Tracy

THE CHICKEN HAD A GOOD IDEA!

When I have what I consider to be a really good idea – I mean a really good idea, I create a plan and jump into action. Sometimes this results in ‘a really good idea that didn’t quite work out to be what I envisioned’. My short foray into the world of Yardles (surprise decorating of front yards for all occasions) is still high on my list of really clever ideas that never made it big. Other times the results have been simply off the charts. When I was barely thirty I created a business writing gag lines on latex balloons; decorating with them and delivering them in bouquets. An article featuring ME in Time Magazine and guest appearances on crazy numbers of radio and TV shows attest to the success of that idea. It supported my family for over 30 years!

So what, I’ve asked myself, what made one idea fail and the other blossom into an internationally known 7-figure company? Same creator, generally appealing to the same audience… what was different? Me, I realized. It was me and my attitude toward the project. When people didn’t immediately rush to order a Yardle, I questioned the feasibility of my idea. When one was ordered that had to be done between 4 am and 5 am, the job was turned down. Yardles was a ‘good idea’. Balloon Affair was a commitment.

This gal does not offer up the words “I’m committed” flippantly. When I do commit to anything (a project, person, idea, task or bacon ‘n eggs breakfast) you can count on me – like death, taxes and Trump’s comb-over. I will do it. I will make it happen. NO MATTER WHAT.

No Reasons – Just Results! That’s how the balloon biz grew. I believed in it and I worked it. There was simply no quitting… even when people laughed at the idea of building a business with rubber balloons… even when ‘head’quarters was in my girlfriend’s guest bathroom… even when I carelessly opened the trunk of my car and lost 100 balloons to the wild blue yonder! Stuff happens, right? And when you are committed you just keep moving forward. NO MATTER WHAT.

Commitment meant working every holiday from dawn to exhaustion… because I said so. Commitment meant sticking with it when I was the only worker who didn’t get paid that week.

Commitment meant cutting myself off from any possibility outside of achieving my results.

Commitment meant EXPECTING it to all work – knowing down deep inside that I would not -could not fail. I was 100% dedicated to my company… ask my children who almost never saw their mom on weekends unless they were with her being ‘ballonatics’!

It seems silly to say 100% dedicated. Saying that you can be anything but 100% committed is like saying you’re just a ‘little’ pregnant… Either you are, or you’re not – all in or all out.

MISS-Communication and the MR-y of Conversation

If you have time, I’d love you to try and come over for dinner tonight.” That’s what I said to him on the phone. He seemed a little distracted, maybe watching a game on TV while he offhandedly said, “Sure.” So I made a lovely dinner of roast chicken and potatoes (his favorite)… and he never showed! He didn’t call and he didn’t show. I was furious.

I called him the next morning – still fuming. “I sat here until the dinner got cold, waiting for you to show,” I wailed. “Whaaat? You said to try – if I had time. I went bowling with a couple of the guys and by the time we finished it was after 9 so I went home.”

It wasn’t my first miscommunication (and it is not likely to be my last). Similar incidents are happening all over the world right now… as I type. They are happening in homes, at work, on the ski slopes and at restaurants. What is said isn’t ‘exactly’ what you meant’ and what is heard isn’t ‘exactly’ what you meant.

There’s communication and there’s ‘effective’ communication. Effective communication is simple and direct and requires, among other things, a shared understanding. Ooops, missed that!

If I had been more direct and clear the conversation could have been more like this (and we’d both be happier):

“I’m making roast chicken tonight. It’s your favorite and I want to share it with you. Can you be here at 7 for dinner tonight?”

“Sure. I’m going bowling with the guys and I’ll make sure to leave by 6:45.”

“Great, so you’ll be here at 7 for dinner?”

“You bet. I can taste it already!”

I didn’t want to sound pushy so I gave him a couple of false cues… “if you have time” and “try”. I didn’t mean either one, but I expected him to get the underlying meaning. And, although I wanted to know that he was definitely joining me, I never got any strong assurance – in fact I remember thinking that he wasn’t ‘really’ listening at all. He, on the other hand, focused on the conditional components of my conversation and felt no guilt about not showing up. We both felt misunderstood and wronged.

