I'm ducking into an office center during a busy weekend of work activities...however, have found a great hotel to stay at that has this amazing office center so I can make copies, check email, etc. FREE as part of staying at the hotel...www.hiltongarden.com...definately will be making my travel plans with them...this saves me lots of time and energy!! Even copies are included...just like the pool and the workout room...hope everybody else gets the message that this is what business travelers NEED.
I've "stumbled" upon some new ideas that have been "percolating" in my brain the last few weeks on an idea that I like to call "organic leadership", which is about partnering with those that we lead in an equitable relationship, allowing them to find their pace, provide them real equipping based upon their authentic style...I'm working on some specifics, but as I've been reformatted my own business over the last few years/months, I've started using some of the ideas that I have come up with...nothing is really "new" and most of what works is really based upon ancient principles...but these ideas are really beginning to work...and what's more it truly feels like I'm in my "niche" of leading...which is what re-discovering one's passion is all about.
I just re-read that last paragraph and it sounds really wierd...I'll try to expand on these ideas and make more sense.
Here it is in a nutshell...
Know yourself
Get to know others
Embrace diversity
Create bridges where there may be roadblocks
Focus on your strengths
Minimize others' weaknesses
Surround yourself with those in other giftedness than you
Lead from wholeness
Always be learning
I think if I ever write a book on leadership this is what I'd write about.
I leave Dallas tomorrow and return home late Sunday night...can't wait, I miss my kids, hubby and my garden!
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Gardner's Journal: More roses
Today was exquisite. No wind, warm sun, cool air. The perfect Spring day. I chose to use my afternoon and early evening finishing up the existing beds, planting the last (really it is!) of the roses and perennials. Today I planted "nearly wild" a great shrub rose with lots of pink blooms on sturdy green leaves and more of the "blue salvia - may night" which is one of my favorite companions with roses. I like to pair this with stell d'ora's and I've probably mentioned that before.
I also did more container gardening with potato vine, begonia and "spikes". This evening as I was putting away my tools, the sun was filtering through the crepe myrtles, richocheting off the pond and embracing the yard with its warm arms. It's a great feeling to see the garden that has been "in your head" start showing up in your yard.
Tomorrow I leave for Dallas and will be there all weekend. I hope to revisit the Dallas Arboreteum while I'm there...the roses may be starting to bloom. Maybe I'll worship there Sunday morning.
I also did more container gardening with potato vine, begonia and "spikes". This evening as I was putting away my tools, the sun was filtering through the crepe myrtles, richocheting off the pond and embracing the yard with its warm arms. It's a great feeling to see the garden that has been "in your head" start showing up in your yard.
Tomorrow I leave for Dallas and will be there all weekend. I hope to revisit the Dallas Arboreteum while I'm there...the roses may be starting to bloom. Maybe I'll worship there Sunday morning.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Transition
I remember my brother's arms as he reached up for me to hold him. "I want to go with you" is what he said.
He was just 4 or 5 and I was moving on, into the big world of college. Too young to understand but insightful enough to know that something was changing, he pressed me to take him along. I remember picking him up, his eyes filling with tears, his small hands holding onto me.
A line had been crossed and things would never, ever be the same. One day and I was a college kid and he was still just a kid. Bags were packed, tickets bought, time moved forward
When do those changes happen, these lines that delineate our lives appear? When do we know when it is time to move on? Is it instinctual and rhymic, something in the flow of moons and stars that drive us to move onward, towards something. What are we moving towards? What are we moving from? When is it time to go and time to stay? And what happens if you move too fast, too quickly, or worse, not at all.
What most of really fear is not death but the idea that we came to the end of our lives and never lived. Is this force what we feel at our backs, whispering us forward, driving us on?
In labor, transition is the hardest part of the entire experience but it is the pathway to a new phase of living. It is the process by which a human moves from internal life to external living, from a protected womb to an independent life. Staying put means death, moving forward no matter how difficult, means life.
