Seminars/Workshops: Communication Skills, Manage Change, Resilience Training

Seven Practical~Tactical Goal Secrets

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Achieve Your Goals Strategically This Year!

Goals © 2018 Beth Terry — Goals can be achieved incrementally

Coach gave me life-changing advice when I competed in Olympic Weightlifting. His keyword? Incremental. One Step at a Time, One Improvement at a Time.

Coach Tommy Kono advised us to take it easy if we’d been away from the gym for a week and especially the day after a meet. He’d say,

“Start small
“Increase weight in small incremental steps
“Don’t overdo it
“Don’t pay any attention to what everyone else is doing
“Compete with yesterday’s achievements, not the burly guy on the next bench.”

His magic words “Next Time” focused us on improvement a little at a time. Next Time I’ll add five pounds; Next Time I’ll do five more reps; Next Time I’ll drink more water with dinner.

This is who we see at the gym in January (is this you?) ~ slightly overweight, gritted teeth, sweating profusely, unsure … But they are there. With grim determination, they work out on every machine available, even if only for a few moments. They get hurt or wear themselves out. A few gymrats make fun of them and they never return.

My Olympic Weightlifting colleagues and I would make an effort to cheer these people on. We gave them advice based on what we learned from Tommy. Our coach Tommy Kono, was one of the 100 Golden Olympians, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s inspiration, Olympic judge and Olympic gold medalist.

Seven Steps to Get You There

Following Tommy’s lead, here are seven practical-tactical secrets for achieving your New Year’s Resolutions, Goals, Weight-loss Dreams, or whatever you’re working on:

Be Realistic. If you try to lose 30 pounds in a month it’ll be from a hospital bed! Instead, break that into incremental, do-able, execute-able steps and weight loss goals. Two pounds a month, or half pound a week.
Be Kind. You ARE where you are. Oh WELL! You didn’t get here overnight. Love yourself enough to take that first step. Then the next one. And the next. You can do this.
Ditch the Blame. It doesn’t matter if your best friend smokes and that’s why you do. Or your sweetie is a chef (mine is!) and the food is just too delicious to turn down. Look in the mirror. Those are your hands putting that cigarette (food, whatever) up to your lips. Blame is useless and a distraction.
Take Responsibility. This is YOUR life. This is YOUR body. This is YOUR career. Take those daily steps to ensure it will be amazing. Act as if your life depends on it, because it does.
Write it Down. Age-old wisdom tells us the act of writing out goals and plans cements them into our psyches. We can read them daily. We can post them on the fridge or bathroom mirror. Making goals measurable helps.
Get a Goal Buddy. Find someone who needs help with accountability. Work on your goals together. If they’re far away, use Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or some other app to check in daily. Otherwise, get them to go to the gym with you.
Don’t Stop. Just because you miss a day or a week, don’t use that an as excuse to stop. Keep going. Pick it up again. Start small and increase incrementally.

You got this. You can do this. One day at a time.

SHARE – what are YOUR Goals for 2018?

Blessings in 2018!

Seven Practical~Tactical Goal Secrets

Posted on January 2, 2018 by Beth Terry — 4 Comments ↓

Achieve Your Goals Strategically This Year!

Coach gave me life-changing advice when I competed in Olympic Weightlifting. His keyword? Incremental. One Step at a Time, One Improvement at a Time.

Coach Tommy Kono advised us to take it easy if we’d been away from the gym for a week and especially the day after a meet. He’d say,

“Start small
“Increase weight in small incremental steps
“Don’t overdo it
“Don’t pay any attention to what everyone else is doing
“Compete with yesterday’s achievements, not the burly guy on the next bench.”

His magic words “Next Time” focused us on improvement a little at a time. Next Time I’ll add five pounds; Next Time I’ll do five more reps; Next Time I’ll drink more water with dinner.

Seven Steps to Get You There

Following Tommy’s lead, here are seven practical-tactical secrets for achieving your New Year’s Resolutions, Goals, Weight-loss Dreams, or whatever you’re working on:

