The new e-book, I AM Worthy of Greatness by Kristin Mackey and Scott Baker (written especially for the wonderful folks at SOS Children’s Village) is coming soon…
Its a book on creating a life you love and its FREE. It is a personal development tool with a dash of coaching. Its begins with insights on healing negative emotion and ends with a practical personal development plan and useful resources.
Look for this little success book soon…
A keynote is a powerful, short and very organized presentation. Its usually found at the beginning or end of a large event. Follow these top tips to make your address count:
Tip #1 START & END STRONG (use a joke or story etc…)
Tip #2 CREATE KEY POINTS (items for the audience to remember)
Tip #3 PRACTICE!
A keynote is a powerful performance. Make it count by doing your homework, designing a solid delivery structure and practice out the bumps until its worthy of opening or closing an important event. Also, never underestimate the power of your own style. We are most influential when we are authentic. Also, it never hurts to eat well, exercise and feel good.
First, let me explain what life coaching is not. Life coaching is not therapy. Therapy is structured much differently. When you hire a coach you hire a partner to get things done. Things that really matter to you. A coach will help you with clarity, vision and goals. A good coach really listens, customizes an action plan and holds you accountable. Just like a ball player desires to score or perhaps needs that extra emotional and directional support toward the end of the game when energy is low – a coach is there to help you get you where you want to go.
In my practice, whether I am doing executive coaching, personal coaching or even leadership training, I take the time to understand the objectives to properly create a solid action-plan. You see, information is easy to come by…we can google anything! But execution is where the emotional rubber hits the everyday tasks road, and this is where coaching can really help. Having a clear personal development plan is essential to success. Without action, your vision is and will remain just a concept.
Coaching can be delivered and experienced in many ways. Sometimes we hire a coach and set up weekly calls. Other ways to reap the benefits of coaching is through success and leadership books or materials on personal development. Identifying the right tool for you will enable you to gain the benefits of your investment. Regardless the methodology, you are ultimately investing in yourself. And whether your investment is through leadership training, career coaching or working with a life coach as you navigate a life transition – YOU are always worth it.
If only we all embraced our humanity already! We are not perfect and never will be. Perfection is stillness and human beings are simply organic beings…we are always moving, creating and expanding in this wonderful universe. In my seminars, I always stress the difference between perfection and excellence. Perfection (like a painting) does not move, it is still. Excellence is often the result of our enjoying the practice of something so much that we develop a polished skill in a particular area.
One of my greatest skills is public speaking. I never read a single book on it, but I practiced my craft all over the united states and now beyond. My excellence came from my experiencing a countless number of situations I had to learn to respond to well. It came from making and correcting mistakes over many years. I conducted successful programs under great pressure and around challenging circumstances. My only goal was that folks love the program, leave happy and feel inspired to do something great for themselves…whether it be polishing their professional image, organizing their stuff or staying in balance under great stress.
I drove through fires, missed a tornado by 2 miles, had hail balls dent my rental car, was flooded out somewhere in Kentucky, experienced what I considered to be the most frightening lighting EVER in Texas, managed a room with smoke so thick you could not see the last row and found ways to still deliver.
When the certifications and opportunities to take my craft even further came, I was open, willing and ready. And in every public speaking class I teach, I offer my best ideas, strategies and tools to my participants – so that they can reach excellence without the fires, tornadoes, over booked rooms and every other hurtle I jumped to deliver content with ease.
Practice brings excellence. Strive for that, not perfection. And besides, its never the destination but the journey that carries the most fun, isn’t it?
…where’s my luggage….
Enjoy article Playful Transformation in 3 Easy Steps by Kristin Mackey on page 40 of Natural Awakenings (May 2009) magazine.
Click top left contents to read.
So you want to improve your team dynamics as well as increase productivity. Try these 3 ideas…
IDEA #1
objective: To increase communication skill, reduce misunderstandings and bond…helps with any misconceptions that cause people to feel icky toward each other as a result of demands, misunderstandings and pressure. Have a “retreat” with a facilitator. I’d be happy to do it. :) I use “facilitator” on purpose because its not a “training” session, rather a forum heavy on interactive exercises to generate collaboration.
IDEA #2
objective: To have an opportunity to leave work and relate to each other in a informal way…builds bonds and increases understanding of unique personalities beyond the work environment.
Schedule a “field day” where you go miniature golfing, rock climbing, bowling, roller skating etc. Allows folks to work together, relate to each other in a different way and get to know each other as people over the common colleague dynamic.
