Getting out of the box for my birthday

I wrote this in Hebrew but would also like to share it with my English- speaking friends so I will write it in English as well, why not…

It was my birthday on June 3 and I really was quite excited- yes, I know we are not supposed to get excited about such trivial things at age 54, but I know that still now whenever I see the words "supposed to" I find myself doing the exact opposite…so I took the day off to do things just a tad different, no big revolutions or projects, just a tad different… and I set off to do it with a person I have a very intimate relationship with- myself, as he ain't going away.

The day started with a short meditation in the garden, as I parted from my dear family members who were going about their normal routine just like any other day. I decided to take a yoga class in the neighborhood…only to find that by the time I got their (on foot mind you, not by car as I do every do to everything)- I had arrived at the wrong place. So I canned that idea, took my yoga mat and did yoga for an hour under the tree in the public park…enjoyed it so much that I thought, "why don't I do this more often?".

And then it was back home… but before anything it was time to thank my mother, yes my mother, because she is the one who brought me here, so I called to thank her for giving me my life…she laughed and liked the idea….after all what did I do to get here?Nothing, she did all the work to shlep me around for 9 months- and yes, I thanked my father for his cooperation as well, without him the project would not have succeeded, but let's face it, mom is the main character not dad…

Time for a shower…no, this time it's going to be a bath and we will turn on that Jacuzzi button that we paid for with the house, got all excited about it back then, something that we hardly ever use, let's get our money's worth, so I bubbled myself while reading a article, quite cool actually….

A big salad and then, finally, got to see some of those youtube videos that I have been dying to see of the Dalai Lama and some other Buddhist teachers- Jack Kornfeld, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein- finally, I could just sit and watch, nibble and soak it in…nice…

And today, I was finally going to do something I almost never do- see a film off the VOD…I zapped around and decided to go for The Dead Poets Society, a Robbin Williams' film about an idealistic English teacher who goes back to his prep school and tries to get the boys all excited about poetry and thinking for themselves….I saw it years ago….and guess what…by chance, fate or pure coincidence, the plot takes place in 1959….wouldn't you know it…that's my birth year…wow…and by the end of the film I was there with all these tears and emotions- not unusual for me, but something about this Americanized tear-jerker that really hit home…or is it because of my birthday?...After a short afternoon snooze- at our age we can do it, no, 17 hours straight from morning till night is a bit much I think, nothing like those 10 minutes of snoring- it was over for the finale'- a drive up to a small beach north of here to meet 2 great friends, with bottle of wine and a bag full of sushi…the beach was nearly empty, great sun, sky, air, waves, sand…and friendship…what more can one ask for than a beautiful sunset to end a beautiful day…and you know what? If we take away the frills of wine and sushi, this whole day was as simple as it gets, no need to spend money, make big plans, go out and party it up, because actually it was a very simple day, it is so comforting to know that what really makes it tick for me is the simplicity of it all, the small pleasures of life that usually go unnoticed in daily life.

I like this idea, will do it again…you know what, who needs to wait another year for this?...

Harvard Business Review Blog- "Take a Weekly Technology Break"

Do you know what they call this?
It has been around for a few thousand years….they call it "Sabbath", in Hebrew it is "Shabbat", and even if you are an atheist, as far as can be from anything to do with God, religion or whatever….
I challenge us all to take up this offer!
We need it- technology has taken over and we need to put it in its place- to help our lives and not rule them.

Long live the Sabbath!!

MAY 28, 2013

Take a Weekly Technology Break

There are serious personal benefits of taking time away from the constant hum of technology.
So why wait for your next vacation?
Take a device hiatus every week.
On Friday night, turn off everything with a screen — your computer, tablet, and phone.
Put them in a drawer to keep them out of sight.
And don't turn them on again until Saturday night.
Knowing you won't be able to connect for 24 hours can be unnerving, so prepare in advance.
Print out your schedule, along with any maps or phone numbers you need.
Let people know that they won't be able to text, tweet, email, use Facebook, or web chat during that time.
Then enjoy — be present and focused on whatever you do — spend time with your kids, go for a hike, read a book.
You'll likely find the day is longer and when you power back on, you'll feel recharged.

Your Story and your Interview

People who go for interviews seem to often overlook a most important hidden point in ever interview: the listener is searching for "the story". 

THE story is, of course, a compilation of many smaller stories, and each smaller story describes an impression, a thought and a hook in the eyes and ears of the listener. 

Make sure that story is what you want to tell- your career is dependent upon it!

See Harvard Business Review Blog post:

http://hbr.org/tip/2013/04/30/prepare-stories-for-your-job-interview

Four Traits of Great Employees

The American Management Association recently cites 4 skills that research have found to be most important in great employees: The association’s survey of about 800 managers and executives found that senior leaders value what the group calls the “Four Cs”: Critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. 
Those are also the kinds of skills that are critical for startups, where your survival can depend on how quickly you can adapt and innovate.

And how best to achieve these skills? Coaching and mentoring were seen as the best approaches.
Thank-you American Management Association, for saying what we coaches have been saying and doing for years! See article:

http://business.time.com/2013/04/09/four-traits-of-great-employees/?iid=obinsite

Is this the Best you can do? (from Seth Godin)

Is this the best you can do?

If the answer to this is "yes," and you think you're done, you might be settling too soon.

The right question is, "Is this the best your team can do?" And if you need a better team, it's never been easier to get one. Especially if you're a soloist, a freelancer or a small company--if your upside is limited by the people you're working with, get new people.

Any time you do work yourself, you've chosen not to use the services of someone who's probably better at it than you are. There might be really good reasons for that choice, but inertia isn't one of them.

When was the Last Time you Stretched your Mind?

A mind once stretched by a new idea
never regains its original dimensions.
—Oliver Wendell Holmes

One of the wonderful things that happen both in coaching and mastermind groups is that people really get stretched… what does that mean exactly?
To me it means taking someone out of their comfort zone, out of the area in which they have been there and done that, into a place where they have not yet been.
And why is that important?
Because that is where the action is, that is where the growth will be, in many cases, that is where the answers and direction will come from.

Let's remember to ask ourselves this question from time to time:
when was the last time I stretched my mind with a new and exciting idea?

It's the Day to Day Stuff that Makes the Change

Nice post for all of those out there who want to make a change....bit finding it difficult to do- coaching is great for this transition!

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APRIL 10, 2013
Use Personal Rituals to Make Changes Stick

How many times have you promised to exercise more, or start meditating, or spend less time at the office?
 To make changes that last, create rituals — highly specific behaviors that you do at the same time every day (or on specific days you select).
Willpower is a limited resource, so use less of it by making challenging activities automatic. By setting a time for your routine, you don't have to spend energy thinking about when to get it done.
If you find yourself faltering, reduce the challenge but stay the course.
Run three days a week instead of four.
Repetition, even in very small doses, builds capacity.
Any positive change you can make will be hugely satisfying — and a source of inspiration to make the next one.

( From "How to Make a Change that Lasts" by Tony Schwartz.)