If you ever studied Roman mythology, you know that the Romans had a god for everything. There were the major gods. Jupiter, the king of the gods. Mars, the god of war Mercury, the god of travelers and tradesmen. Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Ceres, the goodness of agriculture. Vulcan, the god of blacksmiths and volcanoes. You get the picture. There were minor gods as well, among them – Janus, the god of doors, gateways, beginnings, and endings. Janus is always pictured as having two faces, one facing the past and the other the future. We get our word “January” from Janus, and that makes sense, doesn’t it? Because in January, we look back to the year that’s… [Read More]
Simplify!
Hello, Friends! After taking some time off from sending out Great Days e-Tips, I’m back! How have you been? What have you been doing? I’ve spent a little time this summer cleaning out, clearing out, cutting out, getting rid of a lot of “stuff.” While I’m far from being a minimalist, I’m working on simplifying, and in doing so, I’m discovering that the process clears not only the clutter but also the mind. Admittedly, a significant amount of time is still spent looking for things (i.e., my phone, keys, glasses, phone, glasses, phone…). But I’m learning that life becomes more manageable when there’s less to manage. One of my projects has been to eliminate the number of emails I receive,… [Read More]
Keep Your Cool, Baby
Would you like to know the secret to good communication, positive relationships, and a peaceful, harmonious existence? It’s pretty simple. Just keep your cool, Baby. If you’re like most folks these days, you’re stressed to the max. There are many contributors to the out-of-control feeling that many people feel on a daily basis. Escalating gas and food prices. The threat of war. Physical and mental exhaustion. Traffic. Polarized politics. Each one of these circumstances contributes to stress that can erupt in anger and frustration. Recently the feeling of scarcity has been pervasive. Scarcity means not having enough – not enough employees, enough supplies, enough time, enough money. And when you get caught up in scarcity, tempers can flare and lead… [Read More]
Don’t You Want to See What Happens…
When Jane “Nightbirde” Marczewski appeared on America’s Got Talent, she immediately grabbed the hearts of the judges as well as the television audience who saw her performance. Her voice was amazing, captivating – as was her story. Marczewski shared that she had stage-4 breast cancer and that her chances of survival were slim, so slim that –although she was a hands-down winner – she took herself out of the competition so that she could focus on dealing with her health issues. Her story of faith and courage in facing her disease caused her to be interviewed on numerous talk-shows, and those interviews spread her fearless message. Although her body was frail, her message was one of strength, tenacity, persistence, and… [Read More]
Words Matter
Have you observed how so many people these days spew out their thoughts and opinions seemingly without thinking about or considering the impact that their words will have? My friend and colleague, Dr Shirley Garrett (www.SpeakLikeAPro.com), never fails to remind her communication coaching clients and the executives in her training classes that words do indeed matter. One’s choice of words, the tone in which they’re delivered, and the intention behind them carry more power than many people realize. We fail to think before letting the words rush out of our mouths. I read something recently that’s attributed to Bernard Meltzer. (Who? I know. I never heard of him either.) A quick Google search revealed that Bernard Meltzer was the host of a… [Read More]
Little Irritations
We’ve all been there. It can happen on a mountain trail, in a parking lot, on a neighborhood or city street. You’re walking along – minding your own business – when you notice that you have a rock in your sock. Where did it come from? How did it get there? The level of discomfort associated with this circumstance can range from mild irritation to excruciating pain, and the reaction to the discomfort can vary as well. If the irritation is minor, you may continue to walk, thinking that the annoyance will go away. Perhaps the rock will move to a place where it won’t be as uncomfortable. Maybe you can convince yourself that it’s not too bad and that… [Read More]
Elevate the Everyday
Last week I heard someone suggest that we should “elevate the everyday,” and I’ve been thinking about that ever since. What does “elevate the everyday” mean? And how can we benefit from doing it? The term simply means to pay attention to the little things, the small changes you can make to feel better, lift your spirits, improve your job performance, upgrade your health, find more pleasure in living, and thus, enjoy life more. So, I started thinking about what I could do, about what small changes could I implement that wouldn’t cost much – if anything – and would make me feel better about myself, my work, my environment. Here’s my list – some of which I am already… [Read More]
Response-Ability
We live in a blaming world. We want to point the finger and put the blame on others. We blame the Democrats, the Republicans, the economy, the weather, the traffic, the company, the boss, co-workers, the past, family – the list goes on and on, doesn’t it? We want to blame the circumstances and people in our lives for what we perceive to be the misfortunes that may have come our way. In the workplace, we want to blame messes, mistakes, misunderstandings, mishaps, miscalculations, and mismanagement on anyone and everyone – anyone, that is, but ourselves. If it’s your tendency to be a finger-pointer or a blamer, you also may have the tendency to take the role of a victim…. [Read More]
Promised Land
I recently met a lovely woman whom we’ll call Sofia. Sofia grew up in poor family in a foreign country. Because she worked hard and was very bright, she was able to attend college, paying her own way as she went. After college, she married, had two children, and secured a job in her field of study, and again because of her hard work and business savvy, she became a very successful executive in a large organization. She and her husband had plenty of money, lived in a high-rise condominium in the capital city of her country, and enjoyed “the good life” – at least as much of a good life as her country could afford. But Sofia’s life was… [Read More]
Out of Balance?
Balance. We desperately want it. Our bodies are made to seek it. When riding a bike, walking on a log, navigating over slippery rocks in a stream, water or snow skiing, hiking a rocky path, or doing yoga, the goal is balance because losing it can cause a crash…and most of us aren’t too fond of crashes. During these activities, we concentrate on our actions and do everything possible to keep our equilibrium. Staying balanced can be hard work. We also seek balance in our lives, a balance of work and relaxation, and that can be hard work, too. Interestingly, the term “work/life balance” first appeared in the late ‘80s, about the time that people started being tethered to electronic… [Read More]
