Still in Austin

Being on the road is not a bad thing, but for some reason the work that happens at the home base seems to reach out and find you. Yes, we live in a connected world where "I can hear you now, I'm in DFW" and "I can hear you now, I'm in a meeting in Ausin." Yes, there is wireless in a hotel and I can blog from the ES, 4th floor.

Driving back into the city, where I'm staying, was very nice tonight. Even though I was on the phone and the Never Lost was dinging and commanding my turns (which I am grateful for) I was familiar enough with I-35 South so that I could enjoy the view of the city, seeing the capital (the building and the city) illuminated.

I did come to Austin, leaving the comfort of my home, my office and my routine, to do work. I was mildly irked as I gathered with my colleagues -- who are realtively new to me -- and one of them was buried in the computer, doing e-mail and chatting online with colleagues. None of us came here for our health and when I realized this person was way off task, I needed a move.

So, I attracted her attention and gently at first, but progressively went down a path of challenging her assumptions. I went to the point of aggravation, but set her up so that she would have to start making the points (which is what we needed for our work) that defended, but also articulated her position. It seems a little silly that I'd have to go down such a path to bring someone back to the table, but not everyone values minutes as much as I do, and there are probably few people that are as focused and try to conserve time and energy to the same extent as me.

Even though efficiency didn't reign, I did learn a lot yesterday and today. Making the contacts and learning about the technology was valuable and rewarding. Having the opportunity to lead, follow, and provide shape -- almost like a relay event -- is a skill-builder.

Lots more to talk about, but I do need to rest/recharge. Long day tomorrow, starting early, but culminating in travel home.

On the Road

I woke up in Chapel Hill this morning, but bed down in Austin tonight. There are some smart people here I needed to meet with and team up with on some innovation. Austin is a fun city and you can hear all kinds of live music if you hit the street. I should consider the well-balanced business trip which would include a reasonable mix of business and pleasure. Today, the focus has been on taming the dragons (which is preferable to slaying them because you can't ride on a dead dragon).

From Tension to Zero in 60 Minutes/60 Seconds

There are so many opportunities in our daily life where we encounter stressful situations which lead to physical and mental tension. Each of us has a personalized set of events that may adversely affect us, causing us stress, and nature has provided us with the physical ability to respond. However, our physiological response to stress is almost certainly much more than is needed for the majority of our trying encounters. In attending classes and practicing Yoga I’ve learned a skill that enables me to respond more appropriately in stressful situations. Being better equipped to deal with challenging interactions helps me to be more effective when it’s most important. The Yoga techniques taught in class help me slow down, relax, focus and become more capable in working through difficult and challenging problems.

Many years ago, I took a college class in Yoga. It seemed an unconventional class for me – an unconventional student – but was seemingly an easy way to satisfy one of four required physical education credits. I quickly realized that Yoga was not going to be an easy course. (Although Savasana, or the resting/relaxation pose, could have offered students a creative way to sleep through class.) The class turned out to be very challenging, and rewarding in ways I came to appreciate then and even more cognizant of now.

My personal trainer was responsible for renewing my interest in Yoga. Both my trainer and I are very driven, goal- and achievement-oriented people. Neither of us is of the mindset to stop climbing, even when we reach the top of the hill. She was routinely practicing Yoga and enjoying the benefits, and found that it offered a very nice change of pace from the day-to-day craziness. Her passion for Yoga was contagious and I was easily persuaded to attend a Saturday afternoon class early in 2004. The teacher was so effective that I was immediately drawn back into Yoga. I’ve regularly attended a variety of Yoga classes ever since.

During a busy day, we can generate a lot of momentum as we navigate through our complex agendas. With endless opportunities to pursue it’s easy to engage in so many things that we end up racing like hamsters on a wheel, hurriedly going nowhere and burning up a lot of energy. One of the benefits of a Yoga class is that we can learn how to slow down and we practice this in each class. The helpful life extension of Yoga is to remember how we slow down in class, and to train ourselves to slow down quickly when needed.

Many Yoga classes and practices begin by sitting quietly, providing focus on the breathing, and gradually releasing the thoughts that compete for our attention. The transition from chaos to calm, from distraction to deliberation is the path leading away from the accumulated stress and tension into a more relaxed and less harried state. One goal and benefit of Yoga is training to stop the wheels from turning quickly and smoothly. We start class taking long and even breaths, while sitting (or standing) still. In Yoga, we work to achieve a calm and relaxed state, and it is important to remember what this feels like and how to achieve this sensation so that we might return to this condition when needed.

