If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may know that on many mornings I exercise in St. Mary's Park. This park is situated in a poor neighborhood in the South Bronx. It's about 3/4 of a mile from where I live. Walking to the park and exercising there makes me happy. Not just because the exercise feels good, but because I connect with people on my way to the park and while I'm exercising there. Connecting... with Strangers? Greeting strangers is a regular part … [Read more...]
The Oreo Cookie Approach to Constructive Criticism
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How do you feel when someone sends you an email thanking you for something you did and telling you what a great job you did? Feels good, right? Now think about how you feel when you get a curt email pointing out several small mistakes in a big project you spent hours working on. All of that warm positive emotion goes away in a hurry. You feel criticized and under appreciated. Unconstructive Criticism That's just what happened to me this morning when a colleague … [Read more...]
Awe-Inspiring Family Values – The Decorah Bald Eagles
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Every day, with my cup of coffee in hand, I click on this website to say good morning to the family of Bald Eagles in Decorah, Iowa. Thanks to my friend Pam, I've been watching them for many weeks. I often check on them several times a day. A webcam fastened to a tree nearby gives me (and anyone else who chooses to look) a birds eye view of this little family. Their good-sized nest is well constructed in the fork of a big tree not far from a walking and biking path. A … [Read more...]
What You Can Learn From Knowing How Other People See You
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In last week's post, I suggested an exercise to develop a word portrait of yourself as seen through the eyes of your friends. All you had to do was to invite five friends to send you a quick list of six words that come to their mind when they think about you. I promised I'd let you know my results from this little exercise. So here goes--though I must confess that sharing it makes me feel exposed. Seeing Myself Through the Eyes of Others I found myself a bit anxious … [Read more...]
A Simple Way to Find Out How Other People See You
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Have you ever caught yourself glancing at your reflection in a mirror or glass as you walk by? Does Your Mirror Tell the Truth? Do you have a sense that what you see when you look in mirror might not be telling you the truth? Or at least not the whole truth? The question you’re probably really wondering about is not how you look to yourself, but what you look like through the eyes of others. And the way others see you is often not what you see when you look in the … [Read more...]
Understanding Your Finishing Style
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Do you celebrate at the end of a big project? Or like me, do you have trouble with endings? For the last two years, I've been working on a new book with my friend and colleague Andy Robinson. And this week, it came back from the printer. Our book, Train Your Board (and Everyone Else) to Raise Money, is DONE and about to be launched into the world. I'm super proud of what we've accomplished. Our new book, is better -- much better -- than I had envisioned. With … [Read more...]
Communicate Effectively with Email to Get the Results You Want
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I was talking with my friend J. recently and she was super discouraged. Three of the people she had been trying to connect with for her organization -- people she had been in close contact with -- had not responded to several of her emails. She was getting ready to ask them for gifts and they were disappearing! “Is it me?” she moaned. “Did I do something wrong? Have they all decided that they don’t want to help me with this project?” “I feel like I’m on an … [Read more...]
Imagine Being Homeless
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Where do you store your precious items? Where's the old photo of your mother? Your social security card? A sweater your daughter gave you that you no longer wear? Or how about the diaries you wrote when you were a teenager? Do you have a box of precious things packed away in the back of your closet somewhere? What would you do with them if you were homeless? What would you do if the only storage you had for your things was a shopping cart or two or three that you … [Read more...]
The Power of Imperfection
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I’ll bet you like to do things really well. It feels good. And it’s satisfying. How Important is Perfection? Perfection may be satisfying, but takes a huge amount of time and energy and effort. How much effort should you put into making the things you do letter perfect? If you watched the amazing performances of ice skater Yuna Kim at the 2014 Winter Olympics, you’ll see a great example of perfection. She might not have won her second gold medal, but her … [Read more...]
Setting Clear and Specific Goals to Get You Where You Want to Go
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Do you love simple tips that promise to make you more effective? If you're like me, there’s something about bite-sized advice, written in short, compelling words that makes you think it'll help you make your life better. A Powerful Tip to Create a Better Life So here’s the latest bite-sized tip that caught my attention. These from author and psychologist Dr. Ned Hallowell. Set clear and specific goals. Dr. Hallowell suggests setting four sets of THREE clear and … [Read more...]