Newsletter: December 2017

And here we are... December. We have survived what Judy Klipin calls 'Novemberitis'. When we have Novemberitis, we are neither here nor there, don’t know if we are coming or going, aren't fully present or engaged. We are often tired, stressed and stretched.'

So well done for surviving this odd month. And finally - rest, an opportunity to pause and relaxation are finally within reach. As you know, I am an avid reader (TV doesn't feature in my life which is how I make time for reading in case you were wondering). So to save you some time and give you some instant life hacks - here are the highlights across the various books I have consumed this year. I hope they provide some inspiration and plant seeds for 2018.

Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin

"Act the way you want to feel. It's easy to assume that we act because of the way we feel, but to a very great degree, we feel because of the way we act."
"The Strategy of Scheduling is a powerful weapon against procrastination. Because of tomorrow logic, we tend to feel confident that we'll be productive and virtuous - tomorrow. The desire to start something at the "right" time is usually just a justification for delay. In almost every case, the best time to start is now."

"Nothing is more exhausting than the task that's never started."

"A Secret of Adulthood: If I give more to myself, I can ask more from myself. Self-regard isn't selfish."

"The true aim is not to break bad habits, but to outgrow them."

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

"A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have. What are you putting off out of fear? Usually, what we most fear doing is what we most need to do. That phone call, that conversation, whatever the action might be - it is fear of unknown outcomes that prevents us from doing what we need to do. So define the worst case scenario - and do it."

"Use Fear as a compass to guide you - when the fear shows up, don’t run from it. Celebrate it and dance with it. Anything pushing you past your comfort zone is an opportunity for growth." Seth Godin

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Zander and Benjamin Zander

The key message of the book is that everything in life is an invention. If you choose to look at your life in a new way, then suddenly your problems fade away. One of the best ways to do this is to focus on the possibilities surrounding you in any situation rather than slipping into the default mode of measuring and comparing your life to others.

"Nearly everyone lives in The Measurement World without realizing it. Everything we do is based on measurement in our lives. How much money we make. Whether our team wins. How beautiful our spouse is. Everything is based around some form of measurement. You don’t need to play the measurement game. You can play the possibility game. You can live in The Possibility World."

Essentialism : The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

"Here's another paradox for you: the faster and busier things get, the more we need to build thinking time into our schedule. And the noisier things get, the more we need to build quiet reflection spaces in which we can truly focus. No matter how busy you think you are, you can carve time and space to think out of your workday. Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, for example, schedules up to two hours of blank space on his calendar every day."

"What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance?"

Presence by Amy Cuddy

"The search for presence isn't about finding charisma or extraversion or carefully managing the impression we're making on other people. It's about the honest, powerful connection that we create internally, with ourselves."

"The way we carry ourselves from moment to moment blazes the trail our lives take. When we embody shame and powerlessness, we submit to the status quo, whatever that may be. We acquiesce to emotions, actions, and outcomes that we resent. We don't share who we really are. And all this has real life consequences. The way you carry yourself is a source of personal power - the kind of power that is the key to presence. It doesn't make you smarter or better informed; it makes you more resilient and open. It doesn’t change who you are; it allows you to be who you are."

I wish you a restful festive season; don't get caught up in thinking you need to change to become the 'somebody' you need to be. Focus on enjoying and being the authentic person you are right now.

Warm wishes,
Lori