And so it goes, when you don’t say what you mean and mean what you say… when you don’t ‘check in’ to make sure that your message was heard and understood as you intended.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS

An old friend calls – you haven’t spoken in a while – and then… that age-old question: “So, what’s new?” Of course they want to hear the good stuff and we want to tell. We’re quick to acknowledge our big wins and changes; like a promotion, or a new client or job, a new home or car, a child who graduates, gets married or finds a job. I suppose it’s only natural to start with the BIG ones, but what if there are no big ones?

A friend from my past called me yesterday. After we exchanged the preliminary greetings, determined that we were both in good health and that things were generally ‘fine’, I asked, “What’s new and exciting in your life”? (a slight tweak to that ‘age-old’ question.) Apparently the word ‘exciting’ was the conversation stopper. It was very quiet on his end. Then, slowly and quietly – almost ashamedly, he said, “Nothing, really. Nothing. Everything’s about the same.” As if ‘the same’ was a bad thing. As if things had to be different in order to be exciting. As if life couldn’t be considered exciting if the ‘wins’ were small and life wasn’t full of big changes. Hmmm

RE-FRAME time (think political spin doctor twisting problems into wins). So, to punctuate the magnificent of the sameness of his life, I started asking questions. “How are those adorable grandkids of yours?” Turns out they are still the light of his life and you could hear him smile as he told me about the little things they’d said and done that brought him such joy. We moved from there to, “Been to the park with Tasha (his dog) lately?” Tasha is still romping like a puppy, living, loving and licking! Gotta say there was love in his voice. “And what about that vegetable garden? You keeping up with that?” The harvest had been bountiful and some of it was on the Thanksgiving table! From there he opened up and the mundane began to shine as magnificent. The sun, he told me, was shining and warm (even though it was 38 degrees outside), the snow melted off his walk so he didn’t have to shovel – though happily he bragged that he still could. I remembered that old blue letterman’s jacket of his and he laughed with pure glee when he told me that he pulled it out of a box in the garage and wore it last week. It was tight, but he closed it and reveled in the memories. “Read any good books lately?” I asked. He just finished reading Ready Player One and loved it. I read it too and felt the same. “Spielberg is making it into a movie,” I told him, and we excitedly made plans to go see it together.

We talked for a glorious 56 minutes last night. My new car was kinda boring compared to the story about dropping my cell phone in the toilet! It truly was the little things – and there were sooo many of them – that were exciting and funny and worthy of sharing. Yup, those little things made our conversation very BIG indeed.

Moderate Overindulgence: No Shame No Guilt No Harm No Foul

overindulgence

noun: the action or fact of having too much of something enjoyable

Okay, folks, we are now smack dab in the middle of prime O time! That’s O for overindulgence, the holiday horror. We overdo everything in the name of good cheer. Moderation and good sense are tossed out with the turkey bones and used wrapping paper. Where’d we ever get the idea that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day gives any of us a license to over eat, over drink, over party, over shop, over buy, over gift, over book or over stress? Look, it’s not just two big dinners and long night of consuming adult beverages… It’s a month and a half of opportunities to make bad choices. Some of us refer to this time as our perfectly acceptable and allowable “cheat days”. The problem is that once we allow ourselves to take a major fall off the wagon, we suffer remorse, beat ourselves up for totally ‘blowing it’ and make New Years resolutions (which are seldom kept) to be better in the future (i.e. eat better, exercise more, spend less, learn to say no). And, more often than not, we repeat this ‘binge and purge’ cycle over and over, suffering the shame and guilt that results from breaking all of our rules. Sound familiar?

Step one is to stop calling it ‘cheating’. Let go of that mindset of dishonesty and deceit. You are NOT cheating. It’s holiday time and your holiday way is different than everyday! Give yourself permission to be joyful and indulgent. You are celebrating… so why not call them Celebration Days?

celebrate

verb: publicly acknowledge a significant or happy day with a social gathering or enjoyable activity

Now define celebration day – what it is and is not. A celebration day is a day to revel, carouse, whoop it up and have fun. It’s all about feeling good and feeling joyful. It isn’t an excuse to break every rule you have and then feel guilty and bad. Nor is it a time to eat everything in sight just because it’s there in front of you and you can… drink to point of drunken stupor… or spend the rent money on gifts and party clothes.

The holidays are about love, spirit and the genuine enjoyment of whom you’re with and what you’re doing. Of course you should celebrate by indulging in your favorite things to eat, drink and do. Of course you should shop, buy, wrap and distribute gifts to the special people in your life. Naturally, you should go to parties and dinners, dress up

The thing to recognize, however, is the dividing line between indulgence and overindulgence. When you learn where that line is… JOB DONE! You’re ready to go out into the world and CELEBRATE! Do… don’t over-do!

