your set and actions will you take in 2011?

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How will you measure your progress in 2011?

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Five Keys for The Keeper of Momentum

Entering into a contract, new relationship or role, we often start off with motivation, interest and enthusiasm. As time goes on, however, this level of intensity seems to drop. So how can we become a keeper of momentum?



Purpose. Discovering one's purpose and contribution to the work is the first key to success. "When we know our Why, our How constantly shows up."

Passion. Igniting one's passion for involvement certainly starts a relationship or engagement off on the right foot. Keeping that passion burning after the initial excitement passes is the second key.

Principles. In order to have sustainable success, we must be clear on our fundamental core values. The core values become the foundation that will support all of our actions and thoughts. This key is the midpoint for momentum.

Positive. There is a saying that "people are hired for the ability, they are fired for their attitude." Keeping a positive point of view, appreciating that there is always a better way, a lesson to be learn, a silver lining in each situation is the key that unlocks any obstacle that is thrown our way.

Power. Finally, momentum is maintained even when doors are closed, windows are covered and the lights are turned off, we use the final key of power.

These five keys are available to all, we just need to seek, capture and then put into play.

An BIG Impact on Performance and Productivity

Productivity and profits are plummeting, at least it seems that way. The more the focus is on the crises, drama and time wasters,the less thought and time there is for high degrees of productivity and performance.

To turn around that drain on financial, talent and natural resources, the focus needs to shift to the potential. A few years ago I was asked to work with a large critical care department that had 6 different directors in half as many years. In the staff interviews, one common theme kept cropping up - leadership. The lack of leadership, the autocratic leadership, the punitive leadership, the disappointed leadership. Not once, not once did the staff mention anything positive, all were beaten down, but not broken. They had tremendous spirit they wanted to be asked. They had ideas to share, the courage, talent and conviction to do the job - but no one would listen.

After the interviews, I met with the Chief Nursing Officer to discuss the finding. I asked her who she believed were the leaders in the staff. Again, never did she mention anything positive. She launched into what a poor group of performers were in that department. She knew that without someone from the outside coming in to turn them around, they would never be effective and able to provide quality care.

Next, I asked, "Who has the potential to be the leader?"

She stopped briefly and then replied reluctantly, "Well certainly they all have the potential." She proceeded to tell me all the reasons why that would never happen. After all she'd been there for years and had continued to see disinterest and disruptive behavior. She needed some one to turn them around. Then she asked me, "What can you do to enhance productivity and performance?"

I knew that she wouldn't like my suggestion, but I knew it was the only answer, "Focus on their potential."

We both agreed that they needed a strong, positive leader to help accomplish significant change. She decided to continue to search outside and we said our good-byes.

Less than six months later, that same CNO contacted me and asked me if I could refer her, she was looking for a new job. No one helped her focus on her potential and the productivity and performance continued to decline.

Sad story, and unfortunately true all too often. When we fail to focus on the Potential, the performance and productivity will always fall. What are your thoughts?

Talent - Nature and Nurture

Nurture, defined in the traditional sense, can mean family influence. However, that definition has been expanded over time in the societal sense to environmental influences, those influences outside the individual. Nature, is defined as the traits we are born with or nature has directly affected.

Appreciating that we don't come into this world as a blank slate - there are some factors that we are born certainly that can and will affect our careers, our performance and our lives. Nurture now also comes into play. What factors can and does influence our talents. How we use them, display them, and develop them.

There have been numerous instances where a person was born or acquired a physiological element that if there had not been a nurturing factor, the person would have failed. One great example comes to mind, Helen Keller. At a very young age, she was affected by a disease that left her blind and deaf. In spite of these limiting factors, she was nurtured (influenced by a mentor) Anne Sullivan to become an international author, speaker and leader.

So why focus on nature and nurture. Yes, we come with to life, experiences and work with certain traits and talents. Interestingly enough, we can actually destroy natural talent as well as develop it. There are just as many individuals, perhaps more, that because of nurture have either not developed their talent at all or have even used their talents to destroy and to damage.

When we identify what are our natural talents, we can create a baseline but that is best not to be the only factor. To nurture talent is like starting a fire with very little fuel. A spark is created and something is added or not. A word of encouragement can change a life. Just as a word of criticism can shut that life down.

Every day we have an opportunity to overcome and/or enhance our nature and develop our talent. With the right nurture, we are creating a formula for growth and success. Appreciating nature and nuturing talents is one of the greatest endeavors one can embark on, that's why I passionately pursue talent development .

An Invitation...

"Act the way you'd like to be and so you'll be the way you act."

Leonard Cohen

(Canadian poet, songwriter and novelist)

An Invitation

You Are Invited: To life

Please bring:

• Your personal best
• Your talents,
• Your strengths,
• Your values
• Your ideas
• Your positive energy

Date: Open every day

Duration: The rest of your life

What would happen if you received this invitation.

It's up to you to respond.

