BLUE TARP BLUES How can a blue tarp turn a reasonable adult into a basket case? (Kathryn climbs up the scaffold for a personal look at the damage.) Well, you may find this hard to believe. I’ve been held hostage by a blue tarp for several years in a row! I’m finally ready to talk about it! We moved across the country in 2006 for a two year assignment with my husband’s work as an engineer. We had flown out…
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Trying to make change? Being ‘Well-liked’ Does Help the Job. “I don’t think anyone likes me.” My client started to explain the reason for his call. “No one likes me at this new job.” My client, a well-established Project Manager, was hired six months ago to fill the shoes of a middle-manager position. He knew the industry, but was not settling into the position. I was invited in on a Saturday morning to look at his desk, office and meeting…
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I got THIS CLOSE to an iceberg! To See the Icebergs! WOW! I was fortunate enough to complete my mission to visit the far east coast of Canada this June! The conflict for me has always been how to merge my business goals with my personal goals; or should they be treated equally? I love to travel and one of my goals is to see Canada, (my home and native land) from coast to coast to coast…to coast! It is…
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Icebergs in June! WOW! I am fortunate to have good friends to visit just north of St. John’s in Newfoundland. The icebergs put on a fantastic presence in the North Atlantic this year! Did you know that it takes three years for an iceberg to travel from Greenland to Newfoundland? I had no idea! We initially took a car ride up to Bonavista to look for icebergs and puffins. Then, a few days later, realized the ‘bergs we saw off…
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“I’m unable to attend the meeting as I’m busy in the Design Studio!” Practical Steps to Success #21: Present Clear Messages; avoid miscommunications and save time! There’s a growing concern about using texts as a business platform. I dislike the plethora of group texts with a one-liner comment; which leads to many MORE texts. When I need to address a specific matter, being specific will avoid more questions and therefore, interruption. This type of correspondence can lead to irritation, distractions, …
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The FS Garden and Neighborhood Tour Last Thursday was a bit soggy, but the rain let up after 4pm and we were still able to step into our feng shui ‘walk and talk’. I usually lead a talk or a seminar in the safe confines of a sheltered building, but this time, the spring energy was calling me outside! A small group of us met in a Kitsilano neighbour for a feng shui tour of a few blocks. Feng shui…
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Practical Steps to Success # 20: Prevent Conflicts while building your team Verbal skills are so important when building a team. Miscommunication can present unclear objectives, trigger stress and foster a lack of respect for team players. When I discuss personality dynamics in a workshop or talk, I relate behaviour to one of the five earth’s elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, water. These elements offer a unique insight on how people and things react to one another. Just as fire…
Read MorePersistence Reveals an Award for Excellence! Established over three years ago, I’d like to highlight this little business in DaNang, Vietnam. ‘Looking Glass Jeep Tours’ is my son’s company. Despite the odds for success being a foreigner in Vietnam, persistence has paid off. Jeremy Wilking was frustrated trying to find work a few years ago in North America. He was tired of the circus: employment, unemployment, employment, etc. When he set out for Vietnam to teach English as a…
Read MorePractical Steps to Success # 19: Twenty One Days to Change a Habit? Why? Why? Why? Why is it SO HARD to change a few little things? Either to try something new or adapt a new habit… Is it really mind-over-matter? Or, is something else going on? The cliché, Twenty One Days to Change a Habit is true, but it is not what you think. It is the brain and the muscles that can be self-sabotaging! They are the ones…
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The ‘Royal WE’ It is easy to fall into a routine when we are comfortable in a relationship. I think that is part of the ‘beauty’ of a long term relationship. We already know what to expect, how the chores are divided up, who is in charge of the garbage and who takes care of the laundry. But, after a while, resentment can set in. Someone else can be perceived to have a ‘better deal’ or your work schedule no…
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Are you a Wood, a Fire, an Earth, a Metal or a Water element?
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