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Posts Tagged ‘Consequences’

I’ve been asking the wrong question!

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , , , , on April 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

No wonder I haven’t had clarity on how to best make the decision — I’ve been asking the wrong question!

Have you done this? You ask a question, or pray to whatever higher power you appeal to, looking for guidance and direction. When the idea or answer pops into your head –“Boom! There is its!” — you look toward the heavens and say, “Really? Are you sure?!”

Questioning the very response to that which you have been seeking! It’s really kind of comical when you think about it; at least it is to me.

So, I’ve become aware of some training that will allow me to add some additional tools to my coaching tool box, which will help me better serve my clients in achieving greater levels of self-awareness, resulting in higher levels of performance, and achieving whatever it is they endeavor to do. So, I asked the question: Should I or shouldn’t I enroll in this training?

Should I or Shouldn’t I?

The answer to that is obvious isn’t it? It’s either yes, you should, or no, you shouldn’t. Either response can be equally argued for, I’m certain. There are pro’s and con’s to either response, up sides and down sides to every option.

It would be similar to asking “is this the right thing or the wrong thing to do or say?” There will be pro’s and con’s to whatever answer you come up with for that question, as well.

Is this the right thing or the wrong thing to do?

The question I should have asked myself is this: Will taking this action move me closer to my goal? If the answer is “yes,” I should enroll in the course. If the answer is “No,” I should not enroll in the course. It’s truly that simple.

Will taking this action move me closer to my goal?

 

You see, I can talk myself into it and out of it within the same conversation. I can argue with myself about whether it’s a responsible use of my resources, or if I should save them for something else. I can view it from a perspective of scarcity — I have only so much time, energy, and money to invest in growing myself — or from a perspective of abundance — I will grow immeasurably from this experience, serve my clients more fully, therefore growing my financial resources over time as a result of this additional benefit I can offer.

Asking it that way, the answer is obvious. I should enroll in the course, continue to grow, and serve my clients. The only question now is, which location to register for? That one will require a little homework on travel costs!

I hope you now have a new perspective on how to evaluate the many options that appear in your life, especially when you’ve asked for guidance and direction. Rather than questioning the source of the answer you get, consider how doing or not doing whatever it is will serve you in your purpose.

If you don’t know your purpose, you have a different starting point entirely. From personal experience, I highly recommend working with a skilled coach or mentor.

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Engaging in “Missionary” work

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , on February 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Over the course of my career — 24 years — as a professional communicator — I was frequently responsible for community relations. What that amounted to was interacting with various members, and organizations, within the communities where my employer did business. This could be participation in Chamber of Commerce activities, fundraisers put on by local/regional non-profits, Rotary, and other similar activities.

One thing that always stood out to me was this: People attending these so-called networking style events often stay in their little clusters of friends and colleagues…the same people they see all day at work!

I understand it from an emotional level. A lot of people don’t like having to strike up a conversation with someone they don’t know, or barely know. It leaves one feeling somewhat vulnerable and exposed. It requires us to step out of our Comfort Zones and take a risk. I speak from experience here; I would prefer to be on stage speaking to a full ballroom rather than have to walk into it during networking time only to be faced with countless tight clusters of people already engaged in conversation and have to try to break into one of the conversations uninvited.

But this defeats the whole purpose! If I make the effort to attend an event in my community, I am there to mix and mingle and get to know people outside my company. It’s an opportunity for a group of employees from one company to spread throughout the other attendees and function as Chief Marketing Officers for your organization; telling stories about what you stand for, what you offer, how you serve your clients, how you grow and empower your employees. It’s a chance for them to make important connections with people who may become a critical resource, a new employee, a new client at some point in the future.

And, yet, we allow fear and discomfort to hold us hostage and stay — safe — in our little clusters of office mates!

I was blessed to have a co-worker (still a valued friend and mentor) who pointed out the importance of doing “missionary” work. When attending any external function with any colleague (one or many), he encouraged the others to go off on their own and meet new people…and would simply walk away from you and model the behavior if you didn’t get started on your own. It was simple and brilliant! A practice I carried forward in my various roles with employers after that point. I admit, however, it didn’t make me popular among my co-workers; they appeared to resent my insistence they step out of their comfort zone and interact with strangers…but it’s important for the business.

