Are You Living in Your Right Brain or Your Left Brain? Piles or Files?
May 21, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Where are you most comfortable living… in your left brain or your right brain?
Left brainers, elbies, are more comfortable linear thinking, number crunching, logical, facts, details, math, science, rules, thinking, reality based and safe.
Right brainers, arbies, are more creative, free flowing, mind mapping, artsy, musical, big picture, visionary, risk taking, feelings, imagination and fantasy.
I recently was directed to this website from an Australian newspaper that has a graphic of a dancer. Whether you see her spinning clockwise or counterclockwise can tell you which side of your brain you’re living in at that very moment.
Check it out: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html
I found I could only see her spinning in one direction. I couldn’t for the life of me visualize how she she could be seen spinning in the other direction…. until I started reading the words that represented the other side of the brain. When I read those words, I could then see her spinning in the other direction automatically and immediately. How weird is that??!!
That’s how fast you can switch from using one side of your brain to the other. From all these kinds of tests over the years, I’ve found I sit right in the middle on the fence and can easily swing from one side to the other depending on the situation.
To help you access and integrate easier for problem solving, creative thinking or number crunching; try throwing something between your hands or juggling. Throwing something back and forth helps you integrate. Growing dendrites on both sides of your brain can also be accomplished by little activities such as brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, eating with the other hand or European style, crossword puzzles, Soduko or other memory games.
Elbies and Arbies also store things differently. To be most efficient, figure out which side is more comfortable for you to live in. Elbies tend to store things vertically behind closed doors such as file cabinets, closets, drawers, hangers etc. These are the neat desk people.
Arbies tend to store things horizontally and within plain view – these are called piles. Right brainers need the visual stimulation to remind them to do something. If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. They prefer hooks to hangers and shelving to drawers.
The rest of us in the middle are the anal retentive creative types – horizontal stacking in-boxes that are labeled. A mixture of both styles.
Figure out your style and your preference, then organize your space around your style to feel most at ease, to find things more easily and then know how to access your other side of your brain and call in the reinforcements when you need them.
Time Management vs. Self Management
April 19, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
After reading and ruminating on the book The 4-Hour Workweek for a few months; I’ve been keenly aware of how I spend my time. Time, unlike money, once spent can never be recovered and so I guard my time more fiercely than ever these days and really watch my boundaries. Putting boundaries on my time and allowing people, things and stuff to enter the forcefield is more of a conscious decision at this point in my life.
We really cannot manage time, we can only manage ourselves in the space of our time. That means getting very clear on what to do and what to drop and what to outsource and what is important and what is urgent and what doesn’t really matter that much at all. My business partner often says, “If you don’t have enough time, you don’t have enough team.” I also think if you don’t have enough time, re-think the things you’re stuffing into that time and make hard choices.
To help manage myself in my time, I use a color coding system in my hard-copy Daytimer. I also use a Google Calendar so my virtual assistants can see my schedule and when I need time, I just block it out on the schedules so nobody else can grab that time slot. I use a paper method as well as digital because I’ve had many computer gremlins and I need to know I have a back-up system in case the computer or internet goes down. Select colors that represent personal, professional, deadlines, obligations etc. If one color is dominating your schedule – analyze why that is and make changes.
Since moving to the beach, I’ve decided that I won’t take any incoming calls or work until after 9am. A purposeful choice that this is the time zone in which I live and just because the East Coast is up and running, doesn’t mean I need to be at my desk by 5am so they can call me at their convenience. I’ve also adopted the motto – no more rushing. I’ve rushed to catch planes, make deadlines, be available to everybody’s emails and calls for over 20 years and I needed a break, hence no postings for a couple months while I decompressed after I moved out to California. I realized it was me allowing all those other things to take my time and it was only me who had the power to take back my time. It’s our choice.
