Let’s talk energy! In my eZine last week I wrote about maximizing your daily effectiveness.  There are many factors that come into play as you cultivate your best self.  So where do you start?  At the source or core is your internal energy – a renewable and powerful resource that is available to you at all times, 24/7.  You just need to know how to tap into it and use it to help you achieve your greatest potential.

It’s helpful if I share a little technical background, so bear with me while I lay some groundwork that you may or may not be familiar with.  First, let’s take away the mystery around some of the Chinese terms you may have run across.  Chinese words are typically expressed in one of two different systems of Chinese to English (Pinyin – currently used in China and Wade-Giles – formerly used in China), so I’ve included them both as reference.  When I speak of your energy, I’m referring to what is known in Eastern martial arts and philosophy as your Qi (chee), Chi or internal energy.  In my Taijiquan (tie-jee-chuen), Tai Chi Chuan or ”Grand Ultimate Fist” - the slow-moving martial art that resembles moving meditation - and Qigong (chee-kung) , Chi Kung  or energy practice, I generate energy, move it within my body, and direct it externally, as well.  You might have experienced this yourself, or this may be a new concept for you, but everyone has Qi and you can learn how to revitalize yourself by increasing and focusing your Qi.

Your energy center is in your core – your Dan Tien (don tee-en) - which is located one to one-and-a-half inches below your navel and one to two inches deep, depending on the individual (Yang, 1997).  This is also your body’s center of gravity – all in all, a very important place to pay attention to and work with.

While this may sound a little esoteric or woo-woo, it’s actually based on physics, and has been studied in the business community.   In 2007 The Harvard Business Review published an article by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy of The Energy Project called “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time/ar/1.   It recounts energy work done with employees of Wachovia.

The premise of the article is that time is a limited resource, but personal energy is renewable.  Schwartz and McCarthy have been working with corporate America on how to increase productivity in the workforce.  They work on four dimensions of energy:  physical, emotional, mental and spiritual, and suggest specific rituals to increase each of them.

A pilot energy management program conducted with Wachovia revealed some compelling findings:  After 3 months, participants in the energy renewal program produced 13% higher loan revenues than the control group and 20% higher revenues from deposits, which was considered an extremely successful program by Wachovia’s standards.

The findings of this experiment are also important for business owners and other professionals because we all want to be able to do more with less, keep our energy consistently high and be as productive as we can each day. So let’s talk about how you can tap into your energy.  It’s actually part of a larger dynamic that I summarize as:

Core Energy + Core Strength + Core Values = Core Power

It’s your Core Power that drives you forward in a fundamental way.   If  your core power is fully engaged, you’ll be full of energy, your focus will be laser-sharp, you’ll feel strong yet relaxed, you’ll walk taller and look more confident, your balance will be better, you will move more gracefully (yes, guys, this is important for you, too), and you will maintain greater health and vitality.

To experience your own Qi or core energy, try this three-minute exercise:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, legs straight with knees unlocked, your arms dangling at your sides and your eyes closed.
2. Raise your hands till your palms face each other 4 to 6 inches apart and in front of your belly, just below your waist.
3. Start breathing slowly from your belly right below your navel, allowing your belly to expand as you inhale and contract as you exhale in a relaxed manner.  Breathe through your nose on the inhale and exhale.
4. With each breath, allow your palms to gently pulse apart on the inhale and together on the exhale.
5. Continuing with your eyes closed, visualize the sun’s energy radiating from your Dan Tien – your energy center below your navel – with each inhale, causing your palms to pulse apart.
6. Continue this breathing in a slow, relaxed manner for a minute and notice how your palms feel.  Play with it for another minute, slightly changing the angle of the palms as they face each other, allowing the distance between them to expand if you feel resistance between them (like a ball of energy) and continuing to envision the sun’s energy emanating from your core.
7. Complete the exercise by bringing your palms together, one in front of the other, to gather the energy into your center, flat against your belly.
8. Gently relax your arms to dangle at your sides and slowly open your eyes.

What did you notice during the exercise?  How did your core and palms feel?  How did your palms look afterwards?  How did you feel overall after the exercise?  I invite you to share your experience with others  (and me) on this blog.  There is much more we can do with energy, but that gives you a taste.

Next week we’ll move to the second part of the equation – core strength…it may not be as obvious as you think….