To help you keep your overdo-it syndrome in line, here are a few tips to help you ring in the New Year feeling GREAT – especially about yourself.

Regarding over-eating:

Skip every other bite (just kidding). Taste a bite (REALLY taste it) of anything you want. You don’t have to eat the whole thing! Relax, you do not have to be the food police. If ya wanna taste, have a taste!
Drink a lot of water before eating and drinking. This will fill you up – and besides, we tend to think we are hungry when actually we’re thirsty. Drinking water before you start in on those adult beverages is a great way to slow down your intake.
Don’t skip meals to save up calories for holiday parties. It can actually cause you to eat more.

Regarding Money:

Create a budget for gifts, new clothes, postage, whatever categories you’ll be facing.
Stick to the budget!

Regarding Socializing, Holiday Tasks and Life:

Make a schedule that feels comfortable to you – without overbooking, and ample time allotted for each thing you want to do. Seriously WRITE IT DOWN. It works.
Follow your schedule!

Trite and true: Everything in moderation. Pace yourself.

Wrap Yourself Up and Be PRESENT!

Holidays can be difficult times – for such varied reasons. We each have our own list of who we don’t really like seeing, what we don’t really like doing, where we don’t really like going and why we should forget it all this year and skip the holidays completely. Yes, it is supposed to be a time of joy… sharing, giving and loving. Why then, for so many of us, does it often end up being a dreaded time of year; a disappointment, or worse yet, exactly as bad as we expected it to be?

Why? Well, from a sociological standpoint, we have so many “fabulous reasons” to embrace. Thanks to a variety of alternative lifestyles, today’s families are generally “broken” or “mixed” to begin with… It’s not unusual to celebrate the holidays with “family” you just met or hardly know. By virtue of birth, death, marriage, divorce and remarriage the landscape of familyland as it used to be, has been devastated. Now, add in an abundance of alternative life styles and hey, is it any wonder that hanging out with the family is a little tense and stressful?

And then there’s what we bring to the party… We show up for the holidays with lots of presents… (get ready for a very cool PUN) and a whole lotta PAST! If there’s any time that we humans carry the past in our pockets, it’s holiday time. I know that I personally have total (and often totally inaccurate) recall about what it used to be like; those OLD familiar smells and sounds, the songs and traditions; the games we played, the inside jokes, all that warm fuzzy stuff that just gets better as the memories get older. And, oh yeah, I remember all that “other” stuff, too. “THEY” were always at least an hour late, he was always so loud and so rude to everyone, she always wore waaay too much cheap perfume, they never listened – just talked, she never helped clear the table…

Every December – for as far back as I can recall – I have watched my favorite holiday movie, Miracle on 34th Street. I lose it every time little Susan Walker (played by Natalie Wood) finds Santa’s cane next to the fireplace. Seriously, I’ve seen this movie at least 50 times and every time… I cry. I remember watching it with my family when I was a child and, later, with my own children. It’s a magical, feel good movie. Based on this movie, I have an expectation that the holidays will bring miracles. Just like in the movie, I assume that there will be bad guys, problems and upsets… followed by miracles.

Based on the past, most of us expect everyone and everything to be “just like it’s always been”. Cousin Mark and his family will be late. The Cramer clan will be early. Aunt Ruth will pinch your cheeks and call you Cupcake. Uncle Frank will eat too much and fall asleep right after dinner. Great Auntie Linda will give you pajamas. The twins will fight over their presents and Grandpa will get indigestion from overeating.

I am an adult… until I get around my brothers. At that point we revert to thinking and acting like the children we were. We play, giggle, pull pranks, get loud and get physical. Is it any wonder that I am treated, as if I was still ten or eleven years old? Oops, what happened to the holiday “present”?

So that’s what we bring to the party… We show up for the holidays with lots of presents… and a whole lotta PAST! If there’s any time that we humans carry the past in our pockets, it’s holiday time. Empty your pockets… and get PRESENT!

WHEN THE TOILET CLAIMS YOUR CELL PHONE: A PUBLIC SERVICE BLOG

It was an accident, of course. It always is. Now I am a statistic: According to Google, 39% of cell phone owners take their phones into the bathroom. 19% of cell phone users drop them into the watery grave that is the toilet. Guess that means if you take your phone anywhere near the toilet you have a 50 – 50 chance of losing it. It’s a good idea to know what to do if that should happen. I had no idea. So I guessed… and I guessed as wrong as possible.