With the economy being the way it is, we are all getting more practical. Few folks are moving and many are cutting back. That said, your environment plays a key role in your wellbeing and success. It is not easy to be productive when you cannot find anything. Its even harder to feel peace and contentment in a pile of clutter (if you like things orderly).
This post is about creating an easy home over an impressive one. The cluttered house that sucks our energy can be simplified and made easy – but serious inner work needs to be part of that process. Letting stuff go can be tricky. All change can stir emotions.
Ask yourself the following questions and then add the tips to your new year “to do” list:
Detox Your Home
1. Do I LOVE this item in my home and has it been useful in the last 2 years?
2. Can someone else benefit more from this item? Is it just taking up space?
3. Do these knicknacks really give love or is love in my heart? Do I NEED all of them? Can I reduce?
4. Does my home support my daily routine? Is it set up to make good habits easy for me?
5. Do I feel calm, centered and peaceful when I enter my home? If not, why? What can I change?
Tips
1. Decide what you would like to accomplish in 2009 and create an environment that supports it. I am a vegetarian. I also need protein. I have a canister of protein powder, flax seed powder (fiber) and vitamins on my kitchen counter to easily supplement my diet. I shop each week and have tubs of fresh, colorful veggies in the frig. and keep dark chocolate bars (many) in a drawer for a mini dessert (sweet and has benefits). Having things handy and plenty cuts the planning, guess work and bald spots in my diet. I set it up to be an effortless way to be healthy.
2. Create rooms that support you. Our downstairs needs to “flow”. For me, keeping everything neutral created a peaceful and open feeling. Keeping clutter at bay (having a basket for mail right by the door) and other “catch alls” allows us to find what we need, when we need it in a easy and fast way. On the other hand, my office is colorful (my work space needs to be festive, yet professional and highly organized since most of the time I am on the go). The place I sleep needs to be cozy and warm. How can the spaces in your life better support your goals and ease your life?
3. Plan ahead. Think of an action you take over and over again and plan ahead. I love to run here in Florida so I keep my shoes, mp3 player and single house key by the door. This keeps me running. I need lots of energy to conduct workshops so I have a basket of high protein bars so that I can grab and go. I am often presenting so clothing needs to be right. I have a “uniform” I wear that I change up. This takes the guesswork out and prevents wardrobe bloopers that distract participants.
4. Make choices that say “easy” over “impressive”. I grew up in an Italian home. My adorable grandmother had plastic on her white couches. She worked at Saks Fifth Avenue and it showed. To this day, I still think she was the most stylish lady I knew and I wear her pins with love (and sometimes tears at her memory) quite proudly. BUT, you will not find plastic on anything in my home today. It is very easy to get caught up in what is impressive over what works, is useful and more comfortable. It is more comfortable to have a savings account then expensive stuff keeping you in debt. It creates more ease and simplicity to have a home with simple lines that take 2 minutes to wipe then 50 ornaments you have to take a Q-tip out to clean. Oh, I have my treasures, but if they start taking away from the people I love, exercise time, work time (I love my work) and anything of value – it become a silly move and a poor investment. Time is valuable.
Making your home easy and beautiful is a good way to begin the new year!
Ah the topic of feelings! They get so overlooked and yet make/break key relationships, drive business, patient satisfaction scores and impact our entire lives…and yet, in almost every consulting job I have had, it was necessary for me to remind leaders, co-workers and partners to be mindful of how they make people feel with the choices that they make.
Keys to mastering the tricky terrain of “other people’s feelings”:
* Some people chose to treat people the way they like to be treated. Wrong. Learn how each person responds and make more considerate choices.
* Always, always always acknowledge someone’s negative feelings right away, if they have them. This allows the person to feel heard and understood and creates an arena for better understanding. When our negative emotions are not addressed they can fester, grow more dramatic with bad behavior or disrupt the balance of our very cells. Cancer has been linked to deep grief and unresolved pain (i.e. unexpressed negative emotion).
* Watch the body language, it tells 80% of the story. Electronic communication is very tricky in determining the tone and inflection of a message. Never assume you know where a person is coming from by reading typed words. When in doubt, call to resolve anything sensitive. Avoiding that choice, can be the point of no return.
1. MANAGE YOURSELF
You can not be a success in life if you don’t first manage your own. This means your health, your finances and your independance. Get into a solid routine, target the weak spots and seek education. Do the things you are afraid to do if they will make you a stronger person.
2. HEAL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are everything. They are a reflection of ourselves. How people treat you, how you treat them, what you say and experience from them all tells a story about you. If a relationship does not have free, flowing unconditional love then it is unhealthy. Identify the block, remove it or move on. We can only control our own thoughts and behaviors. Do your best to be your best and you will attract people into your life of that same quality.
