WOW Word-Of-the-Week #464: Associate
June 27, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #464: Associate
Associate – connected, joined, or related as a companion or colleague.
Would you spend your leisure time with any of your colleagues from work? If so, would you say that they are usually happy and positive? How about your friends and family?
This week is a follow up to last week regarding the Bradley J. Fikes article in the San Diego UT titled, “COACH: HAPPINESS BREEDS SUCCESS, NOT VICE VERSA
Speaker tells biotech convention key is changing perception of life.”
What really interested me was Eric Karpinski’s explanation on how you change your perception. He says his ideas aren’t original as there’s years of study into the field known as neuroplasticity. I’ve never even seen this word before. Have you? He says, “Not only can happiness be learned, but by treating people kindly, happiness can actually be spread. Neurons that fire together, wire together.”
This not only applies to the brain, but in groups. Visible changes in mood among one person are contagious in social settings, such as in an office environment. If one person is angry or upset, the mood sours among the rest. These changes are communicated by mirror neurons, which capture the perceived emotions of others. Mirror neurons are something we can tap into to take advantage of our happiness.
If a room contains happy and unhappy people, those most expressive of emotions will have the most influence. Mirror neurons will most strongly pick up their emotions. So happy people shouldn’t hide it. If we actually share the good things, share what we’re grateful for, and start conversations that way….then we create the opportunity.
Over a longer term, practicing an appreciation for what’s good can rewire the brain to a more optimistic outlook. Research proves that just as harmful events and stress can cause anti-social changes in the brain, a positive environment can rewire the brain to promote pro-social behavior and well-being. And a 2008 study in the British Medical Journal found that happiness tends to cluster in social networks. In other words, happy people associate with other happy people.
My mother told me from the time I can remember how lucky I was. And I believed her! To this day I remind myself of how lucky I am. How lucky are you? My sister Lurene says, “Being happy or grumpy is a habit.” What’s your habit?
This week’s focus is on how you associate. Do you have any social networks? What you are grateful for? When was the last time you shared it? What are your mirror neurons reflecting?
FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World # 6 Petra, Jordan
June 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World # 6 Petra, Jordan
#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013
- Petra dates back to 300 BC and in our opinion is on the same scope as Angkor Wat in beauty and scale. It is a marvelously preserved massive city of carved sandstone tombs and temples.
The Treasury
- As-Siq is the ancient main entrance that consists of an impressive long, deep, narrow gouge over half mile long, hemmed by massive cliffs 250 feet high. The bizarre looking colorful rock formations include water channels cut into the cliffs and votive niches carved into the rock.
- The Treasury is the most beautiful and most photographed monument standing almost 140’ high and 90’ wide. It was carved in 1st century BC as a tomb of important Nabataean King. To reach it you walk for almost two miles. On the way to the city center you pass the Street of Facades consisting of rows of tombs with intricate carvings.
- The city center includes The Theatre which seated 3000 and was carved into solid rock; Colonnaded Street which contained temples, public buildings, and shops; and The Royal Tombs which are a series of carved temples in the side of the mountain with commanding views across the city center.
- The Monastery is the most colossal temple and sacred site and the most difficult to reach. It requires walking up over 970 carved sandstone steps and pathways to reach it. You could spend several days hiking to see all of Petra.
Store in Petra
- In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
- Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
The Monastery
- It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, we go back and see all of them together!
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – 2012
#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 2012
#5 The Colosseum, Rome, Italy – 2012
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
#9 Statue of Liberty, New York – 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – 2005
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – 2010
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – 2010
#15 Stonehenge, England – 2011
#16 Easter Island, Chile – 2013
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #463: Perception
June 19, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #463: Perception
Perception – how things appear/seem to you based on what you see, hear, feel, taste & smell.
Have you ever heard the saying that perception is reality? Do you believe that your next promotion or new job will make you happier? Do you spend time fretting about what’s not going right in your life?
This Sunday I found a great San Diego UT article titled,
“COACH: HAPPINESS BREEDS SUCCESS, NOT VICE VERSA
Speaker tells biotech convention key is changing perception of life.”
Bradley J. Fikes writes, “For the classic rat-race employee, the next promotion, a new house, a new car is supposed to bring contentment. Usually it doesn’t work. After a temporary jolt of joy, life returns to the less-than-satisfactory norm.
