2Weeks2aBreakthrough

Looking for Contentment?

I love this post from Leo at Zen Habits called, The Cure for What Ails You:How to Beat the Misery of Discontentment. Check it out.

Whether we are happy, fulfilled, at peace - content - is in our control and we can change in an instant. Sure there are truly tragic events that will rock our worlds, and rightly so, for a time. But many of us feel discontent in the absence of tragedy or setback. Sometimes we let a dullness take over our daily existence and become numb to the wonders of our life.

I feel this way several times a day. And I have to catch myself and snap back out of it and get refocused on what matters or unfocused and relaxed. My wonderful cat, Paris, just came to see me so I will go and enjoy her.

Agonizing over Good Things/Options?

I can't tell you how thankful I am that I am not a perfectionist. Actually, I DID just tell you, so I can.

Even so, I sometimes agonize over choices. And if the potential consequences range from triumphant to disastrous, then attention should be paid. But what about when we are choosing among several great options?

I just posted this tweet on Twitter:

Five great choices are FIVE great choices. Any choice will be fine. I caught myself overanalyzing things a bit tonight and then bopped myself in the head and got over it (followed by a Frangelico chaser to mellow things out).

Made a decision and won't look back.

No buyer's remorse.

Good is good.

Happy is happy.

How much of our stress and mental garbage is occurring because we are spinning around trying to decide which great outcome to pick?

Sass it up baby! Redux

(I think this economy has driven many of us into metaphorical holes of personality hybernation. We are being safe and perhaps that is wise. But let's not lose our spunk all together. To inspire a wee spark, I thought I would re-post this piece from way back in 2006)

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We are all so polite, you know? Well, perhaps not everyone is polite, but I think that most people walk around with a nice polished exterior.

We try not to offend.
We try not to stand out.
We hope we don't ruffle any feathers or step into someone else's sandbox.

It's all very tiresome, don't you think? Sure we want peace, joy and love - but I only want it if it is REAL. If  someone wants to step in my sandbox, I say come on in and make me defend my territory! I might find that it's the best thing that happened today.

I like authentic sass. Sass means we are alive - it means we are provoked - it means we care. Sass is fun.

I know there are cultural differences, but try sassing it up relative to what works for you. Sass brings forth the out loud and animated version of you.

Sass will look different based on our behavioral tendencies. My sass can be a bit jarring because my unsassy state might seem quite sassy to others. I have friends who are so reserved in their expressions that their sass can only be detected with a magnifying glass.

Sassy.

The dictionary defines sass as cheeky or rude. Some sass is rude, but I think sass can also be a beautiful thing.

My favorite bloggers get sassy and the posts that seem to get the most hits and comments are those where I get sassy. You must like sassy too.

We all like sassy even if it's a pain in the rear sometimes - a lively pain. Hey, got a meeting later? Sass it up and be the hero/heroine of the day. Sass up your dinner conversation.  Sass up with your boss.

What does the animated YOU look like and what can you do right now to enliven him/her?

Oh how I long for more conversations with sass!

(I think this economy has driven many of us into metaphorical holes of personality hybernation. We are being safe and perhaps that is wise. But let's not lose our spunk all together. To inspire a wee spark, I thought I would re-post this piece from way back in 2006)

======================================================================

We are all so polite, you know? Well, perhaps not everyone is polite, but I think that most people walk around with a nice polished exterior.

We try not to offend.
We try not to stand out.
We hope we don't ruffle any feathers or step into someone else's sandbox.

It's all very tiresome, don't you think? Sure we want peace, joy and love - but I only want it if it is REAL. If  someone wants to step in my sandbox, I say come on in and make me defend my territory! I might find that it's the best thing that happened today.

I like authentic sass. Sass means we are alive - it means we are provoked - it means we care. Sass is fun.

I know there are cultural differences, but try sassing it up relative to what works for you. Sass brings forth the out loud and animated version of you.

