I was humming in the office one morning when a colleague came up to me and asked why I was so happy. Puzzled for a minute, I asked him what made him think I was happy. He chuckled a little and said, “You’re singing. You must be happy if you’re singing!” That made me stop and think a bit. Was I happy, and that’s what prompted my singing? At that…
We’ve all heard, “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Practice makes perfect, you know!” Sounds good on the surface, but is it true? Well, yes and no. If you practice something over and over, you will, indeed, become perfect at executing it. But … Imagine a young pianist who wants to improve her playing skills. So, she dedicates time every day to practicing scales, finger exercises, and challenging musical pieces. Over…
In the ‘80s, I was a CPA and exceedingly unhappy working in one of the “Big 8” accounting firms in Las Vegas. I needed a change. A woman I knew asked me to go to lunch with her. Over lunch, we talked business, of course. Eventually, she got to her reason for our lunch: Would I be interested in partnering with her in an accounting practice? Now, I was unprepared…
Eliminate Distractions: 4 of 4 We’ve talked about Step 1 in the process of eliminating distractions: What is distracting you, and what type of distraction is it. You have the What’s Bugging You? worksheet to help you with this step. We’ve been talking about Step 2 and creating strategies to eliminate distractions. So far, we’ve covered things, events, and other people’s behaviors. You have the D3 Worksheet to help you plan your strategies. Eliminate Self-Created Distractions Completing Step 2 is to…
Eliminate Distractions: 3 of 4 Creating strong boundaries is the strategy of choice for distractions involving other people. Whether we’re talking about others or ourselves, people can be the most challenging types of distractions to eliminate. People are complicated, and it shows in our relationships. (Read the first and second parts about distractions if you haven’t yet – then this will make more sense.) Boundaries Other peoples’ behaviors are what push your buttons and…
Eliminate Distractions: 2 of 4 A messy desk is a distraction. Clean and organize it for greater focus and energy. You have your list of the things you put up with: something that distracts you, diverts your attention, and robs you of time. (If you didn’t read the first post about distractions, you can read it here, and download the worksheet, What’s Bugging You, to use as you eliminate one distraction at…
Eliminate Distractions: 1 of 4 You’ve learned to put up with a lot over the years: things that bug you, irritate and annoy you, and distract you from what you want to focus on. All of those things drain your energy a little (or a lot) and rob you of time. Every single day. How much time do you lose with distractions pulling your attention at work? At home? My…
“NO” is likely the most under-used word in a business woman’s life. Think about: How many women do you know who are overwhelmed, overloaded, and overworked? How many feel like there’s they just don’t have enough time to do everything that’s on their plate? Worse, how many feel guilty if they don’t get something done? (Does this describe you? Read on…) It’s such a damaging cycle. The stress of that…
One of the first things I learned as a professional communicator is the words we use are only 7% of the communication process. Being such a small part of the entire process, how is it that words can make or break you? Here are two specific ways your words can make a difference to your success. First is in the definitions you attach to words. Take any common word, “family,” for…
An adrenaline rush can be fun ad has it’s place. But adrenaline shouldn’t be part of your daily life. Our world is becoming increasingly complex. The demands of balancing work, family, and time for ourselves are overwhelming. We rush through each day doing, accomplishing and performing – getting things done while adding to a growing list of what still needs to be done. Where does it stop? This pattern produces…
My coaching business was full. I was busy with clients. When not working with clients, I was actively involved in multiple business organizations, sitting on committees and boards, and filling my time with activity. After all, activity suggests a life filled with purpose, right? So why was I miserable? I was exhausted all the time. I didn’t love my business anymore. I didn’t seem to have the time or energy…
“Don’t try to teach a pig to sing — it wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Do I have your attention? This may bring a smile to your face; however, the message is so much deeper. It goes to the core of some fundamental teachings and philosophies that were certainly prevalent when I was going to school, and I’m pretty sure things haven’t changed. Throughout your life, you’ve found…
You fancy yourself the Master of Multitasking — You and thousands of other women. I count myself among them. But here’s the rub. While multitasking at home might work (juggling meal preparation, chores, taking care of kids, etc), in the office it doesn’t. Every time you get interrupted (or allow yourself to be interrupted) you waste valuable time and energy. Think about the differences in the tasks you perform between home and…
In many religions when you sin you’ve committed an unpardonable act. In fact, when you sin, you must repent in some way and ask forgiveness or suffer eternal damnation. This is usually frightening enough to force us into submission and into doing the “right” thing according to . . . whom? Instead of this accepted definition of what it means to sin, look at the ancient Greek origins. In that…
