Archive for May, 2010

Professional Polish – The Message Your Clothes Convey

Monday, May 17th, 2010

Clothing

“Your professional image is not seasonal. There isn’t much in life you can control, But how you are known to others is completely under your control.” That’s the heading for an article written by Ashleigh Forbes Kellogg. She goes on to tell us:

Spring has sprung and we are all anxious to crawl out from under our winter clothes but may I remind you that your professional image is not seasonal.  There isn’t much in life that you have control over.  But how you are known to others is completely under your control.  Every behavior you choose tells people who are watching who you really are.  Are you sending an accurate message?

Even when given permission to be casual, make your version of casual a little more polished.

Professional dressing tips for women (Ladies first)

“A good suite is the foundation of a woman’s wardrobe.” Genevieve Antoine Dariaux

  • The three piece rule:  You need three pieces of clothing for an outfit to look professional
  • Avoid anything with cleavage (toes as well)
  • Shoes need to be in good repair – polished
  • Hair needs to be clean, dry and neat
  • Buy the best handbag you can afford

Professional dressing tips for men

“The finest clothing made is a person’ skin, but, of course, society demands more than this.” – Mark Twain

  • Shave as often as needed to appear clean and neat
  • A short-sleeve shirt is, by definition, casual
  • Khaki pants are casual but appropriate in most corporate settings
  • Ties should be silk and end at the top of your belt
  • Buy the best briefcase you can afford.

“Know yourself.  Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.” – Ann Landers

And, What is in YOUR closet for this Spring and Summer??  To learn more about what Ashley has to say, look for her articles in the Dallas Business Journal.

Email bbaker@forbesrobinson.com to subscribe to her email newsletters

Ashley Forbes Kellogg is the President of ForbesRobinson, a business development consulting firm specializing in maximizing internal and external relationships.

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Email – Death by PowerPoint/Think Before you SEND!

Monday, May 10th, 2010

boredom in a presentation

Ever experienced “Death by PowerPoint?”  Audiences expect the best; a poor presentation leaves a lasting negative impression.  But, there is ‘life after death,’ says Dr. Julie Miller of Business Writing That Counts. I totally agree. My experience as a keynote speaker has taught me that you have options whether to use PowerPoint when addressing an audience.

Here’s a few ways to determine what tools to use:

  1. Gauge both the size of the audience and the size of the room
  • Are you creating a ‘show-n-tell” presentation to a board of directors sitting around a conference table; or using PowerPoint to make your point on a large screen to a room of 1,000 attendees because they can’t really see you?
  1. Gauge what kind of presenter you are
  • Is the PowerPoint for the audience or to help you stay on track?
  1. Decide what you want the audience to take away
  • Does the PowerPoint double as a handout to the participants; i.e. do you email it to them when they give you their business card?

And Another Thing…

“If your employees use email in any capacity – take heed!  “Every written word is a potential legal disaster.  Now is the time to take action!  Awareness of the issues surrounding the electronic age (and how to prevent the fallout) is the key to your firm’s survival,” says Dr. Miller.

YIKES!  Take heed, indeed!  You do know that an email is legal and enforceable, eh?  Do you ever wonder what your employees are sending out into the universe per email, social media, text?  Do you have policies in place to monitor the time and verbiage used?  You may want to check those HR policy manuals.  You may want to sign up for one of Dr. Miller and Jeanette Nydens webinars on these subjects.

“Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do, than what one can do.” –  Lin Yutang

Visit Dr. Julie Miller’s Web site at www.BusinessWritingThatCounts.com or email her at Julie@drjuliemiller.com

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How to Plan Your Next Vacation

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

packing

Vacations are about memories. The warmth of the mid-day sun beaming down on your face, the laughter of your grandchildren as they discover starfish for the first time, the crunch of pine needles underfoot as you embark on a morning hike in the mountains.