I’m reminded of the demonstration I saw about time management in a workshop – by having sand represent all the little schnitzy things you need to do and having ping pong balls represent the things that matter in your life. If you fill a vase with sand and then try to put in the ping pong balls, they won’t fit. But by putting in the ping pong balls first – putting the things that matter most to you first in your life, then pouring the sand into the vase; the sand fills in the empty spaces and everything will fit in the vase. It fits snugly, but it fits and anything that doesn’t fit is only the sniggly things that don’t matter so much anyway.
So how are you managing yourself inside your time zone? My friend Kathie makes phone dates to catch up with friends – she uses her beach walking time to talk on her cell with good friends so she can exercise while talking. My friend Beth uses her treadmill time to chat. A realtor buddy takes no incoming calls before 11 – he reserves the morning for himself. I’m working on only taking calls and appointments Tuesday – Thursday so I can have Mondays and Fridays completely to myself. I’m not totally there yet, it’s a work in progress, but I’m conscious of it. If I need to do things on these days, then I’m blocking out time during the week to do as I choose.
I will not get to only working 4 hours per week- I don’t thing I would even like to choose that. I truly enjoy what I do and it keeps me energized. Often people ask me if I work “full time”. Full time and part time are mindsets of the W2 working world. As an Entrepreneur, I just do my life. I have several companies and I just do some more than others as things dictate. Sometimes I focus on my work 60 hours in one week and sometimes 3 hours in one week – it all depends on what is happening in my life at the time – go with the flow. Entrepreneurs don’t do rules very well.
So how do you set your personal boundaries, your time boundaries and how do you manage yourself within the time you have? What is your time zone? Are you in the zone in the mornings or evenings? When are you brain dead and when are you most sharp and creative? Work your stuff around your bio-rhythms and when you are most productive and be very conscious of who and what you allow inside your boundaries in order to keep your energy for the things that really matter most.
London Times Features Fun at Work – Good Times Lead to Good Business
September 17, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I’m thrilled to announce an interview I did for a recent article in the London Times on the business of fun at work. We’re ready to get the British energized and pumped up for some play in the workplace. People all over the world are finally getting it that work made fun gets done and good times lead to good business.Check out the full article below or click on the link.
The Rest of the Story: Banner the Guide Dog, Larry & Southwest Airlines
July 25, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
With the help of my speaking buddies, Beth Terry, Steve Tyra, Terry Brock and of course the star attractions, Larry Colbert and Banner the wonder dog. Here’s the rest of the story in their own words about what happened that Friday the 13th with Larry, Banner and the Southwest Employees who showed their true colors in a life or death situation.
Check out the happy ending to this heart-warming story about compassion, teamwork, humanitarian and heroic efforts and doing the right thing on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YZ17L8j6bsY
Truly inspirational efforts on everybody’s part to come through in a difficult situation.
Even the canine community pulled together. Here’s the card my Madison sent to Banner as well as a photo of Banner enjoying medical leave lounging by the pool in his colorful bandages. If you want to send a card to Banner, click here:
Knowing Why You Come to Work Each Day
July 19, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Thinking about Larry and Banner’s story makes me think about why some people come to work each day. What do you get out of the relationship with your job? Why do you show up each day and what do you want to accomplish? Do you have a master plan for showing up for life, or are you just clocking in and clocking out? I’m sure you know of colleagues who have retired years ago, but they just keep showing up for work each day to collect a paycheck.
What can you do to get inspired about your work? Make a list of what you do and don’t like about the different qualities and characteristics of your profession or your job. What can you change about it to make it more inspiring? What can you do to inspire others. As Zig Ziglar, the famous grandfather of motivation speaking so eloquently states: If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.
What are you doing to help other people get what they want and get where they want to go? Are you embracing empathy and kindness into your day? What would you do in emergency situations and how far would you go to do the right thing? Fortunately for Banner and Larry, Troy knew why he showed up for work that day and he knew what he had to do to do the right thing.
