Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Layoffs and the Slow Death of Trust
Layoffs are still going on, although the economy as a whole is improving. In advertising, when accounts are lost, heads often roll because there is less money to pay people. In other industries, layoffs are caused when two companies merge and there are ‘redundencies’ of positions, so one is eliminated. One company in every merger is the dominant culture and more of their employees tend to survive with positions intact. Do you keep your ear to the ground in your company? How do you gauge what the climate looks like?
Understandable but there is a profound consequence in any company when layoffs occur. Morale tanks as people mourn lost colleagues and friendships. With less hands to do the work (which still needs to get done), most employees work harder and feel less appreciated. Depending on the scope and level of surprise about who is let go, fear can stalk the halls as people wonder if they might be next. Trust in the company is damaged and leads to a ‘We shall see…’ attitude when upper management speaks blithely about things getting better, turning around. It doesn’t look like it to us in the trenches when layoffs happen. Trust, once lost, is hard to restore.
What can be done? Well, there are a few possible ways to react.
1) Pretend everything is OK and your job is secure. In fact, you believe yourself to be indispensable. Bad move – nobody is irreplaceable, NOBODY. You might want to consider expanding your skill set to increase your marketability or creating a financial safety net, just in case.
2) Do your job with a bare minimum of effort, dust off your resume and start contacting headhunters for a way out. Be serious about this if you are going to make a move. Operating with one foot out the door is an impossible way to keep working effectively and, too many mistakes may lead to termination against your will. Talented people often leave after a round of layoffs because the work environment is so painful and unsettled and they can find another job easily. They won’t be back once that trust is broken.
3) Do your job with excellence and wholeheartedly and set up additional streams of income (real estate, online marketing, network marketing, businesses, work from home options, etc.) on the side. You have been kept for a reason and you are valuable and appreciated. As long as you choose to stay, do your very best. Know that uncertainty is part of the job market ALWAYS, with ANY company and prepare for it. This is the option I favor.
The only elements you can control are your own skills, marketing, endeavors so, if you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can capitalize on one and complement with alliances for the other. If you are not reliant on any one market, as markets go UP and DOWN always, you have a better chance of riding it out. Also, the practice of excellence in all your circumstances (whether or not you feel like it) is a mark of character that is noticed in the world, trusted and invested in.
Maybe your company is thriving and there is no danger of layoffs at this time. And maybe it’s not. Whatever your situation, are you ready?
Understandable but there is a profound consequence in any company when layoffs occur. Morale tanks as people mourn lost colleagues and friendships. With less hands to do the work (which still needs to get done), most employees work harder and feel less appreciated. Depending on the scope and level of surprise about who is let go, fear can stalk the halls as people wonder if they might be next. Trust in the company is damaged and leads to a ‘We shall see…’ attitude when upper management speaks blithely about things getting better, turning around. It doesn’t look like it to us in the trenches when layoffs happen. Trust, once lost, is hard to restore.
What can be done? Well, there are a few possible ways to react.
1) Pretend everything is OK and your job is secure. In fact, you believe yourself to be indispensable. Bad move – nobody is irreplaceable, NOBODY. You might want to consider expanding your skill set to increase your marketability or creating a financial safety net, just in case.
2) Do your job with a bare minimum of effort, dust off your resume and start contacting headhunters for a way out. Be serious about this if you are going to make a move. Operating with one foot out the door is an impossible way to keep working effectively and, too many mistakes may lead to termination against your will. Talented people often leave after a round of layoffs because the work environment is so painful and unsettled and they can find another job easily. They won’t be back once that trust is broken.
3) Do your job with excellence and wholeheartedly and set up additional streams of income (real estate, online marketing, network marketing, businesses, work from home options, etc.) on the side. You have been kept for a reason and you are valuable and appreciated. As long as you choose to stay, do your very best. Know that uncertainty is part of the job market ALWAYS, with ANY company and prepare for it. This is the option I favor.
The only elements you can control are your own skills, marketing, endeavors so, if you can identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can capitalize on one and complement with alliances for the other. If you are not reliant on any one market, as markets go UP and DOWN always, you have a better chance of riding it out. Also, the practice of excellence in all your circumstances (whether or not you feel like it) is a mark of character that is noticed in the world, trusted and invested in.
Maybe your company is thriving and there is no danger of layoffs at this time. And maybe it’s not. Whatever your situation, are you ready?
