To include is to accept.  How often are you accepting things into your day—other people, new ideas, work projects?  Inclusion is a difficult task in that it requires learning to welcome even those people, ideas, and projects you don’t agree with, and respecting them as equally valid.  When I practice inclusion, I experience a sensation of opening and expanding. To not label another person as ‘wrong’ because they have a different way of viewing the world, you have to soften and open your heart and mind. You have a choice of acting out of fear or love.

We live in a world with so many different cultures and viewpoints, and yet, so many believe their way of seeing is the ‘right’ way.  What makes it right?  Who are we to deicide what is right or wrong for another person?  Trusting yourself and knowing what is right for you—and you alone—are all you have control over.

Trust is an internal quality that must be built.  Our ability to take action on what is right for us, no matter how hard, is what builds trust. It starts with inclusion of self and others, recognizing that we have the ability to love more, accept more and honor all.  Our ability to grow is unending and yet, how many of us live in this way?  In a book I read recently called Leadership and Self-Deception, by The Arbinger Institute, it discusses living inside the box or outside the box.  When we live inside the box we have a greater ability to betray ourselves by not doing what is right for us individually, and in so doing, we betray those we are with.  Outside the box, we live in acceptance of others and what they bring—an inclusive mindset.  Outside the box we live in a place where anything is possible.  It is a way of being and thinking that promotes more solutions, greater fulfillment and inclusion of your fellow man.

I know it is hard to live from a place of inclusion, but I believe if we can start with one small step in that direction, it will ground us with stability and confidence in ourselves and our culture.

Where in your life and your work are you living inside the box? What small strategies can you implement that will help you move outside the box?  Please share your thoughts so we can encourage each other to live from a place of inclusion.

 

Live Well,

Katie

 

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Sitting in a Starbucks awaiting my next appointment, I wonder, what stops people from being real? I tend to think about how others perceive what I do, how I look, what I say, how I write, etc. But who cares? Why would others be concerned with how I live my life?

For example, I once walked into an office building in jeans and everyone was dressed in business attire. My first thought was, ‘they must think I’m not working or not in business based on how I look.’ But by the time I got to Starbucks, there was a whole slew of folks in jeans looking more dressed down than me. And the funny thing is I know jeans are accepted attire in the business world these days. But the old critical mind still crept in. In that moment, I caught myself putting more attention on what other people were thinking about me than how I felt.
This habit has gradually been changing through the years as I harness more and more confidence in my own way of being. I have been learning to honor my own feelings, beliefs and intuition as I grow to accept that only I know what is right and true for me. Ultimately, I don’t think the goal is to be accepted by others but to be accepting of ourselves.

This week I invite you to notice when you stop yourself from being real – in your appearance, how you communicate, what you choose to eat, or any other place resistance shows up – and try to acknowledge that what you think and feel matters most.

Live Well,
Katie

If you find this information valuable please forward it to a colleague or friend.

Listen to an inspirational interview on practical ideas and strategies for being a better boss and doing better business. http://www.theeisenagency.com/tms/

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Have you ever thought of yourself as having voltage? Some folks call it energy, drive, chutzpah. I believe that if we begin to view ourselves as a battery, we can stay aware of what energizes us and remember that we have to recharge ourselves regularly. All of us thrive at different energy levels as well. What amount helps you stay in a positive frame of mind, get results and tune in to your inner guidance?

What about your teams at work – how do they maintain their drive and produce results? Personally, engaging with others increases my voltage. I also know that when I have alone time to do my practices, this too charges me up. So for me, keeping the balance of inward and outward movement in my life is important to stay present and sustain a steady stream of energy that provides results. Likewise, so much of what we do in our lives is about a dance of inner and outer ways of being. What are your practices and how much alone time do you need to recharge, if any? Everyone is different and we each have our own habits and rhythms that work for us. Have you defined yours? Has your team at work defined theirs? And how do you begin to merge your voltage with your team’s?

One of the amazing things about working in a team environment is the energy that it generates. When people come together there is an unseen element at play that supports the whole.

So we have to stay mindful of not only what feeds us, but how to incorporate the needs of our teammates and stay aware of the whole versus just the individual players. When we truly begin to stay present in a group and relaxed in ourselves, we can then successfully collaborate and merge with others. And this state of living creates solutions, insights and a life worth living.