LUV: Taking Customer Service to the Next Level
July 18, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Just recently returning from a Professional Speakers Convention, where my Arizona speaker colleague who is blind, Larry Colbert was attending. He and his canine companion, Banner, are popular members of our local National Speakers Association chapter. I received this email and with tears in my keyboard just had to share this story of what happened to Larry on Friday the 13th. This is a testament that speaks to the heart of what customer service is all about. It’s not just about smile training, it’s the basic human compassion for another and to do the right thing in times of need, no matter what it takes, no matter if it’s in the training manual or not. That day, the folks at Southwest didn’t even know that Larry was one of their passengers, as there are lots of airlines in that terminal at Sky Harbor in Phoenix. They rose to the occasion anyway.
Rest assured this story has already been forwarded to the head honchos at Southwest Airlines to commend them and their people on doing the right thing. They truly live up to their stock market codename: LUV.
Grab a tissue and read on, then pass this along to your colleagues and friends in the customer service field. Thanks to my friend and speaking colleague, Beth Terry for passing along this photo of Banner the Wonder Dog.
Here’s a brief description of the event as written by Sandy DeNeui (girlfriend extraordinaire…)
– – – – – – – – –
Yesterday, Friday the 13th came with more than one miracle for Larry and his guide dog Banner. Larry and Banner were on their way to a speaking
engagement in Nevada. Larry took a cab from his house to Sky Harbor.
Somehow, and that looms as the huge unanswered question, Banner received a gash in his leg while riding in the back seat of the cab. Larry said that Banner yelped and jumped from the floor boards onto the seat shortly before they arrived at the airport. This was highly unusual because Banner is extremely well trained, but since Larry cannot see, he didn’t realize that Banner was injured, so he got his bag and holding Banner’s harness, proceeded into the airport.
Larry said that Banner just led him along as if nothing was wrong…. then a man (Phx airport security), stopped them and asked if he could help. I guess that is when the urgency of the situation came to light.
Later, Troy (South West Customer Service), the young man who saved Banner’s life, told me that Banner would most certainly have gotten Larry to the airplane and bled to death in the process if someone had not intervened. But the ground crew employees of South West Airlines took it upon themselves to change Banner’s fate.
Larry telephoned me and said… “I need your help, Banner is hurt.” I knew by the sound of his voice that this was a real emergency. I blasted out of the house and across town to the airport. On the way I telephoned the vet’s office to alert them that we would be coming in…. and carried an on going conversation with Larry and one of the South West Airline employees. When I finally arrived a police car with emergency lights on had cleared a place for me to park…. a walkway had been cleared through the throng of onlookers…. Banner was on the floor with Larry beside him, and eight or ten uniformed people some kneeling some crouching were gathered around Banner, who was in great distress.
Larry was splattered in blood from his waist down, there was blood everywhere and on everyone. Troy lifted Banner and carried him to the car. I
didn’t realize it at the time, but Troy’s hand was clenched around Banner’s leg to stop the flow of blood. Banner, Troy and Larry got in the back seat of my car and away we went. When we arrived at the vet’s three young women emerged with a stretcher and rolls of tape. They wrapped the leg right there, so that Troy could release his grip, but Troy who by then was like a family member, carried Banner inside, sans stretcher.
Banner underwent surgery almost immediately. He had sliced the major vein to his leg and nicked an artery, and those employees of South West Airlines who left their posts to render aid quite simply kept Banner alive until Dr. Bastek could work her magic. Troy told me many hours later that he was still in shock from the whole experience…. and that he felt a bond with Banner and Larry that he didn’t want to lose track of.
Larry took a later flight to Las Vegas for his speaking engagement. He said that the legend of Banner preceded him and that every South West employee he met along the way asked about Banner (who is recovering nicely).
All in all, it was a Friday the Thirteenth to remember… and a time to realize that there are everyday people out there just waiting to be heroes.
I saw dozens of heroes yesterday. I am attaching a photo of Banner that was taken just this evening at Larry’s house.
