|
|
| Happy People Win Newsletter |
Volume 7, Issue4
April 2013
| |
| NOTE: if you are using Outlook to view this and it has strange spaces, please click on "click here to view it in Web browser" at the top and it will look as it was intended to look. ☺ Thanks!! |
| |
|
The Simplicity of A Thank You
I have been thinking a lot this month about what perhaps might be called, the lost art of thank you. As I write this, I am looking a bouquet of lovely lilies that my friends Sara and Chris sent me after they stayed at my house for the weekend. They accompanied a lovely note about our friendship.
So why is it that some people thank and others don't? Do they feel entitled? Not grateful? Just don't think about it? I cherish and appreciate every thank you I get. Whether it is a bouquet or a note on Facebook saying they enjoyed my presentation. I feel valued.
I train for companies that value their employees. If they didn't care, they wouldn't hire me. I heard two stories this month that made me laugh and groan at the same time. One was a woman whose husband has worked for years at an internationally famous chocolate company. He was called into his bosses office one afternoon where his boss made a rather big production out of a gift she had gotten him to thank him for his service. She handed him a bag with the name of the company on it. Empty. She had just returned from a work conference and he figured she got it there, free. Her "thoughtful" gesture backfired (I write in quotes since I don't know her motivation and it did not seem sincere to either of us). He said he would have rather just had a heartfelt thank you.
The second instance was a hospital who called me asking if I would speak for them during nurse's week. They decided to have me come speak since none of the nurses were at all happy with their gift the prior year: a cutting board with the company logo on it. What? Really? How random is that? Instead the nurses want to be appreciated and motivated.
To quote an article "The Joy of Being Valued" in Forbes magazine: "It's widely accepted in the business world that an employee's relationship with his or her direct manager is the single most important factor in employee engagement. It can be a difference maker, at times allowing employees to accept lower compensation, or longer hours, or the inevitable frustrations that accompany difficult tasks... than they otherwise might have... because they feel their efforts are recognized and appreciated. If you value an employee, let him or her know it. If you don't make that explicitly clear from time to time, they may well not realize it, even if you think they do."
"Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it."
- Ralph Marston
Have a fabulous month! And THANK YOU for being a loyal reader. ☺
| | |
It's back!
We are excited to announce another women's conference held on the beautiful central coast. Come with your girlfriends, sisters, daughters and co-workers for a day about YOU. "Women Who Run Wild"
~ A Day Empowering, Celebrating, Learning and Laughing With Fabulous Women ~ an all-day event, will be held June 1, 2013 in Santa Maria, California at the Historic Santa Maria Inn. Presenters: Jean Steel and Betsy Hays
Topics:
- Running Wild - Living Your Best Life!
- Being Assertive - Say it Loud, Say it Clear
- Negotiation and the Gender Divide - Women Don't Ask But Need To
- The Magic of 75/25 - How To Work Less To Achieve Your Goals
- Wiggle Room & Celebration - Finding White Space & Mastering the Art of Celebration
Click for Conference Flyer
Register
|
|
| |
|
|
 A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean; she doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap." Her husband looks on, remaining silent. Every time her neighbor hangs her wash to dry, the young woman makes the same comments. A month later, the woman is surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and says to her husband: "Look, she's finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?" The husband replies, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows." And so it is with life... What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.
|
| |
I did it!! (kinda)
Wait, there is such a thing as too many plastic food storage containers? Of coffee mugs? What if I need all those napkins crammed in my glove compartment? Really, you don't need to keep every book you have ever bought? Is there REALLY such a thing as an empty in-box?
I learned a lot this month during KMD Organizing's March into Organization - receiving a 10-minute organizing task every day for the month. I realize that although I did quite a bit, I need another month to truly March into Organization. And I probably shouldn't wait until March 2014.
My biggest ah-ha moments:
- Realizing that I buy things I don't need. Did you just gasp? I know, I really do it. I HATE that I have clothes with tags on them. And some of them are years old. So I need to examine that and develop a policy around shopping.
- I also realized that once I get started getting rid of stuff, it feels GOOD. Really good.
- I realize I keep stuff thinking one day I will meet someone who needs this. What is THAT about? Rhetorical question, don't answer.
Keri is going to do the March into Organization again in June. Check out her website below for more information.
To sign up: March into Organization
|
| |
From the "Awesomeness" file on my computer. Simply kept for the "ahhhh......." factor!
|
| |
|
|
"I'd Like to Run Wild" 2 is being printed so the original is on sale! Regular $17.95, now $10.00. This price is good just for stock on hand. Please note in the order notes if you would it signed. | | |
|
Suspended Coffee
We enter a little coffeehouse with a friend of mine and give our order. While we're approaching our table two people come in and they go to the counter: "Five coffees, please. Two of them for us and three suspended." They pay for their order, take the two and leave.
I ask my friend: "What are those suspended' coffees?" My friend: "Wait for it and you will see."
Some more people enter. Two girls ask for one coffee each, pay and go. The next order was for seven coffees and it was made by three lawyers - three for them and four 'suspended'. While I still wonder what's the deal with those 'suspended' coffees I enjoy the sunny weather and the beautiful view towards the square in front of the café. Suddenly a man dressed in shabby clothes who looks like a beggar comes in through the door and kindly asks, "Do you have a suspended coffee?"
It's simple - people pay in advance for a coffee meant for someone who cannot afford a warm beverage. The tradition with the suspended coffees started in Naples, but it has spread all over the world and in some places you can order not only a suspended coffee, but also a sandwich or a whole meal.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such cafés or even grocery stores in every town where the less fortunate will find hope and support ?
|
| |
|
Healthy Living
Take 6 little calming breaths
In 30 seconds: Lower your blood pressure
Six calming breaths in 30 seconds can reduce your systolic blood pressure by nearly 10 mmHg, Japanese research has found. Even occasional blood pressure spikes -- like those during an insanely nonstop day -- might put you at increased risk of stroke, according to a study in the Lancet.
Snooze on your left side
In 15 seconds: Outsmart indigestion
As many as 80% of heartburn sufferers experience symptoms at night. Steal back a good night's sleep by fluffing up two pillows instead of one. In an Archives of Internal Medicine study, people who propped up their heads about 11 inches reduced their symptoms dramatically. Also, sleep on your left side and you'll cut your heartburn risk in half -- that's because snoozing on your right side relaxes the muscle that keeps gastric acids in your stomach.
Add more ice to sugary drinks
In 40 seconds: Cut a junk food craving
If you just can't give up your soda -- a known contributor to obesity -- here's one way to lessen the impact of all that sugar and phosphoric acid: Take a glass that's twice as big as your can, pack it with ice, and then pour in the soda. It will last longer and, by the time you're finished, you'll have an extra helping of hydrating water as well. This works with any sweetened drink, such as iced tea or orange juice.
- MSN Healthy Living
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
