“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
e e cummings

At the end of your days, can you think back over the day
and remember all the times you laughed?
Really laughed…
the kind of laugh that might be too loud,
or goes on too long,
and makes other people look at you (wishing they were you!)?
The kind of laughter that reminds you why life is worth showing up for?

If you can’t think of a time today, was there a time yesterday?
Or, was it so long ago that you can’t quite place when…or why?

Laughing,
at ourselves,
at situations we find ourselves in,
laughing at life,
is key!

Too many forget that.
Too many quietly dismiss the benefits of laughter, opting instead for a more serious path.
Forgoing laughter doesn’t make the journey easier, or help get you anywhere quicker.
It just makes it less fun.

Today, make it a point to laugh.
Try really hard to let yourself see the humor in you, and in your life.
You have nothing to lose….
And so much to gain.
Promise.
~

“The more one hurries,
the less time they have.”
The Universe

“If only I had more time…”
“There aren’t enough hours in the day…”
“I wish I could clone myself, because just one of me can’t get it all done!”

At one time or another, many of us have felt like there simply was too much to do, and not enough time in which to do it.  But, for some people, it’s a constant state.
A state that leaves them feeling drained, on edge, overwhelmed and exhausted.
It doesn’t mean that they aren’t correct, there IS a lot to do.
There always was, and there always will be.
The question becomes, what is mine to do?

A lot of people are doing a lot, but much of it is elective.

They don’t need to own everything that they are owning,
they don’t need to be doing everything they are doing,
and they certainly don’t need to be controlling everything they are controlling.

Being busy (and frazzled) can become an identity.

Think about how you talk about your days, and your life.
How do you describe your days?
Are you happy?
Or, are you too busy to think about whether or not your are?
(Your answer will give you a lot to work with, won’t it?)

Slow down.
How about if you don’t have to do it forever…
just try it for today?
~

“In each of us
there are places
we have never gone.
Only by pressing the limits
do you ever find them.”

Dr. Joyce Brothers

I’ve had countless conversations with people over the years
about what they are most proud of in their lives.
It’s been very interesting to hear that there is often a discrepancy
between what the world would notice as their biggest successes would be,
and what people would identify for themselves.

What makes people most proud
is when they have pushed themselves
beyond whatever limit they perceived that they had.
It wasn’t just succeeding at something,
because often that which we are most successful at,
is what comes easiest to us.

The greatest joys and triumphs are often found
when we move through a challenge,
or when we leave the proverbial “comfort zone” that we often hibernate in.
Our joy comes from seeing that we are more
than we had thought we could be.

Think about your biggest successes,
and why they were a success for you.
What did you move through to get there?
How did you push yourself-
beyond where you had ever been…
and, most importantly,
how did it feel?

You deserve more of those moments.
Today, try to press beyond your limits
and see how far you can go!
~

“If the whole world followed you
would you be pleased with where you took it?”

Neal Donal Walsch

In life, where are you looking?
Many of us are looking down,
focused only on the immediate, concrete tasks awaiting us…
It is important to stay on top of daily living requirements,
as life could deteriorate in to chaos if we didn’t!

But, how many of us also then make time to pause,
take a breath, look up and notice where we are heading?
How many of us allow ourselves the opportunity to think about life
with a much broader perspective,
with room to see more…
more of where we’re heading…
more of what we can be…
more of who we are?

Life is an amazing balance of simultaneously holding both pieces…
our today and our tomorrows.

Today, do something differently.
Take time, whether it is five minutes,
or three hours, to take stock in your “bigger picture.”
Notice what you are grateful for,
what you are fortunate to have in your life,
and why you are happy to be you.
Bring your vision of your future in to focus.

Take time to lift your eyes from the daily race you are in to “do,”
and take a moment to just “be.”

Be sure you take some time, every day, to look up and notice your whole life.
It’s an amazing sight, and you don’t want to miss it!
~

“If you want to feel rich,
just count the things that money can’t buy.”

Unknown

These are incredibly stressful times, and times of stress challenge us most to hold on to our perspective around our life and what matters.
We are facing massive financial struggles, both individually and collectively as a society, and people are feeling depleted and devastated by this loss.

At this time, perhaps more than ever, it is key that we are able to hold on to our perspective around what else we have in our lives, beyond money.
It isn’t to minimize financial stress, it’s to put that stress in perspective.
We may have financial turmoil, but does that define our lives?
What else in life has value?
How is your health?
Talk to someone who doesn’t have their health, and see how valuable money is to them.
Are you surrounded by those you love, who give meaning and value to your life?
Listen to someone working to survive a loss, and try to find where money would fall in to this for them.

This isn’t to be minimize money, it’s only to give it perspective.
Is money the bottom line for what gives life meaning?
For most of us, the answer would be a resounding, “no.”
Money is a piece of life, and certainly has value and worth deserving of our attention.
But, at times like this, it’s an opportunity to put money in it’s place.