I had the honor of having Banner stay with me here in Mesa after being released from the hospital. Larry managed just fine with his “white stick”
on his engagement in Nevada. He said he missed the freedom that Banner allows him, and of course was worried about Banner too. The South West Airline employees sent Banner the flowers and balloon in the photo as a get well gift. I think he really liked it! What a weekend! Those employees were more than heroes….. they were angels in disguise.
“It takes action to achieve vision!” Larry C. Colbert, Speaker & Author Check out Larry’s new video at: <http://www.DrivingVision.com>
www.DrivingVision.com
You Make the Call – Gruntled or Disgruntled
June 24, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
We always have a choice – a choice to be an energy radiator or an energy drain. We also have a choice to either accept or reject somebody else’s energy they are projecting onto us. We have a choice to take it personally, or to mirror back their energy, or to let our own light shine onto them whether it will be connected to their own bright light or overshadow their dark light. When we let our own light shine on, we increase our resilience and cast a light on others.
Light opens up darker spaces, so I choose to let my light shine into some of the shadows that may come into my life. For instance, I once spent a blissful holiday in Santa Fe at a B & B that fell a little short of the expectations for the room, but the breakfasts were aaaaaahmazing. Their chef on the first day was simply charming, had incredible food and was a delight to be around. It set the tone for a perfectly heavenly day with divine company on a glorious sunny day in their courtyard. Her light shown onto her food, her guests, and you could feel it in the air.
The next day a different chef put a decidedly negative flair to the whole affair. Her demeanor was much more of one who had to be there for her job, rather than one who delighted in serving her artistic creations to others and bask in their delight. Her edgy, prickly attitude tried to sneak into my deliriously happy day and get me cranky.
We have choices to be either gruntled or disgruntled, to live our life and invite work into our life we are leading anyway, or to make work out of life. One chef shared her love of life through her cooking and the other just worked at it, and it showed that she had to be there to pick up a pay check.
When you have a choice, why not choose between being happy and deliriously happy instead of happy or grumpy. We don’t always have control over what comes to us (in fact, very little control over what comes to us.) but we do have a choice in how we react to it. How are your reactions lately? What do you choose to be… gruntled or disgruntled…it’s up to you. You can make the call and you decide on your energy level and what to do with it and how others affect it. You can mirror back their light or let yours outshine the darkness. Focusing on shining your light will boost your resilience when you decide to be gruntled.
Energize Employees Through Appreciation with a Twist
April 30, 2007 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
When supervisors dole out praise, it’s often very vague and focused on the entire group such as “You’re doing a great job, keep it up.” Sometimes managers just don’t know what to say or how to say it. After all, you don’t want to say the exact same thing to each person – it can sound contrived. Take a clue from the flight attendants who have mastered the many ways to say hello and goodbye to hundreds of passengers a day. Put a twist on how you praise. These sentence stems should get your brain jump started:
I’m impressed with…
What I particularly liked was…
Our team is better because of your…
You’re on the mark with your… (or the British would say, “You’re spot on with your…”)
You can be proud of yourself for…
I’ve noticed the quality of your work, specifically…
Your contribution of……on that last project was amazing
One of the things your customers rave to me about you is….
Your colleagues have sung your praises about…..
I’ve been noticing your attention to detail and in particular….
How awesome are you to do…..
You rock! Would you like to share some of your trade secrets with our managers….
You really made a difference by….
Our top management has been noticing your work and have commented on….
Take the rest of the day off for your fantastic effort with the…..
One of the things our team enjoys most about working with you is…..
I appreciate your….
You make my day by….
You’re quite a role model because of your….
I’d like to acknowledge your specific role in doing…
This place would not run as effectively if it weren’t for you and your…
That should get your started – go ahead and print this out for your cheat sheet and then write down each of your team member’s names on a day of the week in your calendar and use one of these sentences with each person on their day. Make it a habit.
Now goodbye, see ya, bye now, bye bye, so long, thanks for flying with us, tootles, adios, ciao, auf wiedersehen, see you soon, see you on your next flight….