Working with Wisdom

What I Learned from Benjamin Franklin

I've always enjoyed the earthy wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, founding father, statesman, inventor, business owner and the man who adorns our hundred dollar bill. After reading "Ben Franklin: America's Original Entrepreneur," I shared his list of 13 virtues in my Working with Wisdom enewsletter.

Here are some of the "aha's!" that I think deserve reflection. Some are common sense reminders and others seem counterintuitive. Which ones resonate with you?

• Be frugal.


• Speak well of others, even those who caused you misery.


• Check references.


• Don't hold a grudge.


• Appreciate all your talents.


• Be sincere.


• Hard Work + Patience = Wealth


• Keep reading. (He never graduated from school but instead learned by reading. In fact, he was responsible for establishing the first public library in Philadelphia.)


• Remember the power of the written word to influence others. (He used self-published pamphlets while we might blog.)


• Pay attention to appearances. (He made sure that people saw him working early and late at the print shop to show he was dedicated.)


• Don't take all the credit for accomplishments.


• Expect (and ask for) even more help from someone who has done you a favor.


• Spread the risk with contingency contracts, like matching funds.


• When it comes to power and politics, convenience often trumps intelligence. (So make it convenient for others to do what you desire.)


• Since hope of gain lessens pain, motivate through rewards and not punishment.


• Search hard for the third way when stuck in a dilemma with an opposing party.

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Where's Your Clutter?

After completely cleaning out the clutter of my clothes closet earlier this year, I'm still pondering the lessons learned:

• Forgiveness - "What was I thinking when I bought THAT?"
• Acceptance - I fit into those size 6 pants for 15 minutes last year and will never be there again.
• Letting Go - One giant trash bag of someone else's treasures went to Good Will. I took a few select business clothes with me when I spoke to the Women's Professional Group of Dress for Success.

Clutter distracts and confuses us and drains our energy. It gets in the way of what's most important.

Clearing physical clutter, whether it's a clothes closet or an office file cabinet, is a freeing experience. So is letting go of technical clutter, like too much Internet time or e-newsletters you never read, and emotional clutter, like toxic people and unnecessary obligations. When clutter is released, energy and clarity increase.

Where's your clutter? Identify just one area of clutter in your life and take steps to clear it away. You'll be amazed by what you'll find in its place.

You Just Might Be an Optimist

Do you generally see the glass half full and the opportunities in perceived disappointments? Then you, my friend, just might be an optimist.

If you tend to focus on worse-case scenarios and let fear and lack run the show, then you are most likely a pessimist--or what you might simply call a realist.

People who see the best in most situations tend to be more successful and happy than
those who don't. Instead of being defeated by obstacles and setbacks, optimists keep moving forward with confidence and hopeful expectation. The good news is, you can learn to be more optimistic by creating more empowering explanations of what's going on.

Martin Seligman, the author of "Learned Optimism," is considered the father of the Positive Psychology movement. When explaining our situations, he asks us to consider the three Ps: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization.

For example, let's say you lose your job. If you're an optimist, you'll think this state of unemployment is only temporary (permanence), it will not affect every area of your life (pervasiveness) and you are not necessarily to blame (personalization).

Using the same model, as a pessimist you will see this as a long-term condition, affecting all areas of your life and will shoulder all the blame or harbor a deep resentment of the former employer or perhaps the economy. In other words, you fall into the victim mode.

Which person is more likely to find another job faster? The optimist!

It's all about awareness and making conscious choices. If you want to cultivate a more optimistic outlook this year, practice the three Ps on small, negative situations, like missing out on a prime parking spot at the mall or struggling to learn new technology. Then, practice it on positive situations, like landing a new client or getting a promotion.

Support your success by incorporating strategies like expressing gratitude and using affirmations. As you build your optimistic muscle, you'll soon find that a positive response will be your default reaction to whatever comes your way. And that response will inspire your family, friends, employees and coworkers to be optimistic, too.

How to Have a Really Happy New Year!

In the book, The How of Happiness, author Sonja Lyubomirsky recommends 12 scientifically proven ways to boost our happiness. They are:

1. Express Gratitude


2. Cultivate Optimism


3. Avoid Overthinking and Social Comparison


4. Practice Acts of Kindness


5. Nurture Social Relationships


6. Develop Strategies for Coping


7. Learn to Forgive


8. Increase Flow Experiences


9. Savor Life's Joys


10. Commit to Your Goals


11. Practice Religion and Spirituality


12. Take Care of Your Body

I resonated with all of them. Do you?