Day 4 - Set Your Strategy

In this approach for becoming that extraordinary CEO in our work and life, we have identified three major steps:

On September 14thAs Leanne Hoagland-Smith mentioned in her comment - "it is better to take 7 weeks, rather than 7 days." Great point Leanne. I actually believe each and every step involves constant reflection, review, refinement and revision and once started is a continuous process.

1. Introduction to self.
2. Create your focus and define your attributes
3. Look for the derailers

Setting our strategy is becomes a central theme. Ideas, dreams, even goals are wonderful but are like loose cannons. They go off and perhaps we get results we are looking for, then again, perhaps we don't.

Wikipedia defines strategy as "a word of military origin, referred to as a plan of action to achieve a particular goal." Strategy creates the linkages achieve results and tactics actually help us to get those desired results.

I like to think of strategy as a game and I so I need to know the end results up front. For some, being a big picture person works well. For others, shorter term results are more comfortable. Remember, this is about you being the CEO in your own life, so you have the power to choose your own results.

Setting the strategy only comes with some really intensive work. I like to use the Left side of the Wheels of life to help me focus in those seven or eight major areas: family, career, financial, social, ethical, physical, mental. A friend and colleague, Leanne Hoagland-Smith of Advanced Systems recommended adding purpose as wise addition.





This takes time, effort and a great deal of introspection, but is so worth the time.

• What family results would I like to achieve? (How will I be in personal relationships)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What career results would I like to achieve? (What role(s) will I be in? What industry?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What financial results would I like to achieve? (How much will I be earning annually? What will my financial health look like in terms of savings and/or debt?)

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What social results would I like to achieve? (How will I be meeting new people, networking or serving my community?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What ethical results would I like to achieve? (What will my spiritual or religious life look like? How will I display my core values?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What physical results would I like to achieve? (How healthy will I be? How will I be eating, exercising, feeling in general?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What mental results would I like to achieve? (What will I be reading or studying? What new degrees, certificates or interests will I be adding to my life?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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3 Years out: ___________________________
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• What purpose results would I like to achieve? (What legacy would I like to end the year, 5 years out, my life?)
  

This year: ____________________________
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5 years out: ___________________________
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At the end of my life: _____________________
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Once this is completed, we can start looking towards Day 5 and Discovering Your Resources.

Promoting Health & Wealth - Emotions and Meaning

When obstacles show up, life often feels like climbing up a ladder. Lots of space and very little place for a foothold. Viktor Frankle, Austrian born neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor wrote a book in 1946 entitled Man's Search for Meaning. Dr. Frankl offers much insight into how emotions affected the outcome of the prisoners' experiences in the concentration camps.

For me, one of the most significant insights with the emotion that Frankl engaged to help in his personal survival - Hope. In his direct observation of other prisioners, Frankl discovered that as soon as hope was gone, the person died - there was no reason to live. He, at the same time, had no direct knowledge of his young wife or the rest of his family's safety. He chose to hope that they were alive and thinking of him. He used this emotion to carry him through many, many dark times. After the war, all of Frankl's family had died. He survived - what a wonderful contribution.

Emotions can support or destroy us. In our climb, we have the opportunity to choose emotions that helps us or hold us back in life, in health and in success. I appreciate that not every emotion is positive, but I also know that positive emotions have helped me through many tough times.

Thoughts?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - From Dreaming to Goals

All men dream: but not equally, Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did.

* T. E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1922)


As I continue to study and research, I found the above quote by Lawrence of Arabia. What makes these dreamers by day dangerous? They turn their dreaming into a process. How do people become dangerous? They are the exceptional people that take a dream, clearly define what it means to them, helps them set a positive vision. A vision for greater health in communities and nations, more sensitivity to our environment and natural resources, more respect for our collective assets and talents.

As these dreams become more focused, we can use this dreaming process to establish goals and then act with deliberate purpose and passion. The bigger the dreams the more we need to appreciate our life wheels.





We need and want to keep these life wheels in balance to stay in the flow and live a health-filled, wealth-filled life. Again, let's keep writing down our dreams. Let's make them big enough to capture our talents, our passions, our resources, our values and our joys.

I filling as if today I am already getting into the flow. Dreaming is a great start. Tomorrow, we'll start with goals to build that bridge for the flow into success.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth - Prioritizing Goals, Think Critically

Concentrating on clearly defined purpose and goals, already is making life more simple . As I keep my purpose to work with people to liberate their potential, my one clear goal to expand my expertise with human potential is helpful, but can really not be the best priority at this time. After all, I realize that communication, motivation, decision making/problem solving, just for starters now become imperative issues to address. How can I set goals so quickly? How can I use better critical thinking skills.

In a great conversation with a colleague and a master of critical thinking, as always, he helped set me straight - I really had a long way before jumping into setting goals. For starters, he actually helped me to formulate four questions:

1. What questions do I have or problems to be solved that will help me to stay on purpose?
2. Have I gathered enough relevant information to select and prioritize goals?
3. What conclusions or solutions will I select and how will I test their relevance and value?
4. How will I communicate to others my plans and decisions and receive input without allowing ineffective influence?