Since vacations are about memories, shouldn’t you put as much thought into planning memories as you do picking the destination? One travel Web site calls 2010 “The Year of the Deal.” Here are a few things to consider as you plan your vacation:

  • Find – and USE – a great travel agent. A good travel agent is invaluable; he/she will save you time, money and headaches. Ask your friends, colleagues or visit ASTA’s Web site for references.
  • Location, location, location. Make your trip do double (or triple) duty: Select a destination that has several different attractions in the same area. Perhaps you can fly to your primary place, then drive or take the train to other places. If you’re visiting a large or international city, TimeOut is a great place to find out what’s hot.
  • Skimp on the simple, splurge on the sumptuous. Brownbag your breakfasts and focus on your day’s events. Some hotels serve complimentary breakfasts in their lobby. Opt for a light lunch at a local (non-chain) café, or if you dare, sample from a street vendor. Save your substance for a relaxing evening meal in a nicer restaurant. It’s all about the experience (memories).
  • Make it a “mini.” Instead of one week-long vacation, how about four long weekends? Combine them with federal holidays for a more relaxed year overall.
  • Consider a “staycation.” You don’t have to go somewhere geographically to return refreshed. If you live in the ‘burbs, spend a few days trolling your city’s museums and parks. Don’t forget to check the local libraries for upcoming events. Overworked and super-stressed? Check SpaFinder.com for specials. Find a local landmark you’ve been MEANING to visit but never got around to it. Here’s a thought: Consider creating a relaxing environment in your own home. Take a couple of days to clear out the clutter in your master bedroom; invest in a nice comforter set and voila! Your OWN spa retreat.
  • Remember “face-time.” Make a family pact not to spend so much time Facebooking and Tweeting about your vacation that you fail to enjoy the LIVE experience together. Do take pictures and by all means, frame and hang one that symbolizes the memories you’ve made.

I’m open to thoughts: Where will YOU make your memories this summer? What are your tips for making your vacation a memorable one?

Petey

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These Heels are made for running – on the treadmill?

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Yes, the proverbial treadmill, and that is not all bad!  It doesn’t matter whether you’re running for physical or fiscal health. The “why” is more important than the “what.”It doesn’t matter if you are on the treadmill by choice for the sake of your health and well being. It doesn’t matter if you are staying on, but feeling out of control and feeling you are going nowhere FAST.   It’s all about your attitude and expectation of results in return for the effort you made.

Let’s take a moment to analyze the difference between thinking positively; i.e. “I’m getting better every day in every way” vs. the negative approach of, “How do I get off this stupid thing?” as it relates to your business and personal life style.

Accent the positive by…

  1. Knowing why you are getting on the treadmill to begin with…
    • Is it a healthy reason (mentally and physically)?
  2. Setting goals
    • What do you want to have happen?  Ask yourself, “WHY?”  Is it to be better fit or is it to further your career. Like the answer you give yourself – or change it.
  3. Knowing what results you expect
    • How will you measure your success – Will it be in health, wealth, self (ego), spiritual, social improvements?
  4. Creating and implementing your plan of action
    • Create a plan of action
    • Work out -Set the pace –sometimes pushing the bar- sometimes taking a breather
    • Remember why you chose to jump on this treadmill in the first place
    • Create affirmations as reminders that your goal is a gift you are giving yourself
  5. Celebrating your success –
    • Tell yourself “Ya done goooood!”

Delete the Negative by…

  • Asking yourself how and why you’ve found yourself racing with the clock day after day
  • Stop being a victim of circumstances
  • Making a safe exit
  • Promising yourself that life is too short to accept negativity
  • And don’t mess with Mr. In-between – Either get on or get off, but either way - be in control!

The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them. – George Bernard Shaw

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Switch – How to Change Things when Change is Hard

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Should you buy this book?  Petey says YES!  Go – run – get it – implement it – and you will have done yourself a major favor.  Start or end by logging on to their website, www.heathbrothers.com to learn even more.

So why am I so excited about this book?  Because it make the “light bulb” come on in your head – it teaches you how to throw the switch on and off between the rational mind wanting to change while the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine.  “For things to change, somebody somewhere has to start acting differently.  Maybe it’s you, maybe it’s your team,” say the Heath Brothers.  And, most of us respond with, “Yeah, yeah, yeah – easier said than done!”