Be Realistic. If you try to lose 30 pounds in a month it’ll be from a hospital bed! Instead, break that into incremental, do-able, execute-able steps and weight loss goals. Two pounds a month, or half pound a week.
Be Kind. You ARE where you are. Oh WELL! You didn’t get here overnight. Love yourself enough to take that first step. Then the next one. And the next. You can do this.
Ditch the Blame. It doesn’t matter if your best friend smokes and that’s why you do. Or your sweetie is a chef (mine is!) and the food is just too delicious to turn down. Look in the mirror. Those are your hands putting that cigarette (food, whatever) up to your lips. Blame is useless and a distraction.
Take Responsibility. This is YOUR life. This is YOUR body. This is YOUR career. Take those daily steps to ensure it will be amazing. Act as if your life depends on it, because it does.
Write it Down. Age-old wisdom tells us the act of writing out goals and plans cements them into our psyches. We can read them daily. We can post them on the fridge or bathroom mirror. Making goals measurable helps.
Get a Goal Buddy. Find someone who needs help with accountability. Work on your goals together. If they’re far away, use Zoom, Skype, FaceTime or some other app to check in daily. Otherwise, get them to go to the gym with you.
Don’t Stop. Just because you miss a day or a week, don’t use that an as excuse to stop. Keep going. Pick it up again. Start small and increase incrementally.

You got this. You can do this. One day at a time.

SHARE – what are YOUR Goals for 2018?

Blessings in 2018!

In Holiday Overwhelm? Cyber Month Deal

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Beth Terry — No Comments ↓

Happy Holidays!

Here are two gifts for you: First, your Holiday Card, and second, a few wonderful discounts to make your packing and shopping easier!

Enjoy Your Holiday Card!

Download

Hint: for best viewing, click on this little dohickey in the bottom right hand corner^

And here’s a special from my store: (I called it Cyber Monday – But it’s Cyber Month really – through December 22)

Our End of Year Clearance helps you get out of Holiday Overwhelm!
Buy any item(s) from our store and

include at least ONE Walking in a Crowd of Angels book.

We’ll give you a whopping 25% Discount

plus FREE-SHIPPING!

Use this code

CYBERMONDAY

Special ends on December 22, 2017

To use discount code, go to Checkout page and click on
“Use Gift Card or Promo Code”
just above your credit card number.
QUANTITIES LIMITED. SALE LIMITED TO STOCK ON HAND.
Please forward to friends and share on Facebook!

Note – if you purchase any of our digital products, we will email them to you directly. We are still working out the kinks for the digital store. Soon, soon!

Don’t forget to read Holiday Advice from last week

Breathe! Enjoy your Holidays. Don’t let the Grinches in the world spoil your opportunity to stop and smell the pine trees. Remember, all we have is NOW. All we know is what we know. Keep learning. Keep your mind open to new information and new possibilities. And give yourself the gift of peace.

Go to my store and pick up a couple of deals!

PS – But WAIT, there’s MORE! 😀 If you order 10 of Anything in the Store, I’ll add two more in the box as a Holiday Bonus! This offer only good while supplies last. And… still free shipping! (see info about Walking In A Crowd of Angels in the sidebar to your left.)

Enjoy Your Day! I know I am!
Blessings,

Some Life Rules for the Holidays

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Holidays are coming up

Here are some Life Rules to Help You Survive

Holiday Rules to remember — Cactus can be beautiful, so can that person driving you nutso

Here are a few tips to make your Holidays a little less wonky.

There is beauty everywhere, even on the side of a prickly cactus
If you don’t tell people [employees, friends, lovers, kids, family] what’s going on, they make it up. And it’s never in your best interest.
When you’re in a tunnel, go with the flow. Breathe.
People can’t hear you with their shoulders over their ears. Don’t put people on the defensive! It never works.
Sometimes the only solution is to put your head down and push through it
Kids are the only ones who will tell you the whole truth – if you let them. They haven’t had it socialized out of them yet. But they will most definitely lie to you to save themselves. So don’t think it’s all unicorns and rainbows with kids.
Appreciating your kids and each other gets a lot more dishes washed and clothes picked up than criticizing them. Works on spouses, too.
You can get through this. Just focus on the good things. This too shall pass.
People sacrificed a lot to make your life comfy; gratitude is the appropriate response
Laughter heals the soul
You are the only person who is 100% affected by every choice you make from the day you are born till the day you die. Make better choices.
Assume for a moment that you really don’t know everything and there may be another side to whatever is making you crazy.

I’ll add a few more of these in the next few days. Just remember, it’s only a small chunk out of your life. Listen to each other and hold back the judgment. You could be wrong. If you are convinced they are, oh well. It’s not your job to force people to think like you!

Blessings!

Beth

PS – Check out my new page on being a Presenter Mentor™! I want to help the next generation of managers and leaders be amazing when they give a talk or lead a meeting!

