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Fearing or Forging the Path Forward?

Fearing or Forging the Path Forward?

by | May 7, 2020 | Leadership, Management

I finished my chicken coop and have just a few details to wrap up before I bring the chickens home to roost (I’ve been waiting my whole life to say that). But surprisingly, behind these details has been some fear, almost paralyzing enough to keep me from finishing the job. Can I handle the added responsibility of caring for chickens? How will my daily routine change? What if I do something that causes a chicken to die?   

I spoke with a good friend who’s a chicken owner, and she reassured me that the benefits of owning chickens far outweigh my fears. Yes, I will have to adapt my daily routine. And chickens do die – sometimes of natural causes. But, in the end, the experience is a lot of fun! 

I wonder how many of us are facing this same kind of fear right now. Fear of not knowing what our post-COVID life might look like. Fear about keeping our families safe. Fear about the future of our businesses.  

I’ve spent time reflecting on some of my fears. And I’ve learned that nothing worthwhile is ever accomplished without some fear and uncertainty.  Have you ever been through an event that caused you to change, either by choice or by circumstance? Did this event bring about a worthwhile outcome?

The Chinese word for change is made up of two symbols – Danger and Opportunity. If we know that our current reality is going to change, then we have a choice to look ahead with a positive mindset. And given the choice, I choose to see this uncertain future as an opportunity for growth.

There are countless examples of how people and businesses are adapting to this new world – distilleries making hand sanitizer, Ford making ventilators, Subway delivering groceries. There are many opportunities for you and your business to pivot toward a new reality. In order to do that, you need to adjust your mindset to see beyond where you are and focus on where you could be.  

If you are struggling to find where you fit in this uncertain future, please reach out to me. Together we can get you and your mindset focused on a future full of opportunity. 

April Showers Bring May Growth

April Showers Bring May Growth

by | Apr 30, 2020 | Leadership

As April comes to a close, I thought I’d share some of what I have learned in the course of the month. This month was so long, it seems I should have a lot of wisdom to impart. But, what I do know is what I have learned this month has allowed me to grow into a stronger version of myself.

  1. We always have an opportunity to develop new skills, whether it’s how to conduct a webinar or how to build a chicken coop.  
  2. Disciplined daily habits are the key to success.  
  3. Teachers are a critical part of our society. They have a skill set that I believe every parent has learned to value. 
  4. The greatest gift of humanity we can give is looking beyond ourselves and caring for people around us. This is especially true when we are struggling internally.
  5. I truly value the connections I have with other individuals. Finding new ways to connect has been challenging but rewarding.
  6. I’m so thankful for the people who have continued to work with the public even during this time. This includes the gas attendants, grocery store workers, nurses, doctors, delivery drivers and all other essential business workers.  
  7. Hearing a different perspective can help me grow and expand.  
  8. The best solution to a problem may end up being your third solution. Don’t give up when you get the first idea – keep brainstorming until you get two more. You may be surprised at how much better your final solution will be if you keep working through a few more options. 
  9. Take time to enjoy every moment. Joy comes from embracing the small things – not just celebrating the big ones.
  10. Don’t let fear hold you back. There are lots of great opportunities waiting if you give yourself permission to fail.

The great news is that the chicken coop is done. I just need to build in some protection for my chickens and then bring them to their new home!

Enjoying the Small Moments

Enjoying the Small Moments

by | Apr 24, 2020 | Management

If you are like me, this quarantine has lost its novelty.  I’m ready to go hiking, have another person cook a meal, and hug someone other than my husband (though I do like hugging him).  But I know that we are not quite at a point where we can resume our normal activities.  This has forced me to work through my frustration with the situation while striving to make the most of it.  

 Every morning, after I finish my workout, I take the dogs for a walk and throw the ball.  Actually, I’m throwing the ball for Marlee, while JacX is biting Marlee’s collar trying to slow him down. In February (before the yearlong March), we had JacX spayed.  This required us to keep her on a leash during these morning walks.  She didn’t like it. Being on-leash meant she had to watch as her brother chased after the ball.  But she did make the most of it by grabbing the ball when he dropped it in front of me. She’s adroit enough to get him to chase her, even though she’s on a six-foot leash.  Her hair up, loving the chase, she dashed behind me and dodged away from Marlee. Marlee, for his part, quickly tired of the game and resorted to staring at me to get the ball back for him. I, however, found this whole exchange very amusing! 

We can either act like Marlee or like JacX.  Marlee – asking someone else to correct the situation – or JacX, making up a game that she can still play!

Our lives are often marked by the big moments – weddings, birth of a child, holidays – but what I think makes life more meaningful is enjoying the small moments. 

I challenge you to find joy in the situation in front of you. Borrowing from Gary Larson’s cow philosophy, “As you travel life’s highway, don’t forget to stop and eat the roses.”

A Lesson on Resilience from a Puppy

A Lesson on Resilience from a Puppy

by | Apr 20, 2020 | Leadership

As you may know, I am in the process of building a chicken coop. This is one of my two goals during the April quarantine. The other goal is to help as many people as possible which has been progressing as well.
 
When I’m out in my woodworking shop, the dogs are typically with me. I have two red fox Labradors: a 6-year-old and an 11-month-old.
 
JacX, our 11-month-old, likes to find things to chew on. Yesterday, it was a piece of scrap wood, which I took away from her. A few minutes later, she found a piece of Styrofoam to chew. I asked her to come and she brought it over to me and without hesitation dropped it in my hand.  After that, she came from the yard with a stick, which she lay down on the patio to chew. I again asked her to bring it to me and I put it out of reach. I then gave her a rawhide and she headed off to chew that. 
 
I think we can take a lesson from JacX. A lot of us have been confined to our houses. First the shops closed, then the restaurants, and now even the parks are closed. Each time, we had to make a choice to find something else to do with our time. The replacement activities may not be our first choice, but we can look at this as an opportunity to find something new to experience. 
 
Our lives will go back to some sort of “normal” eventually. But right now, we need to use this time to develop new skills, explore new interests, or embrace those around us.
 
And if all else fails, we can curl up in the sun and take a nap.
Tips on How to Make the Most of this Situation

Tips on How to Make the Most of this Situation

by | Mar 26, 2020 | Leadership, Uncategorized

The past week was consumed with planning for either working remotely or adopting social distancing guidelines for businesses that remained open. But, this week has been a little different as the planning phase has been completed and now it is time to execute the plan. And, if you are like me, you have a little more unstructured time on your hands. So, the question is – how do we make the most of this time?

Last fall, after returning from a journey on the Camino Frances, I spent a lot of time learning how to be more intentional – with my time and my focus. Through this, I developed some great tools that I use every day, week and month to keep me focused on the right things. I think these tools are very helpful, especially as we face our current situation. At the bottom of this post are links to those articles.

If you want to skip through reading the posts and go right to execution, I have compiled all of them into a single presentation that I can review with your or your team. All you need to do is send me an email, or call me (360-975-8110) and we can get an on-line meeting scheduled.

We will get through this time! And we might as well make the most of it! It definitely beats binge watching Game of Thrones, baking cookies (I mean, where did all those flour hoarding bakers come from?) or playing drinking games every time someone on TV says COVID-19.

Stay healthy! Be Productive!

Goal Setting Process
Weekly Planning Process
Time Management Tips
Managing Emails