Abraham Lincoln said that most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. To make your new year happier, I recommend you identify three of these strategies that you already do, appreciate the positive impact they have on your attitude and continue to do them. For me, that's express gratitude, cultivate optimism and nurture social relationships.

Then, consider three more strategies to start or recommit to for the new year. Mine are savor life's joys (stay in the moment), commit to your goals (I've got some bodacious ones for 2011!) and take care of your body (back to my yoga practice).

What do you already do and what will you begin to do in 2011? I hope you'll share your wise strategies by posting your comments here and inspire others. Have a Really Happy New Year!

Do You Haiku?

Reminding People
How Wise They Are So They Can
Enjoy Work and Life

Since I was a child writing for my elementary school newspaper, I've always been fascinated by the simplicity and power of haiku. I recently reconnected with this five-seven-five syllable poetry in a conversation with my clever colleague and conscious connector Emile Paradis of RPM Advisors and The Referral Institute. That inspired me to write the Working with Wisdom haiku above.

Here's what Emile shared about haiku in his blog. I hope you'll read this and be inspired to write your own about who you are and what you do. Simplicity is often the best path to clarity.

_____________________________________

Haiku and the Art of Business Planning

I was thinking this morning that what the world needs is more haiku. It's just hard to find places where you can get a good dose of haiku when you need it. So, to help fill a glaring void, I'd like to talk about the benefits of haiku and, hopefully, encourage you to access your inner self enough to express your thoughts and stimulate contemplation.

Actually, what set this all off was "Mission Haiku: the Poetry of Mission Statements," an article by Chris Finney in The Nonprofit Quarterly. Before you check off the 'net, please stay with me a little longer.

We've all struggled with trying to create mission and vision statements that didn't sound trite, lame and wordy, and that expressed the passion we felt for our business. Usually, however, these statements did come off as trite, lame and wordy, but we figured they were "close enough." I've worked with a few hundred folks (myself included) and getting something down that really hits the spot is not easy.

Basically, poetry is a form of communication that requires focus and concentrates thought into a few, well-oiled words. That being true, haiku ups the ante and only allows three lines and 17 syllables. Talk about having to be concise, clear and to the point! Even if your haiku isn't world class (read on), it is a great exercise in condensing your mission. It will express the essence of what you do.

Here are two attempts:

RPM Advisors-

Helping Others
Identify and Connect
With Target Markets

DISC-

Understanding Self
Observing Others
Paths to New Relationships

Certainly not stuff that will bring tears or flashes of enlightenment. However, it made me consider the essence of my business, stripping away all the other "important" stuff I'm afraid to omit. The same stuff that confuses others (and myself) about the core of what I really do.

So, give it a try. You may feel a little stretched by the exercise but that's a good thing, isn't it?

_________________________________

Grateful for People
Like Wise Emile Paradis
Who Get Me to Stretch

The 10 Commandments, Part 2

In my last blog post, I pondered if it was time for a second set of commandments to address the challenges and opportunities we face today. Many of you responded. Here are some of them. Pick the ones that resonate with you and allow those to guide the wise choices you make every day.

• Thou shall give thanks daily and seek out joy, fun and laughter. ~ Suzanne Bailey
• Thou shall not network mindlessly. ~ Emile Paradis
• Thou shall find something fun in all you do. ~ Vanessa Lowry
• Thou shall live your life in alignment with your passions. ~ Wendy Watkins
• Thou shall honor, respect and renew Mother Earth. ~ Tim Morrison
• Thou need no commandments when you live in alignment with me. ~ God (Laina Orlando)

Keep them coming!

What are the Next Ten Commandments?

Last week, while my 16-year-old twins, Connor and Allyson, and I were enjoying my birthday lunch, we started talking about The Ten Commandments. Not exactly a typical conversation with teenagers.

You see, I grew up Catholic and had learned those divine rules, along with the names of the nine planets and the Seven Dwarves, at a very early age. I brought my kids up in the Unity church and realized we had never discussed them.