Of course I grabbed it right away (remembering the 5 second rule when food falls on the ground) and dried it off. Then I pressed every button it on. Funny lines and dark spots. So I tried using the hair dryer. Then I tried turning it on again. Finally I googled “What to do when your cell falls in the toilet”. Oops, too late. I did pretty much everything on the DO NOT DO THIS list.

Remove it from the water as quickly as possible. CHECK (Apparently that was the ONLY thing I did correctly.)
Turn off phone immediately. (Off? Dang it, I kept trying to turn it ON!)
Remove battery cover and battery and lay them and the phone on soft towel. (Where’s the battery?)
Remove the SIM card. (The WHAT????)
Gently wipe off as much water as possible. Avoid shaking or moving phone. (Oops!)
Assuming you got the battery out in time clean the inside of the phone with rubbing alcohol. (Sure, I keep gallons of that in the fridge!)
A vacuum cleaner can be used to suck out water but NEVER use a hair dryer – even on the cool setting. (Great, NOW I hear this!)
Put the phone into an airtight bag – a zip lock will work – completely covered with uncooked rice, rice krispies or those little silica packets (which I will NEVER throw away again). A fb friend suggested the pocket of a fleecy works, too. Keep the phone there for at least 24 hours… rotating the phone every hour or so. Apparently you do not have to set your alarm to do this throughout the night, but… how much do you love your phone???
After 24 to 48 hours test your phone. See if it will power up.

For over 48 hours I was phoneless. Okay, I do have a landline but I’d never used it. It was so cumbersome and I couldn’t take it into the car. No car phone???? Ridiculous. But wait, it gets worse. No Pandora when I went for my run. I didn’t know the date or the time or the temperature. I couldn’t take a picture. Sure, I had a landline but I didn’t know a single phone number (including the number to my land line!) I was unconnected… cut off… alone in my misery. It was a horrifying experience and I may be permanently scarred.

And then, it was time to ‘de-rice’. Drum roll please… even with all the mistakes I made, I took my beloved iPhone out of the rice and BAM! She rose to the occasion and powered right up, turned on and I swear she smiled at me. Woo Hoo! I called everyone I knew and talked for two hours straight!

But, almost as magically as, like the phoenix, she had risen from the ashes (Okay, it wasn’t ashes, it was rice – whatever.) she ran out of power and died… tragic death… she was so young.

The sadness was overwhelming, yet I will never forget the joy I felt when she first fired back up. Did the happy dance, f’sure! And, when she died a few hours later, I remember feeling glad and even lucky that I’d had those last few hours with my phone… WHAAAAT? It’s a PHONE, Sandye! Oh, yeh, right… it’s just a phone. #just.a.phone

Who Needs A Coach?

So often someone else can see what you we don’t. Sometimes we can’t… sometimes we just don’t want to see. Either way, getting another point of view – seeing ourselves through the eyes of someone we trust – can be just what we need to get ‘unstuck’ or to get that extra push in the direction of our dreams.

When life is unfulfilling or goals are not being met, when we don’t know where to turn or what to do next… or when life is good but that nagging feeling reminds us that it’s not ‘all it could be’, it’s time to find a coach. Sometimes there’s a specific urgent problem to tackle and we’re in overwhelm. Other times we know we’re on the right track but we want to accelerate the game. And, of course, there are those times when we realize that we simply don’t know HOW to do what we know needs to be done!

When I coach I listen first… Where are you NOW? Where do you want to BE? What results are you aiming for and… do you have a plan? It starts with a dream, an idea, a passion. Your coach works with you to identify and SPEAK it! Then comes the strategic planning – the big picture and then the specific steps to achieve the desired results. Now you have a plan. Time to implement. Your coach (assuming you’ve chosen wisely) is as invested in your success as you are. To that end, she or he now becomes your accountability coach. You have steps to follow and your coach will remind you that when you do what you said you would do, you get the results you said you wanted. Yes, sometimes re-working the steps is necessary, and your coach is right there to do that with you.

And then there’s that ‘thing’ we call mindset. When you get stuck or blocked or frustrated or overwhelmed (and we all do now and then), your coach works the mindset magic and you get clarity and focus.

