I don’t like to lose my cool. I have been known to lose my cool when life gets busy and demands are urgent. It is not something that I like to admit but I notice it in the tone of my voice, the tension in my jaw and the squinting of my eyes. I get in a reactive mode and in the moment, my concern is not about the feelings of others but rather that others pay attention to me. … Read More
Recognizing our natural reactions. Trauma. My natural reaction to the word is to close in, back away and shut up. It is not comfortable for me to talk about suffering and I don’t like to talk about things that are not comfortable. I was born into a culture and a family where we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about our emotions or our reactions. And so, I learned to be resilient. I handed my suffering to God and … Read More
“Real power is, I don’t even want to use the word: ‘Fear.’” Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump in an interview with Bill Woodward and Robert Costa, March 31, 2016 Fear is a derailer ‘Is fear real power?’ Certainly many will respond with a ‘Yes’ because it triggers a response and it drives action. But fear simply implies ‘power over others’. Fear relies on position and authority to trigger reactions in others. Generating this emotion does not allow space for others … Read More
Why improve productivity? Improving productivity allows us to achieve more with less. We often think of this as achieving more financial benefit with less of the organization’s financial resources. There is also great opportunity to achieve more with less of our personal resources. Think for a moment of the time and/or energy that goes in to building our personal resources: exercise; healthy eating; sleep and others. We work hard to have energy available to spend on work. In turn, this … Read More
We are undergoing immense change and uncertainty. Certainly we all want to put students first. Yet look around and it is easy to recognize an escalation in the pace of change and uncertainty that is resulting in a shift in focus away from students. All of our systems are feeling the pressure of adapting to intense uncertainty and the external demands often exceed the ability to cope, resulting in breakdown. Schools feel the intensity every day, as children arrive with … Read More
Anxiety is common in Canada. Individuals are looking for a preferred treatment for anxiety. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, mood and/or anxiety disorders are common and individuals are active in learning more about the condition: In 2013, an estimated 3 million Canadians (11.6%) aged 18 years or older reported that they had a mood and/or anxiety disorder. Most people with mood and/or anxiety disorder(s) are currently taking, or have taken, prescription medication(s) (93%), but few (20%) have received … Read More
We like to take action by fixing things and solving problems. Fixing and solving can be more of a reaction than action. These reactions are triggered by beliefs about the way things ‘should’ be done. We can challenge these beliefs using Logosynthesis to enjoy more ease and wonder in our everyday life. We live in a culture where we are praised for having passion to do things right and to do the right things. The more demanding the situation, the harder … Read More
Integrating diversity and inclusion into traditions: Diversity and inclusion are important. We may know this yet we often feel discomfort. As I scrolled through Facebook this morning, I was greeted with a post of group photos from past Terry Fox Runs. This was a tradition in our office. Sometimes I went on my own, sometimes with my family. But we did this annual 5 km run, rain or shine. I was blessed with a boss who valued tradition and made … Read More
Do men have to lose power to make room for women? This morning I reflected on Justin Trudeau’s talk to the Women in the World convention held earlier this week in Toronto. I applaud his efforts towards fairness! It feels invigorating to have a proud feminist fight for the rights of women! But there is a watch out. I got stuck on the reference to the notion that men will have to lose power to make room for women. I … Read More
We should all have a fair chance to succeed. Justin Trudeau was asked about his number one priority for the next two years at a recent Women in the World convention. He acknowledged that there was a lot to be done but the big one was around fairness, stating a desire that ‘everyone has a fair chance to succeed in Canada. … Everything I can do, everything we can do, to shift the world in the right direction continues to … Read More