Caution...go slowly!



Beautiful flower against that old wooden fence!

 Hi everyone!
Well, today seems like a good day to talk about "caution" - the first day of summer and the living is easy, right? :-)

Actually, here in Florida, the living is more dangerous this time of year - partly because the sun is becoming stronger and stronger and partly because it's hurricane season. In either case, Floridians are constantly reminded to take precautions to stay safe physically.

Sometimes we need to take precautions to stay emotionally safe too, don't we? Maybe we are being treated unfairly at work and we begin to believe our worth is lessened by that. CAUTION! Your work does not equal your self-worth (although I'm a firm believer in always giving 111%).

Maybe we've gotten entangled in a relationship that we know isn't good for us - whether it's romantic, a friendship, online, at work, or whatever. CAUTION! Relationships are wonderful parts of our lives, but some can be toxic and we need to protect ourselves from those.

Sometimes we get carried away and spend money foolishly in the heat of the moment. Oh, but that antique is so beautiful! Oh, but it's only one big splurge on that cool pair of shoes. Oh, but I really need to start investing and this seems like a stock that will skyrocket. CAUTION! A stock that "seems" like a steal may well steal your peace when it plummets after some talking head in Washington tells us that grass isn't really supposed to be green! :-)  That antique will gather dust just like the piece of furniture it's replacing. Those shoes will sit in your closet most of the time. And you'll be left with a smaller bank account and a whole new set of worries over that money that just went down the drain. Not to say that treating yourself to something you love or investing in stock is bad...but caution is definitely GOOD in this area!

And of course, we need to be careful about other everyday decisions we make. You all know I've been pining away for a doggie - we've tried 3 times to adopt and none of them have been successful. Tomorrow we'll be taking a trip to Tampa to see some rescued Australian shepherds and see if one of them belongs in our family. I need to remind myself to proceed with...CAUTION! Cute does not necessarily mean compatible with the rest of our four-legged family. As much as I want another dog, I don't want to bring extra stress into our lives!

So what do YOU need to be more cautious about?  We shouldn't move through life afraid of our own shadows - but there's no need to permanently throw caution to the wind, either! Let me know where you need to proceed with caution - or where you just need to have your eyes wide open ;-)

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Anticipation...

Greetings, everyone! Today's word can have so many meanings, can't it? I instantly think of "looking forward to something." For example, I have been patiently awaiting installation of our new fence and landscaping and ... ta da! Here it is :-)  It's not as high as we would prefer (community restrictions), but we love the look of it, the openness of it, and the way it highlights the beautiful flowers...

On the other hand...we filled out doggie adoption papers on May 21, but it appears our anticipation is misguided. It seems the doggie we were trying to adopt may no longer be available. I really felt this was "the" one for us. I could actually picture her following me around the house. Alas, it was apparently not meant to be.

BUT, I am anticipating some really fun things coming up in my work in the next few months - one is the Servant Leadership workshop in Chicago in June for the ALA conference (sponsored by ASCLA). That will be jam-packed with great information to help the participants learn and grow in their leadership styles. I hope they're anticipating it as much as I am! And while I'm there, I'll be meeting up with some of my favorite clients - a very good reason to anticipate a visit to the Windy City!

And this week, I found out I'll be "touring" the state (Florida), conducting some mini-workshops on refreshing and renewing yourself at work. That should be lots of fun and I'm really looking forward to it. I've teased potential participants by hinting about a special surprise I'll have for them. Shhhhhhhhhhh, I can't tell anyone - then they wouldn't have as much to anticipate, would they?

Whether it's a special get-together over the summer with friends or family, a good book you've been looking forward to reading, trying out some new recipes on the grill, a new project you've been dying to delve into, or a relaxing vacation (that's coming in October!),anticipation is good for the soul.

What are you looking forward to? Think about it and drop me a note - I love hearing from you!

Blessings,

Linda

Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

www.LindasWorkshops.com

Serve!

Greetings everyone! Today's word is brought to you courtesy of one of my new workshops ;-)... "Servant Leadership."

Today's picture is brought to you by a good friend who kindly helped me celebrate my graduation by hosting a dinner for me. Yes, that is a "cupcake tower" and yes, those cupcakes were as good as they look (and really cute, too, in UF's orange and blue colors!). Sandy is the epitome of a great hostess - she has such a willingness to serve others and seems to thoroughly enjoy creating an "experience" for everyone - and as you can see, she is quite successful!