Becoming an Adult, pt 3

Posted on October 20, 2017 by — 6 Comments ↓

Choosing Wisely is Your Job #1 Now

Part 3 of a 3 part series

Icelandic Govt PSA - Choose Wisely — This PSA from Iceland is the best “Choosing Wisely” ad on the internet (not my OC)

Part 3: Choosing Wisely as you move forward in life will keep you out of trouble and alive long enough to watch your grandkids graduate from college. See Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Remember you are the only person in your life who will be 100% affected by every single choice you make. Make good, healthy, happy choices for yourself and your future. Don’t look back on a life filled with regrets. Here’s my short list of guidelines:

~ Always choose “BEST AVAILABLE:” Whether it’s food, friends, drinks, after work parties, the workplace, buying a car and all the other choices you have in life.

~ Keep your Word, do what you say you will do: Don’t make promises you can’t keep, or promises that will undermine or harm you later. This is unfortunately often learned through experience and failure. Do your best. That’s all you can ask of yourself.

~ Keep your eyes on the Prize. Look to the future when making choices. Always consider unintended consequences. Remember your goals and why you are here.

~ NO is a complete sentence. You have permission to not do things! You don’t need to explain anything. The less you say, the less they have to hold onto if they are trying to manipulate you into doing something you don’t want to do! If you must, try saying, “I’d love to and I can’t…” or try this, “Sure, we can do that as soon as you do this…”

Expand Your Horizons

READ! Not just on your electronic devices. There’s something wonderful in holding a hard cover book and tucking yourself away in a secret place to go on an internal adventure. Learn about foreign places, discover thoughts of ancient people, read histories and autobiographies to discover how other people have handled adversity and challenges.

Travel! Get out and see the world before you settle down. For that matter, learn to do things solo as well as with friends. Travel and a little independence will teach you about yourself. It will help you understand and appreciate other cultures and other people. Do it while you are young enough and have few things that tie you down.

You Will Survive Becoming an Adult

You will get your heart broken. You will fail at some things. You will get rejected. You will not always get what you want. OH WELL! Learn to take these in stride. They are just some of the costs of being a great spirit in a human body. God always answers prayer, and sometimes the answer is “NO!” I look back across the landscape of my life and am thankful daily for unanswered prayers, unmet expectations, and failures that changed my direction and my heart.

It’s going to be OK. Trust me. Someday you will tell this to your 18 year old!

Here’s a lesson on Choosing Wisely I tell all my audiences:

Be Good To People.

You don’t know who they are

You don’t know who they know

And

You don’t know who they might become!

Take care of yourself, kiddo. The world needs you. And we need you healthy and happy.

Blessings,

Becoming an Adult, pt 2

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Beth Terry — 1 Comment ↓

Becoming an Adult is not for sissies

Adulting, Beth Terry, 2017 — Picture is unrelated to Adulting, but it got your attention! Yes?

Yesterday we started our conversation about becoming an adult, or what Millenials call Adulting…

Who You Hang Out With Matters

Choose your friends wisely. You become who you hang out with. When you were a kid, you did the ‘celery in colored water’ experiment. If you placed cut celery into blue water, the celery turned blue. Our minds and hearts are like that celery. Without knowing, we absorb into ourselves the beliefs and ideas of those around us. Pay attention and be mindful of what you are absorbing. There are many people who do not have your best interests at heart. Be wise enough to recognize them and surround yourself with people who do. “Adulting” means taking responsibility for your surroundings.

Hold onto good friends! When you find friends you love and trust, do what you can to stay in touch! Too many times we let good friendships die from inactivity or lost communications. As a woman now in my 60’s I can count many times when I needed my girlfriends, and was so grateful I had kept them in my life. One of my best friends is a woman I met when we were awkward 13 year-olds complete with braces, gangly limbs, angst-filled poetry and crushes on all the wrong boys. We’ve seen each other through many of life’s hard times and great adventures. Adulting is hard if you try and go it alone.

Your Integrity and Your Soul are more important than Money. Care for your soul. Work to keep your integrity and ethics intact. It can be challenging in a money-oriented world. You will be tempted. Focus on the long game. Focus on your bigger vision. Keep your eyes on your higher purpose and on your future. Adulting means not selling your soul for things or status – both of these will fade in time. Hold on to those things that no one can take away.

Adulting means becoming an Individual

Remember who you are. You are a unique person with tremendous gifts to share with a world who needs you. Don’t forget that truth in the race to be “one of the crowd.” That crowd you currently run with will be long gone in a few years. People you work with, classmates, neighbors, and that “popular guy” are all on their own journey. You will only keep a small number of those people in your life. Don’t make decisions today with only their opinions and needs in mind.