He was just 4 or 5 and I was moving on, into the big world of college. Too young to understand but insightful enough to know that something was changing, he pressed me to take him along. I remember picking him up, his eyes filling with tears, his small hands holding onto me.
A line had been crossed and things would never, ever be the same. One day and I was a college kid and he was still just a kid. Bags were packed, tickets bought, time moved forward
When do those changes happen, these lines that delineate our lives appear? When do we know when it is time to move on? Is it instinctual and rhymic, something in the flow of moons and stars that drive us to move onward, towards something. What are we moving towards? What are we moving from? When is it time to go and time to stay? And what happens if you move too fast, too quickly, or worse, not at all.
What most of really fear is not death but the idea that we came to the end of our lives and never lived. Is this force what we feel at our backs, whispering us forward, driving us on?
In labor, transition is the hardest part of the entire experience but it is the pathway to a new phase of living. It is the process by which a human moves from internal life to external living, from a protected womb to an independent life. Staying put means death, moving forward no matter how difficult, means life.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Khmer Krom
He speaks 5 languages. He has seen the destruction of his country, the devestation of war and perhaps he will see the extinction of his own culture.
What is it like to leave a country as the capital city falls to communism? What is it like to raise a family in a new country while trying to keep the imprint of a heritage that is culturally irrelevant?
He is a small man, but powerful. His passion for this country is evident and I am ashamed that I take so much for granted. He is not afraid to stand up in front of english speaking westerners and give a speech. He is not afraid, it seems, of anything.
I admire this man and though we are generations and cultures a part, I see that we are much the same. We both want our families to know who we really are. We want to embrace the newness of a life but we yearn for the peace of a life we once knew -- a life that can never be returned to us. We each look for our own bit of family, our own "people".
We are so different and we are so much the same.
What is it like to leave a country as the capital city falls to communism? What is it like to raise a family in a new country while trying to keep the imprint of a heritage that is culturally irrelevant?
He is a small man, but powerful. His passion for this country is evident and I am ashamed that I take so much for granted. He is not afraid to stand up in front of english speaking westerners and give a speech. He is not afraid, it seems, of anything.
I admire this man and though we are generations and cultures a part, I see that we are much the same. We both want our families to know who we really are. We want to embrace the newness of a life but we yearn for the peace of a life we once knew -- a life that can never be returned to us. We each look for our own bit of family, our own "people".
We are so different and we are so much the same.
"The Office"
http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/
This is my favorite show. I would love to be on the set with this crew...I think it would be great.
This is my favorite show. I would love to be on the set with this crew...I think it would be great.
Picture this
I've been slammed -- SLAMMED -- these past few days with work. As I have said here before, you start messin' with women's lipcolor you better be ready for a FIGHT. Kidding aside, it's been a fun day...somethings have started to come together as we near the end of this seminar year and finish out big goals. I'm jazzed, pumped and ready. We have some big stuff to get done, but more and more I'm sensing how work that was put into place earlier is starting to show its fruition.
There was a sad part of my day today, though. My little hubby --jobless hubby, took it upon himself to go to a job fair. Here's a guy that a few weeks ago was writing projects that earned the company for which he worked major millions...many of the projects that he worked on has earned that company patents, etc. So here is he, cleaning out the garage (thank the lord!) and trying to find his way after being laid off.
So he gets himself dressed and drives himself down --not in his super roadster which I'm sure he deserves, but instead in his little white, very old ford ESCORT...that has recently been "bumped" by our son. Y'see it? The white escort, going down 160, with a "tent" in the hood, no grill on the front...I mean, if you were making a film, you'd probably have a major film "moment" here.
When he got back and told me about the dismal job fair I just about started to cry. This is the kind of stuff that gets big strong men mad enough that they might shoot up a post office or jump off a building.
We took a walk together and I showed him some flowers that were blooming. He even acted excited. Dan is the most patient, most loving person I know and to see him go through this is tough stuff.