As I thought about today's word, I thought about how many different ways there are to serve - and how all of us can find our "serving" niche if we look around us. Perhaps you heard about the server at a Steak 'n' Shake this week who received a $446 tip. One of her regular customers witnessed other customers giving her a hard time, so the regular customer decided to make her day by leaving a huge (make that enormous!) tip. So...who was doing the real "serving" here? I think the customer actually served in a more memorable and meaningful way - not because of the amount she left, but because of the thought behind it. The server made the statement to an interviewer that "I didn't think I was worth $400, but apparently she does."  WOW.

Just think how each of US can serve others through our words and deeds - and it doesn't have to cost a cent. Yet we can make them feel so much better about their own worth. The next time you eat out - or go to a retail store - or a bank - or just about anywhere where someone is serving YOU, take notice of their name badge, look them in the eye, use their name, and comment on the good service (or pleasant smile or...). You will see a visible difference in the way they respond to you after that brief interaction.

Please don't take this to mean we are to be manipulative to get people to respond differently. That's not my intent at all. My intent is to help YOU see how you can serve in lots of different ways.

So...how can you serve this week?

• Look at a "server" as a human being?
• Pick up someone's mail while they're out of town?
• Take someone the extra serving of lasagna you prepared?
• Stop and wait while someone crosses in front of you?
• Let someone go ahead of you in the grocery line?
• Pick up something that has fallen onto the floor at the department store?
• Drop someone an email to let them know you are thinking of them?
• Pick up that old-fashioned phone and actually CALL them?  ;-)
• Do a family member's chore for them today?
• Offer to help a co-worker finish up a project?
• Blow the leaves off of your neighbor's front porch?
• Bring the newspaper from their driveway to their front door?

I know you'll find lots of ways to serve others this week - and I know you'll find that it brings a bit of sunshine into your day, too! Drop me a note and let me know what you come up with!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Knowledge

Hi everyone! You might think the title of this post relates to the picture (graduation day, April 14, 2013 - YIPPEEEE!!!) and I guess it could certainly pertain to that. I hope I gained some knowledge over these many months of school work, team meetings, and class time!

But the reason the word "knowledge" came to mind is that I spent some time with a friend yesterday who is a wealth of knowledge (actually, he has a lot of knowledge about wealth, too - he's a wealth management consultant! Alas, I have no need for his services, lol). Whenever I speak with him, we always get into some really interesting discussions and I walk away having learned something new - or at least affirming something I already have strong feelings about. Don't you love it when that happens??

Yesterday we talked about leadership. Since Bryan studies words, he mentioned that leader comes from "lea" = path and "der" = finder. So a leader is a pathfinder. How cool to know that what I've been telling people for years as my own opinion is also traceable back to the roots of the word "leader!"

Something I think people can miss, though, is that you don't have to have a corner office, a gaggle of employees, or a fancy-schmancy title to be a leader. You don't even have to have a job. People in all walks of life, at every level, and those who are not technically employed, can still be leaders.

You can lead people to have a good attitude - by exhibiting one yourself.

You can lead people to take a good look at their negativity by being the person who keeps a positive outlook on things.

You can lead people to act with integrity - because you set the example.

You can lead people to feel good about themselves by being an encourager.

You can lead others to be accountable for their own actions by not allowing them to make excuses for bad behavior.

So...you now have new knowledge of yourself as a leader. What will you do with this knowledge? How can you show your leadership in the next 30 days? Let me know!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

R-E-L-I-E-F!!

Relief! That's what I felt Sunday, April 14, as I walked across the stage at University Auditorium at the University of Florida in Gainesville to receive my Master of Business Administration degree (MBA). People kept saying, "Are you excited??" And of course, I was excited - but what I felt down to my very bones was relief :-)

The funky, not-very-pretty picture in this post is a calendar I made for myself last September when I really started doubting whether or not I could actually complete the program. I needed a way to "see the light at the end of the tunnel" before I could actually see that light. Every Monday morning, I took great pleasure in crossing off another week - you'll notice the lines of my "exes" were getting thicker as the weeks wore on...and on and on and on!

But it's over. And it made me think about how many things can drain our energy, our attention, even our fun and how relieved we are when we get "through" those things. Sometimes it's a financial hardship. Sometimes it's a health crisis...or a job situation...or a relationship problem...or a HUGE project that seems it will never end.

