Junk Food Thoughts

Did you make a resolution this year? As I understand from my fitness buddies, many of us who make a New Year's resolution start to waiver as early as the third week of January. Geez, that doesn't say much for our willpower, does it? So, okay - maybe I'm one of those who waiver, too. I declared that the year of 2012 would be the year I say no, more often, to sugary foods. I swear, the minute I said that outloud I wanted anything sweet so much more than I did the day before.

Now that it is coming up on February, I'm evaluating this resolution. Was it the wrong thing to consider? Too hard to accomplish? Not necessary? Nope, none of the above. I think at the very time I made the resolution, I simultaneously filled my head with junk food thoughts that said I would never make it happen.

I firmly believe that we allow way too much junk food into our thinking. We under estimate the power of our mind - both the positive and negative abilities. Too many times I can hear myself thinking, "well, it can't hurt ... right?" But that is the wrong question to ask! We need to ask, "how can it help?"

How does it help me to watch crappy television? Read negative news blogs? Chime in the demeaning gossip of the day? Pick up an "entertainment" magazine? I mean really, what do any of those have to offer that will actually help me personally or professionally?

So, along with a rededication to reducing my sugar calories, I am also determined to reorient what I allow in my brain. Are you with me?

Test Your Rest

I love chiming in on the blogposts over at Dempsey Marketing. Check them out, http://dempseymarketing.com/journal/. You'll find the site full of great tools, posts, and videos. A bit ago, a few of us chatted about sleep. How much sleep we'd like to have, how much we were getting, how sleep has changed for us over the years, all that and more. Yes, most of us agreed, sleep is a beautiful thing.

As I was breezing through the latest edition of Upsize Minnesota magazine, and enjoying the story of Lisa Bollin, CEO of Cowgirl Tuff, the Upsize business builder of the year, I zeroed in on the sleeve of her Cowgirl Tuff jacket where it says, "Never Give Up." One of the sentiments that Lisa shares is, "If you're going to do it, do it the best you possibly can or don't do it all." That thought collided with the ideas about sleep and got me to consider how my "rest" assists my business endeavors, or not.

I'm wondering if a good "test of my rest," is how effective and efficient I am being in giving my best to my business. If the quality and/or quantity of my rest is enhanced, would my work efforts also increase?

We hear alot of opinion about allowing our bodies to rest, both how and why to do it. The how for me is going to include shutting the TV completely off for one week. The idea is to disengage from the distraction that TV can offer to redirect my brain elsewhere. I suspect I will either sleep better because the noise has reduced. Or, I'll just get more done because my brain will want to move and the TV won't be in the way.

How about you? What are the distractions that may be getting in the way of your best rest?

Is Writing Your Business Plan Distracting You?

I like this Fast Company article that pops up 9 questions that nag at those who are in the midst of a start up venture. It's sort of refreshing to know that I'm not the only one out there thinking some of these things for myself, let alone having others share such thoughts with me, too.

I must be clear, though. I've had very little resistence from anyone close to me about launching in a new direction. Mostly, folks are just plain supportive and their encouragement fuels me along. But I do find that I ask myself these questions and wonder, "what do other think about this?" So, I'm sharing this article to ask y'all.

The question of most interest to me is the one about writing a business plan. I know there are some reasons why a start up just absolutely has to have some sort planning document - especially if they are out there seeking financing. I'm lucky. My solo professional endeavor only requires the financing of me and my husband. I'm extremely fortunate that he is my number one advocate, so I score 10 out or 10 on that one.

What I really like about the article's comments on this issue of whether or not to write a business plan is how the writing of it can become a distraction from actually doing much to get the business off the ground. We could spend oodles of time drafting the plan when, in the end, our venture veers off in another direction entirely. What good have we accomplished then?

It is scary to jump into something new and starting up a new business venture is right up there with "holy crap, what am I doing?" Are you letting the business plan distract you? I'm not, but I'm reminded that there are plenty of other distractions so I best take heed to stay my own course!

http://www.fastcompany.com/9-nagging-questions-to-tune-out-when-launching-a-startup

Solo Professional Doesn't Mean Single

I have recently been trying out a new introductory statement for myself. "Hi, I'm Barb a solo professional ..." I sort of like the idea of having "credit," if you will, as a professional even though I'm not part of a formal organization or large group. But, wait a minute. Actually, I am part of a large group. And that includes all of you!

One of the best things about launching in a new direction, (for me that equates to growing a reputation as a public speaker), is we get to create new connections and build broader communities. Given the technology tools at our disposable, that is so much easier today than it used to be. The resources are plentiful, but we do have to reach out to grab them and then make good use of them. And in this blog, I want to encourage you to stretch your arm in this direction.