There was a sad part of my day today, though. My little hubby --jobless hubby, took it upon himself to go to a job fair. Here's a guy that a few weeks ago was writing projects that earned the company for which he worked major millions...many of the projects that he worked on has earned that company patents, etc. So here is he, cleaning out the garage (thank the lord!) and trying to find his way after being laid off.
So he gets himself dressed and drives himself down --not in his super roadster which I'm sure he deserves, but instead in his little white, very old ford ESCORT...that has recently been "bumped" by our son. Y'see it? The white escort, going down 160, with a "tent" in the hood, no grill on the front...I mean, if you were making a film, you'd probably have a major film "moment" here.
When he got back and told me about the dismal job fair I just about started to cry. This is the kind of stuff that gets big strong men mad enough that they might shoot up a post office or jump off a building.
We took a walk together and I showed him some flowers that were blooming. He even acted excited. Dan is the most patient, most loving person I know and to see him go through this is tough stuff.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Sunday's Matinee: "Fever Pitch"
It's always good to go into a theater without a lot of expectations. That way, when a movie is not so good, you don't feel as if you've wasted your afternoon and your money.
Or, when the movie IS good, you feel you've discovered a secret treasure, known only to you.
I am a huge Nick Hornby fan -- "About a Boy" is one of my favorite all time movies...so when I saw his name on the writing credits, I knew there would be more substance.
The acting for this film was a bit awkward, which means to me, there were times that I was watching the movie that I felt, "Hey, I'm watching a movie here..and those actors? They are just going through their lines." But still, you gotta love Jimmy Fallon...the cute one from SNL fame...OK, he's not AS cute as Tina Fey and probably not as smart, but he's definately in the "cute zone" for my tastes.
The thing about this movie -- and any movie that is worth watching -- is that it is so much more than about the subject. This movie isn't about Boston Red Sox, although if you are NOT a Sox fan, you're not going to appreciate the irony in some of the jokes nor will you get the passionate attraction this team has among its fans. This movie should be marketed in Oklahoma with a warning: ATTENTION! ALL OU FOOTBALL FANS -- pretend this movie is about YOUR favorite team! The jokes won't always work, but the idea, the concept is still pretty much the same.
Nick Hornby seems to know what men really hunger and thirst for. He seems to "get it" that there is not a man alive who doesn't yearn for the simple pleasures of a Sunday afternoon, pretending to be 11 years old again with a family that never lets him down.
But I don't give Nick enough credit here -- he also seems to understand what it is like for the women -- the non-jock women (like me!) who don't understand the passion of a simple game nor the men that love it.
If you've ever been widowed during March Madness, felt alone and adrift during the playoff season and really can't understand why your husband or boyfriend has more affection for players that he doesn't even KNOW over you -- you'll appreciate this movie.
I loved the irony, I loved the comic moments, the "intervention" between Fallon's character and his friends is the BEST...and the whole idea of relationships and what we love and the line between love and obsession.
I know it's not cool to like Drew Barrymore...she did that thing with D.Letterman and she's had her fair share of bad press...but that's exactly WHY I LOVE HER. She's smarter than others give her credit for, she has great instincts about what works in a film and what doesn't and she's not afraid to try new things. I think she'd be a great best friend...someone I'd like to hang out with sometime.
And Jimmy Fallon? So cute, you just wanna ruffle his hair. He has a few missteps in the film, but overall his comedic timing and his man-boy innocence are perfect.
Love this one...money well spent!
Or, when the movie IS good, you feel you've discovered a secret treasure, known only to you.
I am a huge Nick Hornby fan -- "About a Boy" is one of my favorite all time movies...so when I saw his name on the writing credits, I knew there would be more substance.
The acting for this film was a bit awkward, which means to me, there were times that I was watching the movie that I felt, "Hey, I'm watching a movie here..and those actors? They are just going through their lines." But still, you gotta love Jimmy Fallon...the cute one from SNL fame...OK, he's not AS cute as Tina Fey and probably not as smart, but he's definately in the "cute zone" for my tastes.
