Month: November 2021

Do you practice _____?

Do you practice __________?

Thanksgiving is without a doubt my favorite holiday because I value the universality of the concept of the holiday… gratitude.

The other day, I asked one of my group coaching cohorts what they were grateful for. While many said health, family and friends, one client said “caffeine”. I love that.

A piece of advice I received a while ago is to name five different things each day for which I am grateful. Doing this daily practice stretches me to think beyond the obvious, digging deeper while appreciating the little things in life, like caffeine.

Do you have a daily or weekly gratitude practice?

#WiseWords

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you
concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never,
ever have enough.

Oprah Winfrey

Worth the Share

I am grateful for a lot of people and things, one of which is music – all kinds of
music. Growing up in a big musical family, music unified us and filled us – from the Grateful Dead to barbershop to opera and everything in between.

This article, written by Frank Fitzpatrick, talks about how music can make you be more resilient, creative and compassionate. What most struck me is the healing powers of music, brought to life by the story of Emmanuel Jal.

The author wrote: “Whether the sweet song of a sparrow at dawn or the celebratory roar of a Beethoven symphony, music is a form of energy — a life force — that resonates at our core. In addition to shifting our own energy on demand, the right music can help us organize our thoughts, stimulate our bodies to move and reset our emotional state so we pass through the stresses of our day in a more relaxed, productive and inspired way.”

To learn more about the power of music, read Why Music Is The Essential Ingredient.

 

And Finally...

What would happen if every day was a day of thanksgiving? If you don’t currently have some type of gratitude practice, you might want to consider one because of the proven benefits to your mental health and well being.

There are many ways to build a gratitude practice – prayer, mediation and journaling. Gratitude apps like Gratitude and 365 Gratitude make it easy, if you prefer that route.

To get started, read The Benefits of a Gratitude Practice and How to Get Started.

This Thanksgiving I am grateful for all of you and for my gratitude practice.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

Sending you my best,

Mary Jo

To learn more about my 1:1 executive, communication or business growth coaching, custom virtual workshops, the Career Transition program or just to connect, you can reach me at info@mjrcac.com

How do you prioritize your day?

How do you prioritize your day?

The other day I led a group workshop on time management. How do you prioritize your day? Do you calendar block time to accomplish specific tasks such as planning for a presentation or cleaning out your inbox? How effective are you at managing the clock?

One of my favorite questions to ask clients on this topic is: “What is your best time of day?”. One client said 7-9AM and after 3PM, another said 10AM-2PM, and yet another said 8-11AM. We are all different. Think about it, what is your best time of day?

Why does it matter? Your best time of day is when you are sharpest and can accomplish more work. While discussing this topic, “Ron” gained clarity about himself, realizing that his best time of day should be used for thinking or solving complex problems or creating something new while other times of day should be used for doing – meeting with his team, responding to emails, and attending meetings. Know your best time of day, when you are most productive, and honor it. You’ll be more efficient and effective.

#WiseWords

Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important.

Steven Convey

Worth the Share

The message I got from this fairly new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, is that we all have an opportunity to look at time, and our relationship with time, differently. It’s a bit more philosophical than the typical time management book. We can learn to be more at peace with time, especially when we realize it is finite. The title of the book brings that statement to life since four thousand weeks is the amount of weeks you’ll experience if you live to about 80 years old.

Promoted by The Next Big Idea Club, here are the author’s top five insights from his book.

  1. There will always be too much to do: we do not have an infinite amount of time, so prioritize what really matters
  2. Distraction is an inside job: feel the discomfort to do what matters rather than wasting your time
  3. Patience is a superpower: slow down to the speed the activity demands, do not rush through it
  4. A plan is just a thought: a statement of intent because you really don’t know what is going to happen, be open and curious
  5. You’re not such a big deal: think about what meaningful means, and be comfortable with the fact that you are already doing meaningful work

Here’s a link to book on Amazon

And Finally...

Time management is often connected to habits, especially since healthy habits can make us more effective as well. One of my executive coaching clients just finished Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.

She is using the book as a workbook to make positive shifts in her work schedule and having quite a bit of success. Habit stacking, first credited to BJ Fogg, is a concept used to start a new habit by attaching it to an existing habit, such as: after I turn on the coffee machine in the morning I will meditate for one-minute.  It’s an effective tool, try it.

Have a great week,
Mary 
Jo

To learn more about my 1:1 executive, communication or business growth coaching, custom virtual workshops, the Career Transition program or just to connect, you can reach me at info@mjrcac.com