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Do It Now! DIN DIN DIN
Do It Now - easier said than done sometimes. When I was a child, my grandfather (and sometimes my mother) always told me DIN DIN DIN about doing homework or chores. I thought it was complete nonsense because I wanted to be reading, playing or watching TV instead of doing what I was SUPPOSED to be doing.
As I look at my 500 emails a day, my job responsibilities, real estate and online businesses, relationships and chores these days, I am forced to admit that DIN DIN DIN is a really effective way to complete action items more effectively. I simply don't have time to look at the same thing or deal with the same piece of paper more than once if I don't have to. Do It Now, Delegate, File, Give Away, Throw Out are useful distinctions to make when figuring out next actions. The other observation is that leaving projects incomplete (and by that I mean with no forward progress after touching them) sucks my energy. That said, I am prone to getting overwhelmed at times, so I have to break projects down into possible parts to get done in a limited framework of time or I get discouraged. I notice that I, like many people, notice what I don't get done in the timeframe I consider appropriate more often than I celebrate my many successes. Do It Now is all about increasing energy flow because incomplete projects, relationships, whatever block energy and finishing stuff accelerates it and adds excitement and joy to life. I am never happier than when I am moving forward, learning and growing and DIN DIN DIN supports that.
Grandpa (and Mom - gosh, did I say that), you are RIGHT! Do It Now simply works.
As I look at my 500 emails a day, my job responsibilities, real estate and online businesses, relationships and chores these days, I am forced to admit that DIN DIN DIN is a really effective way to complete action items more effectively. I simply don't have time to look at the same thing or deal with the same piece of paper more than once if I don't have to. Do It Now, Delegate, File, Give Away, Throw Out are useful distinctions to make when figuring out next actions. The other observation is that leaving projects incomplete (and by that I mean with no forward progress after touching them) sucks my energy. That said, I am prone to getting overwhelmed at times, so I have to break projects down into possible parts to get done in a limited framework of time or I get discouraged. I notice that I, like many people, notice what I don't get done in the timeframe I consider appropriate more often than I celebrate my many successes. Do It Now is all about increasing energy flow because incomplete projects, relationships, whatever block energy and finishing stuff accelerates it and adds excitement and joy to life. I am never happier than when I am moving forward, learning and growing and DIN DIN DIN supports that.
Grandpa (and Mom - gosh, did I say that), you are RIGHT! Do It Now simply works.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Feeling Dissed Lately?
Dis words like disempowered, disrespected, dismissed and disregarded go right along with mis words like misunderstood or misrepresented. So recently, I was feeling dissed at work and by my family and I had a lot of stories about what was happening and whose fault it was. Not mine, of course. I was being affected by other people’s actions and attitudes, real or perceived, and began seeing myself as a victim in the situation. After a while, that’s all I could see and that version of my reality got BIGGER and BIGGER and BIGGER. Nothing I could do about it because my ability to see clearly was impaired by the filters covering my senses.
Fortunately, I participate in Todd Falcone’s A Team which 100 individuals all about pressing ourselves beyond our limitations to grow our various network marketing businesses. So that very week, he recommended a book called The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Accountability. I started to read about how in the U.S.A. especially the culture has developed an acceptance of victim rather than accountability mentality. We have one of the most litigitous societies among the industrialized nations. It was a Eureka moment for me as I realized THAT WAS ME! I had fallen into it without even noticing. The gift is that once I could see again, the scales just vanished and I became joyful, resourceful, helpful to others and open to opportunities again. But the circumstances had not changed an iota. I was the differentiating factor.
Where in your life are you feeling dissed or missed? Could it be you? How can you turn yourself around in an instant so, whatever the circumstances are, they become irrelevant?
Fortunately, I participate in Todd Falcone’s A Team which 100 individuals all about pressing ourselves beyond our limitations to grow our various network marketing businesses. So that very week, he recommended a book called The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Accountability. I started to read about how in the U.S.A. especially the culture has developed an acceptance of victim rather than accountability mentality. We have one of the most litigitous societies among the industrialized nations. It was a Eureka moment for me as I realized THAT WAS ME! I had fallen into it without even noticing. The gift is that once I could see again, the scales just vanished and I became joyful, resourceful, helpful to others and open to opportunities again. But the circumstances had not changed an iota. I was the differentiating factor.