Dan and Chip give everyday examples of how to use these methods to help you diet, win over a team, get expense reports in, create MAGIC within your organization. The analogy used throughout Switch is to imagine a Rider (person in charge) perched on an Elephant (one expected to follow directions) happily staying on an uncertain path.   There’s a 99% chance of failure UNLESS… you Direct the rider; Motivatethe elephant; and Shape the path.

HOW?  The answer is best described by the authors as follows:

To Direct the Rider:

  • Follow the Bright Spots.  Investigate what’s working and clone it.
  • Script the Critical Moves.  Don’t think big picture, think in terms of specific behaviors
  • Point to the Destination. Change is easier when you know where you’re going and why it’s worth it.

To Motivate the Elephant:

  • Find the Feeling. Knowing something isn’t enough to cause change.  Make people feel something.
  • Shrink the Change. Break down the change until it no longer spooks the Elephant
  • Grow your People. Cultivate a sense of identity and instill the growth mind-set.

To Shape the Path:

  • Tweak the environment. When the situation changes, the behavior changes.  So change the situation.
  • Build Habits. When behavior is habitual, it’s “free” – it doesn’t tax the Rider.  Look for ways to encourage habits.
  • Rally the Herd. Behavior is contagious.  Help it spread!

Too many books out there are TBU –  the Heath Brothers initials for ‘True, But Useless’.  Not Switch!  It’s almost too good to be true, but it is all that and more – it’s easy to implement.

Disclosure: Read this book only if you want to improve the quality of your business and your life.

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The Power of Resilience

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Rock Climbers Helping Each Other

Webster’s Dictionary defines a noun as a person, place or thing. The same description could apply to obstacles. Anyone who has ever attempted to do anything significant knows that nothing worthwhile comes easily. We know successes courtesy of the Bill Gates and the Steve Jobs of the world; but what about their failures? We celebrate the iPhone, but…heard of the NeXT or the Lisa? (Google them.) Fifty percent of all small businesses “fail” each year. Are those really failures or lessons on the way to the top? Hmmmmm…

There’s a reason Mount Everest is littered with the lives of people who didn’t quite make it to the summit. It’s not easy. It’s not so much about talent as tenacity. You’ve got to have both if you want to realize your dreams. But resilience is the steel in your striving; the ability to recover from tough times. Here are four things to know as you develop resilience:

  • Learn the difference between motivation, persistence and resilience. Motivation is feeling-based, persistence is action-based, resilience is belief-based. Sometimes you feel like taking action, sometimes you don’t. If you wait till you FEEL like taking action, you’ll surely stifle your progress. But…if you believe that things will get better, if you keep taking action even you don’t feel motivated (persistence), you’ll keep accumulating results. How motivating is that???
  • Failure is not an option, “failing up” is. As quietly as it’s kept, we ALL experience defeats. It’s OK to make some mistakes. It’s OK to be flexible and change your game plan. It’s even OK to give up on one plan and adopt another. It’s NOT OK to give up.
  • Celebrate small successes. Take time to smell the roses, or tulips, or whatever fragrance is under your nose. Don’t wait till you “get there” to get excited about your journey. Use your breather time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what’s next.
  • This, too, shall pass. Sometimes our deepest disappointments are followed by some of our most surprising successes. Don’t ever treat a temporary situation like a permanent condition. Keep putting one foot in front of the other in pursuit of your dreams. You WILL eventually get there.

Remember, whatever you do, keep coming back.

Petey

Never, never, never give up. Winston Churchill

Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin

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Getting Into Shape… Mentally and Physically

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Yoga Class

When asked to write about “getting into shape,” my first thought was, “I’m not that kind of yogi!” While I occasionally enjoy a power yoga class, I now prefer a more gentle practice guided from within my body.  I teach gentle flow, serenity and restorative classes. I also offer Phoenix Rising Yoga therapy sessions and facilitate body/mind groups. I ask individuals I mentor to write “to be” lists in addition to ‘to do’ lists.  I also carry with me a New Orleanian’s passion for great food.  It’s a far cry from a hard-body mental and physical boot camp!

Recently a student of mine shared a personal epiphany that yoga is not something to ‘do’ but that it’s a gift, a way to embrace being fully engaged in the process of living.  I know this gift well and am so grateful for this beautiful practice that has touched my body, mind and spirit.  I then realized this is truly fitness and flexibility born in awareness and acceptance, and one I would choose any day over a practice that only tones my body.