Think about what matters in your life, what really matters, and see where money falls in that list.
It doesn’t mean it it’s unimportant…
It just means that through these struggles
that you’re able to hold on to what is really important,
and that can make all the difference in the world.
~

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Bonnie Jean Wasmund

Managing and supervising people is tough. Many express feeling confused, overwhelmed or unprepared for role of supervisor. There are so many facets to supervising, it’s obvious why this is such a challenging area for people! But, this is a key skill that must be continuously supported and developed.

Why?

People don’t stay in a job because of the job…they primarily stay (or leave) because of the boss!

This is a lot of pressure on those bosses!
Supervisors have shared that it is a challenge to motivate the team, hold people accountable and still produce the bottom line.
Middle management staff often feel stressed, torn between expectations from above and resistance from below.
Some of the common areas that challenge supervisors include:

• Boundaries
• Motivation
• Accountability
• Team Development
• Evaluations
• Time Management
• Constructive Feedback

What does all of this mean?

It means that for those in positions of power, it is important to spend time and energy developing skills in this area.
It is crucial to acknowledge the tremendous level of impact that you have on staff…which can be positive or negative!
Supporting, encouraging, validating, guiding, motivating and leading…this is what will make you an amazing supervisor, respected and valued by the team. But, perhaps even more importantly, this is what will ensure productivity and success within the company/agency.

~
Tip to Try:
The most consistent (and important) question we ask supervisors seeking to grow in their supervision skills is,  “What is your goal in this situation?”
Try asking yourself that question…before you meet with someone, before you address a performance issue, before you ask for that report. Too often people jump in to a conversation without being clear on the desired end result…and things don’t go as they had hoped.

Know Your Goal
Once you know what your goal is, that will help guide the interaction and support a positive outcome.
This helps frame the next step in a way that is powerful and focuses on success.
This simple question is a powerful tool for supervisors to get the results that they want.
Try it!

~

“I always tell the kids,
‘you know what’s great about going the extra mile?
There’s very little traffic.’ ”

Jim Larrangaga

It is often acceptable to be good enough.
A lot of people do just what they need to do to get by…
and, they do get by.

They aren’t blazing new paths or leaving lasting impressions.
They are not making waves or making changes.
They are professionally performing in the mediocre range, and they are fine with it.

It’s actually pretty common.
It is possible to survive by putting forth a minimal amount of effort.
A lot of people can share examples of how they scrape by…
by doing only what is required.

Is that how you want to live?
You can, if you want to.
It’s your choice.

There is also another way to spend your time on this planet.

Live fully.
Share what you are capable of doing.
Then, when you’ve done that,
push yourself to the next level.

Not everyone feels inclined to go higher,
so there is less traffic in the world of greatness.

Would you like to go the extra mile and do a little more?
Would you want to go to the next level?
Why not just try it?

You can always come back down if you don’t like it up there!
(Up there where people achieve and succeed,
not because they have to but because they want to…)
~

“You and I do not see things as they are.
We see things as we are.”
Herb Cohen

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is an amazing framework for assessing
the most important factor in your personal and professional life….
YOU.

We all experience life, and all of our relationships and interactions in it,
through an individual lens, or filter.
This lens frames every one of our experiences,
and helps us to connect (or not connect)
with the world around us.
If that lens, or filter, is off…
or if it’s dusty, cracked, broken or fuzzy,
there is a tremendous impact on how we experience the world,
and how we interact with the people in it.

Emotional Intelligence is all about assessing that lens!
When was the last time you assessed YOU,
and how you well you connected with the people in your world?

Because, if we see the world (and the people) as WE are,
and not how THEY are,
don’t you want to examine the lens you’re looking through?!

Check out EQ today.
It could be a great tool for you to do some reflecting
on YOU.

~

“And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain,
My friends, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived a life that’s full.
I’ve traveled each and ev’ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way.”
Paul Anka

The end.
This is a hard topic, and it’s one that so many of us avoid, at all costs.
We all want to be fully in charge of how we live, yet we speak not a word about how we want to die.
This leaves a lot of unanswered questions for the people who love us- who are left to deal with things.
Death is something that we don’t want to talk about or think about- certainly not our own, and not for those we love.
Do we think that it won’t happen if we give it no air time? When the time comes, does it make it easier if we never focused on it?

One of the greatest comforts that people have, when faced with losing a loved one, is knowing that they carried out their wishes, and did things the way that he or she “would have wanted it.”

In the work being done at the SYI, a lot of focus is on life, and fully owning and living that life. Part of that conversation should include the end of life. It is from a place of love, power and grace that we have these hard conversations.

Engage with Grace is an amazing effort to support families to talk about this very difficult issue. The One Slide Project that they have created is an opportunity to start having this very important discussion now, while we can still have it. You owe it to yourself, and the people in your world, to know and share the answers to these questions.

It’s your life- be in charge of all of it.
Even if you’re scared, and even if it’s hard…
The people that you love deserve the opportunity to have this conversation…
Please talk about this~

~