Spring is party season. And I'm thinking about inviting a few people over. I'm sure you've been to parties that just haven't taken off. Gatherings where the conversation felt stilted and people left early. Deadly... especially if you're the host. Ever wonder what you can do to increase the chances of that your party will have a lively effervescence? Here are six suggestions. Don't miss the last one! 1. Serve food that shows you care. Make sure that at least some of … [Read more...]
The Quest for Clarity
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Have you ever noticed how unbelievably difficult it is to do things well? To get something right from top to bottom? Not only do you need the high-level organization, but you must also struggle to get each of the little, niggling details just right. Achieving Simplicity is Anything But Simple The next time you see something that looks effortless and simple, stop to think about what it took to achieve that clarity and ease. I promise you, it didn't start out with … [Read more...]
What Would You Do With $8 Million?
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This morning at St Mary's Park, I struck up a pleasant conversation with a man, perhaps in his late twenties, about exercising. Judging from his slightly disheveled appearance, I suspect he's homeless, or at least poor. Before he left the park, he brought over a copy of a daily tabloid that he had pulled out of the trash and read me a short piece about a man who was been awarded $8 million dollars by the courts as a result of a traffic accident with a MTA bus. I didn't … [Read more...]
Conjuring Your Life Path in Your Mind’s Eye
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When I was a young woman with small children, just starting out in my career, I felt confused about my direction and what I wanted to do. One day, I was frustrated and feeling lost. So I went to visit my friend Barbara. I spilled out my confusion to her. She listened for quite a while and then said: Close your eyes and imagine yourself in ten years. What are you doing? What are you wearing? Where are you? How are you feeling? She told me to just let an image come … [Read more...]
Are You REALLY Too Busy?
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Does being busy make you feel important? Would it feel strange to tell people that you weren't too busy? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Shortly after I decided to stop saying "I'm sorry" to people (which, by the way, has made a huge difference in the way I think and act), I started to hear myself saying again and again, "I'm super busy." I've said it so many times that I actually believe it. But in reality, it's not true. I'm just not focused enough on … [Read more...]
Stand Up Straight, Improve Your Focus
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I go to Saint Mary's Park here in the South Bronx for my walk. Sometimes I jog when I get there. Sometimes I even run. Full out run! But today I walked around the track for two miles trying my best to concentrate on standing up straight and in balance and alignment. When you find that perfect alignment, your body flows from one step to the next with a minimum of strain. It feels like you could walk a hundred miles without getting tired. A Checkpoint for Alignment So … [Read more...]
Planning Styles: Clear Objectives or Emergent Energy?
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Over the last two days, I've connected with two of my super important mentors. One encourages me to develop clear sets of objectives that lay out the next year or two or three. The other encourages giving my emergent energy lots of latitude. Planning Styles at Odds or In Sync? One mentor highlights the freeing nature of deciding where you want to go and then going there, step by step. That approach diminishes unnecessary and unproductive work and effort. It enables … [Read more...]
6 Little Things You Can Do to Overcome Sadness
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Someone I know is sad. So I've been thinking about "ways to get happier" advice. Of course, it's a lousy idea to give advice. Because really, the only way to get happier is to get fed up enough with being unhappy that you finally decide to make some changes. Little Things to Make You Feel Happier But my desire to give advice is boiling up, so I'll share my advice with you. And then, though my friend may never even read it, at least I'll feel better! Though you may … [Read more...]
How to Ask for What You Want and Get It
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I gave a talk last week to a few hundred people in Chicago called How to Ask for What You Want and Get It. I was happy with it and they seemed to be too! And I promised to let you in on my asking secrets once I had shared them with my friends in Chicago. 3 Essentials to Ask for What You Want... And Get It Here are three simple but essential things I highlighted in my talk that may help you ask for what you want and get it. Never ask someone for anything unless you … [Read more...]
Using Your Inner-Scheduler to Meet Deadlines
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Do you work to deadlines? Do you set a deadline out in the future and watch with increasing anxiety as the deadline marches toward you? Then, perhaps on some specific day -- who knows which one -- you see the writing on the wall and you kick into gear. Trusting Your Get-Going-NOW Mechanism For some projects, you get going the very day it's due. For others, you may kick into gear weeks beforehand. But for most of us, it seems that whatever triggers the … [Read more...]