Can you save the money and do all of the planning, create the specific steps, implement them, hold yourself accountable and clear away the muck for yourself? Without investing in a coach? SURE you can… but, will you be able to do it all on your own? Do you really want to? Or, would you rather ease the pressure, invest in yourself and take an easier, faster route to success?

I choose having a coach… and I AM A COACH. My coach sees what I miss – that stuff that’s so deeply ingrained in who I am; my old patterns and beliefs– and literally ‘coaches’ me over the hurdles. And that, my friends, is both so totally awesome and WHY I do what I do. I AM A COACH And… I HAVE A COACH and I’m glad. Everyone needs a coach!

When WINNING = LOSING…

I’m a winner. And I do like winning. There’s something about setting out to accomplish an objective and making it happen. The adrenaline rush – particularly when the goal is one that scares me at least a little – is awesome. And, of course, there’s nothing that breeds success like success. When you win it simply increases the chance that you’ll win again, right? When I accomplish a goal – when I have a ‘win’, my confidence and self-esteem take a ride on the happy train! “I think I can” and I did!

Case in point was the Turkey Trot this past Thanksgiving morning. 10k! I did it without stopping. At no point did I give in to that persistent yakky voice in my head that kept shouting, “Turn around now, no one will know”! I’m 66. I ran a 10k… and I lived to tell about it.

There are so many games in my life where I am a (sometimes ‘self-declared’) winner. One in particular where winning doesn’t make me happy. Why not? Simple… in that arena, winning is not gonna be a good thing for me. It seems that I have been the team captain for Extreme Self-Sabotage and my team is a winning machine.

SELF-SABOTAGE is not a sport that anyone can actually win. It’s not even about the competition. There is none. When I play, I’m it. I’m the competition. It’s all about me setting out to subversively undermine all that is possible – all that I can be~do~have. Being successful at self-sabotage (listening to that negative, malevolent, naysaying voice in my head) pretty much guarantees that I’ll ‘win’… which then absolutely guarantees that, finally, I lose.

We’ve all heard that “the only thing between you and everything you’ve ever wanted is YOU”. And, most of us believe that, but you may be like me… and not been able to see where or how you were in your own way. How many times have I said, “ Awareness is always the first step”? Many times, Sandye. Yup… many times and it’s definitely true in this case.

I say I want to be healthy and fit. I profess love and appreciate for this little body that has served me so well for so long… and then I silently screw it all up. Note: Of course I could blame my parents – we all could – we have history and stories and explanations for where our stories about ourselves came from, and, while that info might be very interesting, it’s the PAST and we’re not there any more! Instead of being the victim of my history, I am choosing to be the result of it… with the ability to use it; to be~do~have a life not just worth living, but also worth celebrating! And it started last week… when I realized that another year of my life was beginning and I wanted it to be the best yet.

So, I asked myself, WTF? What am I doing to sabotage myself? And then I discovered: Sometimes it’s what I do. Sometimes it’s what I don’t do. Our behavior becomes self-sabotaging when we attempt to solve or cope with a problem (that we may not even be able to precisely identify), and in the process, we instigate new problems. Like, with the body thing… I lost my glasses about 9 years ago and never bothered to get new ones. I run almost every day but I stopped working out – which I know is what keeps me fit and keeps the extra pounds off. I quit smoking 6 years ago… and have started and stopped 3 times since then. There are days when the only water I drink is when I brush my teeth. Sometimes I run and then come home to bake and eat cookies… ‘cuz I ‘earned’ them. Really, Sandye????

Self-sabotage is a complex, invasive, insidious process, which feeds on our deepest fears and leads us to mutiny; having us rebel and revolt against our more positive thoughts and impulses. Sure, we all make mistakes, but a true self-saboteur keeps fixing those mistakes by top-loading them with increasingly bad decisions.

Okay, I’m starting with my body. I have an appointment with an eye doctor next week. I joined a gym. When that voice pops up and tells me I don’t have to work out ‘today’ or You’re upset. It’s okay to have a cigarette when you’re upset’. I will simply reply:

THANK YOU FOR SHARING, BUT I AM A WINNER AND IF I PLAY YOU’RE GAME I CAN’T WIN. GAME OVER!

With Gratitude that I am NOT a Turkey!