Work & Live Well,
Katie

If you find this information valuable please forward it to a colleague or friend.

Listen to an inspirational interview on practical ideas and strategies for being a better boss and doing better business. http://www.theeisenagency.com/tms/

Have you signed up for my free six-part audio on Navigating Change? If not, go to my website www.katiebsmith.com to sign up and learn strategies that help you deal with change in your life.

To manage your subscription visit http://www.katiebsmith.com/newsletter.html

I have been sick for the last week and it knocked me flat on my back, into the land of no energy or drive.  I had not experienced this place for a few years, and while I am slowly crawling back into engaging in my life and my work, I realize that engaging with our inner selves is often just as important as engaging in our outer lives. When we address taking care of ourselves, we often overlook the necessity of truly engaging with our minds and bodies to learn what it is we need (in my case, rest). To be engaged is to be connected, present, open and attentive to what you are doing or feeling at a certain moment.

I did pretty well this past week. I canceled most of my external meetings, but still kept phone conferences and stayed busy working on my computer. I took more breaks, naps and had moments of doing absolutely nothing.  I figured by now – a week later – whatever illness I had would be gone.  It has now turned into a lingering cold – better than before, but still a drag on my system, my mind and my energy.  So I will continue to give this part of myself the rest, care and the attention it deserves and remind myself that it’s ok to slow down and respect the part of me that wants to take a break.  And yet, staying restful is hard when the world and people around me are constantly moving and multi-tasking. I begin to feel antsy and tired of lying around, not exercising and slowing down. I want to get up and get going.

So how does this translate into your work environment?  In what ways are you not engaged with yourself and your colleagues?  For example, think about how many times you haven’t answered an email because you just didn’t want to engage in a discussion about a certain topic. Now, how often do you do that with yourself – ignore something internally because it feels more convenient to put it off?  Whether we fail to engage with our colleagues or with ourselves, this lack of engagement can only sabotage us. When we ignore or merely tolerate something rather than being honest and taking action on it, we create blind spots that slow us down and sap our energy.

So how can you become more transparent in your interactions with yourself and others when you may be intimidated by what others will think? Maybe it just takes the determination to act anyway, realizing that the only person you can change, and completely engage with, is you.  You might notice that by staying engaged with yourself, those around you will begin to engage as well.

Work Well,

Katie

If you find this information valuable please forward on to a colleague or friend that could benefit it.

Listen to an inspirational interview on practical ideas and strategies for being a better boss and doing better business.  http://www.theeisenagency.com/tms/

Have you signed up for my free six-part audio on Navigating Change?  If not, go to my website www.katiebsmith.com to sign up and start the year with strategies that help you deal with change in your life.

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I think one word that definitely characterizes our current economic environment is flexibility. As circumstances change, we are forced to expand, reevaluate and reinvent our lives and our work.  To be flexible is to be nimble and open, and those qualities play a big part in learning how to navigate the current business environment.  So how flexible are you and your organization?  What do you incorporate into your work schedule and your personal life that helps you stretch yourself?

These are good questions to ask ourselves and our colleagues.  As the traditional business landscape continues to become more collaborative, it makes sense to assess our openness to change.  How do we allow our work environment to be in flux and embrace the changes as a sign of the new vs. the negative?  Think about yourself: are you someone who does the same thing day in and day out?  Even if you’re not, there are probably still plenty of opportunities to practice being more flexible.  It could be as simple as trying a different coffee shop or having lunch with someone different in your office.  Maybe it means speaking up at a meeting when you normally would not, or going to a new networking event you have never been to before.  Or perhaps you could take the initiative to work on a new project that you would normally let pass you by.  Sometimes stretching yourself is as simple as starting a conversation with someone new or changing one of your old habits.

The practice of flexibility is a practice of allowing ourselves to embrace fear of the unknown.  It keeps us young and fresh, stimulates the brain and makes us a conduit for new ideas. All of these qualities are a key to working and living well.

So what will you do this week to practice flexibility?

Work Well,

Katie

If you find this information valuable, please forward to a colleague or friend that may benefit from it.

