Category Archives: Personal Development

New Choices in the New Year

I caught the newspaper headline just as I was zipping out of the gym early this morning . . . “New Choices in the New Year”.  I like it!  That headline captures the spirit, hope and energy that as a professional coach I hope to bring to all my coaching and training clients.  It speaks to recognizing our own personal power in creating a future that we truly want at this time in our lives.

And that’s what we’re all thinking about this first week of January as the new year gets underway.  It may be a renewed commitment to a regular exercise schedule; healthier eating; more sleep; better time and energy management or a different career path.  This is a natural time to look back over the past year to see what has worked well and what hasn’t; what changes need to be made to move forward and then to use that wisdom to proactively plan for a “prosperous new year”.

The Power of Choice 

Let’s be honest and recognize that it’s all about choices . . . and it’s all within our personal power.  Everyday we make multiple choices – some move us closer to our positive year-long goals but other choices are made when we are hurried and stressed.  These are the choices that often distract or even derail us from what we really want in our lives.  It can be tempting to blame these poor choices on other people or outside circumstances but in all honesty we always have control over how we respond to these situations – even though we may not want to admit it.

Slow Down to Make Good Choices

So what’s the secret to making good choices for ourselves?  Bottom line . . . slow down and think about your choice before you commit yourself.  Make it a habit.  Push the pause button and think about how this choice may support or distract you from a higher priority goal.  That brief pause gives you a chance to think before acting.

But since daily life does move fast, don’t be too hard on yourself for making a few snap choices that you later find yourself regretting . . . it happens to all of us.   The good news is that as we get older and wiser that pause button gets much easier to push!

 

 

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Holiday Coaching Specials

Tired of the same old holiday gifts this season? Try this delicious change. Give a special friend or family member an opportunity to work with an experienced professional career & life coach over the next three months.

Coaching is results-oriented, fast-moving and incredibly powerful. Know that you are helping someone that you really care about create the life they truly want in 2012. What a great way to jump-start the New Year – there is no better gift than that!

This is the best part . . . for the month of December all my coaching price options are reduced by 20% for the first person on your gift list. For the second person on your list it’s a 50% discount. 

Several of these coaching options are for three months, so your savings is significant. And that first or second person could be you as well!

Here’s how you do it . . .

  1. Go on my website www.CareerConnectionsSN.com and click on the tab “Coaching”, then from the dropdown menu, click on “Individual Coaching Options”. Or click here: Individual Coaching by Kit.
  2. Review the descriptions and select one of the options you would like to gift.
  3. Shoot me an email [email protected] or call (775) 324-5151. I will take it from there!

Happiest of Holidays and into the New Year, too!

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Rocks, Sand & Your Time

I’m delighted that Les Murray from the New England Chocolate Company, Salisbury, MA sent me the following time management tip this week.  Les is a regular reader of my blog “Conversations with Kit” and along with his wife, Jayne Murray, are chocolate extraordinaire entrepreneurs at www.newenglandchocolatecompany.com.

I’ve used this time management visual in my past training classes and totally agree with Les that this is a wonderful way to think about prioritizing your time and energy.  You may have even seen it done in a time management class – it’s been around for awhile.  I like visuals like this because we remember them better over the years and this truly is one of the best.

Here’s how it goes . . . the class instructor starts with asking you to think about what “Big Roles” you fulfill at this time in your personal and professional life.  These may be as a mother/father; spouse; son/daughter; business owner; employee; student; community volunteer etc.  Next, list for yourself several smaller things that also fill up your daily life but are not considered “big”.  Examples may be time you spend paying bills, doing household chores, doing errands, sorting paper clips etc.

The class instructor then takes out a big jar, some sand and some rocks.  He explains that the small things are represented by the sand and he then pours the sand in the jar.  It fills up quickly.  Now he asks the class participants to assign their big roles to each one of the rocks.  After that is done, he tries to put the rocks in the jar.  But there is no room – the sand has taken up all the space.  What to do?  The class discusses this and quickly decides to take the sand out and then put the rocks in to the now empty jar.  The rocks go in first – the big roles that each class participant identified that they most cared about.  Now the instructor pours in the sand and you guessed it, the sand fits quite  easily around the rocks.