3. GO WITHIN
A routine connection to your inner self gives you deep peace. As the waves of life challenge you, you will always be anchored. Too often the waves of life pull us away from our center. If we make it a habit to practice solitude and deep inner reflection, we will always be able to find that place of peace.
4. PURIFY
The world is a different place today. Too many unskillful humans made too many “deals” from greed and fear. The chemicals are killing us. Almost everything we consume has hormones or chemicals that the body is not designed to work with. The cells mutate or die in response (but not after a long fight). We can help our body, our kidneys, skin and liver clear away debris by improving our habits. We can upgrade what we allow ourselves to be exposed to. I always recommend that if you are new to purifying your life, these 5 things are easy/fast and impactful:
1. Shower filter (it is proven that skin absorbs chemicals into blood)
2. Use a Clear2O Filter or any brand that takes out chlorine (it mutates cells)
3. Every Sunday, buy a bunch of colorful, raw and organic fruits and veggies, cut up, put in containers and mix in all week (do not cook). Raw has electricity (i.e. “life) in them – dead food does not.
4. Change your soap to Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar
5. Stop caffeine, sugar (bread) and make water your favorite beverage
5. LAUGH AND PLAY
There is nothing better for creativity, building relationships and coming up with excellent solutions then playing and enjoying laughter. To be too serious is to be fearful. The “serious” people in life are trying to be in control but joy can only come if you let go of control. The funny thing is that as soon as you let go of control completely – you are finally IN control. The universe always rewards the brave -never the fearful.
6. FORGIVE
The healthiest thing anyone can do is to forgive. This does not mean you still allow behavior that is dishonorable. It means you open your heart to the possibility that the injury inflicted upon you was from another human being (like yourself) perhaps scared, in need of something, mindless or just unaware. Forgiveness sets you free to enjoy the present moment and whatever shows up in it!
7. LOVE AND ACCEPT YOURSELF
You are a unique expression of life. There is nothing about you that is not “good”. We are all learning and growing. Enjoy your own company.
8. BE GRATEFUL
We attract in life the totality of our own thoughts and feelings. The sooner we learn this the faster we are in control of what shows up in our life. As you notice the abundance around you, more comes. As you notice the health you have, more comes. As you notice your own beauty, more comes. As you notice the love around you, move comes. Whatever you are grateful for, whatever you feel love toward – it will grow and expand. Its law.
9. CUT THE FAT AND BUILD THE MUSCLE
Keep your life simple. If you have much clutter in terms of stuff in your life on the physical level, it is often the case that on the metaphysical level there is also clutter – emotional clutter. If you have imbalances on the physcial level, then on the metaphysical level there is sure to be work to be done. Thought ALWAYS preceeds manifestation. It is a universal law. Everything physical is first in the mind.
10. LOVE
Do not give love, BE love. When you are love your eyes only see love. When you are love, you forgive before even injured becasue you feel that its love that is real, not error. When you are love you offer yourself easily and freely to others, you lift people up, you heal their wounds. Most people “give” love because they want to “receive” love. That is not love. That is an exchange. True love can only come when two whole people perceive the goodness and truth of the other. It is not love to be a half person and hope another half person will complete you. That is taking. Love is fullness expanding. Be love and everything that comes into your life will be loving.
is to LIVE LIFE to the fullest. I think when we live out loud, we are fearless, loving and free. We have open hearts and open minds. We expect little from others but that they treat us with dignity and respect. We try to forgive where we can and let go where we can. We decide that life is too wonderful to waste on any thought form that makes us less worthy then we know we are – as kindness can often be viewed as weakness by the weak themselves. We know who we are and what we want out of life. We are not afraid to go after what makes life amazing. We are fearless.
Are you fearless? Have you jumped into life with both feet or is one foot swishing the surface getting all the action?
The fastest way to watch your life transform is to begin to have gratitude. Start looking at what is in your life and who is in your life with appreciation. Let people be who they are and move lovingly in your own direction without regret. People come into our lives to teach us lessons and then move on. Sometimes it is hard to recognize when that time has come.
When we are afraid, we keep inviting more and more fearful experiences into our lives. When someone does not appreciate us, we invite more and more of the same if we do not make a decision. If you want to really love your life, love yourself first. Expect the best for yourself, and reject anyone that does not give it you.
Do not allow anything but the best to enter your reality. Stop making excuses for your bad choices, just change them – and that includes people too. It can take time, but the universe always rewards the grateful heart with brand new surprises. Always.