Happy 2012!
Wow, it's January. Time flies when you are having fun, and sadly as a result, I missed putting out my December newsletter. I did win "The Queen of Procrastination" award last month... and as I prep for my annual Christmas in January party, I would like to thank the voters. 
During this holiday season, I have been thinking a lot about a story I heard this past summer. After I spoke at a conference in San Diego, at a women shared this with me and it had quite an impact.
She was working for a major retail chain, traveling to different cities and opening stores. After moving to Florida she once again didn't know anyone. So she went to a retirement home that was down the street from her place and told them that she would like to spend some time every week visiting those who hadn't had visitors in a long time. They said they had a lot of those. Well, how about people who hadn't had a visitor in over a year? She assumed that would be a small number that she would be able to commit to.
There were over 50. The good news is eventually the woman quit the retail store and now makes her living in long-term care. The sad news is there are so many people out there who could use our help and compassion, yet many of us don't take the time.
I hope that this year we can be kinder. Pretty simple actually.
Keep smiling,
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Shape Sept 2011
Rest Easy: Pillow Talk The secret to a good night's sleep might be right under your head. The correct pillow helps your body maintain a natural comfortable position, allowing for a more relaxing, deeper slumber, says Dr. Lisa Shives, founder of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Chicago. Still, many of use a "dead" pillow - one that's lost its springiness due to wear and tear. The test, when folded in half, a down pillow should slowly regain its normal shape; synthetic versions should bounce back quickly. To get the support you need, replace pillows at least once a year. Growth Potential No matter how important the project that just landed on your desk is, chances are you're still tempted to see what trending on Twitter. Improve your focus by adding some greenery to your space. New research from Norway found that having potted plants around - leafy or flowering varieties - increases concentration. Is your thumb more brown than green? Opt for a low-maintenance cactus or philodendron; neither will mind if you occasionally get distracted. |
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The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.
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Harvard Business Review
4 Steps to Delivering Helpful Feedback
Feedback is problematic. Managers often dislike giving it and direct reports rarely get enough to change their behaviors. But feedback, both positive and negative, is an important tool for learning and career growth. Next time you have to talk with someone about their performance, follow these four steps:
* Be specific. Feedback needs to be actionable. Use concrete examples to back up your conclusions. Avoid generalized character attacks. Instead, describe the behavior.
* State the impact. Tell the person how his behavior is affecting you, the team, or the organization.
* Prescribe. Be specific about what needs to change. Often employees won't know what to change unless you tell them.
* Do it often. Get in the habit of praising good performance and identifying troublesome behavior.
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Quotes
We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Ralph Waldo Emerson  There is always, always, always something to be thankful for. 
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Facebook Fix
Health October 2011
Ever spend an hour clicking through your pal's (awkward) vacation pics? To stay connected without getting caught in the Facebook time-suck, install Stay Focused, and extension of the web browser Google Chrome, or an app called Freedom (macfreedom.com). The former blocks you from a site once you've exceeded a set time limit, and the latter locks you out of the internet until a certain time is up.
However, that being said....Don't forget to "like" our Facebook fan page.
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Breathe Easy
Prevention 12-11
We've all been told to take a deep breath." Andrew Weil, MD, recommends we take that one step further with this exercise: "4-7-8 breath." "Doing this daily will induce a feeling of serenity," says Dr. Weil. "Over time, it'll give you greater emotional resilience - especially in hard moments."
1 Rest the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, behind your top teeth.
2 Exhale completely through your mouth, with your lips slightly pursed to make a whoosh sound.
3 Close your mouth and inhale deeply and slowly through your nose to a silent count of 4.
4 Keep your mouth closed and gently retain your breath for a silent count of 7.
5 Exhale slowly through your open mouth for a count of 8, making the same whoosh sound.
6 Repeat steps, 3, 4 and 5 for a total of four breaths. Perform this twice daily for optimal results.
A Jean side-note: This is a GREAT 3am activity when you wake up and cannot stop your mind from running wild. I fall asleep every time.
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Staying Healthy & Happy
Prevention October 2011
A study from the Buck Center for Research in Aging gives new meaning to the term "helper's high." It turns out that doing good for others doesn't just make you feel altruistic. Service just might help keep you alive. Study subjects who volunteered the most slashed their overall mortality by 44%.
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Have a free afternoon? Don't schedule anything. Researchers at John Hopkins used an MRI to study the brains of jazz musicians and found that improvisation - the essence of spontaneity - activated the part of the brain associated with the highly creative "flow" state. The researchers believe that everyday spontaneity can help you find creative solutions and new ideas in all aspects of your life and can make your life and can make you more productive too. So take your chances. What happens during that free afternoon may pleasantly surprise you. * * * *
New research reveals that the benefits of learning to play an instrument persist long after those dreaded childhood practices - and might even fend off Alzheimer's. Amateur musicians have better memory and verbal skills as they age than their nonmusical counterparts. Shape magazines continues with the findings of the study stating that those who do creative activities have lower levels of anxiety and depression than those who steer clear of unleashing their inner artist. |
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