Intentional Work, LLC

I can hardly believe its December and the new year (2010?!) is almost upon us. And I also feel like things are shifting, the energy, the attitudes and the ideas of so many people on the planet. My ideas about who I am, the work I do and the work I want to do to make a bigger, better impact on the world - all shifting... 

My clients are like that too. That makes me smile. Big. My intention and hope is to get more people to smile and make intention and service a part of what they do everyday. It's not a muscle that many of us are used to moving (or maybe we don't even know how to get started).

Well, these guys have found a way - a very inspiring way. It's called Smove, or rather Smile & Move. It's a movement. It's something we can all learn to do, in 9 simple ways, to create more ways to inspire intentional actionfor us, for our teams, for our families and friends. Check out this video - and SMOVE your way into the new year!

The 9 simple ways to smile & move:

1. Wake-up - engage with care and attention
2. Be thankful - the opportunity to serve is a gift.
3. Be approachable - we're at each other's service.
4. Complain less - being positive is more fun.
5. Smile. Really- it's where pleasantness begins.
6. Start early and go long - get lost in your service to others.
7. Exceed expectations - expect more from yourself.
8. Have a sense of urgency - everyone's time is valuable.
9. Be resourceful and resilient - results are what we're all after.

You can find more information about this inspirational work on their website.

Visionary companies may appear strait-laced to outsiders, but they're not afraid to make bold commitments to Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs).

Like climbing Mt. Everest, going to the moon, putting a computer on every desk (sound familiar?), a BHAG can sound daunting, risky and maybe even dangerous...

... but the adventure, excitement, and challenge of it grabs people in the gut, gets their juices flowing and creates immense forward momentum. - Dan Zadra

2010 is the year to think big.After the last two years of status quo and major shifts in some paradigms, its time. And I believe it's high time to go BIG.

I'm inspiring my friends, family and clients (and myself!) to dream big, think big and then start taking baby steps, one small intentional action at a time, to make those things happen. I'm coaching people to get them inspired and wired to make things happen.

You can do it too. Your friends, family, clients, co-workers. Some ways to get you started.

1. Get clear about what you want. Crystal clear. Make a list of all that you want. Be specific.
2. Make sure it pertains to you. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Make sure what you want is something you can effect.
3. Believe you can have it. Trust that it will arrive and know that it might not look like what you think it should.
4. Be grateful for what you already have. Say thank you. Over and over. Smile.
5. Build your community. Share your goal, your inspiration, your requests, your success. The universe does it all the time. What you put out, comes back to you (at least I think so). We help make that happen by sharing with others and that means giving and receiving.

Where do you want to go? What BIG things do you want? Share them!

'Tis the season and all that. And there's never a better time to start than now.

Because you're already here.

What to dive into 2010 with all your ducks in a row? What to jump start your BHAGs and get started now? Join me in January get to going full speed ahead!

I recently re-read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and was completely caught off-guard by something Stephen Covey wrote:

"…love is a verb. Love -- the feeling -- is a fruit of love, the verb.

...Reactive people make [love] a feeling...

… Proactive people make love a verb. Love is something you do: sacrifices you make, the giving of self, like a mother bringing a newborn in to the world...

...Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions. " (7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey, pg. 80).

This was a business book. A book I was reading to help my executive coaching clients become more effective. What was he doing talking about 'L-O-V-E'. Was I one of those people that was being 'reactive'? (At that moment, yes).

So much of our language these days is reactive. And it's becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. I hear my clients, my friends, family and associates using language that is reactive and then producing evidence to support the belief. There is an increased feeling of being a victim and out of control, not in charge of their life or their destiny. It's no surprise the blame falls to outside themselves (other people, circumstances, even astrology) for a situation of their own making.

But how do we change that?

Start noticing where and how often you're doing it. Some phrases you might hear yourself (or someone else) make that are Reactive:

• "There's nothing I can do about it."
• "She makes me so mad."
• "He won't allow that."
• "I can't."
• "If only."
• "That's just the way things are."