To be continued tomorrow… Adulting Pt 3

Start writing your own letter to your adult children. See you tomorrow…

Blessings,

Becoming an Adult, pt 2

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Becoming an Adult is not for sissies

Yesterday we started our conversation about becoming an adult, or what Millenials call Adulting…

Who You Hang Out With Matters

Choose your friends wisely. You become who you hang out with. When you were a kid, you did the ‘celery in colored water’ experiment. If you placed cut celery into blue water, the celery turned blue. Our minds and hearts are like that celery. Without knowing, we absorb into ourselves the beliefs and ideas of those around us. Pay attention and be mindful of what you are absorbing. There are many people who do not have your best interests at heart. Be wise enough to recognize them and surround yourself with people who do. “Adulting” means taking responsibility for your surroundings.

Hold onto good friends! When you find friends you love and trust, do what you can to stay in touch! Too many times we let good friendships die from inactivity or lost communications. As a woman now in my 60’s I can count many times when I needed my girlfriends, and was so grateful I had kept them in my life. One of my best friends is a woman I met when we were awkward 13 year-olds complete with braces, gangly limbs, angst-filled poetry and crushes on all the wrong boys. We’ve seen each other through many of life’s hard times and great adventures. Adulting is hard if you try and go it alone.

Your Integrity and Your Soul are more important than Money. Care for your soul. Work to keep your integrity and ethics intact. It can be challenging in a money-oriented world. You will be tempted. Focus on the long game. Focus on your bigger vision. Keep your eyes on your higher purpose and on your future. Adulting means not selling your soul for things or status – both of these will fade in time. Hold on to those things that no one can take away.

Adulting means becoming an Individual

Remember who you are. You are a unique person with tremendous gifts to share with a world who needs you. Don’t forget that truth in the race to be “one of the crowd.” That crowd you currently run with will be long gone in a few years. People you work with, classmates, neighbors, and that “popular guy” are all on their own journey. You will only keep a small number of those people in your life. Don’t make decisions today with only their opinions and needs in mind.

To be continued tomorrow… Adulting Pt 3

Start writing your own letter to your adult children. See you tomorrow…

Blessings,

Becoming an Adult

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Beth Terry — 2 Comments ↓

Becoming an Adult is not easy

Adult, Beth Terry, CSP, Oct 2017 — Becoming an Adult is not always easy

What will you tell your adult child? My girlfriend’s daughter celebrated her first birthday this month. My friend asked for a note to file away for her daughter’s 18th birthday. I thought of all the things I wish I’d known when I left home for the first time as an adult. What would you say? What do you wish you had known? Granted, the world will be very different in 2034, but who knows? Life does seem to keep imitating itself. Maybe my letter will help her become a successful adult!

From my note:

Perspective is Everything!

Nothing is as it seems and there is always another side to the story, including your own. Pay attention. Listen between the lines. Don’t jump to conclusions just because someone else offers to do your thinking for you. Check your memory. Sometimes someone close to you has more information than you do.
No one is as cool and calm as they seem. Everyone is scared. Everyone is a little lost from time to time. Many people have their own defenses to keep people from getting too close to the truth of who they are. If you try and copy someone because you believe in outward appearances, you’ll find yourself disappointed many, many times. People trying to appear perfect at all costs are often the ones with the deepest, darkest secrets and the ones who are the most scared of showing who they really are.

Intuition Works

Trust your gut. God gave us a wonderful thing called intuition. It’s woven from subconscious observations, learned truths, eternal truths, brains far more sophisticated than any computer, and your conscious experiences. If something doesn’t seem right, pay attention. If someone makes your skin crawl, there may be a backstory you need to know. If you just ‘don’t feel like’ going with friends or trying something new, maybe there’s a reason. Listen to your echoes.

To be continued tomorrow…

Start writing your own letter to your adult children. See you tomorrow…

Part 2 here: Adulting Pt 2

Part 3 here: Adulting Pt3

Blessings,

Becoming an Adult

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Beth Terry — 4 Comments ↓

Becoming an Adult is not easy

From my note:

Perspective is Everything!

Nothing is as it seems and there is always another side to the story, including your own. Pay attention. Listen between the lines. Don’t jump to conclusions just because someone else offers to do your thinking for you. Check your memory. Sometimes someone close to you has more information than you do.
No one is as cool and calm as they seem. Everyone is scared. Everyone is a little lost from time to time. Many people have their own defenses to keep people from getting too close to the truth of who they are. If you try and copy someone because you believe in outward appearances, you’ll find yourself disappointed many, many times. People trying to appear perfect at all costs are often the ones with the deepest, darkest secrets and the ones who are the most scared of showing who they really are.

