STOP, CLEAR, OPEN: Message from the Microwave
Who among you will drink their hot coffee, cold? I, for one, am usually fine with it, but recently, when it was chilly in my office, I went in to the kitchen to warm my morning cup in the microwave. Quickly realizing that I put it on for too long, I hit the button that
Self Talk
You do know that you are talking to yourself all the time, right? But, are you aware of the tone of your self-talk? How many times are you commentating on what you’ve just done or forgot to do with some kind of judgement? How are you speaking to yourself about yourself? For instance, I was
The wHolyShift
Why is change hard and what to do about it… Jackie Lesser with Pat LePera In coaching, we help people to understand that they have the power to change. But often, I noticed that the change was temporary. I wondered why. If my clients were capable of seeing the change they wanted to make; if
Don’t Put Limits on Your Valentine’s Day – Unlimited Expressions of Love
In the U.S., February is a month that is associated with Valentines Day. Valentines Day connotes Love and romance. Although I love the idea of love and romance, I also feel it needn’t be reserved for one day or only special relationships with romantic partners. What if we were to realize that the first, most important
Truth Be Told
Life isn’t about what you do. It’s about Who You Are Being while you’re doing. And, it’s hard to know who to be when you don’t know who you truly are. Who are you beyond your roles and beliefs? A lot of my doing came from the need to be someone created by those roles and
Light ~ Tis the Reason for the Season
The enthusiasm and the stress of the holiday season continue to amaze me. Throughout my childhood, I was super excited to help decorate the tree and light the candles. Christmas Eve was an incredibly long, but loving process that required us to all sit in front of that tree with our huge extended family to
Servant Leadership
“Your gifts your talents your uniqueness are your service.” A Course of Love, loc. 3723 In the U.S, November is an important month with regard to doing our duty to serve our country. First, hopefully all of us exercised our inalienable right to vote last week. Second, today is Veteran’s Day, the day to appreciate
Developing Your Internal Guidance System (IGS)
Guest Blog by Lisa Kramer~ We each have an internal guidance system, an inner GPS or road map, that has our best interest at heart and guides us toward greater joy and fulfillment in our lives. Over the past 10 years, I have learned to access my IGS, not only with making big decisions like
Health In The Fast Lane – Creating Better Health in a Busy World
Guest Post By Gayle Cohen One of the biggest obstacles of living a healthy lifestyle is time. The number one excuse is “I’m too busy” - “my job is demanding - working so many hours - the last thing I want to do is come home and cook a meal...even though I know that’s good
Asking for What You Need
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Wayne Gretsky Last month, Robin Christine wrote a guest blog about having “Courageous Conversations”. She spoke about how those conversations can feel awkward and be messy, but the most important thing is to be committed to improving the space between you and the “other”. This month’s
Courageous Conversations
This is a collaborative guest post by Robin Christine, President of Valor Creative Media. Recently, Jackie and I, who have been working together for three years, were brave enough to have a courageous conversation about creating a more fulfilling and communicative relationship. Like many courageous conversations, ours began with a misunderstanding. Then, we both made up some
Productivity In A World of Distraction
Our world is full of distractions that make giving your full attention to what’s in front of you is no easy task. So many shiny objects are right at our fingertips, beeping, buzzing, flashing for our attention. Think about any of the black holes that captivate you… endless google searches, Instagram pics, Pinterest, your news feed…with
Belonging
“If I get to be me, I belong. If I have to be like you, I fit in” Brene Brown How many times have you walked in to a room, an event, a conference, a meeting and felt out of place? Like you don’t belong? It might depend on whether you know people or not
Let it Be. Love it. Let it Go.
The Lessons of a Living LegacyMonths ago, one of my former classmates passed away from cancer.Weeks ago, I found out one of my former teachers, who is the same age as I am, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer and is in hospice.Days ago, Stephen Hawking died.These things caused me to pause.
Overcoming Overwhelm Part 3 of 3: Strategies to Overcome Overwhelm
How many times a week do you come face-to-face with the feeling of being overwhelmed? In part 1 of this 3-part series on overcoming overwhelm, I wrote about recognizing overwhelm for what it is and taking your power back. In part 2, I shared multiple ways to notice and reprogram your reaction to overwhelm. Part
Overcoming Overwhelm Part 2: Reprogramming your responses to Overcome Overwhelm
Are You Ready to Overcome Overwhelm? We are all human, and from time to time, every human being I know, comes face to face with overwhelm. In part 1 of this 3-part series on overcoming overwhelm, I wrote about recognizing overwhelm for what it is and taking your power back. Here in part 2, we’ll
Overcoming Overwhelm Part 1: I’m Overwhelmed! What Does That Mean?