Which commandments do you know? I asked. The ones that came easy were Thou Shall Not Kill, Honor Your Mother and Father and Don't Take the Name of God in Vain. After a few minutes, we had named all ten--and some others that were not on the orginal list.

That got me thinking. Isn't it time we added more commandments that relate to our lives today? Maybe even ten more.

Here are a few we came up with.

• Thou Shall Not Litter.


• Thou Shall Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.


• Thou Shall Not Text While Driving.


• Thou Shall Not Tweet Mindlessly.

I hope you'll share your thoughts on these and offer some of your own. Just post a reply here on my blog or join in the discussion on my Facebook Fan Page.

What's So Good about "Good Business"?

"Good Business: Putting Spiritual Principles into Practice at Work" (Unity House, 2010) is an inspiring compilation of essays from 22 conscious business leaders. I share my "CRAVE Your Goals!" formula for success in Chapter 20.

Editors Charlotte Shelton and Martha Lynn set the tone in the book's introduction: "Ethical, accountable, responsible, collaborative, service-oriented, vision-focused and mission-based are words that describe good business. In short, good business is principled business--business that recognizes there are foundational principles in life that cannot be violated without great consequences."

As the economy begins to recover, those who lead large companies and run small businesses are recognizing that employees, customers and stakeholders expect much more. Conscious and compassionate organizations that appreciate and encourage sound business practices like meditation, gratitude, affirmations, visualization and taking care of the environment have a distinct competitive edge. The book highlights SAS Institute, Timberland Shoes, the Container Store, BioGenex, Tyson's Foods and Malden Mills--enlightened, successful companies that prove doing good is good business.

Here are some excerpts that resonated with me.

• From Daryl Conner: We each travel within a particular current that brings us into contact with the very people, situations and circumstances that enable us to learn the lessons waiting for us and use them as a catalyst for growth...We get into trouble when we decide our egos know more about what's best for us rather than allow ourselves to follow the natural flow of the Divine guidance we're offered.
• From Bil and Cher Holton: Enlightened business leaders know that all work tasks, procedures and organizational objectives have sacred components, whether they involve entering or collecting data, monitoring business processes, speaking to customers, driving company vehicles or emptying trash receptacles. Each task, every molecule of effort, is important in a soul-managed work environment. And the employees who perform these functions are valued and respected for being in alignment with the sacred dimensions of work.
• From Martha Lynn: The key is courage. Do we have the courage to set intentions that come from a place of love rather than lack or self-preservation? Do we have the courage to self-observe and take responsibility and be accountable for our thoughts, feelings and actions? Do we have the courage to shift from habits we have relied on for decades--our frame of reference for how the world works?
• From Brian Tracy: Since fear represents the greatest obstacle to creativity and high performance, when businesses drive out fear, they create an environment where creativity and high performance are free to flourish.
• From Charlotte Shelton: The skill of quantum feeling has enormous impact on issues such as motivation, stress, burnout and job satisfaction. Organizational life will change significantly when enough of us can release our dependence on external rewards and take full responsibility for bringing purpose, passion and vitality to our jobs by choosing appreciation rather than frustration, faith rather than fear, and accountability rather than victimization. I can't wait!

Neither can I. How about you?

Spring Cleaning for Success

Out of the 10 universal principles in "Divine Wisdom at Work" and the five that make up the "CRAVE Your Goals!" formula, the one that resonates most with people is: Clean Out the Clutter.

That's because clutter is a universal challenge. It distracts and confuses us and drains our energy. It gets in the way of what's most important. It often keeps us from achieving our goals.

There's the physical clutter of a messy office, a closet filled with clothes that no longer fit our bodies and/or our current lives, and shelves at home with books we'll never read and gifts we don't like but feel obliged to display. Am I hitting a nerve?

There's the technical clutter of information overload, too many emails, e-newsletters we'll never open and an over-reliance on our cell phone.

Then, there's the emotional clutter of the what ifs, the regrets and resentments, the things we haven't forgiven about someone else or ourselves, the unnecessary obligations, and toxic people who zap our energy.

The law is very simple: "The universe abhors a vacuum." So, when we clear out the clutter, we create the space for the universe to fill with what serves our highest good. For example, if you want more ideal clients, release the ones that drive you crazy. Better ones are waiting--I promise.

Capitalize on this envigorating time of year to "spring clean" for success. Share on this blog what clutter you've released and the gifts that have come from it.