You know what? Those statements absolve the person saying them of any responsibility. Yet, aren't we responsible? We don't live in the paradigm of determinism (all circumstances are out of our control). We determine what happens.

Here are some ways to make the language Proactive:

• "Let's look at the alternatives." (What can I do to shift things?)
• "I control my own feelings." (She knows how to push my buttons, but it's my choice to get mad.)
• "I can create an effective presentation." (I can make a different choice, consider alternatives.)
• "I choose." (Because we always have a choice.)
• "I will." (I choose to.)
• "I can choose a different approach." (Because there's always another way.)

Over the last few years I have become a MASTER at proactive statements and positive thinking. Many of my friends and clients comment on it ("Your positivity is infectious!", "You always come up with the silver lining", "Are you always so positive?"). After working in a high-stress, high tech company, I had to start making different choices if I wanted to be able to survive, or even thrive. One of those choices, was to remind myself, I always had a choice.

My biggest choice was to do something I loved, in a way I loved doing it. I stopped being reactive and started being a whole lot more proactive.

I went and make love a verb.

What can you do to be proactive? What do you already do that is?

Join me for a Small Group, Proactive, tele-coaching program. 4 weeks. Better habits. Better results. Breakthroughs. Starts Monday the 16th. 2 Spots left.

How often do we put things we intend to do at the bottom of the list because more urgent (not necessarily more important) things come up?  We make an intention and don't put structure or set-up any support to help make it happen.

Looking back, looking forward, thinking big. By Sylvia Taylor

Intention is the compass, goals are the map. We need both. Goals help keep us focused and intentions keep us on the right map.

I look back at my 30 Day Challenge: Fit or Fat by 40, and realize that it was about time and choosing to put time in my calendar to be physically active for at least 30 minutes, everyday, 7 days a week. That's a lot to ask, and a challenge for me. I had to keep it a priority, as big a priority as a client meeting. And yet, it was just for me, so I could make the choice to cancel it, since no one would know but me. However, I also made the choice, the commitment, that this was something important to me and I had to give it the time (to put my money where my mouth was).

See how that works? I made the choice to give it time. It's important, so I supported myself to make it happen, by putting it in my calendar and following through.

You know the funny thing? My biggest learning came from intention: I had intended to blog about the experience. I blogged twice.  And that intention, without a structure or support, completely fell through. I ran out of time and it kept getting put on the back burner. But what a gift! Now I know it's something I need to schedule and to create a block of time to get it done.

So, what intention have you had for a while and not done anything about? What intention or goal have you had that didn't get the right structure or support to help make it happen? Start over. Try again.

You can also join me for a 4 week Tele-class (starts next Monday, only 2 spots left) that can help you make big breakthroughs with this kind of stuff. You'll learn a lot about intention, setting inspired goals, creating structure and support to get it all (and more) done. In only 4 weeks. And you'll be able to keep the learning going long after the 4 weeks is over.

The year isn't over yet. Here's to getting more done and following through on our intentions.

The size of success is limited only by the size of your thinking. Thinking big begins with believing big.

~David Schwartz

I've got a choice. Do I want to be fit or fat when I turn 40?

I'm almost at mid-life, or what used to be mid-life (the big 4-0) and really didn't start taking stock until this summer. There's a lot one can do to prepare for it, but what I wanted most was to be in good shape. It's not about loosing weight, it's about feeling really good, not getting out of breath when chasing my friends kids and making sure that I'm fit enough that nothing major breaks when the date of my birth finally arrives (I've heard things break THE DAY OF).

I'm such a procrastinator that I need a goal and a nice big golden carrot. So, out of the blue a few weeks ago I decided that I would host my very own 30 Day Challenge. Of course I'm intending for it to go beyond 30 days, but I liked that number and felt I could hold myself accountable to it.