Where in your life are you feeling dissed or missed? Could it be you? How can you turn yourself around in an instant so, whatever the circumstances are, they become irrelevant?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
1,140 Minutes a Day - Enjoying Yours?
Everybody has 1,140 minutes in every day, no matter what their economic status, race, religion, national or political affiliation. What are you doing with yours? Are you enjoying most, if not all, of those moments?
Take a look at how you are dividing up your time. For me, some of its passing is unconscious. What percentage is used up by sleep, work, family, relationships, volunteering, fun, whatever? More importantly, if you are spending 16 hours a day at your business or work, is it by choice or default? What do you most like to do? Are you doing it? If it’s a lack of money or time that’s stopping you, what changes do you need to make to alter your current situation? Savor life because those 1,140 minutes each day, once they’ve slipped by, are gone forever.
Consider working smart instead of, or more likely in addition to, working hard for a time to reach your dreams. The only way they are defeated is if we give up. Never give up on yourself.
Take a look at how you are dividing up your time. For me, some of its passing is unconscious. What percentage is used up by sleep, work, family, relationships, volunteering, fun, whatever? More importantly, if you are spending 16 hours a day at your business or work, is it by choice or default? What do you most like to do? Are you doing it? If it’s a lack of money or time that’s stopping you, what changes do you need to make to alter your current situation? Savor life because those 1,140 minutes each day, once they’ve slipped by, are gone forever.
Consider working smart instead of, or more likely in addition to, working hard for a time to reach your dreams. The only way they are defeated is if we give up. Never give up on yourself.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How to Make Powerful Distinctions and Be Happy
First, identify the activities, environments and relationships that fire you up and those that drain you. What are you passionate about - your work or business, family, friends, hobbies, travel, education, investments, sports, what? Next, examine specifically what is exciting for you and try to figure out why.
For example, I tutor in East Harlem at a middle school and we were talking about career paths. I started asking the kids what they liked and did not like about school. Finding a career that makes you happy, that energizes you, is a matter of making distinctions as simple as "I like doing this," I don't like doing that." Once you have clarity, in the next job, you can choose more of what fires you up until your work is mostly a perfect fit of activities and relationships you enjoy. Conversely, you can decline jobs that don't fit you because you know what aspects of the work are displeasing to you (say, too many meetings, too much number crunching, lack of competitive spirit).
We exist in two environments usually, work and home. Here there are physical distinctions like furniture, space, light and color. There are also people environments to consider - friendly/standoffish, professional/casual, quiet/loud, efficient/sloppy, collaborative/competitive, neat/messy and so on. We might expect (or tolerate) different standards at home than at work. For example, where I work, it is a standard cubicle setup with grey or taupe walls. Since I like color and contrast, my cubicle is decorated with paintings and prints to tease the eye. In addition, my cubicle neighbor had a climbing green plant on his desk and I had the same kind of plant dying at home so I brought mine in and we are creating a jungle. Fun!
When I wanted an intimate relationship, I considered qualities that were essential and others that would be nice but optional. Then I could eliminate immediately those who lacked my "must have" qualities. For me, although I always dated shorter, financially stable, corporate men with long hair, I married a fantastic, tall artist with short hair. My "must haves" were love, a commitment to family and a passion for work and those were "must haves" for him too. I married at 35 a man I could not imagine living without, and who made me laugh. Together almost 19 years, that laughter has been more vital than I ever imagined.
The point, I guess, is to know yourself and go through life simply noticing what pleases and displeases you. If you then use that information you learned as guidance for making all kinds of important decisions, happiness will come easier to you. Try it and see...
For example, I tutor in East Harlem at a middle school and we were talking about career paths. I started asking the kids what they liked and did not like about school. Finding a career that makes you happy, that energizes you, is a matter of making distinctions as simple as "I like doing this," I don't like doing that." Once you have clarity, in the next job, you can choose more of what fires you up until your work is mostly a perfect fit of activities and relationships you enjoy. Conversely, you can decline jobs that don't fit you because you know what aspects of the work are displeasing to you (say, too many meetings, too much number crunching, lack of competitive spirit).