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Now that I’m settling into my life in Florida, I am really appreciating how at ease I am here and how much I am energized by my surroundings.  I am truly home.  I want others to experience similar tranquility about where they live and how they are living their life.  I also appreciate efficiency and getting the most out of every precious moment we have each day, so I began to ask myself, “What would be the most fundamental, useful and reasonably doable life practices that could help someone be the healthiest, happiest, most fulfilled person possible…especially given the crazy pace of life for so many of us?  How could we have our most robust life?

We’re bombarded with so many ideas on how to be a better, smarter, happier, richer, prettier, healthier – you name it – person….Which way do you turn?  Who do you believe?  Who has exactly the right answer for you?  It can be confusing and overwhelming.  I’ve done a lot of research about a lot of life issues and the conclusion I came to years ago is that I can take in all kinds of good stories and good advice, but it’s only by checking in with myself – keeping communication open with my intuition and my personal values – that I can make sense of all the input in a way that will be useful to me.  Context is key.

So how do we live the life we want, keep our stress low and energy high, and get the most out of each day – both personally and professionally?  I call it maximizing your “daily effectiveness”, and it begins by looking inside, getting clear about your core values and engaging in positive life practices that can be maintained consistently with a small investment of time, thought and intentional action.  Over the coming months I’ll share a variety of tips and resources on how you can increase your daily effectiveness; you decide what feels right for you. 
 
This e-zine comes to you just once a month; if you’d like to learn even more, you can receive my weekly blog posts with additional tips, resources and timely updates by clicking here  to get the RSS feed.  Talk to you again soon!
 
KB

I’ve been thinking a lot about our creativity and passion and being true to that deepest, most child-like part of us – how we all have that part of us that is full of child-like wonder and glee.  We forget about it and lose touch with it as we go about our busy lives.  As the new year gets rolling, I want to celebrate the creativity that lies within each of us.  Do you have some expression of your creativity that you’d like to post here?  Something you wrote or a description of something you did?  I’m celebrating with a poem I wrote awhile back and have never shared before….Here’s to expressing for the joy of it…..

Possibility

I leave behind the sad, the negative, the wimpering, simpering false labor of an unimagined life

To celebrate that crisp indelible glimpse of what could be in far off places

               that are but a stone’s throw from the mind.

Oh, passion is at rest and neither grovels nor pushes pretentiously through that veil of doubt

But waits for possibility to overtake the dull thud of footsteps in place

               on a well-worn sidewalk of a fettered mind.

Oh, how out we come

And joy overtakes all

And the cymbals crash like obnoxious, unruly children in our heads

As we come marching out into the glare of the sun

And smile and smile and smile.

Happy New Year

KB

 
Recently, I had the opportunity to experience something very different and very special – natural horseback riding – and I wanted to share the experience with you.  I was introduced to it by Natural Horsemanship Trainer Kirsten Willey.  She is also known as a horse whisperer.  She rides bareback and uses no bits with her horses – only soft rope bridle and other minimal, soft gear.  You can see her pictured here with Mickey, the horse I rode.

She gave me a lesson on staying in the flow with the horse, since the gear was minimal and her horses – and their riders – are trained in gentler persuasion than traditional horseback riding. 

To help me get the feeling of natural riding, Kirsten related to me a Native American tale about two riders who traveled for years by horseback on a quest.  By the time they returned home, their lower bodies had grown into their horses, and they became, literally, one with their horses.  That’s the sensation she encouraged me to feel as I rode…and it worked!  If you are fascinated by natural horsemanship and would like to know more, you can reach Kirsten at scooterdoggies@hotmail.com. 

After my horseback riding experience, I spent some time thinking about how being in the flow of life can positively affect our lives.  We are calmer, more focused, more at peace with ourselves and the world.  We experience the ultimate flow when we are following our passion, doing work and other activities that we love.  I ask clients a couple of questions that are helpful for discovering their true passion and flow:

• What would you do, even if you weren’t getting paid for it?
• If you had all the money you could ever want, how would you spend your time?

Why are these questions important?  Because when you are doing what makes you happy and fulfilled, you will most easily find your flow.  You will be inspired to get up out of bed, excited about what the day may bring.

When I worked with a client recently on how life is so much easier and enjoyable when we are in our flow and not forcing things, the personal experience he came up with was drumming.  When he forced it, it was hard to play and didn’t sound as good; he said by letting go, he could finally feel the flow.

