Brio Leadership

Our experience of life is tied up with our interpretation of what happens to us. You can look at the glass as half empty or half full. To live happily or bitterly – that is one of life’s big choices.

You can choose your reaction to whatever experience you have, and in that lies the secret to happiness. Your attitude affects everything you do, say and experience – with special emphasis on everything!

This summer, I am on a speaking tour for a large corporation’s US regional conferences to present the topic of using emotional intelligence to deliver world-class service. One of the topics in my presentation is the power of a positive attitude. Think of some of the customer service interactions you’ve experienced lately – you can always tell if the service provider has a loving, caring attitude toward you, can’t you?

I hope you enjoy this month’s featured article on how to sustain a positive attitude and its benefits to you, your clients, coworkers, families and friends.

All the best,
Kristin

We see it everywhere: the power of your mind to create amazing outcomes. I recently returned from a weekend vacation in New York City, where my husband and I enjoyed the culture, food, sights and sounds of that exciting city. In everything we did – from the tour of the United Nations to seeing a Broadway show to visiting an art museum – the creative power of the human mind was on display. What begins with an idea in someone’s head, like the inspiration to write a play or musical, can become an amazingly beautiful creation that touches many people’s minds and hearts as they experience the outcome of that original thought.

That’s the power I am describing in this month’s featured article about mental rehearsals. I hope you enjoy it and are able to put it to use in your daily life.

All the best,
Kristin

This week is a holy one for many religions – both Easter and Passover are being celebrated. In addition, spring has officially begun in the northern hemisphere, and we turn our faces to the growing light and warmth in our world. What better time to think about incorporating ethics and values into our organizations and companies? This month, we offer our featured article about 5 Ways to Embed Values into your Culture.

If you know others who are interested in incorporating values such as integrity, respect, courage, compassion, forgiveness and creativity in the workplace, please forward this newsletter to them.

As the unemployment rate hovers near 10%, there are many discouraged job seekers. This month’s featured article will give you hope that you can find not only a new job, but one that really resonates with your heart’s desires.

As I coach and mentor job seekers and corporate executives, I realize again the power of thoughts and intentions. It is true that what you think about, comes about! I hope you enjoy this month’s interview with a successful job seeker.

If you know others who are interested in incorporating values such as integrity, respect, courage, compassion, forgiveness and creativity in the workplace, please share this website with them!

The year 2009 is almost over and the holidays are here. I hope you take time to look back over the year, note all the good things that have happened to you and be grateful for them. For many, 2009 was a difficult year economically, and simply surviving it could be a tremendous accomplishment to be celebrated. Whatever your situation, I hope you take time this season to practice generosity. This month’s featured article discusses how being generous makes you feel good and draws benefits to you. Keep this in mind as you close up the year: How can you be generous in sharing your time, your talent and your treasure with others, both now and in the new year.

Have a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!

Stories of personal transformation have always inspired me. I am amazed to hear stories of people who recover from childhood abuse, incredible hardships or addictions. If you listened to my Forgiveness Telesummit in August, you heard how Nick Hope forgave the Nazi oppressors who enslaved him and almost killed him. If you viewed The Oprah Winfrey Show last week, you may have seen Oprah interview Mackenzie Phillips about how she recovered from multiple addictions and forgave her father for incest. The strength and power of the human spirit is awe-inspiring. I know that you, just like these folks, are gifted with incredible resilience and the power to transform your life.

Leaders can also change and transform their professional lives through introspection and self-knowledge. In this post, I discuss how to define your core values and how important they are to creating the future that you truly desire.

All the best,

Kristin

For many, the end of the summer is a time of transition. Vacation time is ending and workers are returning to work. School-age children are getting ready to go back to school. College students are packing up their cars and heading off to their residence halls.

In many ways, this seems more like the start of the year than does New Year’s Day on January 1. Perhaps that is because the habit of going back to school is instilled in us at a young age and never losses its grip on our minds. I like to think about goals for the next year, or at least the next nine months, when the school year starts. As summer winds down in the northern hemisphere, you might take time to re-assess your goals for 2009 and even extend them out for another year, or until August, 2010.

Here are some questions to ask yourself: Looking back to mid-August, 2008, what have you accomplished? What were the blessings of this past year? What have you learned since then? Looking forward, what would success look like for you in August, 2010? What would you like to accomplish during the coming year? How will you accomplish your goals?

I suggest journaling about those questions during a quiet moment. Take time to congratulate yourself for the territory you’ve covered in the past 12 months, and dream big dreams for the upcoming year! Have fun with this.

All the best,

Kristin

In the news recently, we’ve learned of several public figures practicing forgiveness toward others. In interviews with Oprah and Larry King in May, Elizabeth Edwards spoke openly about the emotional pain she released in forgiving her husband, John Edwards, for his infidelity to their marriage. Jenny Sanford has also announced her intention to forgive her husband, Governor Mark Sanford, for his affair with another woman. Before she jolted the voters with her announcement about abdicating the Alaska governor’s position, Sarah Palin forgave David Letterman after he apologized last month for the inappropriate joke he made about her youngest daughter. Thank you to these courageous women for the example they set with forgiveness.

You’ll have a chance to learn more about forgiveness as you watch my new YouTube video about creating a grievance story. And, International Forgiveness Day is approaching on August 2, 2009. I’ll be celebrating that important day by inviting you to attend a Telesummit on Forgiveness and Releasing Emotions.

All the best,

Kristin

I listen to and read the news with great interest these days, scanning for items about positive values such as forgiveness and compassion. I’m delighted when I find something that shows the benefits of practicing these values. For example, Elizabeth Edwards, in her interviews with Oprah and Larry King this month, described the pain and heartbreak she endured after learning of her husband’s infidelity. Even so, she says she forgave him to reduce her emotional pain. Thank you, Elizabeth, for your courage and strength in practicing forgiveness and working to re-build trust in your marriage.

Another example is the quote I use in the beginning of the featured article this month. It is from the Prime Minister of Bhutan, a small country in the Himalayan mountains that is dwarfed by its two neighboring countries, India and China. This country is pursuing and attempting to measure happiness within its borders. Instead of the Gross National Product, Bhutan has identified 72 indicators that measure the Gross National Happiness index.

It’s heartening to read about countries and people that are making a difference and setting an example for the rest of us.

Spring is in the air in the northern hemisphere, and with it comes the promise of renewal both in our physical world and our inner world. Spring is a great time to think about forgiveness of both yourself and others.

With Mother’s Day is coming on May 10, you might want to give your mom the gift of forgiveness. Mothers take the blame for all of their childrens’s failings – addiction, juvenile delinquency, obesity, learning difficulties and more. And every adult child blames their mom for at least one thing the poor woman did to them or continues to do. This Mother’s Day, give your mother the gift of forgiveness. Forgiveness, which is simply reaching a feeling of neutrality toward good ole Mom, is a priceless gift that benefits both the giver and the receiver.

And – don’t forget to forgive yourself first. I’ve received numerous requests from readers to write about self-forgiveness, so this month’s featured article is on that important subject. If you need permission to forgive yourself – if that will make it easier for you – then here you go: I officially extend you permission to forgive yourself!

Blessings,

Kristin