Are You Feeling It?
Lorraine Lane No Comments

Are You Feeling It?

Are You Feeling It? The “it” being the expression of GRATITUDE.  🙏

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” 🎁 according to William Arthur Ward

Do you ever feel that you’re sailing through the busyness of daily life like a boat ⛵without a captain? You’re setting goals and making every attempt to achieve them. You’re paying attention to your health because you know you need to, and with all the commercials and focus on being healthy, you don’t want to appear to be a slacker! You know you need to spend quality time with your family and friends. And your calendar is already overflowing. 📆 You’re jumping from one thing to another non stop.

And then … you realize that your alignment with your Higher Purpose might be suffering neglect. Wowzers! How do you fit it all in?

And then…. you are encouraged to be grateful. Because November is National Gratitude Month. Be grateful for all your blessings.

Yes, we’re in the depths of challenging times, and it’s easy to feel like life is an endurance test. Are the people in your life who matter most, as well as your body and business, conspiring against you? When thoughts about throwing in the towel haunt you, it’s a powerless place to be. And certainly not a happy place. 😔🥺

There is one powerful thing that can break the chains of feeling like a victim, and that is gratitude. It’s a life-changing shift of your focus from heartache, frustration, isolation, sadness, distress, and just plain blahness… to recognizing all you have to be grateful for.  Take a 5 – 10 minute break and just breathe. Think of one – just one 1️⃣- thing that you are grateful for today. It could be that check that came in the mail (happy dance!) 💃 or that your kid actually said, “thank you” for making dinner! Or your orchid is going to blossom! It’s the little things. And, it takes noticing and taking the moment to feel into the gratitude.

The journey from victim to empowered is through gratitude – gratitude expressed. Take the first step. Then the second and third steps will follow. Give the gift. It’s so worth it.

 

 

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Lorraine Lane No Comments

Learn to Say “NO” With Confidence

Learning to say, “no” is a powerful skill for achieving personal and business success. The struggle with setting boundaries is real. When you don’t know how to set boundaries, you will often find yourself overwhelmed and stressed. Those obligations that you agreed to take on, often find that the “yes” is really “no” and you battle the drain of energy and time.

Let’s take a look at the art of saying, “no” gracefully and pleasantly.

Why “NO” Matters

When you say, “no”, you set clear boundaries and limitations. You are paying attention to balance and are preventing burnout from over commitment and safeguarding both your mental and physical health.

NO is creating space for what truly matters to you.

Your Time and Energy

When you say, “yes”, you are gifting your time and energy to the request. This is time and energy that you won’t have available for activities that align with your goals and aspirations.

NO avoids unnecessary commitments and allows you to to spend your time effectively.

Strategies for Saying, “NO”

Clarify:

What are your priorities? If you don’t know, then requests will always prompt a “yes”! if the opportunity  is a contribution to your personal and professional growth, then the positive answer is appropriate. If not, then knowing how to decline is essential.

Empathic Communication:

When saying, “no”, it’s important to communicate understanding and compassion. Express gratitude for the opportunity and give your decision in a clear, concise and respectful way. You might consider suggesting others who might be better suited for the activity.

Assertiveness:

This is the most difficult part of the Science of “no”. Speak your “no” with confidence and speak with a firm voice. Avoid apologies or over-explaining your decision as this behavior invites coaxing you to change your response to “yes”. Remember, you have the right to decline requests.

Offer A Compromise:

Should you sincerely want to help but can’t fully commit, offer a negotiation of an alternative time or less involvement that might work.

Experience:

Like all skills, the more you practice, the better you get. Reflect on the outcomes of your decisions. Have you respected your boundaries? Adjust accordingly. Learning to say “no” is powerful. It allows you to prioritize self-care and enables you to invest your time and energy in your own interests and goals.

“When you say, “yes” to others, make sure you are not saying, “no” to yourself.”

Paulo Coelho

 

Join me for Coffee with the Coach  – a series of free, virtual mini-seminars on the topic of Effective Communication.  Can you think of any aspect of your business that doesn’t require communication?

Register here:  https://my.lanebc.com/coffee-with-the-coach

 

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Lorraine Lane No Comments

How to Avoid Business Communication Blunders

Your business journey has ups and downs. As you navigate this business excursion, one power that you must have is Communication. It’s the secret sauce that makes or breaks a business.

Here are some common communication mistakes that business owners make. They are easily preventable.

The Jargon Jungle:

Image that you are in a meeting and the speaker is dropping acronyms left and right. As you look around, you see puzzled faces around the conference table. Oh no! The speaker is drowning the audience in a sea of industry jargon. The overuse of such jargon serves to alienate your audience rather than engage them.

Promise yourself to use simple language. If you must use an acronym, tell people what it stands for.

The Mic Monopolizer:

Loving the sound of your own voice, eh? Communication is a two-way street, and dominating the conversation will not endear you to your listeners. Listen actively. Encourage others to speak, share ideas, and voice concerns. Set the stage for lively dialogue and watch the magic of Effective Communication happen.

The Silent Star:

Do you ghost your customers and colleagues? Ghosting refers to the vanishing act that some business owners employ. They don’t respond to emails or text messages, skip meetings, are unreachable, and appear to vanish into thin air. This sends a dreadful message. Timely responses are key. Be responsive. It’s important.

The Word Salad:

Have you ever received an email or memo that was so convoluted and filled with excessive verbiage and ambiguous clauses that you were confused and frustrated? The answer here is: keep it simple, clear, and concise. Make the point. There’s no need to drown the reader in a linguistic shower.

The Non-Verbals:

Words are important, but non-verbal cues are even more critical for effective Communication. Body language, facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice speak volumes. It’s true that actions speak louder than words!

Communication is the heart ❤️and soul of your business. Avoid these common mistakes to develop your communication skills. Make every conversation count.

Join me for Coffee with the Coach ~ a series of free, virtual mini-seminars on the topic of Effective Communication. Can you think of anything in your business that doesn’t require Communication?

Register here: https://my.lanebc.com/coffee-with-the-coach

Jim No Comments

What is Your Work Experience?

What was your first work experience?

Not your first job. When I ask this question, the answers range from delivering newspapers, picking vegetables on a neighbor’s farm, babysitting, cleaning out the horse barn for a neighbor, caddying at the local golf course to picking berries in the garden.

My first work experience was when I was 10 years old. My Mom had gone back to work as a nurse and had said (or what I heard her say) that her return to work was because we needed the money. I thought that if I could contribute to the family budget, my mom would not have to work. I knew that my getting a job was out of the question because of my age. Read more