G Factor: Genteel (3 in a 7-part series)

Abraham Maslow taught us long ago that human beings need others to care about them.  Maslow called it a sense of belonging or esteem; having friends and feeling respected and accepted. When we show someone we care, we communicate their importance and value as a person.  Getting out of own heads and into the hearts

G Factor: Gumption (2 in a 7-part series)

  Used with permission. Copyright Rick Cooper. How often do you try new things?  Do you persevere when things don’t go as you planned or hoped?  If you didn't answer YES! with conviction and without hesitation you might be falling short on Gumption. Wait, wait, wait. When I was a young girl, I was told

Muted Motivation: End of Summer Misery

  Image used with permission. copyright Vic hang-in-there 2011 As the weather cools, the days become shorter, and we head toward fall, motivation seems to slither away for many of us.  I admit it – I suffer from it too.  Our trigger response to someone’s remark about the beautiful weather might be, “Too

10 Signs of Burnout

Life can be challenging.  Work can be exhausting.  Balancing responsibilities and commitments can suck a person dry.  When you feel physically or mentally incapable of moving forward you have likely hit burnout.  ARE YOU BURNED OUT OR HEADED FOR IT? Image used with permission copyright Bernard Goldbach www.insideview.ie I skip food breaks. I

12 Ways to Exercise Your Creative Mind

Do you consider yourself to be in possession of a creative mind?  Or do you consider yourself lacking creativity?  In either case, a creative mind needs to be exercised if one wants to be able to easily tap into it when needed.  It is like conditioning your body for a 20 mile bike ride –

2 Part Goal Setting

Hopefully after reading last week’s article you set a goal to create your To Do List each day before you left work or first thing when you arrived each morning.  If you didn’t, this week will be your chance to make writing a To Do List a daily goal.  (Of course you don’t have to

4 Ways to Stay Motivated During Change

I won’t lie to you by telling you that staying motivated during change is easy.  It isn’t.  Change can be exhausting and scary because of its inherent uncertainties.  In 2008, I was laid off from a faculty position at a 2-year college.  It was a job I put my heart-and-soul into for 5 ½ years. 

4 Self-Motivation Situations

Last week we delineated between Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation.  This week we use what we learned and apply it to common situations in which we need to motivate ourselves. Situation 1: Wake up on wrong side of bed.  Sometimes we simply wake up in a bad mood.  If we don’t shake it, we carry our

Positive Attitude in 3 Easy Steps

A great way to differentiate your company from others is through the service your employees provide.  The quality of your service is directly tied to the attitudes of your employees. Customer service employees are constantly balancing wants, needs, personalities, and emotions.  It can be extremely challenging to maintain a positive attitude … especially in stressful