Today we are talking about leaving your footprints and maximizing your strengths and personal skill set that you bring to the table!
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Monday, April 29, 2019
"Driving two..." The Hannah & Eleni Show
See what I did with the title...very clever this one is
My show was taken over today...this is what happens when you leave your phone sitting around 😀
It's ok though...they are practicing to be the next Oprahs!
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Throw Back - Choose to Be Happy
I don't know why but this song by Rihanna popped into my head today as I was writing another post about leaving footprints. I thought about writing on it too but then I remembered that I already had! So...it's Throw Back Time...
Friday, April 10, 2015
Choose to be Happy
Find light in the beautiful sea
I choose to be happy
You and I, you and I
We’re like diamonds in the sky
These are lyrics from a Rihanna song titled “Diamonds.” I have heard this song a million times. When you listen to Top 40 radio you become sick of songs you once liked because they play them over and over and over and over and over…I switch the station very quickly even when I hear Pharrell’s “Happy” song now and I love it!
Now I don’t really like the song "Diamonds" too much but it came on my Pandora the other day while I was doing some things around the house. And the lyric…which again, I had heard seemingly a million times…caught me this time.
“I choose to be happy”
Why did it catch me this time when it hadn’t the previous million times?
“I choose to be happy”
I really don't know but I do believe happiness is a choice...a mindset. (I'll define happiness in a later blog post)
We can all choose to be happy and we must if we are leading people. We have a responsibility to the people who follow us to choose happiness.
Why?
Well…I could put it into my own words but I found the following on the web at The Happiness Start-up School (click here to visit the site)…
Take a second and think about how you work when you’re not happy, when you’re feeling negative, anxious or stressed. Are you creative? Inspired? Motivated? Engaged? Is our productivity at its peak?
Our ability to work at our most effective reduces when we’re feeling stressed or under pressure. We can’t make decisions thoughtfully or work to our full potential.
Now turn it around. When you feel happy, how do you work? Are you charged up, feeling creative and positive about outcomes? More resilient and persistent when we suffer setbacks?
Our brains become more alert, open to ideas and innovation when we’re happy, letting us to work to our full potential. It’s a recipe for productivity that comes much easier to those whose business idea revolves around something they believe in.
Study after study proves that happy teams are more creative, productive and effective. Just think about it for a second. Happy employees are nicer to be around, they like making their customers happy and therefore work harder to achieve that. Happy customers spend more money, are more loyal to a brand and tell their friends and family. It’s a marketing plan in itself.
So…follow Rihanna…well don’t follow her…no one likes a stalker but follow her advice when she sings…
“I choose to be happy…”
You’ll be glad you did…
I choose to be happy
You and I, you and I
We’re like diamonds in the sky
These are lyrics from a Rihanna song titled “Diamonds.” I have heard this song a million times. When you listen to Top 40 radio you become sick of songs you once liked because they play them over and over and over and over and over…I switch the station very quickly even when I hear Pharrell’s “Happy” song now and I love it!
Now I don’t really like the song "Diamonds" too much but it came on my Pandora the other day while I was doing some things around the house. And the lyric…which again, I had heard seemingly a million times…caught me this time.
“I choose to be happy”
Why did it catch me this time when it hadn’t the previous million times?
“I choose to be happy”
I really don't know but I do believe happiness is a choice...a mindset. (I'll define happiness in a later blog post)
We can all choose to be happy and we must if we are leading people. We have a responsibility to the people who follow us to choose happiness.
Why?
Well…I could put it into my own words but I found the following on the web at The Happiness Start-up School (click here to visit the site)…
Take a second and think about how you work when you’re not happy, when you’re feeling negative, anxious or stressed. Are you creative? Inspired? Motivated? Engaged? Is our productivity at its peak?
Our ability to work at our most effective reduces when we’re feeling stressed or under pressure. We can’t make decisions thoughtfully or work to our full potential.
Now turn it around. When you feel happy, how do you work? Are you charged up, feeling creative and positive about outcomes? More resilient and persistent when we suffer setbacks?
Our brains become more alert, open to ideas and innovation when we’re happy, letting us to work to our full potential. It’s a recipe for productivity that comes much easier to those whose business idea revolves around something they believe in.
Study after study proves that happy teams are more creative, productive and effective. Just think about it for a second. Happy employees are nicer to be around, they like making their customers happy and therefore work harder to achieve that. Happy customers spend more money, are more loyal to a brand and tell their friends and family. It’s a marketing plan in itself.
So…follow Rihanna…well don’t follow her…no one likes a stalker but follow her advice when she sings…
“I choose to be happy…”
You’ll be glad you did…
Friday, April 26, 2019
Taking Care of Business...
And I'll be taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I've been taking care of business (it's all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime...