We exist in two environments usually, work and home. Here there are physical distinctions like furniture, space, light and color. There are also people environments to consider - friendly/standoffish, professional/casual, quiet/loud, efficient/sloppy, collaborative/competitive, neat/messy and so on. We might expect (or tolerate) different standards at home than at work. For example, where I work, it is a standard cubicle setup with grey or taupe walls. Since I like color and contrast, my cubicle is decorated with paintings and prints to tease the eye. In addition, my cubicle neighbor had a climbing green plant on his desk and I had the same kind of plant dying at home so I brought mine in and we are creating a jungle. Fun!
When I wanted an intimate relationship, I considered qualities that were essential and others that would be nice but optional. Then I could eliminate immediately those who lacked my "must have" qualities. For me, although I always dated shorter, financially stable, corporate men with long hair, I married a fantastic, tall artist with short hair. My "must haves" were love, a commitment to family and a passion for work and those were "must haves" for him too. I married at 35 a man I could not imagine living without, and who made me laugh. Together almost 19 years, that laughter has been more vital than I ever imagined.
The point, I guess, is to know yourself and go through life simply noticing what pleases and displeases you. If you then use that information you learned as guidance for making all kinds of important decisions, happiness will come easier to you. Try it and see...
Monday, May 31, 2010
What Is the Set of Your Mind - Employee or Entrepreneur?
Mindset. I was struck last week by how drastic the difference between how an employee and an entrepreneur think. It affects their actions, comfort level, what they value and their risk profile. Although I love my job for the aspects that have to do with creative relationship and systems building, I have strong entrepreneurial tendencies as a freelancer, real estate investor, network marketer and online marketer for many years. Also, I see having multiple streams of income (one of which is my job) as safer than just having a job.
An employee wants a steady, stable job to pay the bills and feel safe. If the money from one job is not enough, they will probably get a second. If they can, they put any extra money aside for savings, college education for the kids, retirement, vacation or maybe a car (not so essential in NYC where I am). They want to be paid as much as they can negotiate and these days, most people stay at a job two years, then move on, leveraging their income and status up with each move (or at least that’s the idea when it works). They like the structure of going to a workplace each day and interacting with other people in a structured workflow, of having medical benefits and, sometimes, even a 401K. They look forward to retirement when they will have time to spend with family and friends, maybe travelling or pursuing a hobby.
An entrepreneur wants time and financial freedom as quickly as possible and is willing to exert significant time and money resources upfront to accomplish that. They don’t work comfortably for other people and are impatient with corporate politics and ineffective teamwork. These are business owners, real estate investors, freelancers by choice (not circumstances), stock and futures traders, franchisees, online marketers, network marketers and consultants to name a few. They are always looking to add to their skills because it makes them more marketable. Their cashflow tends to be variable and some businesses can take 2-5 years before they show a profit. They have a strong stomach for risk and certainty that, at the end of the failures, they will succeed. They must have strong internal certainty that, if they invest focused attention on building their enterprise, it will pay off. Sometimes, they are ahead of the curve and an idea that could (and often does) succeed later, fails. After all, until the Walkman, nobody knew that portable music was an essential element for a rich quality of life. There’s a book called Blue Ocean Strategy about creating new paradigms for business that make the competition irrelevant. Amazing!
Yes, I know these are generalizations and there is more to it than that. So what does your mindset tell you about who you are inherently – an employee or an entrepreneur? Are you happy and fulfilled with your current mindset? As an employee or entrepreneur, how can you expand your possibilities? When will you start? NOW would be good...
An employee wants a steady, stable job to pay the bills and feel safe. If the money from one job is not enough, they will probably get a second. If they can, they put any extra money aside for savings, college education for the kids, retirement, vacation or maybe a car (not so essential in NYC where I am). They want to be paid as much as they can negotiate and these days, most people stay at a job two years, then move on, leveraging their income and status up with each move (or at least that’s the idea when it works). They like the structure of going to a workplace each day and interacting with other people in a structured workflow, of having medical benefits and, sometimes, even a 401K. They look forward to retirement when they will have time to spend with family and friends, maybe travelling or pursuing a hobby.
An entrepreneur wants time and financial freedom as quickly as possible and is willing to exert significant time and money resources upfront to accomplish that. They don’t work comfortably for other people and are impatient with corporate politics and ineffective teamwork. These are business owners, real estate investors, freelancers by choice (not circumstances), stock and futures traders, franchisees, online marketers, network marketers and consultants to name a few. They are always looking to add to their skills because it makes them more marketable. Their cashflow tends to be variable and some businesses can take 2-5 years before they show a profit. They have a strong stomach for risk and certainty that, at the end of the failures, they will succeed. They must have strong internal certainty that, if they invest focused attention on building their enterprise, it will pay off. Sometimes, they are ahead of the curve and an idea that could (and often does) succeed later, fails. After all, until the Walkman, nobody knew that portable music was an essential element for a rich quality of life. There’s a book called Blue Ocean Strategy about creating new paradigms for business that make the competition irrelevant. Amazing!
