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Skills

How to Get Over Over Preparing

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“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

Yes. I confess. I am a life long over preparer. I am one of those individuals who prepares excessively. I have a fear of being seen as someone who doesn’t know her stuff. And I carry with me a performance mentality where I have a need to be seen as an expert in my field.

The source of this is that I don’t want that experience I had as a kid when I was laughed at or made fun of because I said the wrong thing or made a mi…

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One Simple Technique to Alleviate Stress

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“Mindfulness isn't difficult. We just need to remember to do it.” - Sharon Salzberg

These times are stressful for a lot of us. As I was writing this I began to list the many ways stress shows up, but  that in itself felt stressful, so I decided not to head in that direction.

Instead I thought I’d give you one simple technique I learned from WW I’ve been using with success. It relates to mindfulness, which in my mind keeps bringing me to the importance of staying present, being in the momen…

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What a Trek to Annapurna Taught Me

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A few years ago, I was invited to do a charity trip to Nepal with five other women and trek to basecamp on Annapurna.  Eight days trekking up to an elevation of 13,550 feet and five days back down.

Those of you who know me know I was born and raised in the city of Chicago where it is pretty flat there and in the surrounding area for mile after mile. Also, if you know me, I have never been a big hiker. Yes, I enjoy getting out in nature and walking leisurely on trails and stopping along the way …

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Give Yourself Permission to Find Your Why

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“Want something you’ve never had? Do something you’ve never done.” - Unknown

Comfort Zones are the habits we have—neither good nor bad—that we need to be aware of, because they may be preventing us from playing at our best. Comfort Zones may be keeping us in the same old place, as they are just that—they are comfortable. And who wants to leave a place that is comfortable for what is unknown and more than likely uncomfortable?

A Comfort Zone can be a behavior or an action of some sort. For …

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Up Leveling You and Your Team’s Development

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When I left my full time corporate job in IT many years ago, I had no idea what I was going to do next. I just knew it wasn’t what I always did before. When I reflected on what I loved doing in my Corporate work, I enjoyed developing my people and in doing so, developing myself. Therefore, I stepped into my work as a leadership coach. And here I am in the same fulfilling profession of developing people into better leaders. 

As part of my own development, I study with experts. I am currently stu…

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Invest In Yourself. It's a Great Payback

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"She was a 'what if' personality and because of that she never really happened." ~ Anne Wilson Schaef

For us to be truly living and to feel that aliveness, we must continually invest in ourselves. The quote above reminded me of how much of our lives we live in that "what if" place. Or that "if only" place, or that "someday" place. Lots of us get stuck there and live our entire lives there.

Do you know anyone like that?

In the past I have talked about the GULP factor and what a juicy place…

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Giving Great Feedback

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"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary." ~Margaret Cousins

"Can I give you some feedback?" Why is it when we hear that question, we freeze and tell ourselves something bad is coming?

I have grown to really appreciate feedback...at least the type of feedback that is very constructive with suggestions on how I might change my behavior for the better. I believe we always have the choice to listen to the feedback and sta…

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Manager or Leader?

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"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." ~Ralph Nader

In my work I am frequently asked what the difference is between managers and leaders. I believe we all have the capacity to lead and that managers can, and need to be, great leaders. At least those managers that are given the opportunity to display leadership skills in their positions. I've seen this called 'leading from any seat at at the table.'

Some differentiators of …

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Six Ways to Practice The Art of Tenacity

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“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” - Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

Louis Pasteur was a French biologist, microbiologist and chemist renowned for his discoveries of the principles of vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization. When I think of tenacity, I think of Pasteur who required a huge amount of persistence and relentlessness in his research.

I need a bit of that.

One truth I know about me is I love to start things.…

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Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude

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‘Tis the season! Yes, it is here and it seems to have arrived ever so quickly.  As I’m pondering what I want to create for my experience of this season, I realize I want to create this season to be one full of gratitude. 

Mirriam-Webster defines gratitude as simply the state of being grateful. The English Language Learners definition of gratitude is a feeling of appreciation or thanks. 

While researching the impacts of gratitude I ran across an article Giving thanks can make you happier by Har…

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