|
|
|
|
|
|
What’s the key to your professional success? Being centered and successful in life. Most management literature glosses
over the interconnectedness between your overall well-being and your success,
focusing solely on techniques and strategies for managing your success at work.
I don’t. I know that unless you’re anchored, reflective, and connected with
yourself and your environment, you cannot fully step into your
power and potential in your career. So if you haven’t already abandoned
those New Year’s resolutions, I invite you to do so now. Join me instead to pause to reflect on
how to gain better centeredness in life—not through the empty promises of
resolutions, but through simple daily practices that can help you to restore
and maintain your sense of balance.
Your Partner in Success,
Charmaine McClarie President, McClarie Group
Giving Yourself the Gift of Presence in Life: The True Key to
Workplace Success You know how there are some years
that just seem to slip by? That you arrive at the end of and wonder where the
time has gone? Well, you don’t want 2009 to be one of those years. Instead of
finding yourself suddenly at September and having cruised through the year on
autopilot, adopt a few simple strategies below to make sure you stay present,
connected, and conscious so you can actualize your personal and professional
goals in 2009. Start the Year with Reflection. We
live in a fast-paced society where there never seems to be enough time to get
everything we want to get done accomplished. Many of us don’t even stop to ask
ourselves what it is we want to do in a given year. Instead of reacting to what
comes your way, become proactive and purposeful in your actions by asking yourself the following
questions:
Over lunch today, take 15 minutes, cut
and paste these questions into a word document and write out thoughtful answers.
Then put a tickler in your calendar on the 1st of each month to review
these and renew your commitment to yourself this year. This simple exercise
alone will be helpful in making 2009 a year of consciousness and of being fully
present and purposeful. Slow
Down and Ask Questions. What I’ve just
asked you to do, to take a few minutes to reflect and ask some questions, is also
a good strategy to use with others to gain (or retain) a sense of control. I once
worked with an executive who—when the president would give him an
assignment—would sit in front of his computer for two days paralyzed by his
anxiety around the project. Why? Because instead of slowing down and asking
both the President and himself what he needed to know to act on the assignment,
he became overwhelmed with the task and caught in a state of frenzy. He was a
lost buoy floating frantically in the ocean. As soon as he stopped to ask
questions like What do you want as an
outcome? What resources are available to me? Has this ever been done before? and
Who are the decision makers?, he
could see the way forward and went from lost buoy to lighthouse beacon. Many of us can relate to this
situation: we don’t know what is expected of us, so we do nothing. That’s where
a book like Dorothy Leads, The Seven
Power of Questions comes in. This is a book I recommend to my clients and
that I would certainly recommend to you if you aren’t already living by its
messages. Click [here-link] to read an annotation of this book and hear what
one fabulous client of mine has to say about it. Starting
Your Day with Intention. I want to end
with one small but powerful technique for really beginning your day with
presence. So many people don’t turn on and really realize where they are in the
day until they are mid-way through it. They operate on auto-pilot and then when
they walk into the door of their organization, if there is any kind of chaos,
they get sucked into the whirlwind before they even know what has hit them. Instead, at the beginning of the
day, quiet yourself through deep breathing. When we don’t breathe, we can’t hear,
and we can’t listen, to ourselves, our intuition and our needs—all the things
that help you feel centered and grounded. You can find quietness through other
techniques too, like meditation, yoga, or simply setting intention about how
you want to feel and show up throughout the day. I won’t leave the house until
I’ve done at least one of these things myself, and I suggest you don’t either.
To hire Charmaine for executive coaching, workshops or keynote speaking, contact us at: (323) 224-6820.
Speaking of Success Tip
#10: Look Abroad for an Inner Sense of Centeredness
by Kate Berardo, McClarie Group Associate &
Intercultural Specialist It’s no coincidence that some of the
suggestions above like meditation have origins in other cultures and corners of
the world. One of the many benefits of living in a global world is our ability
to ‘dip into’ and try out some of the cultural practices that help people in
different locations be successful. If, for example, you really wanted
to practice the art of slowing down, not just to smell the roses, but to plant
the seeds of the rose bush and nurture its growth, there are many cultures you
can look to for inspiration. Whether lengthy meals, mid-afternoon siestas, or
long strolls in the evening, many Mediterranean cultures have long understood
the importance of keeping a steady pace in life. If America’s 24/7 speed and our
messages like, ‘Just do it,’ ‘Time is money,’ and ‘There is no substitute for hard work’ is
leaving you with chronic fatigue and franticness, consider taking your vacation
abroad to another culture this year. Instead of just coming home with sand in
your shoes, you can return with a few simple practices to help you continue
your sense of vacation. Don’t wait, too, for that coveted vacation time to get
started. You can take a mental vacation at the very least by immersing yourself
in a book or movie from another culture to get a sense of the lifestyle you may
want to emulate even for a few moments in your day-to-day life.
To learn more about McClarie Group's cross-culturally focused workshops, keynote speaking,
and coaching contact us
at: (323) 224-6820. |
|
|
|
About this newsletter. McClarie Group sends occasional newsletters to clients, colleagues and friends of McClarie Group with tips for turning your potential into power. If you'd prefer not to receive this information, click the link below.
McClarie Group
1930
N. Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90031
|
|