Yes, I know these are generalizations and there is more to it than that. So what does your mindset tell you about who you are inherently – an employee or an entrepreneur? Are you happy and fulfilled with your current mindset? As an employee or entrepreneur, how can you expand your possibilities? When will you start? NOW would be good...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Success Is Not Just About the Cash
I went to an amazing seminar put on by the New York Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN) in NYC about how to have our vendor table crowded with clamoring customers. Jessica of Shani Marketing gave specific tips about attraction marketing so I tried them out AND THEY WORK!!! Among other things, I made up a questionnaire about people’s lives asking specific questions to see if what my partner, Janet Cook, and I offer might help them accomplish specific health or wealth goals like having more natural energy, better nutrition, releasing toxins, restful sleep or extra income.
This questioning style worked well for me because I felt like Janet cared about what I wanted and was interested in helping me boost my energy in my second half century of life (as my brothers so kindly mentioned). As a welcome side effect, I have also let go of 14 pounds since March 20th. Wahoo! I really enjoy discovering who people are and celebrating what makes each one special. I am endlessly curious and remember small facts about people’s lives for ages. I share what is working for me as I would share a fantastic book or movie so I am unattached to the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and the relationship stays intact. As a result, people are joining our team and buying the products but it’s out of the caring not pushing a sale for cash. Doing what comes naturally…
This questioning style worked well for me because I felt like Janet cared about what I wanted and was interested in helping me boost my energy in my second half century of life (as my brothers so kindly mentioned). As a welcome side effect, I have also let go of 14 pounds since March 20th. Wahoo! I really enjoy discovering who people are and celebrating what makes each one special. I am endlessly curious and remember small facts about people’s lives for ages. I share what is working for me as I would share a fantastic book or movie so I am unattached to the ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and the relationship stays intact. As a result, people are joining our team and buying the products but it’s out of the caring not pushing a sale for cash. Doing what comes naturally…
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Business Partnership at its Best
Partnership at its best… my business partner, Janet Cook, and I complement each other in that we are like and unlike each other. We are alike in our passion for helping people, learning new skills, being entrepreneurs and loving life. We both appreciate how magnificent people are and look for it. For us, the glass is always half full, even in the face of circumstances that might say otherwise, like bill collectors or a broken furnace. We dream and act to reach those dreams. People close to us have said at times that we are unrealistic (or even a little crazy). But we aren’t.
We are unlike each other in that Janet is more outgoing and I have to deliberately be accessible. Naturally, I am shy and could happily sit in a corner and read. But I can’t have the voice I want in the world if I don’t learn to interact in crowds, even when I am uncomfortable. I am married 14 years to an amazing artist, David, and Janet dates so I live vicariously on that front. I had almost forgotten about the dating world. Janet is more playful and I am more serious, tall and I am short. I am great with marketing, systems and online tools. She has owned successful businesses, including now. I have a job with businesses on the side. She is more organized about prospecting, following up and closing. I struggle to fit all my activities into my schedule. We complement each other, learn together, are brilliant models for each other, and consider ourselves lucky in our business partnership. Who are your business partners and what, together, do you bring to the relationship?
We are unlike each other in that Janet is more outgoing and I have to deliberately be accessible. Naturally, I am shy and could happily sit in a corner and read. But I can’t have the voice I want in the world if I don’t learn to interact in crowds, even when I am uncomfortable. I am married 14 years to an amazing artist, David, and Janet dates so I live vicariously on that front. I had almost forgotten about the dating world. Janet is more playful and I am more serious, tall and I am short. I am great with marketing, systems and online tools. She has owned successful businesses, including now. I have a job with businesses on the side. She is more organized about prospecting, following up and closing. I struggle to fit all my activities into my schedule. We complement each other, learn together, are brilliant models for each other, and consider ourselves lucky in our business partnership. Who are your business partners and what, together, do you bring to the relationship?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Here I Am, Stuck in the Middle With You
Bills to the left of you, paycheck to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you… OK, so I changed the song a little. Have you ever had a time when you stacked up the bills (lots of them) and the single check that’s meant to cover them and, despite your best efforts, there is just not enough income? Me too. What is the solution? Consider getting another job or two, online or work from home business, real estate, hobby, Craigslist or eBay?