Well, as you can see it now become imperative for me to do a lot more exploration and fact finding to be sure that I make the best decisions and goals in this process of flow. Otherwise, I'll still be doing busy work that actually distracts me from my mission. I wrote early on today that my life would be simplier with clear purpose and goals, but it sure isn't easier.

I have a ton more work to do. Any thoughts?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health & Wealth: Clear, Quality Goals Help

Now, that I have defined my purpose, the next big step in getting the Flow is setting clear goals. I used to believe that I was a great goal setter. I would come up with a long list of goals and work hard, sometimes like a crazed person even, to achieve all the goals that I would set.

Now, I am coming to realize that the quantity of goals has absolutely nothing to do with how successful or happy I am. In fact, for me often times those goals were busy work and activities that actually would keep me out of my Flow. In reality, the quality of the goals is one of the keys to successfully getting into my Flow.

Let's do a little goal setting 101. For a goal to be successful it must be W.H.Y. S.M.A.R.T. - Written, Habit-forming, Yours (written by the person who selects and designs the goal), Specific, Measurable, Aligned with Purpose, Realistically High, and Timed. For example, my purpose is to work with individuals and organizations to release their extraordinary potential. A goal I set for myself is to enhance my knowledge and experience with human potential by researching and studying at least one leader in field such as Abraham Maslow and learn more about one of his models - Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Motivational Model by June 30, 2010. What do you think, does this goal meet the WHY SMART Criteria?

Would love your thoughts, ideas and suggestions about clear, quality goals.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Purpose

Now I'd like to start by sharing some definitions of the word purpose...

The Free Dictionary by Farlex

1. The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal:
2. A result or effect that is intended or desired; an intention.
3. Determination; resolution:

or

Free Merriam Webster Dictionary:

1 a : something set up as an object or end to be attained: intention
b : resolution, determination
2 a subject under discussion or an action in course of execution synonyms see intention — on purpose: by intent: intentionally

As I read and write these words, a quote by Michelangelo comes to mind.

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.

A question to ask myself today therefore becomes, "Is my purpose, my intention, my aim high enough for me for me to be happiness, health, wealth and live a life in flow?" This inner exploration is certainly not as easy as it looks, that's for sure. But I'm committed to keep my aim high!

Thoughts, comments?

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 7 - Moving out of The Comfort Zone

Today's the day we are going to move our exploring to another level. By asking myself and others the next question, "What interests me?, I often find myself and others giving me a quick, top of mind awareness answer, such as: I like hiking and biking, I like fishing and hunting, I like reading and writing, I like nature, I like the environment. I love helping people.

Once again let's consider how important our subconscious mind is in helping us to discover how to move out of our comfort zone. To help us focus in this exploration - I'd like to revisit the the seven elements of life that I mentioned on Day 3 - physical, mental, family, financial, social, career, and ethics.

My comfort zone might say let's focus on one element at a time, but life isn't that simple is it. In fact, because I sometimes sometimes get so intent on one element - I over look how my interest(s) have many connections that I have failed to overlook because I want to go to the first, easiest answer.

Remember, I mentioned that I am treating this blog as an opportunity for exploration. Well, in exploration, there is danger, discomfort, and even fear. But, according to a book written by Susan Jeffers called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. I am willing to spend time expanding how one interest really is affecting my success in my family, my finances, my career, my physical health, my mental growth, my social interactions, and my ethics.

Sound like fun, I'm committed to keeping this question in mind today and I will let you know how much I discover about the power of knowing one's interests!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what interests you.

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura

Promoting Health and Wealth - Day 5 - Motivation - Moving Out of the Comfort Zone

Every ask yourself this question, "What in my life motivates me to jump out of bed and get started everyday?" Well, I didn't consciously ask myself that until I opened my own business nine years ago.

Normally, one of my all time favorite comfort zones, especially at 5:30 in the morning, is my bed. However, I will tell you this, once I decide that my day is going to be on purpose and with passion, I rarely hit the snooze alarm. In fact, I'm one of those painfully annoying people that I am up like an on switch.

My purpose and tag line is to create attitudes and strategies tapping limitless energy (C.A.S.T.L.E.) CASTLE is the acronym that I wrote more than 5 years before I started my own company. I shared with a colleague that the image of the CASTLE was motivating to me and came up with the tag line on the spot.) She thought I had totally lost my mind, but today I still often use that tag line to describe my business. And, I have a marvelous collection of castles - visual props are great sources of motivators to move one out of their comfort zone. Do you have any special props to help you leap into action?

Other ways that I move out of my comfort zone, a.k.a.my bed, to actually jump us are to say verbal affirmations such as, "I will liberate potential, I will help people and organizations find extraordinary health and wealth. I close my emails with all the best in health and wealth.

We, as human beings were wired to overcome challenges and explore new terrains. I believe along the way, somehow we have forgotten that. Let's revisit Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs motivation theory. The next to the lowest level of motivation is the "need for safety and security." Now if one wants to move towards the highest level - self actualization - one really needs to move out of their comfort zone.

Any thoughts on this theory?

All the best in health and wealth,

Laura