Need help to quickly overcome your slump?
Have you ever noticed how much more productive you are when you are immersed in activities that sing to you? Me too. But I also realize that waking up and feeling you cannot face another day at your desk happens to all of us. Catch me on a high note and I am captivated, inspired…
People who have a calm perspective make better decisions than those who are stressed. And stress behaviour is self-perpetuating
It’s almost that time of year again – the shops are filling up, along with the roads, and people’s stress levels are increasing. Christmas is a time of tradition. Some people have huge family gatherings with relatives from all over the place, others prefer a quiet evening – fireplace, wine, blanket and time off work.…
We have a tendency to fixate on the most devastating of critiques, rather than focusing on the ones that offer honest, objective and useful feedback
Is it just me or do others find themselves overly fixating on criticism about their performance? I wasn't sure I had a thick enough skin after the first reviews came in when I began speaking professionally (and I was in law enforcement at the time). I prepared, practised delivery and made every effort to ensure…
Fear has the power to hijack our thoughts and behaviours, even when a new path makes sense or is harmless
I’m often fascinated by how rigidly some folks cling to the familiar, especially when it comes to being asked to do something novel. Not something dangerous – just unfamiliar. In my former career, this came up a lot, with leaders standing up in meetings and asking for “out of the box thinkers.” Then they would point…
Christmas isn’t about gifts, a blanket of snow, a crackling fire and carols. It's about family, and creating warm memories
It was cold the other day – really cold. As I sat in a coffee shop with a cup of tea, preparing to answer a few emails during a break from Christmas shopping, I noticed four shivering teens – opting for fashion instead of warmth. They ordered hot chocolates, then headed to a far corner of…
If we want to move past unrealized expectations in our lives, we have to forget the old script and craft a new one
The conflicts that rear up in our lives most often stem from unrealized expectations. Each of us has a script we follow, an expectation of how things are supposed to go. When our expectations aren’t met, we can be delighted by the change, significantly disappointed or even angered. When we head to a nice restaurant,…
Your skill as a decision-maker depends on your willingness to make a mistake and manage a level of risk
Decisions, decisions. We face them every day. Big ones, small ones and ones we’re all terrified of getting wrong. Can someone just give us the blueprint guiding us to the right decision every time? Sadly, there’s no fail-safe way to ensure that the decision you make will be the right one every time. So we should just…
Your brain needs direction; it wants you to lead. You choose where you want to focus your efforts and energy
Are you fed up? Perhaps with politics, taxes, grumpy people or the smoke in the air. Usually these feelings pass. But when you get stuck in a swirl of negative emotion, the problems of the world seem to pile on and leave you feeling spent. Perhaps this is what causes normally rational individuals to become…
Summer-related events can increase our blood pressure rather than lower it. We have such high expectations. Take a breath!
The summer heat is on! It may have taken some time to arrive (especially for those in the western provinces), but those warm temperatures are here. And with them, the frantic scramble to get on the road and enjoy a little down time with the family. We work so hard year-round to reach this moment.…
The mastermind concept is a simple yet wonderfully productive tool: spend time with the creative genius in your friend pool?
One of my best friends runs an annual mastermind retreat at her lake house in Nelson, B.C. Besides being a fabulous location to get away from the daily grind (water, sand and wine – what’s not to love?), it’s also a fantastic way to reinvest in our collective successes. As a solo-entrepreneur, I have no…