The start of the new year brings new energy to cleaning up. We pack away holiday decorations and aspire to get rid of the clutter. When the word clutter is used, we automatically think about environmental clutter. A messy kitchen. An overflowing closet where we can’t...
Self Awareness
Word of the Year
Yesterday, I provided some highlights from my 2023 word of the year. There were some questions at the end to prompt you to consider your own word for 2024. That might have got you thinking. You might also have wondered where to start. There is no “right” process, but...
Vision for 2024
The last two weeks, the posts have covered the 8 dimensions of wellbeing – physical, emotional, occupational, financial, intellectual, social, spiritual, and environmental. For those who want to dive deeper, a 63-page workbook is available. After doing a reflection on...
One Shade Greener – A Philosophy
In 2010, I founded One Shade Greener. A company focused on the was environment. Change habits one by one to lighten our impact on the earth. Each step moving us One Shade Greener. That was 13 years ago. Today, the mission and philosophy still stand. Yet, my...
Spiritual Wellbeing
The eighth and final wellbeing dimension in our series is Spiritual Wellbeing. Our spiritual wellbeing is the connection to our soul. Sometimes there are questions between emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Emotional wellbeing relates to how we feel when interacting...
Environmental Wellbeing
Our surroundings have a profound impact on our mental and physical health. Today, we explore the seventh dimension of wellbeing - environmental. The world we live in is a delicate balance of interconnected ecosystems. From the air we breathe, to the water we drink, to...
Emotional Wellbeing
Today, we are covering the sixth dimension of wellbeing – emotional. Our emotional wellbeing can be impacted by all the other wellbeing dimensions. We can feel stress from work. Joy from an intellectual hobby. Frustration with a relationship. Peace from a spiritual...
Social Wellbeing
Today, we will cover the fifth dimension of wellbeing – Social. Social wellbeing focuses on the relationships in our life. Family. Friends. Coworkers. Volunteer Teams. Book Clubs. Neighborhood Groups. Online Communities. The connection we have to others has a...
Financial Wellbeing
Today, we will cover the 3rd dimension of wellbeing – Financial. Our financial wellbeing is tied tightly to our occupational wellbeing. The status of our finances can also impact all the other dimensions positively or negatively. The goal is to reach a sustainable...
Occupational Wellbeing
Our work is an integral part of our daily lives. The career choices we make shape our attitude and impact our overall wellbeing. Over time, many of us can find ourselves in a job not quite sure how we got there. Today we explore the second dimension of wellbeing -...
The Busy Barrier
While I don’t know where I saw the quote below, it got me thinking. “Busy-ness is not the engine of production. It can, in many cases, instead be the obstacle to accomplishing your best work.” - Cal Newport Busy does not equal productive. Busy is the obstacle. The...
Do Obligations Hold Us Back?
There was a Twyla Tharp quote that caught my attention the other day. “Obligation is a flimsy base for creativity, way down the list behind passion, courage, instinct, and the desire to do something great.” Twyla Tharp This is such an interesting perspective on...
Ideas or Projects
I heard a podcast where the interviewee said we are predisposed to either ideas or action. When the time comes for change, we naturally lean towards one or the other. We are either the ones who LOVE ideating and considering the possibilities. Or we are the ones who...
Recognizing a “Hot Mess”
In an episode of Organize365, Jacqui Ioli was a guest. She and Lisa discussed the “Hot Mess theory”. This was a concept Jacqui had developed while supervising outpatient nurses. There were four situations that led to the Hot Mess: Overwork – This occurs when there is...
Avoiding Drift
We all have dreams for our life. Things we want to do someday. Often, we even set on a course to achieve those dreams. Then, life sets in. Drift happens. We lose control of our direction. We end up in places we never intended. “Drift is the decision you make by not...
Grateful
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. A time to be grateful for the bounty of harvest. A time to be grateful for everything in our lives. A time to reflect and remember. A time to celebrate. My Perspective Looking back at my year, here are a few things I’m...
What is Your 20%
We have all likely heard of the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule. This rule states that for many situations roughly 80% of the consequences come from 20% of the causes. My Perspective Thinking about this through the lens of our work, I believe there are at least two...
Love the Cracks
Have you heard of Kintsugi? This is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum powder. Instead of disguising the cracks, Kintsugi highlights and enhances them. A new, more beautiful piece of pottery with a...
What’s the Vibe
The other day, a comment on TV caught my attention. Lil Jon, the rapper, was talking about feng shui. Seeming out of character, my ears perked up. His next comment was “every home has a vibe”. Apparently, I’ve been out of the loop as his HGTV show now has two seasons!...
Personal Planning Day
Work is full of planning and goal setting. Annual business plans. Monthly plans to meet sales goals. Weekly planning meetings. Daily to-do lists that tie to those goals and plans. Yet, we don’t typically have that same type of planning for our career and our life...
Lilies and Leeches
I listened to a recent interview with author, psychiatrist, and ADHD expert Dr. Ned Hallowell. In this interview, he talked about the concept of lilies and leeches. Leeches are the things in your life that waste your time and attention. In contrast, the...