Creative Connections
“Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.” ~ Unknown. However, this person clearly is yawning…why? She has heard the question, “How’s it going?” too many times today. We all do it, we ask and get asked the question multiple times a day. And what is the most common answer: “Good” or “Fine”. Blah! Part of living a playful life is to be spontaneous, creative, out of the box. As you go about your day, try something different when engaging friends, or even the woman working at the grocery check out. Perhaps ask: What’s been the highlight of your day so far? What has made you smile today/recently? Or even (and yes I do this regularly)… What is […]
Listening
“Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” ~ Sue Patton Thoele. 29 years old and listening for the first time We take our capacity to hear for granted. We’ve forgotten to savor and appreciate the rich diversity of sound continuously offered to us. Take time today to appreciate life’s endless melodies. Perhaps imagine this is the last time you hear this unique and precious sound. Be curious and notice its subtleties: is the sound wavy, crunchy, intense, whispery? What are its qualities? And when in conversation, notice how present you are. Are you listening, receiving their words and feelings, or lost in thought? I heard a statistic recently that mothers […]
Love & Friendship
“Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest, it’s about those who came and never left your side.” ~Unknown. I couldn’t resist sending this to you today. Watching this video is a beautiful way to start the week. Have a wonderful Monday, rich with gratitude for the simple freedoms we have in our lives.
The 5 Needs of Employees ~ Creating a Socially Responsible Organization
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson. The traditional workplace has not encouraged us to be our authentic Self. It has not been big enough to house the human soul. Its culture has been one of punching our time card and doing the daily tasks of building gadgets, meeting client needs, devising strategy and completing administration. We have been expected to do at work, but how much have we been encouraged to be? In my experience of working with teams, there is a hunger for people to have a voice in the organization. They want to bring more of themselves to work. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to do so; […]
5 Steps to Creating Healthy Workplace Relationships ~ Transforming the Workplace from the Inside Out
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.” ~ William Shakespeare. We perceive our purpose at work as fulfilling duties such as administration, brainstorming new products, engaging clients, or problem solving. Work is where we achieve results, earn a living and hopefully gain a level of satisfaction. Inasmuch as these goals are important, our attention is often more drawn to, and distracted by, challenging relationships that cause us frustration, anger and powerlessness. Productivity and achievement are what I would call the small “p” or purpose of work life. Beneath this, however, there is a larger purpose or “P”: Realizing […]
The Spirit of Inclusion
Facilitating Belonging in those with Developmental “Disabilities” Inclusion begins with how we feel and see others I was sipping a cup of tea at the Prince George airport while awaiting my flight, and a memorable experience crossed my path. A TV was showing an exciting horse race which no one was paying attention to. I enjoy watching horse racing. As much as I struggle with the way the horses are treated, I find the call “down the stretch” to be one of the most exhilarating sporting spectacles. While it appeared everyone was more interested in their beverage and conversations, one young man was clearly intoxicated by the race. He ran to the TV, stood in front of it, jumping up and down, cheering the horses, completely […]
Using the Mirror ~ Reclaiming the Gifts of Your Shadow Side
The moment you no longer need the world to be any different than the way it is right now, you are most empowered to create change. This empowerment comes only through taking full responsibility for who you are instead of projecting it outward onto the world. Projection happens when you don’t fully own certain aspects of your Self. Whatever you do not own, known as your dark or shadow side, you in fact fear. Your fear stems from your past conditioning where you were taught on some level to be some things, and not to be others. As a result, you disowned certain aspects of your Self, suppressing them into the dark. But whatever you have denied, or can’t be with within, you cannot be […]