May 28, 2009

June 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment

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.


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April 30, 2009

May 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment

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


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March 26, 2009

March 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment

My new book is published! A Forgiveness Journal: Letting Go of the Past details a seven-step process to forgive people and incidents that have hurt you. The state of non-forgiveness, along with feelings of vengeance, hate and self-recrimination, drain you of energy – they divert large amounts of your daily energy allotment, leaving less power for positive emotions and for enjoying life. Once you learn to forgive, you free up the energy that was invested in maintaining your negative emotions. Now you have energy to invest in positive experiences and enjoyment of your many blessings. And, you are healthier and less stressed.

The same can be said about teams and organizations. Those organizations that practice forgiveness are healthier and less stressed as a whole. The system’s health is a reflection of the health of the individuals within it. As we’ll see, teams that generate positive emotions are more productive, and one way to create a positive environment is to practice forgiveness.

Now, more than ever, is the time to learn how to forgive and create more positive emotions in ourselves and our groups. Anger and lack of forgiveness are rampant right now - understandably so, given the current economic and employment situation. If you’ve lost your job, or are fearful of losing it, you are probably feeling angry, anxious or both. As I tell my coaching clients, it is important that you work through these feelings and achieve a sense of neutrality (the goal of forgiveness) toward your job loss - or feared job loss - so that your anger does not contaminate your chances of finding or keeping your dream job.

Blessings,

Kristin


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February 20, 2009

February 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment

I am so excited to tell you that my second book, called A Forgiveness Journal: Letting Go of the Past, is a mere two weeks away from its publication date of March 9, 2009! The last month has been hectic for me as my manuscript has traveled from copyeditor to layout artist and to printer. Each step on this journey has demanded my time and focus. I know from the experience of publishing my first book, Spectacular Support Centers, how important attention to detail is in writing, editing and printing a book to make it as near-perfect as possible.

Once the book is available, you’ll be able to order here on this website or at Amazon.com!  Stay tuned for more information!

To introduce the concept of forgiveness, I’ve written an article called Forgiveness is Like Chicken Soup: Good for What Ails You. Next month, I’ll explore the benefits of practicing forgiveness in the workplace.

I once worked with a man who, when asked how he was, would invariably reply, “I’m living the dream!” He was full of gratitude for the many blessings in his life. I feel the same way. I’m living the dream of following my bliss, which in my case means writing books and blogs, speaking and teaching about living a life of spiritual integrity, coaching individuals to be their best self and striving to make a difference in our wild, wonderful world. Thanks for your support in allowing me to live my dream!

Blessings,

Kristin


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January 20, 2009

February 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment

Happy inauguration day! I don’t remember when I’ve been so excited about a presidential inauguration. The historical significance of this one thrills me. The new president has big responsibilities on his shoulders, but I sense a new spirit of hope and optimism pervading the US right now, despite the real hardships that many people feel. We are living a paradox of economic hardship and hope for the future.

The other side of the paradox is the dismal state of the economy. Everyday, I hear or read about more layoffs, paycuts and companies that are failing. I know that most organizations are doing more with less and people are working longer hours. Yet, there are parts of the economy that are doing just fine. There is always opportunity to be found in hard times.

I was reminded of the opportunities that can be found during hard times last week while I visited Houston. I was there speaking to the local HDI chapter about Leadership with Integrity (see the list of where I’m speaking later in this newsletter). My hosts told me they survived the weeks-long power outages caused by Hurricane Ike last September by purchasing diesel generators to supply electricity to their homes. I was amazed that they could find generators to buy – I don’t recall seeing any for sale at my local hardware store. Pay attention to what my host said, “Entrepreneurial people will prosper in the midst of a disaster. Within a day or so of the hurricane, semi trailer trucks appeared at the side of roads, full of diesel generators. You could buy them right out of the trucks – for a greatly inflated price, of course.” There is opportunity in difficult times!

When life serves lemons, make lemonade. I challenge you to make lemonade in this economy!

 

Blessings,

Kristin


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December 16, 2008

December 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Happy holidays! I hope you are enjoying this December and looking forward to the promise of a new year. My family and I are planning a quiet holiday together. My son is back from college and we are going to be home until the day after Christmas, when we make a weekend trip to a relaxed resort outside of Austin, TX. We look forward to a weekend of biking and hiking, good food, tennis and spa treatments for the ladies!

May peace reside in your heart this holiday season!

Blessings,

Kristin


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November 17, 2008

November 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! I hope that you are able to find many things to be thankful for next week as you celebrate this US holiday in your own fashion. Please visit my post on gratitude to discover the benefits of practicing an attitude of gratitude and appreciation in your life.

My family and I will give thanks for our family (we really do enjoy each other immensely!) and for the small group of friends that will gather around our table for a traditional turkey dinner next Thursday.