Stuffing is the reason we do Thanksgiving at home every year! Thanksgiving is my holiday. I love the friends and family around, the prep and planning, and the food. Staples of our celebration are turkey and stuffing. We’ve been celebrating together since 1990. The only constant in all our Thanksgiving dinners is the turkey and stuffing. Sides vary. The stars of the meal never do. This stuffing recipe has 47 ingredients…
If you’ve heard about mastermind groups, you’ve probably also heard about Hot Seats. And just as mastermind groups are not well-understood, neither are Hot Seats. Here’s what you need to know: The Hot Seat (called various things depending on the group you join) is the position in a Mastermind Group when you get to ask for exactly what you need to move your business or yourself forward. You could be…
Being a business owner is a dream come true for many: you make your own schedule, work towards your “Why,” choose the clients and the projects that are a good fit, and know you’re doing something you genuinely believe in. But amazing as it is, being a business owner, especially a solopreneur, can also be a frightening and lonely experience. As the business owner, you’re the leader. Your employees, whether…
You’re at a party or a business networking event, or maybe you’re at church or standing in line at the grocery store, and you get into a conversation with another person. Inevitably the conversation comes around to, “So, what do you do?” How often have you heard, “I’m a coach!”? Now, you KNOW there can’t be that many Coaches out there, right? And you’re right. There aren’t. There are, however,…
You Can’t Change What You Can’t See You want to be more focused at work so you can get more done. So you go into the office with great intentions ready to knock out the work. Time passes and it gets to be 5:00, time to go home. You leave the office frustrated because nothing changed. The pile of work on your desk is just as high as it was…
Control is an illusion. You think you have it but you don’t. And thinking and acting as if you have control is robbing you of time and causing stress. Where Do You Think You’re In Control? You think you can control what your kids do when you’re not around? Wrong! You teach them and have influence over their actions, but when it comes down to it, your kids are going…
Animals are my guides. I’ve learned to trust my boys when it comes to people. They are far more perceptive than I ever was. I’d take Joey, our first fluffer butt, on walks around the neighborhood every morning. He was such a friendly little guy and usually liked everybody we met. Until we ran into an older man across the street from us. Joey was having nothing to do with…
No is Enough. How often do you answer “no” and then feel compelled to say more to explain yourself? Let me remind you: No is a complete sentence. No explanation or justification is needed. If you mean no, just say it and stop. Women seem to be more impacted than men on this one. We tend to say more than “no” to get people to understand our position. It’s as…
You Can Never Have Too Many Tips for Productivity! We started this in the last post and Breaks and Productivity. Like you, I’m always looking for more ways I can be more productive in my work. Here are three more tips for you: Don’t Forget Lunch! How many days have you put off eating so you can finish just one more thing? Only when you finally lift your head and look around, it’s…
Breaks to Increase Productivity? Really? It’s not just taking breaks, but breaks in your day are a huge piece of increasing your productivity. There’s science behind it! So, what else can you do? Let’s set the scene: You wake up around 6 in the morning ready to take the world by storm. You’ve got a to-do list a mile long in your head. Your plan is to have conquered the business…
I was looking through my previous posts for something on time management. Imagine my surprise: In over 20 years of coaching, and with time management being one of the most common topics of conversation, still no writing about it. One thing is a constant, though: No matter who I spoke to through those years, time management always came down to the same thing – choice. The choices you make every…
When Are You At Your Best? Each of us has a body rhythm. For some, energy is highest in the morning. For others, it’s at night. Few people have consistent energy throughout the day. In fact, I don’t know anybody for whom that’s true. Knowing when you’re at your best, your peak performance time means you can take advantage of it. Make the Most of It Peak performance time is when you’re…
Perfect is Your Enemy Problem: You suffer from the malady of perfectionism. You have a contract due by the end of the week. That gives you three more days to get it done. You created your rough draft already. You figure one more pass and you should have it ready to go. Into the work-in-process folder it goes for later review. The next morning you pull the contract back out…
Jennifer Braster Talks About Laura Hessand PUSH the Envelope™ Mastermind Groups https://youtu.be/skcQBoaNYKI “I met Laura Hess about two and a half years ago, shortly before I started my business. I’ve worked with Laura before on some other matters and she told me about her mastermind groups. Laura put together an amazing group of women knowing our characteristics and what we were hoping to get out of a mastermind. There are five of…
Chrissy Carew and Her Thoughts About Laura Hessand PUSH the Envelope™ Mastermind Groups https://youtu.be/LvGqCla442g “Laura is a brilliant facilitator. My PUSH the Envelope™ Mastermind was a wonderful experience for me. I reached my goals much quicker than I would on my own. I really connected with the other women in the group and made some wonderful new friends. It was great to have people to bounce things off of. I had insights left and right,…