Holding Big Questions
“A valid answer comes when the question is lived.” ― Elizabeth Vongsaravanh I just recently purchased a new home. It is bigger than the little cottage where I lived with my two very large dogs. It has a basement and attic which is a first for me. (I never wanted to...
The Lessons of my Father
When the fog of grief from my mother’s death cleared, and I made my way back from exhaustion and imbalance, I was rewarded with fresh clarity. Since then, many of the challenges of my personal life have started to make sense. I don’t know if it is part of the...
Leadership Transitions
Cultivating leadership is my passion. “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” —Jim RohnI have come to learn that leadership is one of the most essential elements to organizational health and success — but not the only one. However, without...
Build a Community
I write to process my feelings. I post to share universal lessons that I think other’s will appreciate. I chronicle to remember what I was feeling, thinking, and doing in extraordinary moments. I journal to find my self-awareness and to clarify my feelings and...
Put Fun into Action
Step Twelve: Put Fun into Action“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” — Dale CarnegieStart today, give yourself permission, try something new, and connect with someone who inspires you to have fun. Infusing fun into work doesn’t...
Become known as “Fun Loving”
Step Eleven: Become Known as “Fun Loving”“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the Game.”Michael JordanYou can decide who you want to bring to work each day. It is the attitude that you choose that will support you and create the reputation you have with your co-workers and...
Smile and Laugh a Lot
Step Ten: Smile and Laugh a Lot“The human race has only one effective weapon – and that is laughter.” Mark Twain“Laughter is the best medicine.” “He who laughs last, lasts.” Science tells us that smiling and laughter release endorphins in our bodies which combat...
Make Fun Inclusive
“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” Richard Branson, Virgin Airways Step Nine: Make Fun Inclusive Fun, joy, and happiness are universal concepts. An act of joy, fun, or playfulness extended to another...
We don’t need no stinkin’ fun!
Step Eight: We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Fun “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”— ee.e.cummings My father frequently said, ‘Work hard and when you are done and if you are deserving—then and only then you can have your fun.’ That might have...
Not All Fun Has to Be Jokes
Step Six: Look for the Humor in the Situation“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” —ProverbInstead of rules, restrictions and limitations, we need to inspire others by giving them permission to bring the best of their whole selves to work each and every day....
Try to see the Humorous Side of Life
“As long as you’re having fun, that’s the key. The moment it becomes a grind, it’s over.” — Barry GibbSilly isn’t stupid. In fact, humor requires intelligence. Humor used to defuse a tense situation is a highly evolved skill. Individuals who can take their job...
Fun at Work is not a Nice to Have
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” Reba McEntire Fun is a natural, life giving force which each of us can access whenever we want. The greatest obstacle to our embracing our natural sense of fun is often our own...
The Benefits of More Fun
“Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.” — Randy PauschWhat gets recognized is repeated. When you celebrate the good things that happen, when fun and work collide, you reinforce the message that everything gets better when you remember to lighten up....
Create a Fun Environment
Step Three: Create an Environment that Encourages Fun“There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lies happiness.”— Gelett BurgessDon’t be afraid to let everyone find and share...
I’m Having a Bad Day
Step One: Start with Yourself “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” — George Bernard Shaw If you want to have fun you need to be fun-loving. It is inside each of us. Let it show in all that you do. Share it will others...
Becoming Masters of the Art of Living
“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”— Herodotus INTRODUCTION TO FUN @ WORKThe dominant cultural theory about fun is that it should be earned – that it...
The Fun/Work Balance
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which, he simply pursues his vision of excellence through...
Conflict is Good
I find myself surrounded by people who fear conflict and who lack the confidence and tools to engage the normal, day-to-day bumps and bruises with ease. For most of my life I would have included myself in this group. No one in my family was a role model for setting...
Good Coaching
Everyone can be a good coach. Everyone can benefit from a good coach. “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.” — Fred Devito A person close to me is in transition and at loose ends. They have entered that period of life known as...
The Most Difficult Vision
“”Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.”—- Roy T. Bennett “The Light in the Heart” I have always understood and believed in the power of...