Sass will look different based on our behavioral tendencies. My sass can be a bit jarring because my unsassy state might seem quite sassy to others. I have friends who are so reserved in their expressions that their sass can only be detected with a magnifying glass.

Sassy.

The dictionary defines sass as cheeky or rude. Some sass is rude, but I think sass can also be a beautiful thing.

My favorite bloggers get sassy and the posts that seem to get the most hits and comments are those where I get sassy. You must like sassy too.

We all like sassy even if it's a pain in the rear sometimes - a lively pain. Hey, got a meeting later? Sass it up and be the hero/heroine of the day. Sass up your dinner conversation.  Sass up with your boss.

What does the animated YOU look like and what can you do right now to enliven him/her?

Oh how I long for more conversations with sass!

To move forward, get rid of the guilt.

Here's an interesting article from the Psychology Today blog called, A counter-intuitive approach: Self-forgiveness reduces procrastination. This is not entirely a surprise to me, it makes sense that our own mental garbage holds us back. That said, I think there is lots of good stuff in the post, so check it out. Here is a snippet:

In our current study, we argued that self-forgiveness for procrastinating may play a role in helping people overcome the negative effects of procrastination and encourage a change in behavior. If procrastination is viewed as a transgression against the self and results in negative feelings such as guilt, forgiving oneself for procrastinating should reduce this feeling. By reducing emotional distress associated with procrastination, the individual becomes less likely to avoid the stimulus associated with the feelings in the first place (i.e., studying for an exam).

Create a Connection - Be the One to Go First.

Do you reach out to others or do you wait to be reached out to? Those who go first - do the reaching out - will experience more connections, more opportunities, and more breakthroughs.

I used to be the sit back and "accept" networking type. No more. It does not work. There is too much waiting involved and we give up momentum and control when we wait for others to initiate.

Why do people sit back and wait? Fear, is certainly one reason. Fear of rejection....Fear of coming across like a dork..... It is not possible to be rejected it we don't put ourselves out there, right?

Perhaps we are other thinking things a bit. Connection is just that - and we won't have a connection with everyone. That's OK. But don't let the fear of being awkward or rejected stop you from getting out there and initiating new and deeper connections.

Be yourself and all will work out. Your unique - albiet wonderfully flawed - self will come through and attract a great number of people who will want to connect and get to know you. I am much more interested in getting to know people when they have enough self-confidence to be themselves and I bet you are, too.

Go for the Outrageous!

My blogging pal Curt Rosengren offer this great post called, Running into Trouble? Look for the outrageous upside! I love the idea and know it can and has worked - this is how breakthroughs occur! Here's a wee snippet:

So instead of only saying, "How can I solve this problem," we say both, "How can I solve this problem" and, "How could this propel me even further? How could I create an outrageous best-case scenario out of this?

Check it out.

Seven Principles of Learning (And About Your Personal Growth)

I like these seven principles of learning from Peter Henschel, Executive Director Emeritus, Institute for Research on Learning. Here is a snippet - check out the whole post here.

Seven Principles of Learning

From our extensive fieldwork in myriad workplaces and educational settings, IRL has developed a set of Principles of Learning that we believe are important guideposts for organizations. These are not "Tablets from Moses;" rather, they are evolving as a "work in progress." However, it is already clear that they have broad application in countless settings. Think of them in relation to your own experience.

• Learning is fundamentally social. 
• Knowledge is integrated in the life of communities.
• Learning is an act of participation. 
• Knowing depends on engagement in practice. 
• Engagement is inseparable from empowerment.
• "Failure" to learn is often the result of exclusion from participation. 
• We are all natural lifelong learners.

I particularly love the notion that learning is fundamentally social and I believe it. Breakthroughs occur in conversation, I have seen it again and again. How engaged are you (with others, not just in your head) concerning the goals that matter the most to you?

For those of you who coach or train others, to what degree are you creating the ultimate learning environment?