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With the New Year here and an opportunity to start anew, I would like to take the opportunity to talk about shifting our attitude.   As author and speaker Greg Braden states, this year we are going though the bottleneck of a major collective transformation.  We are all experiencing this in our own being as well as in our environments.  Our relationships, our work and our way of living are all under assessment.   We are all being confronted with what we do not like in ourselves and our lives, and we have the opportunity to shift to what is congruent with who we are and how we want to live.  The aspect of self that turns us inside out – and often causes us to react – is the part of ourselves that is not aligned with our true nature; it is the part of us that lives in fear instead of love.  And this aspect gets the best of us when we become reactionary instead of being present and responding with a loving action, word or thought.

We have a choice in every moment of our day, yet many of us do not take the opportunity to change our mindset when what we say, think, and do is not for the highest good of all involved.  So, how can you shift your attitude when you are having a bad day?  How can you shift from a negative thought to a more positive, hopeful thought, especially when you are interacting with people you don’t care for?

Some strategies that may help include breathing slow and deep, or simply stopping for a moment to collect yourself before responding. There is no need to be in a hurry.  You can also try mentally repeating a mantra or phrase that brings you back to what is real and true.  In addition, you can wear something like a piece of jewelry or mala beads, or hold a special stone in your pocket. Try turning on music or moving your body. Any kind of touchstone that brings you back into the present will help you shift your attitude from control and fear to ease and joy.

Think about what you will change this year, and what strategies will support your shift into joy, ease and presence.  How will you experience this shift a year from now and what will you have incorporated into your life and being that fosters the magic you hold?

Live Well,

Katie

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How often do you feel inspired and how do you stay inspired?  I work with many people that do not have this quality as a regular part of their week.  Yet it is important to let ourselves linger in inspiring environments and seek out inspiring moments during our work week.  Having a positive outlook on life is much easier when we are inspired.

Webster’s Dictionary defines inspiration as, “a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.” Wow – why not have more of that in your week?

We all love being inspired. Inspiration opens our hearts.  It creates good ‘juju,’ moves us into a place of presence, and gives us the feeling that we are part of something much bigger.  It is a motivating feeling to know we have an impact and can contribute in a real way.  When we are inspired, we inspire others, and this creates a wave of good feelings, opening the door to opportunities, abundance and connection at a very real level.

So what will inspire you this year? Will it be reading a daily quote, watching a favorite video on a regular basis, allowing yourself to seek out inspirational speakers once a month, or maybe getting a daily dose of one of your favorite people?  Whatever it is – be it daily, weekly or monthly – I encourage you to make it part of your routine, just like brushing your teeth, attending your weekly business meeting or going to your monthly book club.  Start with schedules that will be easy for you to incorporate. Integrating inspiration into your life is meant to be easy, not a struggle, so set yourself up for success by starting with a time frame that works for you.  There is no wrong or right way to embrace inspiration – it is about what works for each of us individually.  Just allow yourself to be open in the presence of what inspires you, so you can inspire yourself and others.

Live Well,

Katie

Here is a great inspirational clip you may enjoy listening to: http://www.lovenowmusic.com/

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In Pema Chodron’s book, Comfortable with Uncertainty, she states, “to cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity.”  Webster’s Dictionary defines equanimity as, “evenness of mind, especially under stress.”

What tools help you experience evenness in yourself and your surroundings?  With all we have going on in our lives, this is certainly an area we can all benefit from.  Feeling either attraction or aversion towards something will move us out of balance from remaining equal and neutral.  But why is it so important to cultivate this kind of balance in ourselves?  In remaining neutral we can allow thoughts to flow through us without judging them but seeing them as they are – simply thoughts.  By remaining neutral we allow diversity and differences to exist in ourselves and others without trying to control or change them. This cultivates acceptance. The more diversity we allow, the more we live out of love instead of fear. And isn’t the space of love what we crave?  As we have all heard, variety is the spice of life.  And the spice is what inspires, juices us and motivates us to stretch beyond our boundaries and bring more of our true selves into our lives.

Acceptance also fosters fulfillment and contentment.  Think about what fulfills you.  What allows you to let go, relax and feel whole?  Be it work or personal fulfillment, one affects the other.  They are one and the same.  So what are you doing to develop equanimity in your work and in your personal life?

