The following article first appeared in Red Eye and included Gail Sussman Miller as an expert to comment on the power of the body to impact the way we think.
Here is the same article repeated in the Bellinham Herald.
What does the research say to you? What might you apply in your job search, career building or life enhancing activities?
Don't hire that slouch - Wire - Lifestyle - bellinghamherald.com.
I first experienced this reading while sitting in my spiritually-inspired synagogue in Chicago (Makom Shalom) during the Jewish New Year. As I contemplated the year coming to a close and my desires to rededicate myself to strength, learning, personal and professional growth, I found the humor and wisdom here to remind me of habits, self-kindness, self-forgiveness and choices.
In my work as a coach and trainer, I help people to increase awareness, take responsibility and make different choices. Where do you see yourself in this story? What hole do you need to walk around?
Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters
a poem by Portia Nelson, published in her book
There's a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Continue reading "Self-help poem -- Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters" »
Read this inspiring poem or listen to a reading with a listening guide below.
If you would like help interpreting how this fits in your life, call me at 773.477.4012 or email me.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing .
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
~ Jelaluddin Rumi ~
13 century Persian poem
Just for you!
In my work as a mindfulness coach and habit change coach, I am teaching and practicing the art of meditation as a total beginner. There is huge value even in 5 minutes from the stillness, quiet and solitude. If you are an overactive thinker, like me, have no fear. Even you can get benefit from doing your best to quiet your mind.
This practice can increase your calm, tune up the volume on your intuition, and help you recalibrate your energy. This is GREAT for reducing the frenzy, flailing and overwhelm. Get re-centered and grounded. Bring yourself back to what really matters and make an inspired choice about what actions are best for you after you meditate.
Below is a recording with my voice leading you from start to finish in a meditation.
Continue reading "Guided Introduction to Meditation with Gail " »
Here's a a tool to help you create moments of stillness or Being Breaks. You can use this tool on-the-job or at home.
Take 5 minutes to close your eyes and meditate or at least clear your mind and relax. To help you create a start and end signal, use the mindfulness bell on the following website. The bell will help calm you with it's reverberations and you can relax knowing that you will not drift off into a state of endless relaxation (or sleep, if you are not getting enough sleep).
Another great use for this bell is to set the timer for the short or long bell to any time length you wish and set it to repeat. I use this during projects that cause me to procrastinate or get tense. The bell helps me mark time, stay calm and make sure I'm on task. It raises your awareness.
See what uses you come up with! Email me at Gail @ inspiredchoice .com with your ideas.
What if you could reduce or even avoid conflicts at work? What if you could elicit more volunteerism, cooperation and collaboration on your team? What might happen if you could better manage your initial emotional reactions to incidents and respond vs. react?
That is the power of emotional intelligence. Boost your emotional intelligence and improve your work relationships and results with the tools below delivered in a recent workshop.
The good news is emotional intelligence can be learned and improved and has a 2 to 1 success ratio over IQ and technical skills!
Sign up below! Get your no-cost eBook "10 Secrets to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence"
The following materials are from a workshop on how to leverage and boost emotional intelligence at work delivered to the Association Forum. See how these tools can help you! Contact Gail for ways to tailor this to you or your team.
Sign up and receive no-cost eBook, "10 Secrets to Boost Your Emotional Intelligence" to increase your success. As a special bonus, you will automatically receive the monthly newsletter, "Inspired Action at Work," providing you with perspectives, tools and inspiration to grow your career or business. (You can manage your email subscription at the bottom of each issue.)
One fan said of this eBook, "Gail, you are so good at making intellectual connections, recognizing patterns and seeing and being open to possibilities. I'm always struck by the apparent ease with which you create simple and powerful exercises - elegant, strength-based solutions that help people address their challenges. I'm certified to administer and interpret two EI instruments, and though I like the insights they offer, the support material addressing the "so now what?" question has, in my opinion, been lacking. Your exercises move the issue from an intellectual concept to real life examples that people can grab onto and do something with." Candace Thompson, PCC
These materials were shared at a workshop on how to leverage and boost emotional intelligence at work for the Association Forum. In just one hour, the 45 association professionals in the room experienced first-hand a before-and-after review of one of their own challenging, conflict situations. They learned new approaches by using emotional intelligence tools and skills. Now you can learn to make your work relationships better and even more fun, too.
As one participant said about this training and knowledge, "Gail shares herself with the group in a very clear manner. Great vibe!" "I will incorporate into my daily life, personal and professional [the practical tips]. I will listen better, not take things personally, not act in fear. I'll be clear about what I want, take responsibility, and discuss issues using EQ (emotional intelligence)." Mary T. Markovich
On a recent walk around the newly renovated South Pond in Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, I was gifted with a lesson from Nature, taught to me by a baby duck. See my special no-cost offer below, inspired by this story, so YOU can benefit from Nature's lesson, too!
While strolling along the gorgeous new boardwalk, my husband and I came upon a family of ducks. A mom and 3 babies maybe 2 weeks old, about 5 inches long, all cute and fuzzy. What wasn't so warm and fuzzy is that the 3 ducklings were trapped on the wrong side of a continuous circuit of chicken wire set up on wooden stakes to protect the newly planted seeds on the edge of the pond!
We watched intrigued and concerned as these 3 babies tried to get back to their mother. The longer they struggled, the more we thought of ways to intervene.
Then we decided to see what Nature would figure out.
Continue reading "Giving up the struggle. Nature's lesson on freedom." »
along with 1799 other people on a free teleconference awhile back which also featured guests Andrea Lee, Mitch Myerson, and Keith Ferrazzi as facilitated by Elizabeth Marshall of Author Teleseminars. Seth was promoting his new book, Meatball Sundae, in a new fangled telephone book tour. This has great learning value which is why I keep this open.
Here is the recording. Click the triangular Play/Pause button.
Learn more about these guests and this format here. This call was a marketing marvel in itself. What a way to market your book and this was one of several calls. As Seth says, and one of my favorite teachings on the call, remove the barriers for your target market, give away your ideas and then sell a souvenir of your ideas!
Follow the continuation link below to read the gems that really hit home the most with me. The discussion was stimulated from the 12 strategies Seth's book teaches.
Email me at gail @ inspiredchoice.com for a private conversation about how you can make this a habit and boost your evolution.
1. Surround yourself with new ideas instead of recycling your beliefs. Beliefs can limit your ability to experience life as it unfolds.
2. Make chaos your friend. The unexpected is a good thing as long as you’re open to it.
3. Let your environments do most of your evolutionary work for you. Evolution occurs as you adapt to such environments.
I am in a stuck place. Hard for a coach to admit and yet being authentic and modeling overcoming my own obstacles to inspire others is what I like to do in my obstacle-busting business. So, permit me to coach myself, using Byron Katie's "The Work" process, as I share some deep insights with you that I know will help some of you to break through the yuck and ick of following up on leads and commitments you have not made the time or had the courage to act upon.
My situation. I am stuck on following up on some leads and I am allowing this inaction to shame me. Shame is an easy almost automatic place that I go to and see my clients go to when a task or commitment that takes courage goes undone.
Continue reading "Shedding Shame -- Following Up on "Old" Leads" »
Recent Comments