This past week I've been geared toward understanding the next step of using social media technology to create new networks and to combine old networks into the new. This feels sort of like going to a junior highschool dance. You know the scene. Where the boys are all on one side, the girls on the other side. As the night progresses, somebody finally gets brave enough to ask someone of the opposite gender to dance. And, bingo! The spell is broken and pretty soon a few more people are connecting.

That's what my last few weeks have felt like. Watching the "other side," and trying to figure out when its safe to jump in. Here's the deal - it's already safe, just summon up the courage and jump! There are many others in this pool swimming around and they are so great about  helping us out. Skype is now my ally, no longer foreign. Connecting Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn is totally doable. Using Evernote to capture notes and ideas is readily accessible on my IPhone, IPad, or laptop - one tool, three devices! Gotta love it.

For sure, there are those of you out there reading this with a smile on your face probably thinking, "yeah, it's about time, Barb." But you are also gracious enough to encourage me along the way. Bringing me back to my original musing - I am a solo professional but not flying solo at all. Thanks, all!

Resolution - for the New Year or for Life?

I heard a good definition of resolution today, "firmness of purpose." I like that because it reminded me that our intention in setting a goal or a target is so critical to the progress we make toward the goal. I decided to make a life resolution, rather than a resolution for just this year of 2012. Actually, I decided to make two life resolutions. The first, eat less suger. My intention? Just to feel better. Since I'd like to feel better for more than just this year alone, seems like a good idea for me to extend this for say, my whole life? Yes, I think so. I have a wonderful second cousin, Sally, who decided to give up chocolate for lent one year. Once the season passed, she thought to herself, "I wonder if I could stretch this out for a year?" And, she did. For that entire year and for the next 10 years! Yes, it's been 10 years since she has indulged in chocolate. Now that is what I call leading by example and she inspired me in the process. My second life resolution, be more grateful. In general, most folks would say that I am grateful. But there are so many ways in which I could extend gratefulness. So, I'm going to be intentional to be more like Sally in life resolution. I'm going to be grateful for lots of things large and small. This is well within my grasp, I just need stay aware and be keenly observant of what's happening around me. How about you - will it be a goal for the new year? Or a goal for life?

Rush Hour Leadership: Rest

Without fail, nearly every time I listen to a Sunday sermon, I feel like I want to hit the "pause" button on the pastor's comments. Reason being? My brain connects a bullet point in the message to effective leadership. Sometimes it is not even a key point, but either way, the comment offered is impactful when considered from the lens of effective leadership. Today's message centered on the need for rest. That due to our "rush hour" life we disallow rest as an important factor in our personal productivity. Without citing research, we instinctively know that we are better at our jobs when sufficient rest takes place. This is apparent in those times where organizations mandate overtime to meet increasing demand. We want to think that 10 hour days will, in the end, actually equal 2 additional hours of production. When, in fact, a decline in production ends up being the case after a period of overtime. When we get tired, we just can't move at the same pace. Here is the leadership part I want you hear ... as "leader," you set the example! This is hardly anything new to you. And yet, we don't see leaders modeling the behavior they intellectually know will result in greater contributions to the company. Let me share some tips based on the sermon today. Take stock in them and try them out. And then let me know how you're doing when you are more fully rested. 1. Divert daily, withdraw weekly. When you divert daily to feed yourself, divert your thoughts and give yourself a brain break as well as a physical break. Withdraw for a designated period of time (at least 2 hours)once each week. During your short, weekly sabbatical: * Do nothing practical. Yes, you read this correctly - do NOTHING practical. Let the tasks sit. This is your time to mentally rest. Take the brain break seriously by shutting off your technology. * Reflect on what needs to be put in the "not now I'm resting" box. For instance, you appreciate hearing from your people, just not during this window of time. * Grab a piece of paper and pen. Jot down a list of what you are doing to nurture your connection to those who matter most to you, especially your God. * Kick evil thoughts to the gutter. If you find yourself floating in the sea of negativity, swim over to a trusted colleague for a splash of optimism. Prayer can work wonders in this spot. Decide to find, for yourself, a rhythm of rest. When you do, you may also find that beating the drum of life becomes easier, smoother, and more enjoyable.

60 Leadership Seconds

Have you ever thought of your leadership journey in terms of seconds? I admit, I have done a bundle of reflection, over the years, about my own leadership journey, but never quite at this level of "seconds."

Here's where the thought got started for me. I saw a blogpost, today, from an interesting guy named Erik Qualman. He is the founder of Socialnomics. (check out the website, very interesting stuff). http://www.socialnomics.net/

One of Erik's quick posts revealed that every 60 seconds, 370,000 people Skype. Isn't that incredible?! 370,000 people in just 60 seconds reaching out to "touch" each other through this medium. There is absolutely no way I can lead myself without considering this fact. Communicating with each other has been changed forever, due to the technology we have widely available. To ignore such a powerful communication vehicle would be darn right stupid.

I'm jumping on the wagon, I do not want to be left out of the loop. Want to ride with me?