After slowing down and focusing on our breathing we transition using gentle yet deliberate movements from one pose to another. There are many different poses, or asanas, that focus on strength, flexibility and balance – either individually or in combination. The instructor will take the class through a progression of asanas, or flow, and the progression is often influenced by the immediate needs of the class.

Starting with stillness, then working through postures, we transition from our daily pace into an introspective, relaxed, quiet state filled with self-awareness. The combination of deep breathing, gentle movements, and poses where we gain flexibility and strength take us to a quiet and peaceful condition. This physically and mentally relaxed state is a wonderful place to be and to return to, so it’s important to remember what this feels like and how we arrived. This a great place to return to quickly when we find ourselves in a chaotic or stressful situation.

Reflecting on my Yoga practice for guidance, here is what I do when I find the need to achieve calm quickly. The first step to return to quiet is with the breathing and I will take several long and deep breaths – just as I would at the beginning of a Yoga class. I will close my eyes (unless driving or in a heated discussion with co-workers). I allow the tension to leave the body by becoming aware of the points of tension in the body – neck, shoulders, back, etc. With the physical tension released, accompanied by long and controlled breaths, it’s good to then let the thoughts racing in the mind clear. With practice, I can routinely and quickly return to the relaxed and self-aware condition I learned how to achieve in Yoga. Then I can return to the stressful situation with a fresh perspective, renewed and vital, and well-equipped to resolve whatever dilemma is faced.

By routinely practicing the slowing down learned in Yoga class, we become familiar with this process. Learning how to slow down and being able to do so quickly gives us a new skill that allows us to quickly move toward a relaxed mind and body. Through control of our breath, we can gain control of our body. As we take over our body, we can ask our muscles to relax and release the tension that so often accompanies stressful or demanding situations. In this relaxed and controlled state, we can effectively deal with life events more effectively with an open mind and the fresh perspective that accompanies deep breathing and a relaxed body.

The Yoga class offers the opportunity to leave a stressful day and over the course of an hour or so, and for a vast majority of students renders them revitalized. The Yoga techniques when learned and practiced can take us from tension to relaxed much more quickly when we call on this in our daily lives. Sometimes people will go to a Yoga class and leave the class agitated, perhaps from the thundering quiet or the agitating stillness. These folks are most likely to benefit the most from Yoga. I confidently recommend exploration of Yoga to one and all as I have learned how to slow down quickly and gracefully.

Morning View

Sun is high
Sky in eye
Aim is high
Time to fly!

Great Progress on Friday

I was very pleased to learn today that one of the actions that I had taken enabled one of the team to shift perspective, gain confidence and add a lilt to the stride.

One of the team suggested that this person, in general, was really quite smart and talented but that this was locked up inside. There had been a lot of feedback through the development planning exercise that indicated a need for more hands-on, tactile learning about what we do. About a week ago, I passed the two folks in the hall and an idea struck which I immediately passed on.

I asked the person who had struggled through some recent learning to take the lead on technical vitality for folks who desired hands-on. I saw him light up, but when I got feedback from his colleague today I realized that by my showing confidence in this person and asking him to take on an important mission that he found himself revitalized. I had some other feedback about this person from another team member which correlated.

I always knew that you needed to empower people to enable them to achieve their best results. But I now realize that you have to assure the confidence in the person is in place to go along with the empowerment.

A vote of confidence in a person turns out to be a very potent message and aids in unlocking and enabling their potential, and is a wonderful complement to empowerment.

I also learned a lesson today about coaching "up." I have been blessed with rich experiences today.

Me 

psst. It's Thursday

Is today Wednesday or Thursday? Somehow the days got mixed up. I know, Yoga for Athletes on Wednesday, more traditional Yoga on Thursday.

I went back to the Thursday class based on some remarks about breathing that other teachers referenced. Even though I somehow feel "overlooked" in this class, it's a good session for Yoga and I'm glad to do it.

Today was one of those days where the pace was faster than normal. I found myself needing to hustle through some of the routine and slightly more significant to cover the ground needed. It was a productive day and I got engaged in an important forum for one of the futures.

There is a piano waiting for me, and I'll do a little before the slumber surrender.

