(Time Period: Two days after moving my parents to Arizona, in a relative early phase of Mom’s progression with Alzheimer’s.)
It was 10:00 p.m. Dad was downstairs watching TV and Jess and I had just gotten into bed. Light from the guest bathroom down the hall was streaming through the small window above our bedroom door. Mom was getting ready for bed but it had been a while and Jess suggested that I check on her. Read more
About six months ago, I was talking with three of my coach friends from Connecticut. We’ve been “meeting virtually” on a monthly basis for many years and long before Zoom existed. I was in the midst of giving an update on a project that, for a variety of reasons, was taking longer than expected. I was very eager to have it done, however on that day, a more patient me provided this report:
“As I work on what’s necessary, I’m beginning to see what’s possible.”
As I work on:
what must be done first but I wish were done already,
what isn’t always that exciting to do,
what has some tedious components,
and what I thought would be done by now,
I’m beginning to see:
more than I could have imagined before I did this piece of work,
more than I thought would be possible,
something that is different,
and better than I originally planned.
It takes an act of will to work on the things that are most important to you, especially when they’re not urgent. (Remember Stephen Covey’s quadrant?) Read more
In the last issue entitled: How to Get Yourself Off the Dime, I described a motivational technique that I call: Declare It a Project. I advised against making the project too complicated, big or scary because there’s nothing like overwhelm to quash your motivation. Scoping the project that way will only feed the procrastinator in you with the ready-made excuse: I have no time for that big honkin’ project. But what if the project is overwhelming or guaranteed to be time-consuming? How do you get yourself ready to take it on? That’s where staging comes in. Read more
Today I’d like to share one of my techniques for managing overwhelm. You can use this on any given day as well as for long-range planning. Applying the metaphor of a movie camera, it goes like this: When multiple or conflicting priorities make it hard to know where to start, first, go for the wide shot. In movie lingo it’s also known as the long shot: “a camera shot taken at a relatively great distance from the subject and permitting a broad view of the scene.”¹ Read more
New studies continue to come out with findings that show the specific effects stress has on our physical health: increasing the risk of heart attack, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. There’s some encouraging news, too, however, which suggests that health outcomes can be significantly improved by altering the way we deal with stress.¹ Read more
Mariana is one of the wonderful companions who took care of my mother the month after my father passed away. Having lived most of her life in Romania, she learned English fairly quickly “on the job” over the last few years. Her distinctive accent punctuates her personality and wraps around you warmly like one of her grandmotherly hugs. While reassuring my mother one day, she said — and you’ll have to use your imagination to hear the accent — “Don’t make worry.” Read more
“Being wealthy is not about having money. It’s about having options.” That’s what Chris Rock told Oprah Winfrey in a recent interview. Commenting on his foray into live theatre, Chris framed it as part of his overall desire to try new things. “I should take complete advantage of the buffet that life is.” Speaking passionately he explained why it’s important to try new things, because then at least you will know: “You don’t like it because you tried it, not because you dismissed it.” Read more
Our work together was abruptly interrupted by the earthquake that struck her country on January 12. Knowing someone who lives in Haiti made the news headlines all the more real. I was relieved and grateful the day I received her email letting me know she was okay. After taking a few months to regroup, Vanessa was ready to resume coaching. On our first call, she explained that her neighborhood in Port-au-Prince had been spared, her home was intact, and the office where she works was still operational. Read more
December is both a wonderful and stressful month in one. At work, there is that last push to produce before the year ends and the same is true at home, where we scurry around in holiday activity. So that you don’t fall victim to a race-to-the-finish-line mentality where everything goes by in a blur, here is a simple technique you can use to have more peace and calm. Read more