Completing 2013: Happy New Year!

To Complete:  Definition:   1. To bring to a finish or an end: 

2. To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts

It's the end of 2013.  For some of us, 2013 was a great year filled with growth, excitement and forward movement.  For others of us, it was a year of challenges, obstacles and we are looking forward to putting it behind us.

Whichever of these you relate to, here are some strategies for powerful completion and for intentionally creating and attracting that which will make your 2014 an even better year to remember.

1.  Review your year and assess what you learned.  There is never nothing going on, and you are always learning.  What did you learn and how can you use that to make your next chapter richer?

2.  Look at the people in your world.  Review whom you spent the most time with.  How did that work for you?  Are these people who bring you inspiration and energy?  Or do they drain you?  Choose where to put your time in the upcoming year.  Be kind to others, but more kind to yourself.  There is only so much time in a year, who do you want to spend it with?

3.  Finances, did you meet your financial obligations?  Is there some rearranging you need to do to make that more manageable and functional in the next year.  And, if it was all managed successfully, did your use your resources to make your world better?

4.   Your environment, are your home and your work environment supporting you?  Look around.  Is there unfinished business taking up space in your environment?  Those "unclosed loops" are taking up space and energy in your brain.  Spend some time cleaning out unfinished business, or at least filing it away so it is not in view and put it where you can get it done later.  Put a tickler in your calendar to get it done.  Also, this is the time of year where retailers have sales on storage solutions.  Get what you need to start your year free of physical/ mental clutter.

5.  How are you?  A simple question with a complicated answer.  Take stock of your health, and make what ever appointments or arrangements you need to get to "as good as you can", as 2014 begins.  Nothing affects our experience as drastically as our physical well being.

And finally,  what do you want for yourself, and who do you intend to be in 2014?  YOU control how people react to you by your requests, actions and attitudes.  Are you getting what you are intending for yourself?  If not, stop, breathe and be clear as to what your 2014 will bring for you.  Remember, you only get 1 chance to live in 2014.  Make the most of it!  Happy, Healthy New Year!!  - Carolyn Strauss


For information on booking Carolyn to speak/ consult in your organization or to coach with Carolyn call 213-291-1896.

Why Halloween is Good for Everyone!!!

Halloween is my favorite holiday. It's brilliant.  You get to choose who you're going to be, put on a costume to show the world who you are, and then encourage people to give you stuff.

I think Halloween is a great training ground for kids. Why?  Well, first, see what costume a child chooses. It will give you a hint into how they see themselves in relation to the world.  If their costume is scary, ask them what is it about this character that they may enjoy being?  See why they choose what they choose, and this is also an opportunity where they can NOT be wrong!

Next, I think encouraging children to talk to strangers in a controlled environment is a great idea. It's not possible to make new friends without talking to strangers. So the idea of kids going and talking to strangers will give them access and practice of the gut feeling they get from each person. And if a parent is standing 20 feet away, then the child can have the experience and then the parent can take the opportunity to talk to the child about what they felt from that person, helping to fine-tune intuition.

And lastly, Halloween is a holiday that's not "religion" based, and it's all about candy, what could be bad? Once in a while, having some sweets, some candy, is fine... and fun!  Anything in moderation is good. So, I wish everyone a Happy, Safe, Fun, Halloween. Go talk to strangers and eat some candy!

Are your employees "psyched" for growth Q3, Q4 of 2013?

As the Summer season approaches, it seems that there is a mad rush to "hurry up" to get things done so we can "slow down" before Summer break.  The challenge with this mindset, is that it takes work to get things "in motion" again in September.

Here are 5 steps to allow for vacations and time off,  while getting your team ready for a rocking finish to 2013.

1.  Acknowledge what is.  Where we are NOW as compared to where we were hoping/ expecting to be with benchmarks that were set at the beginning of 2013.  (If clear benchmarks were not set back at the open of  this year, consider clarifying for yourself your 2013 benchmarks now so YOU can communicate them with enthusiasm to your team before the year gets away from you.)
2.  Explore with your team if collectively you have been missing something that could take you way over the top, or at least get you close by the end of 2013.  Is there a hidden talent, or resource that one of your key players may have up their sleeve?
3.  Set up a "what you don't know that I can do for the team" conversation where each person lets the team know his/ her "talent" to enhance the group moving forward.
4.  Ask the question of each member of the group, "If this were your company, what would you do to make it the best in the industry?"  Then listen to the answer.  Take notes.
5.  People like success.  Let your team know what successes they have had already in 2013, and acknowledge them in their "language".  Show them they are valued and thank them for their most valuable resources, their time and attention.

Use this Summer to explore the hidden resources in your organization and use them to create a competitive advantage over others in your industry.  Remember, your people are your most valuable resource... Treat them as such, and you'll get amazing gifts in return.

The 5-15 Barrier to Exercise

It happened again.  I was on my spin bike for a class that started at noon.  I looked at the clock and it was 12:06 and the conversation had already begun.  My legs started saying, "Oh my gosh, I'm tired, I don't want to do this, in a conversation with my brain, who agreed,  "I know, you guys seem tired, why are we doing this?"  Then, another voice - I think it's my higher consciousness - showed up and said, "just keep going."

Two minutes later, my legs started really complaining and saying, "I did not want to keep doing this.  Why are we doing this?  I'm tired.  I hurt.  I'm achy.  This is stupid, we are moving fast, and no one is chasing us!"  My brain then responded with, "And do know how many other things we could be doing right now?  We could be working, we could be having lunch, we could be watching a movie.  There are a million other things we could be doing."

My higher consciousness watched the two parts conspiring to stop me from exercising, and it said, "just keep going."

Three minutes later, it happened.  That magic moment where all of a sudden, my legs started being quiet and happy.  My brain started smiling to itself, thinking, this is great.  And my higher consciousness said, "See?  I told you.  Just keep going and it will all get better."

I've talked to many people and almost everyone I talk to has the same experience.  I call it the 5-15 barrier to exercise.  Physiologically, it takes energy, oxygen and blood flow to get to the muscles to make them exert, to make them put out effort.  Anywhere between five minutes and twelve minutes, there is an oxygen and blood deficit in those muscles, so doing any type of aerobic activity gets hard to do during that deficit.

However, what I've learned is that when you allow your higher self to win, the part of you that knows and remembers what it feels like after you push yourself through that five-to-fifteen minute barrier to exercise, the 15 to 45, or 15 to 90 minutes that follow will be wonderful.  Your muscles will adapt to the amount of oxygen and blood flow required to keep going, you'll pass over the barrier, and the following 30 to 90 minutes will be a wonderful experience for your brain (thank you endorphin release!), your legs, your heart and your whole self. Treat yourself to a great workout.