Because I would rather stick needles in my eyes than venture out to shop on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I plan to sleep in that morning, have a quiet day at home and perhaps go to a concert that evening with friends.

However you plan to celebrate, make time for counting your blessings and noticing all the good things that come to you!

Blessings,

Kristin


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October 29, 2008

November 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Everyday Mystic @ Work is now Brio Leadership

The freedom we have as entrepreneurs in the twenty-first century is glorious! We have the freedom to design our own destiny, to create new businesses, to dream big or small or in-between. And we have the freedom to change our minds and the names of our businesses. I exercised that freedom last week by changing the name of my new business to Brio Leadership. The reason for the change springs out of several synchronicities I’ve been recently blessed with. (I believe that the Divine communicates with us in direct and indirect ways, and that there are no coincidences, only synchronicities.) Over the past six weeks, several people have lovingly questioned me about the name “Everyday Mystic @ Work” by asking, “Don’t you think that the word mystic is misunderstood and could create a barrier for some of your prospective clients?” It all culminated on a plane ride home about ten days ago, when I just knew- that it was time to change the name – I was tired of defending it.

So, with a little help from my friends last week, I set about brainstorming a new company name and fell in love with Brio Leadership. Brio, Italian for “spiritedly and lively”, has been a word that I’ve been fond of ever since I started my first business, KR Consulting. When looking for a name for that business, I pondered the musical term “con brio”, which means “with spirit”. (I trained as a classical musician in my youth.) At the time, I couldn’t make “con brio” fit into a business name so I rejected it. Finally, I am able to consecrate my love for this Italian word by incorporating it into the name of my business.

Welcome to Brio Leadership, where we are dedicated to helping individuals and teams transform their lives by integrating spiritual values into their lives and workplaces.

Blessings,
Kristin


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September 16, 2008

September 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I am so excited to tell you about the projects I’m working on and the upcoming offerings to look for here at Brio Leadership. One of my strengths, as identified by the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment, is “ideation.” This is a tendency to go through life brainstorming ideas non-stop. I pop ideas like a popcorn popper spews kernels. Although my tendency is toward quantity not quality of ideas, I have a lot of great ideas for this new business, and I think that many of them are terrific!

One of those ideas is to write my second and third books this year. I am privileged to be working with Jan B. King, who is a book publishing expert and coach that I engaged through eWomen Publishing Network. The two books that she is helping write are a Forgiveness Journal and a book with a working title of this newsletter, Brio Leadership.

Is there someone at work who has done something that betrayed your trust? Is there a work incident in the past that makes you upset every time you remember it? Forgiveness can help us move past and get free of these tiresome memories. I know from personal experience that practicing forgiveness in the workplace can improve productivity, creativity and teamwork. Forgiveness can make it fun to come to work, because you know that there won’t be any backbiting, undermining or sabotaging going on, all of which consume enormous amounts of energy, goodwill and mental bandwidth in a team. Our Forgiveness Journal introduces a seven-step process that, once completed by an individual, will set the stage for creating a forgiving atmosphere at work.

If you are interested in the Forgiveness Journal, I invite you to join a small group of advisors to read and review this book. If you volunteer for this important task, you will receive my undying gratitude (that’s priceless!), a free, comb-bound copy of the book and a questionnaire that will guide you through giving me feedback. Plus, you’ll receive a free copy of the book when published. You should be willing to read the book and do most of the exercises. You’ll learn a lot, and will be the first one on your block to own the Forgiveness Journal! Please reply to this newsletter if you are interested, or complete a contact form here.

And, I am about to launch the Everyday Mystic Marketplace! Stay tuned for some of the beautiful products that I’ll be offering there.

Blessings,

Kristin


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August 17, 2008

August 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment

It is the end of summer, and at least in North Texas where I live, every parent I talk to is looking forward to the opening of school in a week or two. We all look forward to the resumption of a more structured, predictable schedule. For my family, this is a particularly poignant time, as my first child, now an adult, is going to college for the first time. My husband and I find ourselves feeling both happy and sad – happy that this grown-up child will finally be on his own, and sad because we will miss him.

Isn’t it funny how even working adults seem to have the school year calendar ingrained into our psyches? Even if we no longer have - or never had - children at home, we still feel like summer is the time to take a vacation and travel out of town, spend more time outdoors and generally take it just a little bit easier than during the school year. And at the end of the summer, we look forward to the resumption of our “normal” fall schedules.

The lazy days of summer are coming quickly to a close.

Psychologically, the start of the new school year is a time of new beginnings. To me, it feels like the right time to launch some new business concepts and offerings. I will be unveiling them right here, so check back often to hear the news!

And, it really is the start of the new school year for me. I am starting a three year course of study in Spiritual Direction, I am studying to become certified by the International Coach Federation, and I am enrolled in a spiritual intelligence class. Back to school for me, and I’m excited to be a student once more!

Blessings,

Kristin


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