Happiness@TheSpeedofLife: Recycle and Reorganize to Stimulate Change
Published: Wed, 01/21/15
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Edition 122: Recycle and Reorganize to Stimulate Change |
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928 words of content including 11 ideas to shift your environment or change your Leadership Conversations. Approximate reading time: 3.71 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it? This newsletter speaks to Leadership, Happiness, and Coaching in your life and work. If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in the future. |
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As we packed away decorations and put the house back together after the holidays, I felt a heaviness descend upon me. This sensation crystallized when the legs on a table literally thumped as they slid into timeworn depressions in the carpet, signaling that everything was back in place. BORING! Change It Up When You're Bored or Stuck
Cheryl and I had just returned from our annual planning weekend, which came just days after my Mastermind group completed a full-day business plan retreat, and I was swimming in new goals and aspirations. As I plopped down in our "normal" environment, I could feel my exciting plans dying under the weight of routine and old patterns. That heaviness I felt was my body telling me, "you need some support for the changes you plan!"
So I decided to go Shopping In The House. A concept I picked up years ago from an interior designer, it is about recycling or rearranging things in new ways. The idea is to create freshness simply by placing things in a new light. First I hauled a storage chest from a back bedroom to use as a table in the living room. That led to rearranging most of the living room furniture. A leftover sofa table shifted to a hallway that for years has been dominated by an antique secretary, which moved into a guest room. New blank wall space invited a shifting of wall art around the house. We filled a grandchild's dusty pre-school craft project with potpourri, shifted a corner hutch, and then rearranged bookshelves. In the process we filled a bag with stuff to donate and created some new traffic patterns. Now every time I walk into the core of the house, I have to move in different ways and get used to new visuals and perspectives. Because I'm more aware, I am better able to connect to the new goals I am pursuing. In other words, my environment is doing much of the "heavy lifting" for me as I strive to change some personal habits - and it's working! You Can Recycle and Rearrange Emotions and Stories, Too!
Shifting my physical space is helping me focus on the patterns I want to change at home. I plan to take the same energy to work next month as I rearrange my office for the first time in five years. Physical is only one of many environments. I changed the success trajectory of my business a few years ago by changing up the community of people I hung out with - new ideas led to experimenting which led to breakthroughs. According to numerous studies on Happiness and Wellness, you can literally change your life just by shifting whom you hang out with. Your friends make you fat, or happy - or not. If the emotional and practical outcomes of hanging out with your current "friends" are not serving you, try stepping out of your comfort zone to join other communities. Or reach out and reconnect with people from your past who created a different vibe for you. In the mental realm, notice if you're traveling the same neural pathways as always. To stimulate new ideas and stories, you'll need to shake things up. Read something in a new genre, or watch some TV shows on a completely different channel. Rent a foreign film and watch with subtitles. Listen to music that's outside your usual patterns (Pandora is a great tool to explore musical genres). There are so many different ways to rearrange your life and stimulate new thinking! Drive a different route to work. Blow away your taste buds by trying a new ethnic restaurant or shopping at a completely different grocery store. Notice that none of these ideas requires you do anything except rearrange something you already do (read, watch TV, commute, eat, buy groceries). Do This For Yourself
Pick an area of your life in which you're feeling stuck or bored or challenged (just one - don't overwhelm yourself). Plan a few ways to shake up your normal patterns. Then notice what emerges when you create the space for change to occur from the outside, rather than having to do the work to create the change yourself. And remember to have fun!
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"#129 - Where did you learn that belief? If it's not yours, and you don't like it, what will you replace it with?" One of the most powerful forces for stagnation in corporate settings is "that's how we do things around here." While that conversation supports stability and consistency, if over-used it stifles creative thinking and innovation, for it is a mantra that honors the past as being more important than the future. Forecasters predict that - within the next decade - 40% of today's Fortune 500 companies will no longer exist. Why? Defending old beliefs in the face of unprecedented change. When an organization's belief system starts getting in the way of progress, it's up to Leaders to challenge the ongoing conversations; first, by becoming aware of them, next by "unlearning them," then by replacing them over time with new beliefs and new conversations that better serve the future. Remember, Leadership is not about a title; anyone can be a Leader who challenges the status quo for the sake of the greater good and a different tomorrow. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 
For a bit of wisdom every day, pull down the entire Leadership series now. Click here to download Leadership Is So Tweet: Tiny Tips To Be Outstanding In Your Field, the newest in my e-book series. Available in epub or pdf formats for your PC, Mac, or mobile. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~Change your Conversation in 2015 The most common challenge voiced by my executive clients is this: "I've been successful till now... AND things are shifting, so I need new skills I've never needed before - FAST." Want to change your Leadership Conversations in 2015? Ask your company to invest in a coach. Or write me now to schedule a Leadership Strategy Session.
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Contact me to create more Happiness, Leadership, and balance in your life. If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in the future, plus you'll get a valuable leadership report! All things Happiness Coach:  
 View past editions at http://www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com/resources/archives/. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Happiness is a decision,
not an event.
How will YOU decide
today?
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The Executive Happiness Coach® is a global provider of Executive Coaching and mentoring services. With clients on six continents, my passion is to help build a Happier world and workplace, one Leader at a time.