I’m all about gratitude and this week it’s easy to be me! I mean, really, it’s Thanksgiving… almost like gratitude’s birthday, right? This is that day – once a year – where almost everyone gathers around a festive table with loved ones, and is publicly thankful (kinda like the Christians who only go to church on Easter Sunday and the Jews who show up at synagogue only for the High Holy Days). Traditionally, those assembled around the turkey take turns toasting and saying what they are thankful for… health, wealth, family, friends, the first snow, no snow… you get the ‘drift’ (oops, sorry). If you’ve forgiven me for that, read on:

It’s actually pretty great to hear everyone being grateful. It’s contagious and happy and healthy and powerful. When we declare our gratitude we confirm it. Our focus shifts from ‘what’s missing’ to what’s present; and there’s so much good stuff all around. What if every day was like that? What if, instead of complaints and negativity, those around you consistently greeted you with a smile and a catalogue of positive, good news and pleasant (if not down right happy) acceptance of the way it is?

Okay, that’s probably not in our immediate future, so, in the meantime, while we’re waiting, here’s an idea: YOU DO IT! Yup, you. You commit to looking at life through the filters of what’s the good news? and what am I grateful for? – not just for Thanksgiving, but for life! If you must, start small… one “giving thanks” day a month. Feelin’ brave? Try it every Thursday night. Share your meal with friends or family and actually talk to each other at the table! Ban the cell phones. Turn off the TV. Tell stories that move you. Exchange compliments. Note the good stuff and talk about it. Be grateful for the food, the opportunity to eat it in peace – with loved ones – in a safe warm place that has running water, flush toilets and a microwave. Acknowledge the beauty around you and notice all you have. Connect – or reconnect – with each other and gratitude.

And… What if roast turkey* and stuffing with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole and apple pie was served EVERY Thursday night????? Now there’s something to be grateful for…

*tofurkey for those of you who are so inclined

DON’T JUST APPRECIATE…ACKNOWLEDGE!

DON’T JUST APPRECIATE… ACKNOWLEDGE!

When was the last time you really acknowledged someone? I’m not talking about saying “thank you” – even if it was a very BIG thank you. And I’m not talking about offering your appreciation or even giving up some praise. All of those things are very nice, for sure… Acknowledging someone, truly and fully acknowledging them, is not about a quick “you rock”, a pat on the back or a nod and smile. It’s not even complementing them on how they look or what they did. Acknowledging is beyond praise… more than a confirming nod or appreciating. It’s bigger than any of those things.

When you fully and generously acknowledge someone, you see them for who they are, express gratitude for the difference they make in the world… and recognize aloud that they matter. You hear them. You see them. You ‘get’ them. And you tell them what you see!

Acknowledgement is a glorious expression of gratitude that actually makes the receiver’s life bigger by identifying – out loud – the difference he or she makes in the world and creating a picture for them of what’s possible for the future… just because he or she exists! That’s huge.

And, joyfully, you, the acknowledger stands to win here, too. When we get beyond our fears of scarcity (where giving anything may mean none left for us), and our human penchant to give either credit or avoid blame (that whole deal where in order for someone to be ‘right’, someone else must be wrong), we stand in true gratitude and it’s an awesome place to stand! Studies actually show a high correlation between giving acknowledgement and our physical and emotional health. When we let someone know how their very existence creates a future worth living into… we get to step into that future with them! How cool is that.

You have to listen. You have to be present. No judging. That’s what it takes to see whom they are, the contribution that they are – and that they make; and to see how much it truly matters. When you see that and you acknowledge it, BAM!!! The fireworks go off in head and heart. And then, my friends, we have only to express what we see… to describe those explosions. NOTE: This may take practice just like any other wonderful skill you seek to master. It’s worth the ‘work’, promise!

Ready for a practical, real-life example? Thought so…

These are typical Compliments/Praise/Appreciation:

You look awesome tonight.

2. Thanks for inviting me to dinner tonight.

3. Hey, good job on the teleseminar.

And now these are truly GENEROUS Acknowledgments:

You have a flair for color and style that lights you up and pulls others in!
Being with you for dinner is like going to a party. You make everything fun and interesting. I feel so happy.
What an inspiration you were on the teleseminar tonight. You speak with such conviction and passion. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Yes, it is a fine distinction between appreciation and acknowledgment, but, WOWSERS, can that little distinction rock someone’s world. It says, “ I see what you did AND, even more important, I see who you are and I see: that, why and how much… you matter.”

Gift with purchase: When you train yourself to see the magic in others you are simultaneously training yourself to see it in everything… including yourself!

Inspiration, Motivation and FUN