Our #WorkplaceWednesday topic is competition. I'm not a competitor by nature and when I feel forced into a competition I get pretty grumpy and resentful. I recognize that competition can be good and healthy but it so rarely turns out that way. So I'm thinking about competition today. And because I'm not a fan nor am I great at it I'm looking to others who might know what they are talking about. *grin* Competition At Work: Positive Or Positively Awful? 7 Ways To Be Competitive At Work Without Being A Jerk 7 Ways to Deal with Workplace Competition Four Steps to Effectively Leverage Your Strengths at Work I really like what Mary-Frances Winters says about competition: For my personality type, and preferences, that kind of "competition" is the best kind. I can get behind that. What about you? How are you when it comes to competition?

Today I'm thinking about work/life balance. There are some companies out there that are big fans of the balance between professional and personal life and then there are others that don't respect their employees and the idea of balance is a foreign concept to them. Regardless of what kind of company you work for work/life balance is important and you need to make sure you make it a priority.  Achieving work/life balance is up to you. If you establish boundaries around your availability outside of office hours but then don't keep the boundary you will get taken advantage of. You have to be diligent to protect yourself, and your family/friends, from potential burnout because you are out of balance. Forbes, in an article, gives us 8 very simple ways to establish work/life balance. You can read the article by clicking here.  Look at your work/life balance and make sure that you are setting and keeping boundaries and that you are respecting yourself ...

Let's talk about co-worker relationships today for this #WorkplaceWednesday. Are you a good coworker? Do you have good coworkers? It's easy to talk about bad coworkers - we do it far more often than we talk about good ones. Here's one way you know you enjoy your coworkers... But how do you know if YOU are a good...great...coworker?  Here's an article I found that gave some good direction for being the best coworker you can be.  Click here So go forth and be awesome!

Let's talk today about managers. Some of you are managers, some of you aren't. Some have been and aren't now, some would like to be. So let's talk about what makes managers good or bad.  I've had a mix of good and bad managers and in-between. My last manager was the best manager I had ever had until he wasn't. We had close to four years of a great working relationship and one choice he made in a two week time span erased the years of good. It devastated me.  Here's what he and I would have many conversations about - and in the end he couldn't lead, he just managed. It was incredibly disappointing.  So whether you are a manager currently or are looking to get into management remember the key points above and here are 10 more truths to keep in mind. Listen being a manager is one thing but being a leader is not for the faint of heart. Go forth and LEAD.  And if you have a good manager who is more than that and leads well...

For #WorkItWednesday let's talk "sweat equity." And sometimes the sweat equity isn't due to physical exertion but mental exertion. Sometimes it's both. But either way, when we invest sweat equity into what we are working on we will enjoy the rewards and the outcomes of it more.  Looking for some reading material on this topic I came across this Forbes article which peaked my curiousity,  Hard Work Won't Make You Successful -- But Doing This Will , and I was like whaaaaa?  As I read the article I was then like ooooohhhhhhh! Read the article for yourself and you will see how it applies to today's work it. It's the mental exertion I was talking about above.  What's something you need to put some "sweat equity" into? Go and work it! 

For #WorkItWednesday I thought we could talk about working *it* when other things don't feel right. The *it* is whatever you are involved in that's working right now.  I don't know about you but I have a tendency to focus on the wrong things at times. I tend to neglect the stuff that's working out and tunnel vision focus on the stuff that isn't going okay. While I do think we have to give some attention to what isn't working we shouldn't push off what is. It puts us in a negative mindspace and that's no good for anyone. It might be obvious to point out but I'll risk the obvious,  a positive outlook has powerful benefits . Plus, a lot of times what isn't working out turns out to be pretty unimportant.  In group situations - like workplaces, volunteer groups - often when change is needed the focus is on fixing the things that aren't going right. But studies show that  to effect change, focus on what’s working.   Of everythin...

Today's *it* for #WorkItWednesday is hope. Sometimes we have to work hope. We have to work it for ourselves or for others. Here's some ways to keep hope alive, to work it. How Not To Lose Hope In Tough Times How To Nurture Hope When Life Starts Getting Really Tough

I heard this phrase (below) for the first time the other day and it made me think about #WorkItWednesday. I can't figure out who actually said the phrase first so I'm not going to give any credit. (There were at least three people who were getting credit so...) To encourage thinking this #WorkItWednesday idea through try reading one of the following articles: Thought Catalog  How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything Huff Post   How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything There's even this interactive workbook that addresses the topic, I'm thinking about getting a copy and going through it. So the *it* to work is the method we are using right now to do anything which is how we do everything. I started really thinking about this, is it true? I'm thinking about how lazy I am when it comes to a bunch of things and I realize, "huh. this is probably true." And I'm thinking about the things I'm motivated by and do with enthusiasm and I...

