Maximum Balance - Career

Marketing for Business—and for Life

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:51:00 -0400

Modern marketing is less than 60 years old, but in that fairly brief time, it has become a pervasive factor in our lives. Researchers estimate we see around 3,000 advertising messages a day—all of them the result of someone’s effort to market to us. In the process, marketing has become increasingly sophisticated and targeted in its ability to identify who it wants to reach, and increasingly sophisticated in its ability to do so.

Lessons from the Square Watermelon

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:36:59 -0400

5 Lessons from the Square Watermelon

You may have seen the press last week on the new square watermelon that is making it's debut in Japan. It's a fascinating story about ingenuity and in this case, how "thinking inside the box" can help you see things in a different way and enable you to explore some new solutions to life's problems. I found a great summary of the story on a web blog -

6 Tips for Dealing with Anger

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:00:50 -0400

Anger!

We’ve all felt it at various times and from both sides of the equation – giver and receiver alike!

According to the American Psychological Association, “anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion”.

It’s when we don’t control our anger and when it quite possibly turns destructive, that we experience problems in all aspects of our life. The worst part, is often the increasing feeling of “being out of control” as our anger gets the best of us. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you're at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion.

Achieve Your Goals through a 3-Step Routine

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 15:40:51 -0400

In order to achieve your 2008 goals as well as the success of Maximum Balance across all of your five life Cornerstones – Health, Relationships, Career, Finance and Giving – it is critical that you have a routine that enables you to regularly think about and review your goals.

Normal is a Very Big Playing Field

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:45:17 -0400

A quick reflection on the whole idea of "normal".

I'm working with a client whose organization provides housing services for thousands of homeless people in the City of San Francisco. As we met today for the first time to discuss some team development work for her director staff, I had a chance to walk with her through her "hood" as she called it. It struck me how we are surrounded by so many people that lead very different lives than us and who we don't often even take notice of most of the time. While the homeless people we saw were in many respects different than my client, she didn't see them as "not normal". They were just the people her organization helps on a daily basis.

Create Your Own Top 10 For Your Life

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:20:25 -0500

They’re everywhere, these Top 10 lists, filling our desire for bite-sized, digestible morsels of learning or humor. They give us tips on housework or investment practices, satire on current events or political issues, and ideas for consideration on personal growth.

With this Top 10, however, you are the writer. Use these Top 10 lists (and any others you may create) to remind yourself of what’s good and shining about you and your life. Use them to become more aware of what you know and what you can do to affect your world. Use them to reconnect with your dreams, to remember what you want deep inside. Enjoy!

Got Gratitude?

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 20:36:54 -0500

Got Gratitude?

I just got back from Sedona Arizona where I presented at the first annual Positive Psychology Forum. It was an enlightening and powerful event. Positive psychology is an emerging science that is basically the study of what is going “right” and why “it’s good to feel good”. Sounds refreshing doesn’t it? Certainly more fun than studying Freud!

Workaholics

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:30:21 -0500

I just found this post on Seth Godin's blog. Seth Godin really has some brilliant ideas. What a great way to look at work!

Workaholics

A workaholic lives on fear. It's fear that drives him to show up all the time. The best defense, apparently, is a good attendance record.

A new class of jobs (and workers) is creating a different sort of worker, though. This is the person who works out of passion and curiosity, not fear.

Training Your Brain to be Happier

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:13:26 -0500

Train Your Brain to Be Happier

Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer at Harvard University. He currently teaches the largest course at Harvard on "Positive Psychology" and is author of the book “Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment”.

Dr. Ben-Shahar suggests that "the question should not be whether you are happy but what you can do to become happier". While this may sound quite straight forward, the idea of positive psychology is a relatively new concept in psychology circles. A recent post on Sharp Brains (www.sharpbrains.com) does a great job of explaining some of the key concepts of how Dr. Ben-Shahar believes you can become happier.

Self-Confidence in 2008

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:29:26 -0500

Give yourself the gift of Self-Confidence for 2008

Written by Donna Fedor

Self confidence is something only you can give yourself.

Think of it like a special gift that you can give yourself. If there is one promise that you want to promise yourself in 2008, it is that you will do whatever it takes to give yourself this gift.

Priority #1- Being Happy - Getting your Priorities Straight!

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 12:16:19 -0400

Priority #1- Being Happy - Getting your Priorities Straight!

You’ve all heard the saying “life is about the journey not the destination” so priority #1 is to have fun along the way. Most people in life can make a longer list of their concerns, their “to dos” and worries than a list of what makes them happy. People spend most of their time doing what they think they “should” do and can justify the importance of that long list of things to do. It is automatic! I want you to ask yourself, where does being happy fall on your list of priorities?

Lighten Up at Work

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:57:04 -0400

I’ve been spending a fair amount of time lately thinking about the direction of my company and how to really help manifest our idea that when people “feel good – they do good”. Of course like any time in work when your sleeves are rolled up and you’re intent on strategizing and planning, things can get pretty serious. Particularly when they involve employees lively hood and money!

Claiming the Empty Spaces

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:15:08 -0400

Claiming the Empty Spaces
The Importance of Idle Time in a Fast-Forward World

“What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.”
—W. H. Davies

You’re just about to leave for your dentist appointment, when you receive a phone call saying the dentist has been called out on emergency and will have to reschedule your appointment.

Just Give Me Six Seconds....

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:31:59 -0400

Emotional Intelligence and Your Health

Don’t get so emotional!

How often have we heard that in our lives? Well the fact of the matter is that we all have feelings and emotions which we experience all of the time. Some emotions are good, some are not so good, some are useful and some are not so helpful in the moment. The key is that learning to identify, manage and leverage our emotions can bring us more health and success in our life.

Maximum Balance - Career

Marketing for Business—and for Life

Lessons from the Square Watermelon

6 Tips for Dealing with Anger

Achieve Your Goals through a 3-Step Routine

Normal is a Very Big Playing Field

Create Your Own Top 10 For Your Life

Got Gratitude?

Workaholics

Training Your Brain to be Happier

Top 10 Year-End Review Questions

Self-Confidence in 2008

Priority #1- Being Happy - Getting your Priorities Straight!

Lighten Up at Work

Claiming the Empty Spaces

Just Give Me Six Seconds....