The thing about this movie -- and any movie that is worth watching -- is that it is so much more than about the subject. This movie isn't about Boston Red Sox, although if you are NOT a Sox fan, you're not going to appreciate the irony in some of the jokes nor will you get the passionate attraction this team has among its fans. This movie should be marketed in Oklahoma with a warning: ATTENTION! ALL OU FOOTBALL FANS -- pretend this movie is about YOUR favorite team! The jokes won't always work, but the idea, the concept is still pretty much the same.
Nick Hornby seems to know what men really hunger and thirst for. He seems to "get it" that there is not a man alive who doesn't yearn for the simple pleasures of a Sunday afternoon, pretending to be 11 years old again with a family that never lets him down.
But I don't give Nick enough credit here -- he also seems to understand what it is like for the women -- the non-jock women (like me!) who don't understand the passion of a simple game nor the men that love it.
If you've ever been widowed during March Madness, felt alone and adrift during the playoff season and really can't understand why your husband or boyfriend has more affection for players that he doesn't even KNOW over you -- you'll appreciate this movie.
I loved the irony, I loved the comic moments, the "intervention" between Fallon's character and his friends is the BEST...and the whole idea of relationships and what we love and the line between love and obsession.
I know it's not cool to like Drew Barrymore...she did that thing with D.Letterman and she's had her fair share of bad press...but that's exactly WHY I LOVE HER. She's smarter than others give her credit for, she has great instincts about what works in a film and what doesn't and she's not afraid to try new things. I think she'd be a great best friend...someone I'd like to hang out with sometime.
And Jimmy Fallon? So cute, you just wanna ruffle his hair. He has a few missteps in the film, but overall his comedic timing and his man-boy innocence are perfect.
Love this one...money well spent!
Study results
University Research IndicatesFlowers and Plants PromoteInnovation, IdeasKey Findings Shed Light on Environmental Psychology of the Workplace
In today's economy, it is more important than ever for businesses to gain the competitive edge. Constant fluctuations in unemployment, productivity, consumer confidence and other major economic factors make it imperative for businesses to implement the right strategies to stay ahead of their competition.
According to business experts, the key to gaining the competitive edge in the modern economy is easy to understand - a happy, productive workforce. And, while sometimes the easiest notions can be the most difficult to achieve, a recent scientific study conducted at Texas A&M University finds that nature can hold the secret to business success. The research demonstrates that workers' idea generation, creative performance and problem solving skills improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.
"Our research shows that a change as simple as adding flowers and plants can be important in the most meaningful way to businesses in the modern economy," said Dr. Roger Ulrich, lead researcher on the project. "People's productivity, in the form of innovation and creative problem solving, improved - which in certain circumstances could mean the difference between mild and great business success."
Research Findings: Overall and Men vs. Women
In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.
During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.
"We know the importance of learning, for example, how natural surroundings affect drivers, school children, and hospital patients," said Ulrich, who has conducted extensive research on the effects of environments on psychological well-being, stress and health. "To businesses, it should be equally as important to understand what features can improve performance at work and make employees more productive."
Background: Dr. Roger Ulrich
The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study was conducted by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dr. Ulrich is a professor of landscape architecture and is an internationally recognized expert on the influences of surroundings on human well-being and health. His interests concern applications of environment-behavior knowledge to healthcare buildings, landscape architecture and urban design.
The research lends weight to growing scientific evidence that flowers and plants, as well as other aspects of nature, have a beneficial impact on state of mind and emotions. The Society of American Florists worked in cooperation with the Texas A&M University research team, bringing an expertise of flowers and plants to the project.