Bachman Turner Overdrive recorded this song in 1973. I'm talking about it in 2019.
(and planting the tune in your head!)
Of course the song takes a different view on taking care of business than the one I am going to be talking (writing) about. It popped into my head as I was thinking about the most important thing to do if you're "taking care of business." I started singing...
Taking care of people (every day)
Taking care of people (every way)
I've been taking care of people (all the time)
Taking care of people...and the business will be fine!
Not great lyrics and probably would not be a hit song but it will give you the opportunity to create a great business and that's pretty cool. It seems so simple - take care of your people and they will take care of your business.
Actually...it is that simple...
I wish more "leaders" would do it
"Driving to..." Leaders as Learners
Beware - there is SINGING in this episode!
Also, as I listened back on it I discovered I used the word "fantastic" a lot. I need a thesaurus..
Finally - the first minute or so of this video is a little wonky - kinda blurry and jumpy. I have no idea why but we don't re-shoot at the "Driving to..." podcast...maybe we should.
I hope everyone has a FANTASTIC day! 😀
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
"Driving to..." Appreciation
We are driving to get our passports and it got us thinking about how great it is to travel and gain the appreciation of other cultures and ways of life.
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
If you ever wonder if your kids are listening...they are
My 5 year-old daughter, Eleni, had my phone as we were driving yesterday and decided to record her own "Driving to..." episode. Here is "Driving to..." Heaven by guest host Eleni Munnell
Monday, April 22, 2019
Career Goals
I was just on Facebook and saw a post shared by one of my friends concerning career goals. My friend, Bill Green, saw this post on LinkedIn from a guy named Tim Denning. I thought I would share it here too!
A share of a share...how bout that!?
That's okay. The bigger your goals are, often, the more people will laugh at them or mock them.
What's important is that you believe in them and don't let someone stop you because they criticise what you're doing.
Changing the world or doing something meaningful is bloody hard and so it's guaranteed that you will have many low points. People may kick you when you're down.
But will you stand up again? That's your choice.
Arnold had all the odds against him. No one like him had ever succeeded in Hollywood yet he went on to defy the odds because he had unwavering belief in himself.
It all starts with belief. To have it, you have to do what Arnold did and become good at blocking out the noise.
Stay true to yourself.
Tim Denning on Career Goals
"Driving to..." Meetings and Conference Calls - Bonus Material
I had more to say right after I stopped recording the last episode of "Driving to..." about the running of meetings and conference calls so I pulled over in a parking lot and shot another video and just like that we have...
BONUS MATERIAL!
I must add - if I didn't explain it well in either video - that the responsibility of making a conference call and/or meeting meaningful falls to the host...The person that calls the meeting. I think I covered this but I just wanted to reiterate...(Ha! As I typed the title to this post I typed "Meatings" - it actually works because the host is responsible for the "meat" of the meetings.)
Saturday, April 20, 2019
"Driving to..." Leadership & Meetings
I am talking about conference calls and meetings today. I love good ones, raucous ones...I don't love bad ones. I don't think I'm alone...
Friday, April 19, 2019
”Driving to...” Celebration!
Today we - I have multiple co-hosts today - are Driving to a Celebration! It’s my Dad’s birthday!!!
(Boy...I really need to figure out this thumbnail thing!)
Thursday, April 18, 2019
"Driving to..." A Whole Pile of Stuff!
We talk about Customer Service, Service to each other, Health...and Victory on today's episode!
Fun stuff!
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
"Driving to..." Sleep & Health
We never get enough sleep! Why is this? Just take a look below at my sleep from last night as measured by my Garmin...
No wonder I am always tired!!!
I talk about this on today's episode of "Driving to..." then I'm taking a nap...
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
"Driving to..." Fulfillment at Work
How much do you want to work? How much should you work? How much are you willing to work to have the success you want? One guy thinks 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Another says 3 days a week. What do you say?
Monday, April 15, 2019
"Driving to..." Fulfillment (Ep 5)
I talk about the fulfillment opportunity of letting people know how they inspire and pour into you!
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Enrichment Days
I was talking to a fellow leader the other day and he was saying that he hadn't had a day off for 28 days.
Yikes!
I was like, "OMG - why not?" And he just sort of shrugged like it wasn't a big deal but his body language and demeanor told otherwise.
28 straight days of work.
Now, some of us may not think that it is a big deal to work 28 straight days. We've all done it at some point and many of us still do. Some of us work every single day of our lives.
However...
There is a difference in working 28 straight days doing something you love and feel a passion or purpose for and something that you are just doing to meet the bills. I got the impression that this guy is just doing his job to meet the bills. Could be wrong...don't think I am.
It was depressing...
I told him he needed to take the next day off. He needed a day to reenergize himself. To decompress...to clear out the sludge that I am sure was clogging his pipelines.
