Refueling the Engine

Taking my own advice is not one of my strong suits. But I hope that by dishing it out, I’ll better be able to pick it up and run with it. Or in this case, take a nap with it.

I’m talking about rest and recuperation. Our bodies thrive on the work-rest cycle. So do our minds.  But that doesn’t stop most of us from abusing the heck out of ourselves.

Celebrate Accomplishment

I just finished a big, brain-challenging project. Hooray for me!  I crossed the finish line — on my birthday, no less. And instead of breathing, smelling the roses, and sipping some iced tea on the deck, I started a list of things I need to accomplish over the next week. Well, OK, I did take myself to see a movie the next day, but I made myself promise to work over the weekend to make up for that. *sigh*

Working hard is not a bad thing. I’m not advocating total chaos and loss of control. But there is something wrong with this picture. There is no downtime worked into the deal. There needs to be.

If you just keep going and going for too long, parts of you start to give out. If you don’t shut down for a time in a planned and voluntary way, you might shut down at some point in a very unplanned and involuntary way.  I’ve seen this happen to people (some very close to me), and I hope that one of these days it’ll sink in enough to teach me to really do as I preach.  I’m getting there. Baby steps.

Power Down to Power Up

At the end of a long day, we go to sleep.  At the end of a long project, we should get a spa day. It scares the heck out of me, and I’m not sure I can do it, but I’m going to try to have an at-home spa day.  Well, maybe a half-day. I think that’s as far as my fevered “gotta get stuff done” self can stretch at this point.

Planning it out will help. So, here goes:

1. I’ll light some candles and play soft, soothing music.
2. I’ll apply a facial mask while the tub fills with aromatic, bubbly suds.
3. Luxuriating in the bath, I will allow myself to daydream about something other than “the next project.”
4. When I climb out of the tub, I’ll wrap my hair in a towel and my self in a warm terry robe, and I’ll lie down on the bed to rest. If I fall asleep, great.  No stress. Maybe I’ll even put some cucumber slices on my eyes.  Nah — waste of food.  Baby steps.

Will I really do this?  Can I?  We’ll see.  I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, do as I say!  Take a break. Plan it out and execute your plan. You can feel a sense of accomplishment about that too!

Avengers, Move Over – Here’s a Truly Heroic Tale

I’m all about heroes this month, what with The Avengers hitting theaters and all.  But that’s fantasy … in real life, heroes are people who struggle, battle uphill, overcome, have staying power, give others a hand to climb up in their path, and do their best to keep promises. Here’s to real heroes, and a big thank-you to my client, author David Seagraves, who came to me for interior layout and formatting of his book about just such a real hero.

David Seagraves has just published (via Prana Press) the book Uncommon Hero: The John Seagraves Story, an inspirational and historical account of his father’s life. If you enjoy history, WWII U.S. Navy stories, biographies of fascinating people, or motivating accounts of underdogs overcoming the odds, this is a book for you!  Here is the official book description:

“In Uncommon Hero: The John Seagraves Story, author David Seagraves chronicles the life of his father from John’s upbringing as a poor Southern youngster, through his exploits in the Navy during WWII, to a successful entrepreneur and present day world traveler still quite active in his mid-80s. Courage overcame his lack of education, social barriers, and lowly expectations opening doors to opportunities which helped shape and characterize him throughout his life. John served on Battleship USS North Carolina, the most successful and highly decorated battleship in U.S. Navy history. Over and above their individual duties, he and his gun crew volunteered to defend the ship with complete disregard for their own safety. On April 14, 1945, the 18-year-old sailor and his gun crew defended the ship from an attack which caught everyone else by surprise. Being the first gun group to spot and target a kamikaze plane headed directly toward them, John fired upon the deadly plane, downing the aircraft just 30 feet from the battleship. This isolated act saved untold lives and the ship’s legacy under the most severe circumstances. In a collision of American, African American and Navy history, John holds center stage having impacted the lives of many people before, during and after the war. The family man, with a tireless work ethic and drive to succeed, faced obstacles in the South and during WWII with enthusiasm, relocated and started a family in the North after the war, and found prosperity sharing his passion with the world. He continues to live a vibrant life as a restaurant owner with his wife Mildred. Uncommon Hero has been authored as a cathartic tribute, first, commemorating the man who came from nothing with an unknown past and whose powerful will created the life he wanted, second, offering insight into the core values that still inspire David. The book reveals traits, honed during wartime, which made his father a strong leader. While John’s story drives the book, the lessons underlying his actions provide a blueprint for a path to wealth for younger generations.”