The Impact of Gratitude
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” —Gilbert K. Chesterton Several years ago, a client and dear friend (thank you, Nancy Silverman) gave me The Five-Minute Journal. It was simple,...
Plan, Prepare, Be Present
“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” I accept and often repeat adages like:• Life isn’t always easy or even fair.• It isn’t living unless there are ups and downs, and highs and lows.That’s me being real while also being the eternal optimist. I...
Signs and Secrets
“The most successful detectives owe their success to noticing small signs. Scouts are natural detectives and never let the smallest detail escape them. These small things are called by Scouts Signs.” — Robert...
Everything in Life is a Transition
“Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.” – Isaac Asimov I love helping facilitate individuals, groups and organizations through transitions. In recent years I had the great privilege of participating...
Some of My Best Teachers
“If what you want lies buried dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.” — UnknownThe dog days of summer have passed. Is October and I recognize this month as very special. My constant...
Lighthouse Leadership
“Sometimes, amidst of all the wars,
All you need to become is
The lighthouse not the sword.”
— Akshay Vasuor
Lessons Learned from Knitting
Before bedtime, I sat with my mother watching TV and finished my first-ever knitted scarf. Last year a friend and I took knitting lesson.I love the wool and the colors and the aspiration of a final product. But I was humbled by the task. Learning to knit is a great metaphor for learning anything.
Moving Forward
We are moving. Moving forward. Moving ahead. Moving. Because the only constant in life is change. My career as a consultant consists of facilitation, navigation, and change. I’ve gone so far as to make change fun. But as I advanced toward my 30th year of...
Betsi | The Final Chapter is Written
What a privilege it has been to be at the side of the person who guided me into this world. And who is now making her way out of our world into another. What a privilege it has been to be her champion and advocate, to have fiercely guarded and guided her and...
Don’t Let Taking Sides Take You Over
The internet, like no other force before, can bring like-minded people together while it drives other-minded people apart. With it, we have the ability to seek out those who agree with us, who think like we do. That reinforces our position but at the same time reinforces sides.
Marshmallow Motivation
Enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy. Write down as many times as you can when you have enjoyed your way to success. How could you have modified those times when joyless effort did not produce the results you wanted?
The Dog Days of October
The Dog Days of October take on a new and specific meaning in the Yerkes household. Five years ago my first canine companion, Buddah Bear, was born and came to live with me. His presence in my home and in my life brought huge changes, enriching each day and teaching...
The Gardener’s Touch
Persistence is the key to success. But persistence by itself will not move things forward unless it is balanced by Patience. Persistence is energy. The energy that moves things. Patience is wisdom. The wisdom that determines the direction our persistence will take us....
Camp Betsi | Chapter 2
Universal Wisdom Shared is a Gift Life is Richer with a Little Help From my Friends With two weeks behind us and many summer days ahead it is times like these that you really discover that you are not alone and that there are helping hands everywhere. The stories that...
Camp Betsi | Chapter 1
Dear Diary, This will most likely be the summer I will always remember. Mom has survived her near death experience and is at the end of her journey. I don’t know how many days are left in the season. Days to discover more about each other, days to forgive and...
Bullying | Part 3
Is this just my own personal experience or do you see it too? My previous blogs on bullying have stirred up many conversations and reflections. I perceive bullying by adults to be on the rise. I am witnessing overt bullying in the workplace in many of the...
Bullying Part 2
“If you can’t change the situation, change yourself.” PART TWO Bullying may be common and a common part of living but it is never good. Bullying hurts people – physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Bullying may even scar for life....
Is Bullying on the Rise? | Bullying Part 1
One of the ways in which people try to effect change is through bullying. The act of bullying can be physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual. There are three aspects of bullying: being the bully, being bullied, stopping bullying when you see it. I have been...
Of Cruise Lines, Organizations, and Leadership
Good leadership determines whether your organization operates like the Queen Mary, the Concordia, or the Titanic. The Queen Mary faithfully and successfully served many customers for many years. The Concordia was intentionally charted too close to known dangers...
Are You Paying Attention?
Are you paying attention to the life lessons that are happening around you? One of my recent learning lessons is that most learning lessons are not structured. Or planned. Actually, the vast majority of learning just happens to us. John Lennon said something...
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