How do you think about “missionary” work and what can you do differently the next time you’re in a networking kind of situation?

How might it serve you in your future endeavors?

How might it impact your business?

Come back and tell me your stories — I want to hear them!

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Are you a drama queen?

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , , , on February 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been involved in a couple of different situations of late that have brought the principles outlined in the Drama lesson of the Empowerment Mentoring program front and center for me. Follow along, and spend a few minutes reflecting on these thoughts to see if you may be creating some unnecessary drama in your life.

The key principle that is most active around me, recently, is this: Assuming malicious intent from others OR acting with malicious intent. Specifically, assigning motives to others, in the belief that one knows what someone else is trying to accomplish in a given situation, without the benefit of having a conversation with the person to discover what is actually going on.

Have you participated in a relationship in which you made certain assumptions about another person’s motives, that later turned out to be a misunderstanding or misinterpretation? First, it’s human nature to make up stories about what’s going on around us, because we like to have closure and we have a strong need for things to make sense. So, we pull in bits and pieces of information, snatches of conversation, and we make up stories that make sense to us, based on our values, beliefs, and life experiences. This doesn’t mean that the stories we come up with are based in reality, only that they make sense to us. The problem here is the stories we concoct are often far from the truth…simply because we are missing key facts.

The other consideration is that Intent does NOT equal Impact! It’s important to consider that there are times when we speak or act  that what we intend to happen is not the outcome we get. What that means is, we are sometimes the author of some of the drama in our lives, because we are not fully self-aware or as intentional as we might be. And we also tend to make assumptions about the intent and behaviors of others in our lives.

If you’re experiencing drama in your life, I encourage you to spend some time in reflection and come to an understanding of the role you are playing in the situation.

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Are you among the 73% – 92%?

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »

In many measures, being among this large a group might be a good thing, but in the case of today’s topic — Thinking — being in this particular statistic is not a good thing.

73% to 92% of people go through their day on Auto-Pilot

It should be astonishing, but if you are observant, you’ll not be surprised one bit. I say this because I believe you are not in that group. Just the fact you are here, reading this blog, is proof that you do think…you do, at least in part, go through your day with some intentionality.

I’m working through a process called the 4 Pillars of Mastery, developed by one of my Coach/Mentors, Christian Simpson. If you are interested in moving beyond your current level of achievement in life, and really propelling yourself forward, you’ll want to sign up for this (amazingly!) free program. Don’t be fooled when you do, however; it may be free in terms of a financial investment, but it’s far from free in terms of an intellectual, emotional, and introspective investment. Like anything else, you will get out of it what you put into it.

What I’m putting into it is a considerable amount of time, energy, and thought. You see, the results I’m experiencing in my life are caused solely by me; as are the results you are experiencing caused by you. So the only way I will improve my results is if I continue to improve myself at my THOUGHT level.

Today is the result of my best thinking — today. Fortunately, I have reserved the right to be smarter tomorrow, and I’m taking advantage of that reservation — every single day!

How much time do you dedicate to actual THINKING each day?

Do you have a special thinking place?

Do you use a journal, or other tools to help you thru your reflection, introspection, thought processing?

I highly encourage you to think on this today…and determine what you can do differently tomorrow to improve your results. I guarantee you, if you do this, you will win.

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If you’re ready to learn from your stumbles…read on

Posted in Worth Reading, tagged , , , , , , on January 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Now that you’ve had some time to think about your stumbles in 2013 and what you long for in 2014, here is your next step:

Click the link below to register for an experience that will change your life in 2014!

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn!

Begins Tuesday, 4 February, 8-9 PM EST, for 13 weeks.

Don’t miss this Mastermind Group.

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/sometimes-you-win-sometimes-you-learn-mastermind-tickets-10276038909?aff=es2&rank=6&sid=c716103082d411e3bc4922000aaa037d

If you prefer to make the investment by check (rather than credit card), connect with me directly.