Whatever the tunnel is that you're going through, allow yourself to really feel the relief when you finally get to the other side. So many times we just jump right into another tunnel, but have you ever seen one of those tunnels through the mountains? Even when it's a pretty wide mountain, the engineers usually found a way to provide "light" between tunnels - a space where you could sort of get your bearings again before entering another tunnel.

That's what we all need to make sure we do between "tunnels" in our lives - take some time to get our bearings - to reflect on how we grew because of our trip through that tunnel. And take a deep breath before we immediately jump into another.

I know that "life" happens and we can't always control the speed at which we arrive at the next tunnel. Maybe we don't get that short break where we can see the light. Maybe those are the times we have to make our own "light" and focus on the good. That may be a flower, a sunny sky, a furry friend nearby, or even the dime you found in the parking lot!

Focusing on the small "shafts of light" that come our way can also remind us to really feel the relief when the tunnel finally comes to an end.

Drop me a note and let me know what your tunnel is right now...are you approaching the end? Can you see some rays of light filtering through?

Blessings,

Linda

www.LindasWorkshops.com

Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Ah....bliss!



True Bliss for Murphy

 Yeah, I know Christmas was awhile ago :-), but when I thought of the word I wanted to write about this week, this picture is what came to mind!

Bliss...we know it when we feel it, but most of us would be hard-pressed to actually describe it.The first definition listed at www.m-w.com (Merriam-Webster dictionary online) is "complete happiness." Yes, that'll do!


And I think Murphy is a pretty good representation of that in this picture, don't you? Actually, I felt bliss when I saw him so comfortable in front of the fireplace with the twinkling lights of the tree beside him - our favorite violin "soaking" music playing in the background (www.ruthfazal.com) and a fragrant cup of Keurig coffee beside me.  Ahhhhh...

You might wonder why I picked a word not used in our everyday language - at least not in mine. A client requested a mini-workshop titled "Find Your Bliss at Work" and I thought that was a great topic - and a challenging one to boot. So I added a word to the title and it's now called "Find Your Bliss at Work ~ Really!" It's full of thought-provoking tips and questions encouraging the participants to ponder what really makes them happy. I love helping people ponder those kinds of things!

I am fortunate to find bliss in my work - most days. I am privileged to help other people "sort things out" - whether that has to do with leadership, personalities, emotional intelligence, balance in their lives, or any one of many other topics. When I see the proverbial light bulb go on for them, I can honestly say I feel bliss.

So...what brings you bliss? What makes you happy? Often it's not about money, things, status, power, or jobs. It may be a feeling you get when you spend time with a good friend. It may be the fleeting moment when you take a sip of your favorite coffee - or when you watch the kids playing or the dog galloping across the yard. It may even be when you're learning and growing - or helping something else grow by digging in your garden.

Whatever brings you bliss, take time this week to consciously remember it. Think how it makes you feel. Reflect on how you might bring more of it into your life. And drop me a note to let me know what came to mind!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com

Disappointment...

I love the stunningly beautiful blooms that the passion flower creates. I don't, however, love the way the plant invades the entire space on my patio. Last week, I was disappointed to have to cut it down - all of it, or so I thought. I needed to clean up the fence area so that, if we ever find someone who wants the job (another story!), the fence will be ready to tear down. However, my disappointment was lessened when I noticed the beginnings of new sprouts in a non-fence area of the patio. Now if I can just discipline myself to keep it cut back so it doesn't have to go through such a traumatic operation next time!

And speaking of disappointment, a few weeks ago I applied for a residency at a writer's retreat in NC. Last night, I received word that I was not chosen out of the 250+ people who applied for this year's coveted spots. To say I was disappointed is putting it mildly. My "recovery time" from the disappointment that email created was a little longer than I care to admit. But I HAVE recovered - less than 24 hours later. For some reason, I was not supposed to take that week out of my schedule this year. Perhaps someone needs me for training during that time - or maybe my family will just need a little extra attention. There's also the very real possibility that those who did secure a residency spot needed it more than I did. Whatever the reason, I know that the disappointment I felt last night can be replaced by a forward-looking perspective.

You all know me - I'm the eternal optimist. I do believe that something better will come along - whatever "better" looks like at that point in time. Here's the key - it's my decision to decide that whatever DOES come along looks better!

What about you? What disappointments have you faced lately? Most of us are exposed to occasional disappointments and it might be helpful to face them head on - then decide what we're going to do about it. Will we find the "better" or the "bitter?" It's up to US!

And by the way...I'll be applying again this summer for next year's residency!

Blessings,
Linda
www.LindasWorkshops.com
Linda@LindasWorkshops.com