In Case All Your Holiday Shopping Is NOT Done …

If you’re like me, you have people in your life for whom it is not easy to shop. But if they read and/or like movies, I have an idea for you.

Just in time for the holidays and that last-minute gift-buying scramble, the fabulous repository of some wonderful movie reviews and recommendations known as A BOOK FULL OF MOVIES is marked down!  That’s right, we’re having a sale!

Well, darn it, I don’t think it is relevant that everyone and his brother is having a sale after Thanksgiving.  It’s the thought that counts.  So there.

The paperback version that you can hold, bookmark, dog-ear, and fill with margin notes, checking off the movies you’ve seen, is now (drum roll, please)

just $16.95

Hurry!  It’ll go back up to $19.95 after the holidays.

You can buy it at my estore (CLICK HERE for estore) or at Amazon.com (CLICK HERE for Amazon).

 

There is also a Kindle version, which I don’t think is as cool, even though I just got a Kindle and can’t put it down (yes, I’m a big geek and have to play with all the buttons).  The digital formatting just doesn’t work as well for this book; go figure).  But if you want the electronic version, it is now

just $6.99

Like the paperback, it’ll go back up after the holidays.  CLICK HERE for the Kindle edition.

 

If you would rather have a simple PDF version for your PC or your Kindle (where the formatting stays as it was meant to be in this book), let me know, and we’ll make it happen!

Give a gift that keeps on giving!

(Yes, I promise volume is still “coming soon” … I am simply working with the extended sense of “soon.”)

Happy Holidays!

 

Lazy Computing: Some Helpful Shortcuts

I’m all for saving time, especially when you have to get something done that is tedious or downright boring. Heck, even when the work is fun or interesting, you can use that extra time to watch a favorite show that you recorded two weeks ago and haven’t had time to watch, or take a leisurely bubble-bath instead the usual three-minute shower.

Recently, an e-zine to which I subscribe sent out a brief article about keyboard shortcuts.  It got me thinking about all kinds of shortcuts.  So, here are a few of my favorites.  Put your feet up on your desk, and try a few.

Fast and Easy Templates

Some projects are repetitive. For example, I have several clients for whom I create the same or similar documents — only with updated information — every week or month. A great way to save time is to design the format of such documents once and then use that as a template.  The quickest way to do this is to open the document you designed and then click File > Save As (or the equivalent operation in whatever software you’re using) and give the document an updated name. Then, all you have to do is go in and change the information.  TA DA!  But be careful — make sure that you change everything in the document that needs to be updated — read through it thoroughly.  

Author, CEO, Philanthropist Bill Liao to Guest on ZOOM’D

On Monday, June 21, Bill Liao, respected entrepreneur and author of Stone Soup: The Secret Recipe for Making Something from Nothing, joins ZOOM’D to explore the Stone Soup way—a new philosophy of business, development, and living that combines age-old wisdom with contemporary insights and skills. Deriving inspiration from the important message embodied in the traditional folktale about stone soup, Bill engages a wide-ranging conversation about the outer world and our interior lives—and how business, NGOs, community groups, and all types of organizations can work together to create a meaningful revolution toward a better world. One focal point of the conversation and example of stone soup inspiration and potential is WeForest, an initiative intended to halt climate change by creating clouds that will cool the earth until a low-carbon miracle happens. Join Bill and ZOOM’D host John Schmidt as they investigate “Stone Soup and the secret recipe for making something from nothing.”

Bill Liao, Australian entrepreneur, philanthropist, diplomat and author, is co-founder of the social network XING and CEO of Finaxis AG, a privately-held financial services company. Bill is a special diplomatic envoy for St. Kitts and Nevis, with focus on sustainable development and the environment. He is founder and coordinator of Neo.org, a global citizenship initiative, and WeForest.com, which will reforest twenty million square kilometres of stripped land. He is dedicated to the vision that business and enterprise, conducted fairly and with respect for the environment, can and will improve work, life, and the world that we all share. This vision is captured in his book, Stone Soup: The Secret Recipe for Making Something from Nothing. Bill is a mentor to budding entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and a regular at conferences and seminars internationally, speaking about social media and networking, entrepreneurship, making something from nothing, sustainability and development.

Listen to all the ZOOM’D Leadership episodes on VoiceAmerica!