How does this relate to everyday life?  Once you know how it feels to be engaged in something effortlessly, you can cultivate that feeling at other times, as well.  Then, when something unexpected or unpleasant happens, you have a choice: you can either focus on what happened, all the bad details – stirring up and continuing to feed negative emotions, such as anger or regret – or you can acknowledge the sad, unfortunate or surprising situation, consider how you could respond in a productive way, and then refocus on whatever brings you back to center – to your sense of calm and flow.

I get into my flow, especially, in my coaching and when I’m doing other favorite activities like t’ai chi, cycling, walking, swimming, dancing and gardening. Without effort, my breathing becomes deep and regular, I am relaxed and my thoughts and movements come with ease.  By remembering that feeling at other times, I have learned how to bring on that state by focusing on my breath and my energy center in my body’s core.

Get Into Action
Think about an activity where you can get into your flow.  What is it about that activity that does it for you?  Can you recall that feeling you had when you were doing it with such ease?  What would it take for you to call up that feeling at other times?  Is it a certain way of breathing?  Is it the way you are moving?  Is it some sort of visualization that gets you into that flow?

Once you’ve pinpointed what puts you into your flow, practice bringing on that same feeling in everyday life – in your office, on a walk, or perhaps having a meal.  Once you’ve gotten the hang of this, you can begin using this technique to get into your flow in more stressful situations.  Have some fun with this – it can really make a difference in your day.

Have you ever heard the saying that people would rather do business with a friend than a stranger? This is so simple, and yet often so forgotten in our everyday work. How many times have you been in a hurry to meet a deadline so you avoided talking with someone or you cut the conversation short? How many times have you been on the receiving end of this treatment and said to yourself, “I know it was nothing personal – he (let’s call him Fred) is just busy and didn’t have time to talk.” If you are honest with yourself, how did you truly feel about being cut off? Did you feel heard? Did you feel respected? Did you feel like you were important to him? What would have happened if Fred had spent just 15 or 20 seconds longer to hear you out and acknowledge you in a personal way? How different would you have felt with the conversation completed? How different would you have felt about Fred?

Even if you say you’re okay with those quick exchanges, can you honestly say it furthers your relationship with Fred – that you are getting to know him in a way that will engender trust and a desire to work with him on something with high stakes for you? Arthur T. Himmelman is an expert on collaboration and what makes our work together successful. In his seminal monograph on the subject, he wrote, “Collaborating is usually characterized by substantial time commitments, very high levels of trust, and extensive areas of common turf.” He calls it a process in which parties “exchange information, alter activities, share resources, and enhance each other’s capacity for mutual benefit and a common purpose by sharing risks, responsibilities, and rewards.” (2002)

Mindful communication that encourages getting to know someone and learning more about him or her as an individual builds trust and can contribute to your success as an entrepreneur. It has been called in marketing circles “the know, like and trust factor” and it is essential for building strong personal and business relationships that will support your work for years to come. This is true in your local community and your virtual on-line community, as well.

So here is some food for thought around the notion of connecting with people and treating them well:

There is no such thing as a successful solo entrepreneur or “solopreneur”. No one becomes successful alone.  Questions for you as an entrepreneur are:

• What kinds of connections do you want to cultivate?
• What are your motivations for connecting with others?
• What sort of help could you offer to others and what help could you use to fill in the gaps between your own strengths (so you and your collaborators can do those things that are fulfilling and fun for each of you)?
• How can your relationships with others become win-win-win propositions?

Get Into Action The next time you are in a rush to get something done and need to talk to someone, pause for a beat. Take a deep breath. Think about that person on the other end of your conversation. Ask yourself, “Is this person complete with this interaction? Did s/he get what s/he needed, too? Have I left him or her feeling good?” I promise you that if you take an additional ten to fifteen seconds, it can make all the difference. You will be slightly less stressed by stopping for a breath and a friendly exchange, you will still get your work done and you will have nurtured a little further a relationship that can grow to be mutually beneficial in ways that you may not envision on that day.

Give it a try, and let me know what you experienced.