What’s unique about yoga (when it’s practiced with mindfulness) is that we learn to meet ourselves where we are, some days flexible and balanced, on other days anything but.  There’s an opportunity to listen to our body and to see our breath as a mirror of our response to what’s happening.  We can learn to anchor our breath in the present moment.  As we hold a pose at our edge, we might encounter our own impatience, competitiveness, or desire to quit.  How are we breathing now?  Is there a way to find more ease here?

What happens on our mat as we practice can serve as reflections of how we are living our life.  Are we holding our breath when things get challenging?  Do we have an ingrained pattern of bracing our body when we are stressed?  Do we acknowledge or deny our emotions?

If we learn to honor and accept our own experience instead of suppressing and stuffing it back into our body (causing more tension), we gain more power to choose how we respond to what happens, both on and off our yoga mat.  This starts with observing what is happening in the moment without a need to judge or fix it (to whatever extent possible).  One of my teachers refers to “acceptance is a precondition to change”.   There’s an empowering difference between acceptance and resignation.  We can then see what we can change and how we perhaps can find more ease with what we can’t change.

Sometimes our life circumstances are like holding a difficult yoga pose without any clue as to how long we need to stay there.  Our experience can become entirely about our struggle and anxiety… our resentment to being there or it can explore how we can soften into what is happening, be present to ourselves and the moment and open to the gift of yoga and life.

What would it be like to offer yourself some ’20-second awareness breaks’ today?  Every now and again stop to witness your breath, your body, your thoughts, your emotions … notice the colors, smells, sounds and tastes that are present.  As I write this, birds are singing outside, my dog (who has a dirty nose from digging in the yard) is snoring next to me, a butterfly just flew by my window, I smell coffee, there are lush green leaves and brilliant spring light outside, my breath and body feel relaxed and I just caught a glimpse of a photo of my parents and their dearest friends.  This is a sweet moment.

About Amy:

Amy Archinal is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist, a Reiki master and a registered yoga teacher.  She offers yoga therapy sessions as well as private yoga instruction.  Amy also teaches weekly classes at Wild Lotus Yoga in New Orleans and spends a portion of her time in Dallas working with clientele in private sessions of Phoenix Rising Yoga.

You can contact Amy at:
phone: 504-899-6167
email:  amy@neworleansyogatherapy.com
visit her web site: www.neworleansyogatherapy.com

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Immigration Law

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

protestors marching

On May 1, 2010, an estimated 25,000 protestors marched in downtown Dallas. They met to rally at City Hall against the state of Arizona’s new law cracking down on illegal immigration.  The vocal refrain: “NOT IN TEXAS!”

I know, because I was on the street with the protestors trying to get a sense of the real issue.  I watched, I listened, I took photos with my iPhone (see as the heading for this article), and I began to wonder about the word intolerance.

Webster’s Dictionary defines intolerance as: 1) Lack of tolerance, esp. of others’ opinions, beliefs, etc.; 2) bigotry; intolerable; adj. not tolerable; unbearable; too severe, painful, cruel, etc. to be endured.

So how does this word intolerance play out in the bill signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer?  The law makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally, and it requires police to question people about their immigration status and demand to see their documents if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the nation illegally.  The law (which was modified on April 30 for clarity and to address some of the public’s concerns) and the changes will go into effect July 29, 2010 unless blocked by a court or referendum filing.

According to an article in the May 2, 2010 Dallas Morning News:

Proponents say … the law is needed because the federal government has not secured the state’s border, which is a major gateway for human trafficking and drug smuggling from Mexico.

Opponents say … the measure will lead to racial profiling; they consider it an unreasonable and unconstitutional attempt to regulate immigration, federal responsibility.

What to do? What are the priorities of conflict?  Where is the balance point of scale of justice with human trafficking/drug smuggling on one side vs. respecting each other as human beings?  It seems to me that we are torn between two things: fighting the worst of human action and appreciating the wonderful attributes that other cultures bring us.

What do YOU think? Is the Arizona issue about intolerance or not?

Petey

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Thought of the Day – May 03, 2010

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

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