And in Les’ words . . . “the moral to the story is that each one of us only has 24 hours/day, 7 days per week.  We sleep 8, we work 8 and there are 8 hours that we have for ourselves.  If we allow the “sand”  to fill our lives then we never have any time for our larger roles, those that we care most about.” Les goes on to remind us again to plan our time and energy carefully so that we are doing what is really important to us in this chapter of our lives – like  eating wonderful Belgium chocolates from the New England Chocolate Company!

 

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Be “Interested” & “Interesting”

Bruce McGregor, age 93, is true Irishman and a delight!  Bruce is one of those people that is both “interested and interesting”.  Bruce, and his twin brother Bob, have been close friends with my Dad (also 93) for years and years.  Bob is now deceased but Bruce continues to live here in Reno and to work part-time as a calendar salesman for a local company.

So what makes Bruce special?  One always feels that you have Bruce’s undivided attention – that he is genuinely interested in you.  Even as kids, my twin sister and I always enjoyed Bruce.  He always was there with a laugh, interested questions and a secret stash of trinkets in the trunk of his car to pass out. We felt special because he made us feel special.

So years later, and even though he wears hearing aids now, Bruce can definitely keep up with any conversation over a glass of wine.  For example, Bruce joined me last week at a wonderful Northern Nevada Red Cross Wine Tasting fund raiser www.nevada.red.cross.org.  As I watched him meet and greet the significantly younger crowd I was impressed with how Bruce can engage others through his genuine interest in them.  He truly is “interested” in what others have to say.

Be Interesting as Well!

But the other side is just as important.  Bruce is “interesting” as well.  He and his twin brother traveled extensively throughout the world.  There is not a country, city, town, train, cruise etc. that Bruce can’t remember and tell you which road to take; a great restaurant to eat at and the best hotel to book.  Before any trip I make sure to consult with Bruce.  And being Irish, Bruce always knows the best deals as well!

What a treat to know Bruce and what great lessons he can teach all of us.  This is what I continue to learn from Bruce . . . to always strive to not only be genuinely “interested” in others but also to be “interesting” as well.  I need to take every opportunity to go and do – to learn and to grow.  And I encourage you to do the same.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised that others will gravitate to you and you both will enjoy the richness of each other’s experiences and lives.  That’s great for your personal life and your professional career as well.

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The Art of Conversation in Norway

It’s truly an art . . . the art of making conversation with others.  And it takes skill and practice.  I got the chance to practice this skill over and over while living in Norway for 6 1/2 years with my husband (US Marine) who was assigned to NATO. Nine countries were part of this NATO command and we attended many formal and informal gatherings over the years.  I also had my own training and consulting business which necessitated me collaborating closely with the Norwegians and the ex-patriate international community.

But it was the formal dinner parties hosted by the NATO command that I remember best.  They were beautifully planned events held at the headquarters with a mix of military representatives and their spouses attending. These dinner events always started later in the evening and didn’t conclude until well past midnight. So it was a long evening filled with real conversation – no cell phones or texting at this dinner table.

The dinner meal was quite formal and I would find myself seated next to someone new each time.  I would usually have a military officer and their spouse on each side of me and another couple across from me. Although, the “official” language was English one had to respect that the other person was speaking in a 2nd or 3rd language.  This is truly the art of making conversation.  So this is what I became quite good at . . .

Creating a Conversation Bridge:  Be Interested & Interesting

What I really learned was to be genuinely “interested” in the other person.  I listened closely for who they were, what  they had experienced and what I could learn from them.  This created a bridge between us.  People love to talk about their own lives if they feel someone is really interested – and I am.  I engaged my curiosity and just listened to learn. And then I asked questions to learn more.  It’s a discovery process.

And then I would be “interesting” as well.  The conversation couldn’t be just one way – then everyone is bored.  Before each dinner, I would consciously think of several topics that made me interesting – a recent trip, a new work project, an interest in something happening internationally, funny experiences etc.  Something that I could contribute to the conversation – after all, we had at least 3 hours to converse.  And don’t forget that the three taboo topics politics, sex and religion are still to be avoided in any kind of gathering where you want to make a good impression.

Now it’s been a few years since the whirlwind of living and working in Norway.  But one of the many things I learned was that I can make conversation with anyone.  I can always find a bridge and spark a conversation about something we have in common.  So lesson learned . . . be “interested” and “interesting” and you’ll always have a fascinating dinner companion!

 

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