14 December: Nancy’s Notes and Anecdotes

Quote I’m pondering:

“You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.”
— Oscar Wilde

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On my reading list:

I came across this great article in Inc. magazine that brought me such insight and such joy that I’d like to share it with you: The 1 Habit You Can Master in 10 Minutes That Will Transform Your Life Forever: Very few habits are this easy to acquire but have such an impressive impact on your life, by Geoffrey James

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In a nutshell, the author invites you to spend 10 minutes a day reframing what you think about strangers. Our brains are wired to view strangers as friends or foes. We have also evolved to put strangers into a “neither” category. That’s good except that sometimes we “immediately formulate a criticism of the other person, like “he’s fat” or “what a loser” or “what an ugly hat” or whatever.” Mea culpa–I know that I have often been guilty of passing some kind of judgement… Those criticisms affect your mood and outlook. Geoffrey James suggests that “rather than dismissing or criticizing when you see a stranger, bring a kind thought or a positive idea into your mind.” The benefit is that this has an incredible ripple effect– your kind thought leads to other kind thoughts etc. and very soon your mindset and outlook have changed. You can master this in 10 minutes by just being conscious of people you see and intentionally thinking a kind thought about them. What do you think? Do you think you’ll try this? I’ve seen a difference and I’d love to hear about your experience~

Meetings this week:

I’m really looking forward to attending Andy Henriquez’ Master Storyteller Academy Boot Camp at the end of this week. I’ve been through a major transition recently and I learned a lot in the process. As is often the case, what I learned personally is insightful and applicable to my professional life. At this boot camp I’ll be learning storytelling skills that will help me better connect with audiences in speaking engagements and workshops, and of course during my favorite activity – training and coaching others. I am sooo looking forward to learning how to masterfully craft a story that will resonate with audiences. A story that will motivate and inspire. A story that will help me connect with and find my tribe.

Ideas I’m Noodling…

The restorative power of nature. This photo was taken during a spiritual retreat in India. Tree hugging was part of our daily meditation. We each selected a tree and hugged it for about 15 minutes each day. Bare feet on the roots, arms around the trunk and head against the bark. I felt the pulse of the tree and its energy calmed me. You might not believe me, but I invite you to try it – you can actually hear the sap moving and the bark adjusting for the wind … it’s an incredible experience and one that I’ve let slip a bit of late. I’m noodling about adding to my goals for 2019 … what are you noodling on? Tell me here.

I’m following…

Dame “Judi” Dench, the English actor. She and I share what I think is a fascinating and often surprising passion: Trees! I hope you’ll take a look at this video… I enjoyed seeing her energy and sparkle about a topic that so obviously lights her up! What lights you up? I love watching people share their passions – you can literally see the internal light shining through their eyes and smile!

I’m Celebrating…

Learning and sharing. I’m happiest when I’m sharing information that I have learned. I love connecting the dots of concepts and ideas and this week I got to do that over and over again. I’m celebrating the pursuit of knowledge in all its forms: reading, meetings, and especially quiet time when I create space for ideas to come and germinate…

What are you celebrating this week?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead my friend~
Nancy Allen

BTW

Some of you may remember that I used to do book reviews and summaries on FB Live. I’m happy to tell you that starting in January I will be leading a virtual monthly Business Book Club via Zoom. I hope you will consider joining in our discussion of well-vetted business books to inspire and ignite you to get to the next level. Yes, you ‘should’ read the book we will be discussing and YES, you should still participate even if you don’t have time to “read.” Don’t worry, my team will send links to videos and summaries that you can use to prepare for the discussions and like in all we do, help ensure you’re set up for success.

The intent of the Business Book Club is to create a space where we can share ideas and experiences. I would love it if you would join us, you can let me know if you’ll make it here. The first book we will discuss is It’s OK to be the Boss. Here’s a video interview with the author.