Working with your guides

How much of your life do you choose with intent?

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How much of your life do you choose? And how much is you walking down a path you’re on?

Before you roll into weekend plans, I challenge you to pause and think about what your intent is for a myriad of aspects of your life.

Did you choose, or did you happen upon:

  • Where you live
  • Who you live with
  • What you eat
  • What you do for work
  • The people you hang out with
  • What you do with your free time
  • What you watch on TV/Netflix/Hulu, et al.
  • What you read – books, magazines, newspaper, and online sites
  • How you spend other time online and/or on your phone
  • What you do for volunteer work
  • How you present yourself – what you wear, how you hold yourself, when and how you speak; is your driver fashion, comfort, to make a statement, to blend in?
  • How you decorate and keep your home – precise, comfortable, colors, textures, style, messy, neat, etc.
  • How you tend to deal with others – speaking, listening, teaching, being directive, being kind, sharing knowledge, being funny, etc.
  • How you get around – walking, biking, in a car, using mass transit, running, etc.

Continue reading →

Finding harmony in your work

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If you’re trying to create harmony in the work you do, it’s important to look at the platform you’re working on. When you have personal fundamentals in place, your platform is solid. If you’re missing a few fundamentals, your platform may feel tippy and stressful.

Everyone’s fundamentals are different. And your fundamentals may vary depending on the type of work you’re doing.

Organizational Exercise
Grab a piece of paper and divide it into four columns. The first column is how you think of yourself in general. The second column is for any paid work you do. The third is for volunteer work. And the last is for any fun work you do. Continue reading →

Character v. resume

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Consider this: Is the work you’re doing building character? Or a resume?

So much of what we do in life gets into the resume column – where we grow up, where we go to school, the jobs we have. Even volunteer work is often done as a resume builder. Who do you know? Where have you been? What have you accomplished?

But what about the work you do that’s helpful and brings joy to others – and where you get no credit? The times you pick up trash on the side of the street. Or are kind to a stranger. Or take the time to listen to a friend.

How about when you have no chance of succeeding but feel compelled to continue what you’re doing? When you step away from the limelight and give credit to someone else? When you sacrifice a personal goal to help someone else succeed? Continue reading →

About those critics

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A friend from high school asked me a question.

“How do you take that next step when you don’t want to hear the criticisms…. constructive or not? I am a big believer that art, whatever the medium, is a personal expression… So how can one tell you what you created is wrong?”

What a great question as we try to do good work, try to be helpful, and try new adventures.

I have so many thoughts on this. Here are the big three. Continue reading →

Mapping your personal ecosystem

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Having a stable network can play a huge role in how much you get done and how happy you are.

  • Building a stable network takes time, energy, and focus.
  • A stable network isn’t static – it’s in a constant state of change.
  • When you have a stable network it’s hard for one outside influence to take down the whole eco-system because the connected parts sustain the larger whole.

So let’s make a map of your own personal ecosystem as it stands today. Continue reading →

A delightful mystery

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Life is full of mystery.

  • Who we are…
  • How long we have on Earth…
  • How we’re connected…
  • How the earth and stars were formed, and how long they’ll be here…
  • If there’s one universe or multiple universes…
  • “What happened to that ring I lost my senior year of college?”… 🙂

We tend to believe what we see and can prove. This is who I am. This is a table. This is what stars are made of. This is how the world works.

Then science and physics open new portals and we can “see” at an atomic level. And we can “see” a billion years ago in the night sky.

We’re living at a time of massive, innovative technological change. And what we “know” changes. Dramatically. Daily. Continue reading →

Ask your guides

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Sharing ideas on “best practices” is a great way to learn from someone who’s doing work that’s similar to what you’re doing. When you learn something new, you feel a jolt of positive energy. And when you share best practices in return, it can make someone’s day. You win. They win. And we all get better work done.

A couple of years ago, I was getting back into consulting work and decided to go on a road trip to hear what friends in the direct marketing industry were doing for best practices. I planned a week-long trip through western Massachusetts with a zig to upstate New York, then down through the mountains of New Hampshire with a few final stops in Vermont.

I headed out and all was well until day #4 when I realized I was on the last disk of a Dennis Lehane novel – and that was it for audio books. Anytime I’m in the car I listen to audio books. I get them from the library and listen to them to learn new stuff as well as to be entertained as I drive. I’m pretty much never without an audio book in the car. But as I pulled into the parking lot at Kripalu in western Mass, I broke into a cold sweat. My next stop was Burlington, Vt. There’d be plenty of bookstores in Burlington, but that was four hours away. Continue reading →

The gift of generosity

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When you have control over your time, you have a peaceful feeling that the work you want to get done is getting done. You’re choosing what to do and don’t feel pushed by circumstances.

But sometimes, circumstances pull you away from what you’re focused on. You see something that needs action. Or you’re asked to help. This isn’t your problem but it’s so compelling you can’t turn away. So you wade in. Continue reading →

Our habits change us

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I read a science article this week that said we are completely different at age 77 than we are at age 17. I found that hard to believe. Inside, I feel like I’m the same “me” I’ve always been; it’s just the circumstances around me that have changed.

But when I think about how much I’ve read. And how much I’ve learned. And how differently I think now than I did growing up, I get the change. Maybe it’s just my energy and core interests that are the same.

So here’s what I think is important: If we’re completely different, then other people are too. And how often do we recognize that? When someone you’re close to changes, do you accept it? Or do you hold onto who you think they are, to the person they used to be? Continue reading →