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Autumnal Epiphanies: Turning Over a New Leaf

10/24/2012 By Nancy Borg With 4 comments

You don’t have to be a nature lover to be seduced by the splendor of Autumn foliage.  It’s breathtaking from any vantage point.  Earlier this week, while  driving to a client I was both captivated and inspired by the landscape.  While I would have preferred to be apple picking somewhere enjoying the scenery outside, I still was enthralled with the panoramic view from inside my car.  That day, I was OK with the bumper to bumper traffic.  It gave me time to think.

I was noticing how each and every tree was morphing at a different rate of transition. Some were still green, and some only just beginning to turn to that slightly golden-kissed auburn tone. Others were completely infused with deep blood orange leaves, and still others were already shedding their leaves.

At a stop light, I was struck with the sharp contrast of  two adjacent trees on this particular street; one was festooned with a burst of overstuffed mango colored leaves, while it’s very neighbor was surprisingly bare, almost naked, and adorning nothing more than sparse branches.  Side by side, similar trees yet so different.  Both touched by nature so uniquely.

It got me thinking that we too, have our own distinctive cyclical patterns. A tree sheds naturally in a very organic way, and perhaps this time of year, we can be inspired with a similar kind of change.  We could all benefit from a little personal shedding and let go, don’t you think?

So make like a tree and shed.  Of course, on your own time, when you’re ready.  Whether it be your stuff, bad behavior and routines, or people in your life…shed. 

It’s like peeling off a layer of dead skin, and rejuvenating with new growth.  And just like a tree, you will be liberated and return back next Spring with healthy new blossom.

Is it Autumn in your head? Have you “turned” over a new leaf yet?

 

 

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Mood Changers and Productivity Triggers

10/18/2012 By Nancy Borg With 2 comments

The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.  Fall is here, and whether or not you make a connection with the weather, we all can admit that we feel a change. Inclement weather, in particular,  is a powerful mood shifter and a forecaster of our productivity.  A formidable forecast can impact our day and often dictate our mood.

It is challenging to have that “get up and rock the world” attitude when it’s monsooning outside. A mood deflator, for sure.  Likewise, we are more easily rejuvenated with the energy that a bright sunny day can emit. This can be a mood inflator and hence, a productivity motivator as well.

If your productivity is influenced by the weather, Here are some tips to combat these obstacles;

  • Dress:  My Mom always told me to dress contrary to gloomy weather. When the forecast is dismal and dreary, I dress happy.  And it works.  When I dress in bright colors, I exude a more positive aura and interestingly, people always react perplexed and comment, “my, you look so bright and cheery today!”  It’s noticeable.  Another mood changer.

 

  • Attitude:  I know that I personally struggle with this one, but it’s just weather, not a life altering event.  Grab an umbrella, dress appropriately, and stick with your plan. Unless it’s a massive snowstorm, hurricane, or obvious dangerous conditions, avoid getting caught up in the weather and letting it alter your work day or daily agenda.  We cannot control the weather but we can control our attitude.  Fight the urge to cancel your appointments. Be a bit more daring and you’ll be surprised that your positive mental attitude will surge your productivity, despite the cheerless landscape.

 

  • Focus: The weather can easily distract us from our what we had planned, but if you can focus on what the goals are, the weather should not deter you from meeting them.  Stay on course.

 

  • Adjust: Factor the weather into scheduling your day and modify your time-management.  Prepare and plan your appointments accordingly. Everything takes longer in bad weather.

 

  • Prioritize: It’s easy to procrastinate if the weather is inclement, but clearly if something is important enough, it will happen. Don’t make excuses.

The weatherman tracks the weekly weather every night, with questionable accuracy all too often. But do his predictions impact your week? I wonder. What’s on  your personal forecast?

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The Back Burner Trap: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

10/11/2012 By Nancy Borg With 6 comments

Do you battle with “later,” “tomorrow,” or “someday?” Does your wish list only live in your head?  Know this, if you don’t schedule something to happen, it’s probably not going to happen.

Making a list of goals is a great start. But thinking and doing are two different things. Brainstorming is a great process but without any plan, it is futile.

When defining your goals, consider creating a vision board for more concrete results.  Remember those S.M.A.R.T. goals? (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time sensitive) This process is really effective, and it can help you build on your ideas in a more tangible way.  Being proactive in this step by step manner not only creates a place for your ideas to grow and expand, but makes them feel doable.

Breaking down actions into small pieces always helps to manage the work.  Keeping them just locked in your head is only stifling them.

If you’re thinking to yourself that you will eventually get around to doing it one day, what you really should be asking yourself is, “how important  is it?” Ideas with no “action plan” have a slim chance of making it to your top priority list.

Two years ago, at a NAPO conference workshop, I was inspired by the speaker to create a personal back burner action business plan for myself, and as suggested, save it to my desktop. It was an effective way to organize my annual goals and keep me accountable.  From time to time, I would glance at the folder often thought that maybe I had set the bar too high.  I was overwhelmed with all that I imposed on myself.  Were my grandiose ideas realistic?

I recently visited my 2012 goals, and reviewed what I had accomplished.  No surprises there.  What I had prioritized actually got done, and those goals that were just “hopefuls” not only never got done, I had forgotten about them. There were also other goals I now realize that I no longer care to pursue.

Things change.  Life changes, and so do our priorities. Time to re-evaluate and prioritize our goals. Create a new action plan for the next year.

Revisit your back burner ideas. Tickle the enticing ideas that are still simmering. Don’t assume that they are just pipe-dreams.  Pay attention.  There could be a small light-bulb idea buried there that has potential to propagate into something significant.

Are you able to re-activate something that’s been sitting on your back burner? Turn the heat up or turn it off.  I would love to hear from you, what’s cooking?

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Do You Struggle with the Juggle of Time?

10/08/2012 By Nancy Borg With no comments yet

Frankly, sometimes I think I am the Master Juggler.  I am usually able to maneuver my schedule skillfully to satisfy both my personal and professional life.  In fact, most of the time, my life feels like one giant balancing act.

But in the event when one tiny piece of my day runs late or goes askew (sometimes my bad, other times beyond my control), it throws my whole day off.  Every segment of time spills into the next.  There’s a glitch in my perfect plan.

I have two choices; I can attempt to chase time, which is always fruitless, or I can modify my day and regulate my time-management. This forces me to look at my day more astutely, evaluate the priorities, and make the necessary adjustments.  So I work around the non-negotiable tasks, drop one or two errands, and switch the less time-sensitive commitments to another day.

Juggling is definitely a skill that only few can master, and yet we all probably attempt this every single day.  We struggle with the juggle because of two absolutes; life happens, and time does not stand still.

If only we could press pause, like on our DVR, we could catch up.  Dream on.  We cannot simply press a button.  We are not magicians. Our only coping tool is to take an actual pause;  evaluate and prioritizeour daily to-do’s.  It’s an unremitting job.

For sure, this is a daily challenge for me.  I wonder if I am in good company. How good of a time-juggler are you?

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