Do you ever hear folks poo-poo a “kumbaya” attitude in business?  Too sentimental; it takes too much time.   “We’re all adults here….Who has time to stroke people’s egos or protect their feelings – we’ve got work to do, deadlines to keep, etc., etc., etc….”  Well first of all, we are not all adults here; in fact, I contend that, deep down, we’re all still about five years old.  And then there is this fascinating and very useful book by Marshall Goldsmith What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful! (2006).  The understated gold seal on the front cover of the book says “Discover the 20 Workplace Habits You Need to Break.”  Ruh-roh….Dr. Marshall’s simple and forthright discussion is easy to follow, though perhaps not as easy to absorb – not because the concepts are difficult, but because they land so close to home. He cuts to the core of how people in business sabotage their own success unwittingly because they lack the self-awareness to see how they are impacting others by their lack of basic social skills such as empathy, attentiveness or simple good grace.

Notable among Marshall’s 20 (although they are all powerful) that I often encounter when coaching clients are:

• Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
• Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
• Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
• Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.

Get Into Action I invite you to take this eye-opening, mind-stimulating and, perhaps, occasionally heart-rending stroll where we in today’s “cram in as much as you can” society do not often allow ourselves to go. I promise you that you will discover some things about yourself that will serve you well in future business and personal relationships.

Let me know what you think.

Lately the majority of the media and some politicians have talked over and over about how bad the economy is.  They feed on each other’s comments and replay the same negative quotes repeatedly.  It also feeds people’s fears and focuses our attention on the negative and what’s bad about the economy until it’s all people are talking about – what’s wrong, the threats, and what is not possible.

I’d like to offer a different perspective:

The U. S. Department of Labor reported that in April 2009 the unemployment rate was 8.9 percent.  The combined unemployment and underemployment rate for that month was reported as 15.8 percent.

During the depression of last century the unemployment rate was 25 percent.  We don’t know what the combined unemployment and underemployment rate was – they weren’t measuring underemployment back then.

So let’s look at these statistics from another perspective:  The employment rate during the depression was 75 percent, meaning 75 percent of people who could work were working at some job.

In April 2009, the comparable statistic was 91 percent.  Considering the unemployed and underemployed together, the number of people working in the U.S. in April was 84 percent.  This number represented our potential to achieve, which is still promising.

The economy runs, to a great extent, on the confidence of individuals that if they invest their money in themselves, their property, their business and their savings, their wealth will grow.  It is when people like you and I become gripped by fear and withdraw – our energy, our enthusiasm, our brain power, our hope and our resources – that the economy continues to contract.  If we continually focus on what’s wrong with the situation, we don’t leave much time and energy for creating new possibilities for economic success.

Get Into Action 
You can leverage what you know and do in new, creative ways:

• Connect with fellow entrepreneurs in ways that spark new approaches to what you offer.
• Affiliate with entrepreneurs who are not direct competitors.  Refer business to each other for a small affiliate fee.  As long as you are doing this for a colleague whose work you know and trust, this is ethical and helpful to the customer, as well.
• Joint venture with another business to bring fresh products or innovative services to the public. 

All these strategies are win-win-win – good for you, good for your fellow entrepreneur, and good for the greater community.  Keep your mind focused on the abundance you do enjoy – remember that what you focus on expands and when you write down your goals you are more likely to achieve them.  Brainstorm it, envision it and do it!

If you would like more information on how this leveraging works, contact my team at info@RobustLifeCoaching.com.

…you’re in for a treat.  In keeping with the theme of looking at the upside of the economy and how to capitalize on it, I suggest you take a look at Blue Ocean Strategy — How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.  The fundamental concept of the book is that a business can choose to compete in a “red ocean” market, head-to-head with its competitors with the same products or services, or a business can create new products or services by combining ideas from diverse markets, thereby operating in a “blue ocean” with little or no competition.

A prime example is a group of entrepreneurial street performers that in 1984 took the idea of a typical circus like Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, combined it with the aspects of a dance company such as Pilobilus, and created Cirque du Soleil.  According to Chan and Mauborgne, this blue ocean enterprise has been seen by “almost forty million people in ninety cities around the world.”  And they are still going strong.  When I was in Las Vegas this spring, Cirque du Soleil was running six shows simultaneously throughout the city.

The book is well organized and easy to skim for key concepts if you don’t have time for the full read right now, but I highly recommend you do read it cover to cover when time permits.

Get Into Action 
Make a list of the products or services you currently offer.  Make a second list of all your talents and skills, whether they relate to your current business or not.  Now put those lists side by side, pour yourself your favorite festive beverage, turn off your phone and computer, and think about links between items on the two lists that have blue ocean potential.  It can be fun and fruitful to do this with a friend/colleague – together you can stir up quite a brainstorm, including ideas for joint ventures!