Try another solution instead. You can still go back to those other options later, if you like. Think of and list your talents… do you cook like a chef, knit fast and easily, read or write exceptionally well, twitter, market, do graphic design, shop, do spiritual healing or feng shui? What is your transferable skill set from your work or business? What are your marketable hobbies? What are you passionate about that could be another way to earn income?
Now here’s the game. Add up the bills so you have an exact number then subtract your income to figure out the money gap needed to pay them all (sigh of relief). Then look at your list of marketable skills and talents. Take each one and figure out how, with that single skill or talent, you can make the extra money you need. At the end of the exercise, if you have a list of 10, you will have generated strategies for earning or generating 10 times the amount you need. Why bother, you ask? In a serious and perhaps unnerving moment, this game incites your natural resourcefulness that fear might have shut down. I have negotiated my way out of a lot of tight spots this way. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
Try another solution instead. You can still go back to those other options later, if you like. Think of and list your talents… do you cook like a chef, knit fast and easily, read or write exceptionally well, twitter, market, do graphic design, shop, do spiritual healing or feng shui? What is your transferable skill set from your work or business? What are your marketable hobbies? What are you passionate about that could be another way to earn income?
Now here’s the game. Add up the bills so you have an exact number then subtract your income to figure out the money gap needed to pay them all (sigh of relief). Then look at your list of marketable skills and talents. Take each one and figure out how, with that single skill or talent, you can make the extra money you need. At the end of the exercise, if you have a list of 10, you will have generated strategies for earning or generating 10 times the amount you need. Why bother, you ask? In a serious and perhaps unnerving moment, this game incites your natural resourcefulness that fear might have shut down. I have negotiated my way out of a lot of tight spots this way. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Only Where Love and Need Are One...
“Only where love and need are one and the work is play for mortal stakes. Is the deed ever really done for Heaven and the future’s sakes.” Robert Frost wrote that and I have been thinking lately about what it means practically. My grandfather, whom I love dearly, is 98 years old, sharp as a tack, so I am very aware of mortality these days.
Need drives many of my actions and probably yours too – need to pay the bills, work at a job(s) or business(es), spend time with family and much more. I notice that love gets left out when I am focused on need but, in the world perception, need is a more legitimate reason for most actions. Why is that? How did they become separated? You see, I think what the Robert Frost quote means is that love and need are two sides of a whole and so are work and play. But we don’t live like that is true, do we? I see this quote as a path to wholeness and balance. I invite you to focus on love in your work and play and I suspect need will come along for the ride. Let’s experiment. It might be FUN!
Need drives many of my actions and probably yours too – need to pay the bills, work at a job(s) or business(es), spend time with family and much more. I notice that love gets left out when I am focused on need but, in the world perception, need is a more legitimate reason for most actions. Why is that? How did they become separated? You see, I think what the Robert Frost quote means is that love and need are two sides of a whole and so are work and play. But we don’t live like that is true, do we? I see this quote as a path to wholeness and balance. I invite you to focus on love in your work and play and I suspect need will come along for the ride. Let’s experiment. It might be FUN!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
How Do You and the World Define You?
Are you defined by your job, your status or how much you earn? By the quality of your relationships? By your age or looks? By where you live or who you know? By your commitment to organic living or environmental sustainability? By your entrepreneurial or internet skills? By your level of education or what schools you attended? Historically, for men, they have been defined by job status and income. For women, it has usually been appearance and excellence at taking care of relationship connections.
What is it for you that, if you lost it, you might not know who you are anymore? And who is making these distinctions up? Is it you knowingly choosing or are you simply getting sucked into cultural assumptions and embracing them as your own?
For me, most recently, it was AGE. Next week, I turn 50 and, over the last 7-10 years, I have seen my energy dwindle, weight increase and mood become subdued. I said to myself, "Well, I'm getting older. It's only natural." In March, I noticed I had bought into an idea that I did not agree with - that I could expect continued deterioration of my physical body and spirits as I grow older. My energy level was no match for my busy life. I ran out of breath, panting harshly, after climbing the stairs or playing tag with kids. I worried about the stress on my heart, knees and ankles of that extra 40 pounds.