How many things are there on your to do list today? Do you feel like you’re bombarded with information, multiple priorities and competing demands? If you’re like me, your to do list could be written on a roll of toilet paper. It’s ohhhverrr whelmmmm-ing!!! It feels like you’ll never get it all done. Overwhelm is
There is Purpose in the Process
You have a mission, a signature project, a life skill to develop and you’re excited about the end you have in mind and what that will do for you. So, your tendency is to want to get to the finish line; to have yourself established and confident in your expertise, and to have your great
21st century #Leadership competency of UBUNTU
UBUNTU is a term associated with Nelson Mandela, according to Wikipedia, Ubuntu (/ʊˈbuːntʊ/uu-BOON-tuu; Zulu pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼù])[1][2] is a NguniBantu term meaning "humanity". It is often also translated as "humanity towards others", but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".[3] I consider UBUNTU an essential leadership competency
Renewal
There are many traditions and rituals that we have created to honor the seasons. As Spring arrives and the plants blossom and bloom, we’re often called to our own season of growth, development, and renewal. As part of earth’s ecosystem, many of us feel inspired to do some type of renewal ritual this time
What’s Next?
“Where your talents and the needs of the world cross; there lies your vocation.” Aristotle The year was 1999. I had been promoted to President of the Information Technology permanent placement division of a national staffing company. At the time, I was, at what looked like, the pinnacle of my career. My company was in
“Courting the Unexpected”
I saw this quote on a blogpost written by Holly Morris http://www.oprah.com/style/What-Japanese-Ama-Women-Can-Teach-Us-About-Aging When I delved deeper into the expected vs. the unexpected, I realized that there are two things you can expect from life. One, is that you are born into a body. Two, that body will die. Other than these two things, life is
Leadership for the 21st Century ~ JackieLesser.com
Playing to win the game of life involves taking risks. There are times, when we can create safe havens for ourselves, never daring to move out of our comfort zones. These times might be followed by feelings of resentment and anger toward ourselves for playing it safe. Then, a tug of war begins between
Creating a Personal Board of Directors (PBD) Part 1:
Introduction Creating a PBD: Imagine for a moment what it would be like to have access to a group of people who gather to support you in using your gifts to share with the world. A group that is loving, supportive, objective, and worldly-wise. A group that is invested in seeing you manifest your best
Creating A Personal Board of Directors (PBD) Part 2:
Establishing an Effective PBD In my last post, I introduced the concept of establishing your Personal Board of Directors (PBD) as a grounding and guiding force for your personal and professional success. This may have left you wondering, “How do I find people to partner with for my PBD?” As I shared, my PBD formed
Creating A Personal Board of Directors (PBD) Part 3:
Post 3- How to convene your PBD In my last post, I wrote about establishing a personal board of directors (PBD). But, once you’ve got your board on board, how do you manage the logistics? How often will you meet; how do you use the time; what are the rules of engagement and agreements that
There Is Power In Presence
You never know how your presents will be wrapped... I’ve heard that Chip Kelly used to say to his players, "Be where your feet are.” Climbing Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park today, we set out for a hike, which is not a big deal. How high can a mountain on the East Coast be?
Is your need to be Right getting in the way of your desire to be Happy?
Have you ever noticed how tempting it is to say, “I told you so”? I think most of us have. Now, think about how much you hate hearing, “I told you so”? I’ve come to the conclusion that needing to be right doesn’t feel right. The need to be right is programmed into the ego,
Everyday Miracles
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein Learning from A Course in Miracles, I have chosen to live my life as if everything is a miracle. Seeing everything as miracle is accomplished by
Vacation’s Over
Wow! That went fast!! You plan, and plan, and plan, and anticipate, and look forward, and count the days until vacation and now, it’s over. Most of us have a hard time coming back. How can you make it easier on yourself? Just like you planned for the time off, can you plan your re-entry?
Creating A Personal Board of Directors (PBD) Part 4:
Your PBD: When Shit Gets Real In my last three posts, I’ve written about what a Personal Board of Directors (PBD) is; it’s purpose; the benefits and how to create one of your own. In this final post I want to share with you the “why”. Why will your PBD matter so much on your
Struggling with Sacrifice
Fall is a time for letting go. It is a time to let the limiting ideas and thoughts I’ve been living my life with fall away. Until recently, I was thinking these thoughts without questioning their validity. These thoughts had become my beliefs. I thought they were simply the truth. The limiting belief I want
