Hedria

Are You Fulfilling or Filling Your Life?

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, act frankly...to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely...This is to be my symphony. -William Henry Channing (1810-1884)

Life is not always easy. There are responsibilities, disappointments, jobs,tasks, special events, families, friends, activities and more all competing for our attention. It's how we accept and prioritize these that can make a difference in the way we live our lives, our achievements, and our state of mind. It determines whether we feel satisfied or lost.

Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone

I have taught creativity classes and explained non-judgmental behavior to thousands of people over the past decade. How we judge things--the daily events in our lives, the movies we attend, conversations with friends and relatives--effect everything we do.

A few years ago, I was presenting at a creativity center in Istanbul, Turkey. About 12 presenters gathered on the first night to discuss where to go for dinner. One of my colleagues suggested Chinese food. As soon as he said it, I replied, "You've got to be kidding. Who wants to go for Chinese in Istanbul?"

"I do," he laughed. "I thought you taught non-judgmental behavior!"

I hadn't realized how quickly I dismissed his idea. But, did I learn a lesson? Nope. Later that week, he mentioned buying something as a present for his wife that he could have easily purchased at home. Once again, I added my unwanted comments. "Why bring her back that when this fabulous city has so many exotic items?"

He looked at me, shook his head and said, "There she goes again."

That trip and those encounters, have replayed in my mind many times. While I teach people how to be non-judgmental, I have a comfort zone from which I judge. We all do.

Who Are You?

One of the most important things for an individual to know is: Who You Are?

When presenting seminars, coaching, mentoring or writing it is the first thing we discuss.  And here are the questions I ask:

• Who are you?
• What makes you tick?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?

If you are not sure about your strengths and weakness, how will you find them out? You can ask your colleagues, your friends and your family. Ask a friend why they are your friend - what do they value about you.  Think about:

• What makes you significant?
• What is unique about you?

Taking the time to think this out can help you gain confidence.

How about letting me know what you discover!

My Recent Presentation at CPSI 2007

In June I went to my very favorite and most important conference.

I have attended CPSI the Creative Problem Solving Institute for over 15 years and find it packed with great material, information, colleagues and friends.

This year I had the opportunity to present my seminar Square One at 51 based on my newly published book, Square One at 51. The seminar and the book are a reflection of the lessons I learned while writing a journal after my husband died:

The importance of Self awareness, Creativity, Articulating Goals and Networking that helped me move along and re-create myself.

It was very excitng to do the seminar with my book in hand. The audience was receptive and appreciative. At the end of the seminar members of the audience came up to ask questions, share their stories and purchase the book. I have presented this seminar before as Navigating Change and it was extremely gratifying to be able to align it now with the journal Sqauare One at 51 and present participants with something tangible to take home and read.