Friday, May 15, 2015

Impactful investment

As we aspire to advance in our professional and personal lives, it is imperative to look beyond the money can or feel we should make.

I was chatting about a few colleagues about how people decide on who to vote for. One colleague shard a story about how a few years earlier, she'd decided on who not to vote for. According to her, a well-respected female leader was approached to give a talk to some young girls. The intention of the organizers was to get a leader to inspire the girls to follow their dreams and put in the hard work to make them come true.

When one of the organizers approached this female leader and asked her if she'd be available to speak to the young girls, she said that evening was free and also told them what her "speaking fee" was. Thoroughly shocked the representative shared the outcome of the meeting with the other organizers. Needless to say, the rest is history - especially the fact that that female leader lost the opportunity to make history herself.

Now I'm not saying that not speaking for free, rather than for a fee, was what made her lose the election - but I'm sure it contributed to it. How do I know? People pass on the story...that's the only way I got to know. I'm deliberately being vague about some details so I don't inadvertently pass on the story. For me there's a bigger lesson here.

Whoever said this - which I got from the internet - is spot on. Imagine for a moment if this lady took the time to speak to this impressionable young girls and even went further to donate her speaking fee (from her own funds) to the NFP organization. Yes Wow! What an impactful investment of time that would have been.                                                                              As we aspire to be better and get more in life...spend as much time, if not more, thinking about how you can give back - investing your time to empower others - girls and boys alike. Although we may not all be mothers, most women have a natural nurturing instinct and the best of us, nurture and empower those around us. Strive to be one of the best.

Friday, May 1, 2015

The stairs


When I stumbled on this quote I smiled and decided to share it because I agree with it.
I know that there may be a few people who have gotten to the top very quickly and in some cases, time has shown that "speed kills."

After reading this, I looked up the benefits of stair climbing and found a few that have some relevance to career advancement and even success in other areas of life.

  1. Stair climbing strengthens your lungs and heart. Stronger lungs allow you to take in more oxygen. A stronger heart allows you to rapidly deliver the oxygen-enriched blood to your muscle fibers. As a result, you’ll feel better. A more efficient body has greater immunity, so you may not get colds as often, and your likelihood for developing chronic health problems such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure will be significantly diminished.* EWE: Talking about success, when your success or elevation is gradual, you develop stronger emotional muscles and the chances of your being easily discouraged reduces.
  2. Every time you climb a flight of stairs, your body releases chemical endorphins, a type of neurotransmitter, making you feel happy and calm. Over time, your ability to focus and concentrate will improve, and you will feel less stressed out. Your self-esteem and self-confidence will improve as you successfully meet your fitness goals, become more toned and muscular, and are less distracted by physical fatigue.* EWE: Again, taking the stairs to success helps you develop and deepen your stress management skills. Taking the stairs to success has a way of grounding you so that you're not easily (re)moved.
Taking the stairs are about personal effort - except someone carries you up the stairs. That personal effort makes you appreciate the challenges others face and make your more compassionate and willing to support them. The power has to be in you in order to take the stairs, so then you are in-powered to empower others. Enjoy the stairs...
 
 
Source:

Look inwards then step out...