Come Join the FUN!

Toastmasters demo meeting and Area Contests in Ithaca, NY
TOMORROW, 3/22! If you'd like to participate, or if you are just curious and need more info, let me know.
We would love to share with you the benefits of a safe, fun, professional club environment in which to learn and grow one's communication and leadership skills.

A Challenge

When I was young, one of the challenges (or expectations, you may say) my grownups presented me was to [always] leave a place better than I found it. Over time, that has manifested in many ways, from the simple, physical appearance (like wiping a counter or dusting a corner) to sometimes less tangible yet still palpable "aura" of a place (like people taking the time to affirm each other and their efforts). I offered it on Twitter today for anyone who might like to give it a try.

Perhaps you enter a community room and see a coffee mug or a plate in the sink. Do you send an email blast to the entire list serve, or do you rinse it and put it away? Depending on your take on things, either of these behaviors might be acceptable, even warranted, given surrounding circumstances.

Maybe you say "Good morning" to someone who's already convinced that today will be anything but a good day. Do you disengage, or do you interact with that person a little bit? To what end? Are they smiling by the time you part ways?

You or someone you know has been transferred or downsized. Although it may be tough to leave, can you walk away with head held high, knowing you made a difference while you were there?

If those are too big for today, just focus on your own mood the next time you walk through a doorway. Are you glad to be there? If not, what are you going to do about it right now?

I'm Back! I Hope You Missed Me!

Time keeps on ticking. I have so many things I need or want to do, I always have to choose among them. I never mean to ignore any of them, or diminish the importance of the ones that take me longer to accomplish. Some time ago I learned an economic concept known as "opportunity cost" and began applying it to most of my "major" decision-making. It involves the idea of assessing the trade value of one choice over another. Sometimes the choices are "no-brainers" but sometimes they are difficult. I find it challenging to choose when there are two or three (or more) things that are very desirable but scheduled for overlapping times, or perhaps competing for some other resource, like money.. The "opportunity cost" is what you theoretically lose or give up when choosing the alternative(s). Sometimes the cost is great, and sometimes simply necessary. Sometimes I just take entirely too long to think about the choices whether or not they have any significant consequence. Today's reflection came as a flash for a tweet. As it came to me, I felt a release of tension and a burst of positive energy! I focused on the directive and decided to share it with you.

Do not allow opportunity cost obsession to stall your decision-making or adventure-taking.

Monumental Milestone

Thirty-five years ago, a couple braved a blizzard to welcome their own firstborn baby into the world. Through the years that baby became a dreamer and a doer, and at 12:18pm EST, she became age-eligible to pursue the United States Presidency (though not really interested at this time).

I'm sorry i haven't written in so long, but what a neat way to reconnect--my last post was about deconstructing the word "can't." My parents acted like the word didn't exist and always encouraged me to try anything I wanted. Throughout my life if someone else tried to tell me "You can't..." it often made me want to prove I could. Always participating in a variety of activities, challenging myself to try new things, and even agreeing to do things before I knew how to manage the logistics. I think it's become the manifestation of my hallmark yes.

I'm going to start reading You Can't Be President and see if I'm crazy enough to prove the world wrong. It's exciting and also a little sad that I still have the opportunity to become the FIRST female president of the U.S. Though I personally am not a big fan of politics I wanted to make the announcement to get people thinking. This year most of my graduating class will also become age-eligible to run for the Presidency, and we are quite a group.We have become the future.

From gametes to golden years, thanks Mom and Dad for life, opportunity, and the drive to keep reaching.

Deconstructing the Word "Can't"

A few days ago, I posted on Twitter a thinking challenge. "Can't" is really CAN with a few complications. I had intended to have this post ready to go along with it to encourage more discussion. It's finally developing!

Reflect on that, if you wish. Do you see it? Can't starts, and indeed could not exist, without the word CAN. It has "not" added to the end to negate it. Then we get lazy and don't even spell out "not" we just take out the o, throw in an apostrophe and smoosh the contraction on the end of our positive word. We alter a whole word, a whole concept, a whole demeanor just by complicating it a little. How often do we do that, and how often do we CHOOSE that (whether or not we're admitting that truth right now)? Do we make excuses to quit when things get complicated?

When I was young, full of energy and idealism, I always believed I could do anything. Most days I still do! "Can't" isn't really part of my vocabulary; I just realize that sometimes my "CAN" takes a little longer than first planned. That isn't to say it's always easy or always as expected. Sometimes I find opportunities to struggle with a decision to do something or the manner in which to complete it. Sometimes I agree to do things without even knowing how I am going to make them realities. It can be scary when you don't know what an outcome will be when you start, but that's part of the adventure to embrace.

This fall I said "I can" and "I will" to increased leadership responsibility at work and in an organization to which I belong. I didn't know where I would "find" or "make" the time nor how I would get to each of the required events throughout the year, but I'm not worried. You see, I've become very, very good at planning and adapting. I'm quite proud of my increased skills in "logistics management." You CAN, too...but it's up to YOU to decide for yourself.  I leave you with the words of two very wise individuals, Yoda and my mother.

"Do or do not. There is no try." --Yoda

"Can't never did, because can't never tried." --Pam's Mom

Distill them both and you're back to....CAN DO!.

Have a BRIGHT week. Go shine your light.

Thursday Thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving! That is today's American greeting. The Canadians are way ahead of the game, you know...they had theirs in October! Did you take time to be thankful for someone or something? Did you give of yourself, your ideas, your time, your talents?

Admittedly when I was little, Thanksgiving in my schema was probably also a little about permission to be temporarily gluttonous. I was obsessed with all the food options, including the entire sensual experience of the meal--the smells, sounds, flavors, textures, even the sheer quantity of all that food. One vegetable or one pie weren't enough; we always had multiple options and I almost always wanted to eat everything. We were always thankful, knowing that it was more than just a little blessing that we had been provided with the means to have all that food, and a dear mother willing to prepare and share it all. For many years she spent more than a whole day preparing all that food to eat.

Today I got back in touch with a deeper thankfulness as I thought about so many things other than food. I didn't prepare a huge feast or over-consume; I enjoyed a little bit of what I had on hand and a little bit of some treats my parents brought when they came for a quick visit. I took time to embrace all that is good in my life, even those moments that test my character.

Tonight I'm off to grab a glass of water to sip in front of a TV movie special, do some reading, and get some sleep. I guarantee you I will not be participating in tomorrow's shopping frenzy. If you need or want to do some shopping, try staying local. Your community needs you.

Now, get some rest and go shine your light!

Happy Friday!

My, how time keeps rolling by! Did you realize we'd come to the "end" of another "work" week? Of course you did...most people look forward to that little change in focus, to "getting away" for a little while, or to reset for the upcoming week.

I'm loathe to admit, but i'm a little tired this week (ok, a lot tired, but not for long, right?). Usually i get a little upsurge of energy, a little boost as I realize it's "my" time once 4pm hits. It hasn't kicked in yet today, so  i might need a little nap on the way home (I'm getting chauffeured, so it's ok to do that). I'll be offline tonight, but perhaps I'll check in over the weekend, and most definitely by Monday.

So "Happy Friday"--do whatever it is that you want to do this weekend. I encourage including some rest, some fun, and something helpful to others in whatever order best suits you. If you're up for it next week, let's chat about how it went, OK? Happy Friday. Peace out! ;)