Changing habits

The Joy of Color

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Working with your guides , , , , , , ,

I’m reading a great new book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee. Lee opens the book with studies and thoughts about what makes a moment joyous and settles in on something quite simple: color.

If you want to change a drab day, a drab building, or a drab party, add bright, warm colors and you add a pop of joy to the world. Think birthday party balloons. Chinese dragon parades. Maypole ribbons. Hot air balloon festivals. Fields of wildflowers. Can you picture any of these in black and white? No! Just thinking about these colors brings up a bubble of joy.

“Color is energy made visible.”

Lee believes that energy is all around us and that bright colors have high energy that’s contagious.

If you need a little pop of energy, you could try something as simple as… Continue reading →

How can we build a more loving world?

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused , , , , , , , , ,

A few weeks ago I was part of a great discussion at a Democracy Cafe about ways we can create a more loving world. Wouldn’t it be awesome to live in a more loving world? How can we work as a team to make that happen?

Here was the #1 suggestion: Greet strangers with warmth.
Most people are kind when you’re kind to them. And while it can be intimidating to start a conversation with someone you don’t know, it’s a blast to meet as strangers and leave as friends. Most people are looking for community and connections and welcome a friendly smile. Trust that it’s never wrong to be kind. Continue reading →

A life well lived

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Staying focused , , , , , , ,

One of our speakers at the library last week, John Baugher, has a new book coming out about the joy of end-of-life care. I’m certain I’ve never heard anyone speak about end-of-life as being a joyous time. Most of us face end-of-life care, for ourselves or for others, with a certain amount of dread. But John’s decades of working with hospice have left him feeling otherwise.

But John’s talk didn’t center on the end of life. It centered on a life well lived. And not as a reflection – but as a daily practice. His question was:

“Was your life well lived – today?”

Continue reading →

Improve your organizational skills by changing what you eat

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Staying focused , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you aren’t feeling good about what you’re getting done, it might not be an organizational issue – it might be a matter of health. When we push our bodies to the limits, it’s not a surprise when the quality of our work suffers.

Here are some easy steps you can start this week to improve your health. Continue reading →

Standing firm in a time of change

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , , ,

From your first breath as you emerged from the water of the womb to your last sigh as you leave the earth, each breath connects you to nature, to your work, and to fellow human beings across the world.

Can you tell I just finished reading a book on Wind work? 🙂

Author and shamanic healer Renee Baribeau’s book, Winds of Spirit, blows you around in all manner of directions. Here’s my #1 takeaway:

If you’re feeling disconnected from your work or your life, take off your shoes, step outside, and take a “wind bath.” Start off with a few deep breaths. Then ask yourself a question. Continue reading →

Is singing the new exercise?

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , ,

No matter what type of work you’re doing, finding a “like” community can help you accomplish more and have more fun with what you’re doing.

In Daniel Pink’s book, When, he writes about the benefits of choral singing – a unique kind of community. If you’ve ever sung with a group, you know how it lifts your spirit even more than singing solo. “Happy” countries, like the Netherlands, have regular gatherings where everyone sings. And I think group singing is why so many of us love theater – both participating in it and being part of the audience.

It’s not a stretch to think that singing makes you feel good. But check out the other benefits Pink lists for choral singing: Continue reading →

Stay humble. Stay grateful.

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Working with your guides , , , , , , , ,

As you may remember, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how important it is to take breaks and how hard it is for me to take a break. And if you saw my post from last week, you know that my refusal to take a break resulting in the Universe knocking me flat with a broken ankle. Won’t take a break? How about a nice, quiet week in bed?

I’m going to take a risk here and admit that as bad as I am at taking breaks, I’m also terrible about asking for help. I love being efficient and independent. I’m the one who is here to help you! You do not need to help me.

Except that I’m in a cast for 8 weeks and can’t drive!

Here are my organizational lessons, and lessons in humility, from the past two weeks: Continue reading →

When the Universe grants your wishes

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides , , , , ,

As you may recall, I did a post a couple of weeks ago talking about how important it is to take breaks, and how terrible I am at it. I ended the post vowing to try to take breaks during the day. I went another week and did not make any progress.

So you know what the Universe did?

Continue reading →

New business goal: Make the workplace great for the workers

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work , , , , , , , ,

I spoke at a “Lean” conference on Friday. Lean is a way of doing business where you do everything you can to run a business efficiently while still deeply respecting the people you work with. You’re making improvements that may help the bottom line, but your focus is on creating a better workspace. This conference was a great fit for me!

The last speaker was my favorite. His name is Kevin Hancock. He’s the President of a huge lumber company here in Maine, Hancock Lumber. As you can probably tell from the name of the company, he is family – 4th generation. What was fascinating about Kevin’s talk is that he hardly has any voice. He suffers from a rare ailment that makes his throat spasm when he talks. He’s been dealing with this for a couple of years, and while it was painful in a way to listen to him, he assured us it doesn’t cause him pain – it’s just hard for him to communicate. Continue reading →