The Impact of Flowers & Plants on Workplace Productivity: Methodology
Researchers at Texas A&M University recruited 101 participants to take part in The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity study. During the eight-month scientific study, participants took part in emotional, creativity and attentional demand protocols, in conditions that were carefully controlled, yet were similar to those in many office workplaces. Subjects were asked to perform a series of tasks in one of three environmental office conditions, selected at random: with fresh flowers and plants; with abstract sculpture; or with no embellishments at all. Throughout each session, subjects self-rated their moods four times, executed two creativity tasks and completed one attentional demand test. Researchers measured the number of ideas participants generated, their ideas' originality and flexibility, and other responses, using data extracted from the tests, which included Torrance Tests of the Creative Thinking and Profile of Mood States.
©2003 SAF All Rights Reserved
In today's economy, it is more important than ever for businesses to gain the competitive edge. Constant fluctuations in unemployment, productivity, consumer confidence and other major economic factors make it imperative for businesses to implement the right strategies to stay ahead of their competition.
According to business experts, the key to gaining the competitive edge in the modern economy is easy to understand - a happy, productive workforce. And, while sometimes the easiest notions can be the most difficult to achieve, a recent scientific study conducted at Texas A&M University finds that nature can hold the secret to business success. The research demonstrates that workers' idea generation, creative performance and problem solving skills improve substantially in workplace environments that include flowers and plants.
"Our research shows that a change as simple as adding flowers and plants can be important in the most meaningful way to businesses in the modern economy," said Dr. Roger Ulrich, lead researcher on the project. "People's productivity, in the form of innovation and creative problem solving, improved - which in certain circumstances could mean the difference between mild and great business success."
Research Findings: Overall and Men vs. Women
In an eight-month study, the Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and workplace productivity. Participants performed creative problem solving tasks in a variety of common office environments, or conditions. The conditions included a workplace with flowers and plants, a setting with sculpture and an environment with no decorative embellishments.
During the study, both women and men demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. In these surroundings, men who participated in the study generated 15% more ideas. And, while males generated a greater abundance of ideas, females generated more creative, flexible solutions to problems when flowers and plants were present.
"We know the importance of learning, for example, how natural surroundings affect drivers, school children, and hospital patients," said Ulrich, who has conducted extensive research on the effects of environments on psychological well-being, stress and health. "To businesses, it should be equally as important to understand what features can improve performance at work and make employees more productive."
Background: Dr. Roger Ulrich
The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity Study was conducted by Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., Behavioral Scientist, Director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dr. Ulrich is a professor of landscape architecture and is an internationally recognized expert on the influences of surroundings on human well-being and health. His interests concern applications of environment-behavior knowledge to healthcare buildings, landscape architecture and urban design.
The research lends weight to growing scientific evidence that flowers and plants, as well as other aspects of nature, have a beneficial impact on state of mind and emotions. The Society of American Florists worked in cooperation with the Texas A&M University research team, bringing an expertise of flowers and plants to the project.
The Impact of Flowers & Plants on Workplace Productivity: Methodology
Researchers at Texas A&M University recruited 101 participants to take part in The Impact of Flowers and Plants on Workplace Productivity study. During the eight-month scientific study, participants took part in emotional, creativity and attentional demand protocols, in conditions that were carefully controlled, yet were similar to those in many office workplaces. Subjects were asked to perform a series of tasks in one of three environmental office conditions, selected at random: with fresh flowers and plants; with abstract sculpture; or with no embellishments at all. Throughout each session, subjects self-rated their moods four times, executed two creativity tasks and completed one attentional demand test. Researchers measured the number of ideas participants generated, their ideas' originality and flexibility, and other responses, using data extracted from the tests, which included Torrance Tests of the Creative Thinking and Profile of Mood States.
©2003 SAF All Rights Reserved
Quote of the day
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.
-Carl Rogers
I think that the Bible has some hilarious parts...here's one of my favorites...
"And the brought ALL the sick and demon possessed to him . AND THE WHOLE TOWN was at the door..." (Mark's good news)
Ellen's favorite is the one with the pink impatiens...although they look a lot like minature roses. The trick to container gardenening: work with various heights of plants...1) tall 2) medium with color 3) trailers...and work in odd numbers...don't put just one of anything in a container..put 3, 5 or 7 depending upon the size of your container.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)