He needed an Enrichment Day.
I love Enrichment Days. The way I describe an Enrichment Day is a day where you plan to clear your head and then fill it back with things that inspire you, excite you, gives your life a purpose. It can be a day where you sleep a little later, go for a run, eat a relaxing breakfast (not like we usually do as we're rushed to get to work), read those books you never get to read, take a nap, go for a walk with no phone or headphones...so many things.
Things to enrich yourself.
Enrichment Days are like plugging in your charger...filling your battery so you're ready to take on the next day, week, even month (Although I would hope that you could work in more than one Enrichment Day per month).
When I am getting "blah" and life and work are dragging from a lack of energy and excitement, I take an Enrichment Day.
You should too!
Yikes!
I was like, "OMG - why not?" And he just sort of shrugged like it wasn't a big deal but his body language and demeanor told otherwise.
28 straight days of work.
Now, some of us may not think that it is a big deal to work 28 straight days. We've all done it at some point and many of us still do. Some of us work every single day of our lives.
However...
There is a difference in working 28 straight days doing something you love and feel a passion or purpose for and something that you are just doing to meet the bills. I got the impression that this guy is just doing his job to meet the bills. Could be wrong...don't think I am.
It was depressing...
I told him he needed to take the next day off. He needed a day to reenergize himself. To decompress...to clear out the sludge that I am sure was clogging his pipelines.
He needed an Enrichment Day.
I love Enrichment Days. The way I describe an Enrichment Day is a day where you plan to clear your head and then fill it back with things that inspire you, excite you, gives your life a purpose. It can be a day where you sleep a little later, go for a run, eat a relaxing breakfast (not like we usually do as we're rushed to get to work), read those books you never get to read, take a nap, go for a walk with no phone or headphones...so many things.
Things to enrich yourself.
Enrichment Days are like plugging in your charger...filling your battery so you're ready to take on the next day, week, even month (Although I would hope that you could work in more than one Enrichment Day per month).
When I am getting "blah" and life and work are dragging from a lack of energy and excitement, I take an Enrichment Day.
You should too!
Friday, April 12, 2019
"Driving to..." Kindness (Ep #4)
Today I talk about 2 types of service Janet and I received - from the same cashier desk!
Thursday, April 11, 2019
"Driving to..." Health and Accountability (Ep 3)
Episode 3 drives us to health and then to accountability. Short little blurbs on each - more to come. In fact I wrote about accountability on this blog in 2014. Go check out those posts!
(again...I love the screen shots when you upload the videos. I bet there is a way to change it...I just have to study how to!)
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Driving to...Part 2 of Ep 2 "Fixin to About to"
Part 2 of "Fixin to About to!" As you remember, the video cut off abruptly yesterday due to a lack of storage on my phone. The producer of this show should've been better prepared!
(Gee whiz...it's funny what the screen shot of the video looks like below! Again...the producer needs to do something about that...)
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Driving to...Ep 2 - Fixin to About to
The second episode!
And Houston we have a problem...ugh...
My phone became full as I was filming Episode 2 - and I have 64 gigs! So it now becomes a "Special Two-Part Episode" (said in my best announcer voice 😀) or the first of the blooper reel.
So here's the unanticipated Part 1 of "Fixin to About to"
Monday, April 8, 2019
Sit and Soak
At church the other day the pastor talked about how some people come to church every Sunday, sit in the pews and take in everything the preacher says. They are very excited to come and very excited to learn and hear the message. However, once they leave the church they do nothing with the words and feelings they experienced.
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
then...
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
then...
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
Our pastor had a phrase for this...
"Sit and Soak"
They "sit and soak" in all the information, all the words, all the messages, all the prayers and then they go home and wait to come back the next Sunday.
"Sit and Soak"
It made me think of how this phrase could be applied in other settings and I thought of people who have a dream...let's say they want to be a motivational speaker.
They buy all the books about speaking...reading works from Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and more. They watch videos by these same speakers. They listen to cds, podcasts and audiobooks. They read articles...they search the internet. They collect all sorts of information.
And then do nothing with it.
"Sit and Soak"
They soak up all this information, preparing themselves for when they step out and become a speaker. And yet they never step out. They feel as if they are not ready...they need to learn a little bit more.
"Sit and Soak"
They want to soak up more and more information...and still sit there.
How many dreams are never realized because of sitting and soaking?
You cannot make things happen by just learning the information. You must do something with it. Even if you do not think you know enough. Because...guess what?
You learn more by doing!
Sit...Soak...and Do
A good lesson for all of us in every aspect of our life and every day of our lives...and not just on Sundays.
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
then...
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
then...
They come back the next Sunday and do the same thing.
Our pastor had a phrase for this...