Be sure to share it with your friends, colleagues, and others in your network.

I’m excited about learning with you and watching you grow. In the meantime, have an intentional day.

Positively!

Laura

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Did you fail at something in 2013?

Posted in Worth Reading, tagged , , , , , on January 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The honest answer for most of us is YES!
The important question, however, is: Did you let that failure stop you?
Regardless of your answer, I have something that will help you SOAR in 2014!
On February 4th, I am beginning a 13-week in-depth study (Mastermind Group, or MMG) of John Maxwell’s Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn. We will meet every Tuesday for 13 weeks, from 8-9 PM EST, via conference call (all calls will be recorded so you may listen to them, again). 
Every one of us has experienced loss, defeat, disappointment, mistakes, even slips in judgment, during our journey to greater success and higher levels of leadership. This MMG will focus on how we use those experiences as learning opportunities that can help us accelerate our future growth and progress towards our goals.
We will study a variety of principles and concepts including: Humility, Reality, Responsibility, Teachability, Adversity, and much more. We will learn from each other’s experiences. We will develop a support network upon whom we can call as we work towards our 2014 goals. We will emerge from the experience better equipped to deal with the struggles, obstacles, and challenges we inevitably face as we strive to be, do, and have more in our lives.
If you’re ready to invest in yourself and make 2014 the remarkable year it should be, don’t hesitate!
Spots are limited and the MMG will fill up.
The investment is $250 per person, or $475 if two register together.
The first 8 people to register will receive a complimentary copy of the book.
It’s easy to get started! Just send me an email at lauraprisc@gmail.com or call me at 304-916-0348 to register and save your space in this life-changing study.
Please, share this with your colleagues, relatives, and friends. Invite them to join you on your journey to success!
I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, have an intentional day!

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Change is all about process…One woman’s story

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , , on January 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Changing anything, if you want the change to be sustainable, requires a process. While it would be delightful (and nothing short of miraculous!) to be able to not eat any sweets for one full day — for example — and lose all the weight you want to drop and look amazing in your clothes the next day, we know it isn’t possible.

Making the change begins with an idea, a desire…to do, be, or have something different than your current conditions and circumstances allow. Once the idea has grown and developed and taken root in our minds, we must then make the DECISION to act. Action requires forethought, intentionality and commitment to continuing to act, DAILY!

Here’s an example. It’s the story of an Australian woman who recognized the need to make some significant changes in several areas of her life, and she started with one small, simple act: Gratitude posts on her Facebook page. Some days they were pretty mundane, some days more significant. The point is, she looked for reasons to be grateful, and found them! When she found them, she considered them and shared them. These are small, daily steps in the right direction.

I would imagine that on some days it was pretty challenging, other days might have been easier — with the challenge being more about which one thing to focus on out of many reasons to be grateful. As her year progressed, she made other changes in her behaviors, sometimes enlisting support from her friends (think — inner circle — those people who should support, encourage, and complement you).

It’s a process. Process begins with a single step, followed by more single steps, and before you know it, you’re on track and moving forward.

What is it you want to change about yourself or your conditions and circumstances this year?

What is the one simple step you can start with?

What will you allow to get you off track once you’ve started?

Whose support can you enlist to help you along the way?

Start today! You’ll be better for it.

Then come back and tell me what you did and how it felt. Looking forward to hearing your stories!

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Change your thinking, change your life

Posted in Food for Thought, tagged , , , , , on January 13, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I recently awoke from an odd dream, that got me thinking about how we think and its impact on our lives.

In the dream, I was walking through a train station, filled with people, as you would imagine. There was a young woman (in her 20’s I would guess) asking people for money. She asked a woman who was walking near me for money. The second woman said she didn’t have any cash. The first woman said “That’s ok, your bank is right here. Let’s go in and you can get some.”