For some it is practicing yoga or a healing art, for some it is connecting with nature. For others it may be choosing a different thought in the moment, or taking baby steps to change just one behavior at a time. All of these methods create sustainable change toward balance and equanimity.

What have you done in your work and your personal life that cultivates equanimity and what will you do this year to continue the practice?

Live Well,

Katie

If you find this information valuable please forward to a colleague or friend that would benefit from it.

Contact me for a complimentary coaching session at (303) 955-0367.

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To be transparent is to be see-through, or clear.  This connotes being open in one’s communication and thinking, and being accountable to yourself and those around you.  It is a buzz word used a lot in the business world today.  After all the cover-ups of truth we have seen in the financial world and economy over the last few years, there is a new trend towards more collaboration on a global and local level.  This type of cultural change fosters transparency and is vital for successful collaboration.

What holds us back from being transparent and disclosing all we feel?  Perhaps it is the fear of being rejected or thought of as incapable. But if we as individuals cannot fully accept ourselves, including our views and thoughts without judgment, then how can others?  It all starts with you as an individual, not with those around you, although they do provide a good mirror for your self.

I started writing this morning thinking about how I need to put my thoughts and ideas out on the web more.  I realized that blogging more will foster more self-acceptance for me.  There is a part of me that thinks, ‘why would people want to read my blogs? What have I got to say that is different than anyone else?’  And yet, that really has nothing to do with it.  What counts is the act of putting my authentic self out to the world for them to read, view and witness.  It is about being transparent to those I don’t even know for the good of accepting who I am at my core.

To continue sharing my REAL self with the world on the web knowing that some may continue reading, some may disagree, and some may throw tomatoes is part of my growth.   The goal is not to see who accepts my writing and thoughts. Rather, it is about the act of putting myself out there – overcoming my fears of rejection and becoming more accepting of who I am.

What can you do this week to move into more self-acceptance?  What action can you take that makes you pause because of what others might think?  What rings true with who you truly are?

I invite you to go for it. Take the leap and know that by becoming more transparent, you are learning to be more accepting of you. By doing this, others will take note and be inspired to do the same.

To explore your own  blind spots around being transparent call me for a complimentary coaching session at 303.955.0367.

Coaching gift certificates are now available for the holidays!

Live Well,

Katie

www.katiebsmith.com

How often do you self-reflect?  I know some folks who never self-reflect and others who do it to the point of analysis paralysis.  Self-reflection is a skill that is cultivated and developed over time.  It is the process of looking inward and observing yourself, without judgment or critique.  Wikipedia describes self-reflection as, “the capacity of humans to exercise introspection and the willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature, purpose and essence.”

I can’t imagine a life without self-reflection.  I learned this skill at a young age and have cultivated it throughout my life with various tools.  The cool thing about self-reflection is that it helps you get out of your own way and stops the judgment – no more beating yourself up.  Haven’t you had enough of that anyway?  Isn’t it time to change the program?  Self-reflection allows for acceptance and the space to notice what is and what is not.  It allows you to become aware of how you truly feel at your core, to sit in the silence of that feeling and absorb it.

We have a habit in our culture of ignoring feelings by staying busy, multi-tasking and constantly moving so that we don’t have to hear the silence and feel what is going on underneath all the activity.  God forbid it be something we are uncomfortable with.  And yet, self-reflection it is an ideal opportunity to do just that – learn to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.  Then when life throws us curveballs and challenges, we have already conditioned ourselves to stop, breathe and self-reflect rather than avoid, get angry, and create drama.  It could be taking a walk in silence, closing your eyes at your desk for five minutes and breathing, or going for a swim. Whatever it is for you, give yourself permission to explore that quiet space in your life and see what it holds for you.

We are in the midst of major cultural shifts in our economy, workplace, families, and personal lives.  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel this shift on some level. What a great time to shift your own personal culture of how you view and hold yourself.  So begin to open the space in your day, share the love and experience what self-reflection is for you.  You just might be surprised at the gifts that await you.

To explore your own self-reflective process call me for a complimentary coaching session at 303.955.0367.

Live Well,

Katie

www.katiebsmith.com