Embracing Experiences Start to Finish, Beginning to End

To become mindfully aware of our surroundings is to bring our thinking back to our present moment reality and to the possibility of some semblance of serenity in the face of circumstances outside our ability to control. 
~ Jeff Kober

Timing isn't everything, and yet, timing is telling.

We get excited, distracted, disappointed, and disengaged in what seems like an instant.

With so many things we could do and experience, how do we embrace the experiences from start to finish, from beginning to end?

It's possible, and even probable if we are willing to consider and act in good faith...

Part of the opportunities we have now is that there are so many choices for where/how to spend our time. Part of the challenge of those seemingly endless choices is realizing that there may have been another choice that would have been an even better fit for our desires and interests.

In order to embrace the experiences from start to finish, from beginning to end, first, make a choice, and be fully committed to thinking it will be enjoyable/purposeful, and feeling good about the upcoming adventure. outing or meeting, second, share with your host, your plus-one, or good friend/family member what you are doing and the reason you decided to do it, third, be fully present for what you selected and fully engaged in the idea/theme or purpose, so if there is a dress code, agenda item, speaking part or anything else, decide that you are "in" and be ready, fourth, and finally, make no excuses, and go all in fully meaning your time, interest, focus, conversations, participation and everything else is all about where you are, the reason you are there, and the people who are there (not those who "missed out".

By not waffling, not jumping from place to place, not planning your get-away, you can, and likely will, fully "be", and when you allow yourself to be, you are you, fully, fabulously, and frankly in a way that you do not have to protect, explain or second-guess. And, after all, when you can be unabashedly you, you can embrace the experiences from start to finish, from beginning to end!

#ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment #KIND #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #PerformanceCoaching #Growth

Public Speaking Tip: Correcting Someone In Others' Presence

"Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment."
~ Robert Baden-Powell

There you are in a meeting when someone states something completely incorrectly. What to do? Ignore it? Tell others? Shout out the right answer or information?

While none of those are recommended, or likely effective, or good for your reputation and rapport with that person, and others, there is a solution...or two!

When you hear someone state something that is incorrect, HELP them and the situation humbly and subtly by making sure you:

H - Heard them correctly by repeating it back, and allowing them to restate or back off, and then 

E - Encouraging them to explore what that information could do or not do if more is not considered, then 

L - List other options by leading them to an improved statement or suggestion, and finally

P - Provide encouragement and collaboration for moving forward.

It will look something like this:

Pat states sales were only down 2% and that slow marketing has the projections behind when you checked that all marketing and promotions ran as planned and that sales are down 20%.

You may think "Oh no - that's way off!!", yet you say:

"Thanks for sharing that information, Pat. Please forgive me if I heard the information incorrectly, as it sounded like sales were only down 2%." Pat may or may not agree. If Pat realizes 2% was stated and 20% was the real number, you are done, and if Pat stays with it, you then say "You likely had information from earlier in the month before our final numbers were out, and that is before some other drastic drops happened. There are a lot of reports, and very recently a new report came out that I happened to get to see. Some of the options for looking at the sales are by months, by region, or by product line, and with those breakdowns, unfortunately, we will all be seeing a 20% decrease in sales after our marketing efforts went off as scheduled. I am here to assist with how you want to address that 20% decrease with strategy, sales reviews, or a joint session with marketing."

By being direct, calm, and open while not ignoring, talking with others later, or shouting, you will allow someone to save face, you build trust, and together, you can create a solution!

#PublicSpeaking #ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment #Kind #Leadership