Looking a bit bewildered, the second woman was ushered into the bank and I followed (curious to see what would happen next). The woman approached the teller and said she needed some cash from one of her accounts. The first woman, overhearing this — ‘one of her accounts’ — demanded the teller write down the balances in all of the woman’s accounts…presumably so she could determine how much money she could extract from her confused “benefactor.” The teller wrote the amounts out on a chalkboard (yes, things are sometimes strange in dreams!) and the account holder stood there silently, while the first woman decided how much money she should be given. She came up with some number, and the teller began to do what he needed to do, while the second woman looked on.

This was when I felt the need to step in and object. It was a ridiculous scenario to be sure…and it was certainly none of my business what some other person chose to do with their own money.

My objection sprang from the fact that simply giving this young woman money would not solve her problems. When you have a dysfunctional relationship with money, having more of it will not solve anything; you will simply blow through it as you usually do. It’s only when you are able to change your thinking about what money really is — a tool — and how you use it that you are able to make changes in your circumstances.

I felt compelled to explain this to the first young woman, although it would probably have fallen on deaf ears. Here is just one story of a person who came into a cash windfall, and it didn’t miraculously “fix” her life…in fact, it led to a lot of other issues and challenges, and wouldn’t you know, she is no longer a millionaire!

Here’s the bottom line. If you have the yearning to become a millionaire, great! But simply acquiring the money will not make you different. If you focus on the journey and invest in the process, the more important outcome is who you become on the way to earning the money.

It’s the same principle with anything else you desire to achieve, have, do, or be…the wisest people understand it’s not about actually accomplishing the goal, it’s about who you become on your way there. If you truly want to change your life…you must change your thinking. More specifically, you must actually ENGAGE in THINKING, not simply resorting to habitual ways of thinking or allowing others to think for you.

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Adding value to you in 2014 — Free e-book 2 days only

Posted in Worth Reading, tagged , , , , , , , on January 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I want to add value to you in 2014, and I hope to do that in a number of ways. To begin, I want to offer you my e-book, The ‘What Matters Most’ Manifesto, available on Amazon.

I wish for you a meaningful, satisfying, and fulfilling year ahead, and that won’t happen by chance. You must be intentional about it…and this e-book is intended to get you in that mindset.

This short, easy read is yours for free on January 2 and 3, as a Kindle download.

This doesn’t mean you have to own a Kindle, you merely need a Kindle reader, which you can use on a smart phone or tablet (I use it on both my iPhone and my iPad).

Feel free to pass it along and share with others, as well.

Please be kind enough to review the book on Amazon when you’re done. I truly want to know what you think of it.

May you enjoy good health and much prosperity in 2014.http://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Most-Manifesto-ebook/dp/B00GTXGX6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1388595713&sr=1-1&keywords=laura+prisc

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Intentional Leadership — M12 — Belief — Wrap-up

Posted in Leadership, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 14, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.  ~Henry David Thoreau*

This is so true; don’t you think? Consider this…how would your life be different today if you hadn’t believed in yourself?

How would your world be different today if other leaders hadn’t believed in their potential, their vision, their mission?

What if:

  • Abraham Lincoln hadn’t believed slaves should be freed?
  • John F. Kennedy, Jr., hadn’t believed a man could walk on the moon?
  • Martin Luther King hadn’t believed in the dream of equality for all?
  • Susan B. Anthony hadn’t believed women should vote?
  • Jonas Salk hadn’t believed polio could be cured?

These are just a few examples; given time, and putting our heads together, we could probably come up with a list that would span countless pages of how others’ (and our own) beliefs have changed our lives, our communities, and our world.

Regardless of what stage of life — and leadership — you may be in, know that the first step you must take to move forward is the believe in yourself, in your dream, and your ability to accomplish it.

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.  ~Charles F. Kettering

Do so, and success will surely follow.

Do so, and you will change the lives of more people than you can imagine, at levels you may not even be aware of.

Do so…we need you!

___________

Note: This concludes this 12-month, focused Intentional Leadership journey. Thank you for accompanying me. Remember, it is a journey; even though our study together is ended, it doesn’t mean you must or should stop working through this process. This work, this guide, is archived for you on this site, and you are welcome to revisit it — even go through the whole process, or pieces of it, as the need arises — at any time in the future.

*From the Intentional Leadership booklet, by Giant Impact.

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