Eric Karpinski, a biotech investor turned success coach, says to turn that formula backward and you’re much more likely to find happiness. Instead of trying to find happiness as the
result of hard work, focus on being happy and success with follow much more easily. Mixing research findings with practical advice he shares that you can reshape how the brain responds to the everyday environment.
He says he learned personally that hard work and professional accomplishment does not invariably produce happiness. The solution is to change the perception of one’s life by paying more attention to what’s working right instead of unproductively fretting about what is wrong.
I know from experience that “what you think about, you bring about.” If I asked you what you want in your life could you tell me? Do you know that most people when asked that question will tell you what they don’t want? And by focusing on that, they continue to create “what they don’t want in their life!”
This week’s focus is on perception. You know what you’re supposed to do, right?
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #462: Self-Promotion
June 13, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #462: Self-Promotion
How comfortable are you talking about your accomplishments to your supervisors? Have co-workers been promoted when you felt you were more deserving? How good are you at framing your achievements in an entertaining narrative way?
This week’s WOW is a follow up to last week’s Wall Street Journal article by Denis Nishi titled, ‘Soft Skills’ Can Help You Get Ahead and includes 3 tips he believes can play a big role in determining whether you get promoted, hired or even fired.
1. Compile two lists to use as an action guide. One should itemize what you do well and the second should list improvements others would like to see in you. Gabriela Cora, an executive coach in Miami says, “You have to be open for that feedback and willing to work on those points. And don’t just ask people you’re friendly with. Ask a couple of people you’re always competing against or people that you butt heads with.”
2. Learn to control your emotions, and you should see a quick improvement in your working relationships. Uncover what your emotional triggers are so you can 
predict and head off any potentially rash or embarrassing responses to peers or bosses. Emotional outbursts aren’t viewed favorably in most workplaces, which is why you should just excuse yourself from meetings or work if you feel emotionally overwhelmed.
3. Know your limits. This can not only preserve your health and sanity, it can keep you from exceeding your limits and making mistakes that can hurt your career. If you can only handle five of seven tasks, for instance, that’s something you need to talk to your boss about, says Ms. Klaus, who had a client who got saddled with two jobs and ended up hospitalized because of stress.
“Most people are uncomfortable with self-promotion, but hard work doesn’t always get noticed without a little help. There are plenty of mediocre employees who get promoted because they’re good at letting the bosses know how good they are at their jobs. You simply want to let other people know who you are and what you’ve accomplished in a very gracious and artfully skillful way,” says Ms. Klaus.
This week’s focus is on self-promotion. What are your great accomplishments? How many people know about them? How would it feel to let others know who you are and what you’ve accomplished in a gracious and artfully skillful way? Who do you know that could help you with that?
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #461: Soft Skills
June 7, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #461: Soft Skills
Soft Skills – desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude.
Are you a good listener? Are you good at managing your emotions? Are you comfortable talking about your accomplishments?
I think this week’s WOW is a great follow up to the last two and comes from The Wall Street Journal article by Denis Nishi titled, ‘Soft Skills’ Can Help You Get Ahead.
He writes, “After working five years as a regional director at a large health insurer in Oakland, Calif., Daniel Eddleman felt ready to move up the ladder. So he found a mentor within the company who agreed with Mr. Eddleman that his performance and leadership ability merited the promotion. But he’d need to work on a few soft skills to clinch the job.”
“It can be a challenging environment to get noticed in because it’s such a big organization,” says Mr. Eddleman. He found a job coach who helped him identify and work on three weak
areas – including the ability to self-assess, manage his emotions and brag. “I realized that I can sometimes come on too strong. I learned to let the moment pass so I could have the space to make a calm decision. I also learned how to acknowledge my own accomplishments to the right people by feathering them into conversation, which is something that I’ve never been comfortable doing,” says Mr. Eddleman, who ended up getting the promotion to vice president.
Nishi continues, “Most people are terrible at self-assessment, a core skill that is needed to succeed, says Peggy Klaus, an executive coach from Berkeley, Calif., and author of “Brag! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It.” Although hard skills like sales and software knowledge can get you through the door, more companies are asking for soft skills.
Soft skills refer to personal aptitudes and attitudes, such as being a good listener and communicator, that affect how people perceive you in the workplace and strongly influence workplace relationships. Fortunately, most soft skills can be adjusted or learned on your own time with some feedback from peers.”
This week’s focus is on your soft skills. If we asked your peers would they say you have common sense? Do you have the ability to deal with people? Do you have a positive flexible attitude?