Today's #WorkItWednesday focus is centered around happiness and contentment. Sometimes the *it* that needs to be worked is our response to things that don't work out. Life consists of a series of unfolding events; some of these events are expected and some are unexpected....The secret for a successful and happy life resides in making the best out of everything-in finding the right balance between the little and the big things-and in knowing how to wisely respond to the good and the bad times. Read the full article here , it contains 5 short and simple ways to work it. Our responses are our choice and can make the difference in an imperfect situation. We have the choice the make the worst work out for the best it can be, here are 7 reasons to keep our attitudes upbeat when things aren't perfect.

“Five birds are sitting on a telephone wire. If two decide to fly south, how many are left? Many would say three, but there’s five left. Deciding to fly south is not the same as actually doing it. Good intentions are not enough. Don’t sit on that wire, spread your wings and fly.”  Principal Dr. Kathleen Skelding-Dills, Liberty High School, Lynchburg, VA If you've been feeling grounded take some time today to consider winging it. Spread your wings and take a leap or at least get that running start winging it requires. Consider these six steps to get your wings flapping: 1. Admit Your Desire to Fly 2. Confess Your Fears and Excuses for Remaining Grounded 3. Be Willing to Move Beyond Your Comfort Zone 4. Consider the Alternative 5. Ask Yourself: What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen to Me? 6. Identify What Flying Means to You (source) "Whatever pain we might experience at others’ negative reactions to our spreading our wings, is nothing compared to the pain w...

Are *you* a wing it kind of person? I am generally not. I prefer to plan things, to know something of what's coming up. Although the older I get the more loose I have become. So in my advancing age I have been learning to go with the flow more and more. Turns out there is an actual science to winging it. It may be more of a social science but it's been studied all the same. Read about it here. There's benefits to going with the flow, to winging it. Benefits range from physical to emotional. Benefits such as: *Increased flexibility (mental and emotional not so much physical. *wink*) *Thinking outside the box *Open to insights that would have been impeded *Greater resilience *Acceptance of what is, rather than focusing on ‘what if?’ *Reduction in frustration and anger *Lower levels of unhealthy stress (source) Sometimes it isn't our choice to wing it. Sometimes we are pushed into it and that can feel very awkward and, depending on the kind of push, ...

On this #WingItWednesday let's talk about faking it until you make it. Sometimes winging it means faking it. So how do we wing it and not give ourselves away? 8 Ways to Appear Confident Even When You Don't Feel It     I really like #8 7 Ways to Look Really Confident (Even When You're Not)     I LOVE this whole article. Every single tip listed is excellent. 4 Ways to Exude Confidence Even When You Don't Feel Worthy   It’s common to feel self-doubt when you reach a new level of success. Here’s how to fake it until you make it. Part of this type of winging it is connected to body language. A few years back Amy Cuddy did a TED talk about body language and what it says to others about us. We can speak volumes to people without saying a word. Listen to her talk and read about it by clicking here .

It's the middle of the week, it's summer, so today seems like a great day to be spontaneous or as this day calls for - to wing it. Do something out of the ordinary. Maybe that means calling in to work to take a mental health day. Maybe it means starting every meal with dessert first (if you have kids they will love this!). Maybe it means you do something you've been considering but have been hesitant to do - could be a zip line over the Royal Gorge or buying a new car or anything that you haven't really planned on until today that is. The idea is to be spontaneous and allow the unknown of winging it bring you joy. So, what's the crazy wing it thing you will do today? Feel free to share it with me!

Our #WinningWednesday topic is taking responsibility for your own actions. We win at life when we own ourselves - the good and the bad. Except it's not so hard to own our good is it? I mean, we like to own our good - and some of us really like to own it by making sure everyone hears about our good from us all.the.time. (That's obnoxious and crosses the line of owning our good.) But owning our bad. Oh, we don't like that. At all. But I promise we win at life when we own the stuff that makes us look bad. Oh, it's not easy but it's better. There can be consequences when we don't take responsibility for our actions but  there can also be rewards when we do.    And honestly? The rewards of owning ourselves is worth it, even when it's hard. But why is it so hard to own up to our mistakes? Because our brains generate cognitive blind spots that can make it difficult for us to honestly assess our actions and determine our responsibility for those actions and ...

Today's #WinningWednesday topic is our minds. And more specifically what we allow our minds to think. What we think has a lot of power in our lives. To be winners we must have a mindset that is positive. Listening to our own negative self-talk or allowing others to speak it to us is one of the fastest ways to lose. Thinking too small is also a way we defeat ourselves. (I'm REALLY guilty of this, I defeat myself all the time with small thinking.) Replaying old stories and old mistakes is another way we can end up on the losing side of things. It takes work and intentionality to keep our minds positive. Here are 3 ways to create a winning and healthy mindset.   Another important part of winning and our minds is our willingness to grow or not. Willing to grow is called growth mindset and an unwillingness is called fixed. When you consider those terms - fixed and growth - which sounds healthiest to you? (Yes, that was a rhetorical question - the answer is clear...