Intuition Works

Trust your gut. God gave us a wonderful thing called intuition. It’s woven from subconscious observations, learned truths, eternal truths, brains far more sophisticated than any computer, and your conscious experiences. If something doesn’t seem right, pay attention. If someone makes your skin crawl, there may be a backstory you need to know. If you just ‘don’t feel like’ going with friends or trying something new, maybe there’s a reason. Listen to your echoes.

To be continued tomorrow…

Start writing your own letter to your adult children. See you tomorrow…

Part 2 here: Adulting Pt 2

Part 3 here: Adulting Pt3

Blessings,

Are You Missing a Rich Resource for Your Business?

Posted on July 27, 2017 by — No Comments ↓

Seniors Are a Hidden Resource

Are you missing out on a hidden resource? Do you hire a replacement manager only to have them repeat mistakes from the past? New Concept: Hiring Interim Managers gives a company time to reassess the position and determine which skills are needed to fulfill the Corporate Vision & Mission with current data.

It was 1981 and I was ahead of my time. My first business was as an Interim Admin person for corporations and associations. I was an Interceptor, an Admin-on-Call and a Re-organizer. In short, I took a vacated position, analyzed and re-purposed it and helped them hire a replacement. I loved my career! It was exciting. I used all my analytical and admin skills which afforded me the opportunity to learn a variety of businesses from the inside. In my speaking career that knowledge has served my audiences well.

Here’s how it worked:

Company fired or lost Office Manager, Director, Admin Leader
Before Hiring a New Manager, Company hired me for 3-6 months
While re-organizing things based upon Company’s updated Vision and Mission, I learned the position
Eliminating duplicate work and unnecessary jobs, I was able to identify new positions and activities necessary to meet updated objectives of the company
Working with the team we wrote Desk Manuals, new Job Descriptions, and a new wish list for the ideal candidate
Existing team members might be re-purposed or reassigned. We included them in the process to help increase buy-in and excitement
Next we brought in Search firms to identify candidates for remaining jobs. We interviewed the top 10-15 people sent over
The CEO/President/Hiring team were prepped on the needs and details of the position being filled
Final candidates were interviewed and chosen by the appropriate parties
One or more people were hired and I trained them for the new and improved position
I then bid them adieu and went on to my next company.

Rowing harder doesn't help wrong way - Ohmae — Is your organization headed in the right direction?

Benefits to This System

My client companies benefited from this system in numerous ways. First, any time a person leaves a position, they leave flotsam and jetsam behind. Perhaps they set things up to serve themselves, not the company or the next person in the position. There may have been hidden mistakes, or worse, malfeasance. If they left angry or resentful, they may have poisoned the well if they hired their own replacement.

A new pair of experienced eyes cuts through the nonsense to the most important aspects of the job. Positions held by one person for a long time are subject to Normalcy Bias – “This is just the way it is! It can’t be changed. It’s too hard!” A new person will ask, “Why?” “Why do we do this? What does this mean? Who does this serve? Does this even make sense anymore?”

I looked with fresh eyes at each situation, asking a lot of questions. Together we focused on aligning the position with the Vision and Mission of the organization, ensuring a smoother transition for a new person. We saved companies time, money and energy while reducing painful downtime that comes with transitions.

Look At What Has Changed Before Hiring

When an outsider steps in as Interim Manager, office politics can be reduced. We helped everyone focus on the end game: finding the right person for the position to make the company more successful. Every company in expansion and hiring mode would benefit from a step back. Take time to determine if the position and duties have changed since the last time someone was hired for this job.

Senior executives on the verge of retirement are a precious natural resource

As I reach retirement, I realize my colleagues and I could provide this very service to thousands of organizations across the planet. We senior executives on the verge of retirement are a precious natural resource that companies could/should consider in building your businesses for the future.

Engage seniors for skills and analytical ability. They don’t necessarily need to come from your industry. They could be someone retiring from a competitor or another division as well. While we seniors may not all have the social media and tech skills of our wonderful Millenials, we do have a perspective from 30,000 feet on many aspects of business.

Think about it – #Search Firms, #Job Banks, Corporate #Hiring Personnel, #HR and all those involved in building businesses – reconsider precious natural resources available to you in the form of senior talent. Your Millenials need some grandparents and mentors. We seniors don’t want 60-hour a week jobs. We can be your interim analyst who saves you time, money and energy going forward. We can provide much needed guidance and mentoring to the younger crowd poised to take over the world. Take advantage of it!

To Your Success!