The other challenge is really knowing that I can talk myself in or OUT of anything. We all can. We're human, that's one of the things that makes us superior to the cute monkeys (ability to reason, and yes, talk ourselves out of stuff). Knowing that, I am setting up a structure and getting myself support. In essence, I'm setting myself up for success.

The Structure:

I've got 30 Days. Day 1 is actually TODAY (Sept 27th 2009). I have given myself enough variety that I won't go nuts. I like variety, so the plan, so far, looks like this:

• 3 Days a week - Run w/friend (Mon, Wed, Sun or Sat)
• 2 Day a week - Dance (at home or a Nia class) or Yoga
• 2 Days a week - Weights and a long walk (Saturday and any day that is dry, aka, not raining)

I need to make sure I don't over-do the running since I'm building up a knee that has an old injury and have put on weight that makes the running, um, a bit more difficult for my body. As many of my close friends know, my motto for years has been:

"The only reason to run is when you have to run away from something".

I also didn't make any activity too time consuming and I am scheduling it like anything else important in my day (like my coaching clients or doctor's appointment). 30 minutes to an hour will make it do able. And the days where I feel down, in pain or just don't feel like, well, that's where dancing comes in. I am giving myself three (3) 10 minute episodes of dancing. Dancing like I don't care that someone is watching (hoping no one will). No program, just free form getting jiggy with it.

But, even at my best, I can still find a way to wiggle out of doing this. Even though it's for my health, my sanity and I'm making it fun. That's where the support comes in.

The Support:

In order for me to really make this happen, I'm getting support. A lot of it. Like anything, we humans like to be connected in our efforts. Really we do. And sometimes that looks like joining a group (like a gym) so we can do the work we need to do in concert with someone else, and feel supported. I am not a gym person. I've joined gyms and never gone. Paid for an entire year and never gone. I don't know what my block is, but I'm not going to let it stop me from getting the healthy body, mind, and eventually spirit, I want!

So my support looks like this:

• A running buddy - a friend that is faster than me, but wants a buddy to keep her going and also really just wants me to get better so I can run with her. In fact, I'm calling on all my friends to join in...
• Keeping track- I'm journaling what I've done, here, on a blog, and on Facebook (I might even Tweet about it). I have a feeling all those things, or at least my friends reading, will keep me accountable and on track.
• Making music - I know that I am motivated by music and it makes me feel good. I dorun longer when I play 'Eye of the Tiger', for example and I dance longer when I play Gaelic Storm. Next agenda item - create iTunes list for all my activities. Stay motivated and maybe even sing along. Maybe.
• The right equipment- Since I knew I wanted to support my body, I needed to get the right shoes and clothes. I'm on a tight budget (like so many people right now) so I did a little research. Ross, Marshals and TJ Maxx all carry the name brands at budget prices (Nike, Adidas, etc) for running shorts, t-shirts. There's no need to buy them at full-price these days. The shoes and inserts for running are important, so I went to a running store and tried on 'Only Worn Once' shoes. Sounds funny, but they guarantee them and since I know they want me to come back to buy another pair, I decided to trust them. I'll let you know how it goes.
• Doctors permission - I wanted support from my Doctor as well. I wanted to start with a clean slate so that I would have no excuses, and I wanted to be able to make smart choices. With the help of my doctor, I found that my schedule and structure really support me. Possibly just me, which is why I recommend you talk to your doctor too before starting any new fitness plan. I'm not a doctor, I don't even play one on TV. So go see yours.

So, that's the skinny, the low-down, the plan. For now. I would love for others to join me in their own 30 Day Challenge.

• What habit do you want shift, begin or end in the next 30 Days?
• What is something you just want to see if you can do for 30 days in a row?
• What structure and support do you need to be successful?

Come on! Join in! Share your story!

Stay Tuned to the blog for updates on progress, resources, tips from experts (I know a few fantastic trainers) and some FUN (music lists, recipes, and readers stories).

My 30 Day Challenge has officially begun! Start yours!