"Sit and Soak"
They "sit and soak" in all the information, all the words, all the messages, all the prayers and then they go home and wait to come back the next Sunday.
"Sit and Soak"
It made me think of how this phrase could be applied in other settings and I thought of people who have a dream...let's say they want to be a motivational speaker.
They buy all the books about speaking...reading works from Tony Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and more. They watch videos by these same speakers. They listen to cds, podcasts and audiobooks. They read articles...they search the internet. They collect all sorts of information.
And then do nothing with it.
"Sit and Soak"
They soak up all this information, preparing themselves for when they step out and become a speaker. And yet they never step out. They feel as if they are not ready...they need to learn a little bit more.
"Sit and Soak"
They want to soak up more and more information...and still sit there.
How many dreams are never realized because of sitting and soaking?
You cannot make things happen by just learning the information. You must do something with it. Even if you do not think you know enough. Because...guess what?
You learn more by doing!
Sit...Soak...and Do
A good lesson for all of us in every aspect of our life and every day of our lives...and not just on Sundays.
Driving to... Episode #1
Episode #1 of "Driving to..."
You fill in the blank...
Driving to...health
Driving to...success
Driving to...fulfillment
Driving to...(fill in the blank)
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Blood Pressure Medicine
I have to take blood pressure medicine. Not a lot...just a little but I still take it everyday. If I don't take it everyday I can feel a difference after a couple of days so...I take it.
The medicine doesn't cure my blood pressure. It controls it...keeps it in the "normal" range but doesn't cure the cause because the cause is that I don't eat right, I don't exercise much...I just don't take care of myself well. Oh, sometimes I do...I run every so often. I have completed marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks and 5ks - even in the last month. But running is not something that, by itself, is going to cure my high blood pressure.
I also take metformin. I just started taking it because my last visit to the doctor discovered my A1C - a measurement of your blood sugar - was just over 7. I guess that ain't good because the doctor put me on this drug. I take it...everyday...it's almost like a miracle. The drug has made a difference with the way I feel.
The medicine doesn't cure my pre-diabetes. It controls it...keeps it in the "normal" range but it doesn't cure the cause because the cause is that I don't eat right, I don't exercise much...I just don't take care of myself well. Oh, sometimes I do...I run every so often. I have completed marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks and 5ks - even in the last month. But running is not something that, by itself, is going to cure my pre-diabetes.
I know the cure
Everyone knows the cure
Eat right
Exercise consistently
Take care of myself
If I was change my behaviors in how I live each day I would be able to get off the medicines. All I have to do is to...
Make...the...change...
Many of us face this same situation in our work lives. We have a recurring issue...something that keeps of from achieving our best success.
And we know what we need to do.
But we keep putting band aides on the problem hoping that it will fix itself. We keep taking our medicine that controls the issue but doesn't cure it. We can't make the decision to change our behaviors that cause the issue...
We know the cure
Just like we know the cure for high blood pressure.
If we change our behaviors...we can cure whatever our issues are.
Let's stop taking our medicine.
Let's change our behavior.
Let's get healthy!
The medicine doesn't cure my blood pressure. It controls it...keeps it in the "normal" range but doesn't cure the cause because the cause is that I don't eat right, I don't exercise much...I just don't take care of myself well. Oh, sometimes I do...I run every so often. I have completed marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks and 5ks - even in the last month. But running is not something that, by itself, is going to cure my high blood pressure.
I also take metformin. I just started taking it because my last visit to the doctor discovered my A1C - a measurement of your blood sugar - was just over 7. I guess that ain't good because the doctor put me on this drug. I take it...everyday...it's almost like a miracle. The drug has made a difference with the way I feel.
The medicine doesn't cure my pre-diabetes. It controls it...keeps it in the "normal" range but it doesn't cure the cause because the cause is that I don't eat right, I don't exercise much...I just don't take care of myself well. Oh, sometimes I do...I run every so often. I have completed marathons, half-marathons, 10Ks and 5ks - even in the last month. But running is not something that, by itself, is going to cure my pre-diabetes.
I know the cure
Everyone knows the cure
Eat right
Exercise consistently
Take care of myself
If I was change my behaviors in how I live each day I would be able to get off the medicines. All I have to do is to...
Make...the...change...
Many of us face this same situation in our work lives. We have a recurring issue...something that keeps of from achieving our best success.
And we know what we need to do.
But we keep putting band aides on the problem hoping that it will fix itself. We keep taking our medicine that controls the issue but doesn't cure it. We can't make the decision to change our behaviors that cause the issue...
We know the cure
Just like we know the cure for high blood pressure.
If we change our behaviors...we can cure whatever our issues are.
Let's stop taking our medicine.
Let's change our behavior.
Let's get healthy!
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