NO! I dug in my heels and catapulted into action with delicious, natural Isagenix products on March 20, weighing 169 lbs and measuring 367 inches overall. In the last 20 days, I have released 10 pounds (today at 159 pounds) and 18.75 inches. People are asking me what I am doing because the change is so evident in my shape and mood. I have reclaimed my joy and am gladly sharing my life-changing experience.
Last year, I was out of work for 9 months, like so many others nationwide, and watched my savings dwindle, gaining an intimate knowledge of how to set up payment plans and feeling shame about my inability to earn a living. How could this happen to me? But it did, despite my considerable skills. I got a terrific job in January which I love but I plan to match or exceed the amount of my salary with my Isagenix business income (www.alisonpena.isagenix.com) in 2010.
I vowed that I would never again be solely dependent on any company paycheck so I am building an alternate stream of income with Isagenix that I expect to exceed my paycheck within a year. Care to join me on this exciting journey to health and wealth?
What is it for you that, if you lost it, you might not know who you are anymore? And who is making these distinctions up? Is it you knowingly choosing or are you simply getting sucked into cultural assumptions and embracing them as your own?
For me, most recently, it was AGE. Next week, I turn 50 and, over the last 7-10 years, I have seen my energy dwindle, weight increase and mood become subdued. I said to myself, "Well, I'm getting older. It's only natural." In March, I noticed I had bought into an idea that I did not agree with - that I could expect continued deterioration of my physical body and spirits as I grow older. My energy level was no match for my busy life. I ran out of breath, panting harshly, after climbing the stairs or playing tag with kids. I worried about the stress on my heart, knees and ankles of that extra 40 pounds.
NO! I dug in my heels and catapulted into action with delicious, natural Isagenix products on March 20, weighing 169 lbs and measuring 367 inches overall. In the last 20 days, I have released 10 pounds (today at 159 pounds) and 18.75 inches. People are asking me what I am doing because the change is so evident in my shape and mood. I have reclaimed my joy and am gladly sharing my life-changing experience.
Last year, I was out of work for 9 months, like so many others nationwide, and watched my savings dwindle, gaining an intimate knowledge of how to set up payment plans and feeling shame about my inability to earn a living. How could this happen to me? But it did, despite my considerable skills. I got a terrific job in January which I love but I plan to match or exceed the amount of my salary with my Isagenix business income (www.alisonpena.isagenix.com) in 2010.
I vowed that I would never again be solely dependent on any company paycheck so I am building an alternate stream of income with Isagenix that I expect to exceed my paycheck within a year. Care to join me on this exciting journey to health and wealth?
Friday, March 19, 2010
When a Conversation You Haven't Had Yet Goes Wrong, What Then?
Has anyone else ever imagined a conversation going badly before it happens, whether it's about a romance, a business negotiation or a job? I notice that fiction sometimes gets bigger until I am ignoring entirely the fact that the conversation hasn't happened yet, the negative outcome isn't real unless I make it so. The tone of my interaction when it happens can change the outcome.
Seth Godin talks about the lizard brain which is primal and rules fight or flight, fear and anger. He has strategies in his new book, Linchpin, for negotiating around that lizard brain and choosing to be an indispensible linchpin that are really powerful. I have observed that my internal reality has the capacity to shape my external reality. In Washington, I saw boats raised along a graduated level canal by locks. When the water rose high enough under the boat in that section, it could move up to the next one. I think people work that way too, at least I do. The difference is that I can raise the water or not. Sometimes circumstances are terrible and all I can do is shift my attitude or reaction to what is happening upward and keep dreaming and knowing and wanting more, sometimes beating back fear that I'm wrong. It works.
Seth Godin talks about the lizard brain which is primal and rules fight or flight, fear and anger. He has strategies in his new book, Linchpin, for negotiating around that lizard brain and choosing to be an indispensible linchpin that are really powerful. I have observed that my internal reality has the capacity to shape my external reality. In Washington, I saw boats raised along a graduated level canal by locks. When the water rose high enough under the boat in that section, it could move up to the next one. I think people work that way too, at least I do. The difference is that I can raise the water or not. Sometimes circumstances are terrible and all I can do is shift my attitude or reaction to what is happening upward and keep dreaming and knowing and wanting more, sometimes beating back fear that I'm wrong. It works.
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