Calling it Out

There are times when you have to call out things for what they are. In a case today, I had to call out that a representation of my position was completely inaccurate. It had been portrayed incorrectly, and most likely done to provide me as the problem rather than the person pointing the finger.

I first responded that the position was not correct, and in fact the way it had been positioned was bs. I settled -- more or less -- with the person who relayed the info and had my behavior incorrectly portrayed to them. I then did the research to determine how this position had been taken, to call it out, and to understand. I asked this person to please watch my back!

I then asked the person who gave the bad report about this, and basically he said the person who he had reported was misinformed.

No sense going deep on this, but I'm glad that I called bs bs.

Rest of the day went exceedingly well all the way through work, Yoga and piano.

Slightly Off

I found myself a little out of synch for training tonight. Not sure if it's not warming up adequately, not resting adequately, not doing enough cardio and having the metabolism high enough, or maybe it was just an off day. Some of the exercises seemed awkward, but maybe this was because they were new to me.

Otherwise, most things are going well.

Learning How to Give

In careful review of one childhood tenet -- It's better to give than to receive -- I'm examining what it means to give. Certainly, there's digging into your pocket and sharing with those in need. There's personal volunteering of time and skill to help make things better. There is the gift of something that you don't want to part with -- that gift that once given leaves you without something that you valued; the sacrifice. There is giving of yourself.

Of all the many gifts one might give, does it really matter which one is given? Is there a difference to the recipient of a gift of cash vs. a gift of self? Does this take us to the notion of better to give than to receive, and does this mean more if we give that which is most precious?

No answers to these questions. I do know that one of the easiest gifts to offer is that of one's thoughts and ideas, but this is one of the gifts that's often least appreciated or, perhaps the value of the gift isn't immediately recognized or realized.

I can reflect on lessons bestowed where the value wasn't immediately recognized, but the value realized later in life. And, sometimes it's most difficult to offer up the straight talk, so that could be a valuable gift but one that may not please the recipient.

More exploration on this subject another time...

Do The Things That Really Make a Difference

Given the choice of activities, it's always important to work on positively effecting the desired outcome. It could be in any area of endeaver -- work, play, art, sports, reading, writing.

By focusing on the activities and selecting the things that we do carefully, we can maintain a view of the outcome and work toward the desired state of things.

Road Trip

Even though the I40/I85/I26 route is relatively uninteresting, it offered an expeditious path to my mom's house. A straight drive with no breakneck speeds yielded just under 3.5 hours.

The surprise party was a lot of fun. It was neat to meet a lot of my mom's friends. Her friend, Joy, hosted a spectacular gathering for my mom and for her mom. The energy and generousity were quite overwhelming.

I was happy to see my mom in good spirit, good health, in the company of great friends, and living comfortably.

Private Yoga

It was my priviledge to have private instruction this morning in Yoga. My goal was to get feedback on postures that I "felt" like I was doing correctly. It was great to get 360 degree observation and corrections. I was happy to learn that I have one "photo" pose, which is reverse triangle. That was followed by the much more humbling forward folds where I have much to learn.

It was truly fabulous to have a teacher work with me who is highly-skilled in Yoga, extraordinarily intelligent in general, and most gifted as a teacher. The confluence of these attributes in one human is quite rare in my experience. I hope that I can always know people like this in my lifetime.

I'll do some serious saddle time on the road this weekend as I'm going to an event about four hours away. Four hours there means four hours back. Weather is a little rainy, but visibility appears good.

Spectacle du Yoga

I don't think I'll be able to describe the incredible postures, movements, feats of strength agility and balance, that I saw tonight. In fact, I asked the performers for a description in their words. Hallucinogenic is the term I remember that one of the performers used.

As I rest tonight, I'll see how much of the performance I can remember for the long term.

If I Read This Blog, What Would I Think?

Assuming I didn't know me, and I read this blog, what would I think about the person writing? Thoughtful, intelligent, insightful? Whiny, meandering, boring?

Truth be told, a person is none of these things. All are subjective descriptions characterize an interpretation of behavior.

What I Tried To Learn Today

It's important to learn lessons that enhance understand of one's self. When the feelings show up that aren't the kind of feelings we want to have lingering around, why not try to trace them back to their source?

In one particular thread, I found the origin being a mild disagreement on a point, followed by a description I didn't agree with. A touch of early evening tired followed by a perception of being overlooked lead to a rehash of another situation where I perceive there's little attention. While there is generally not universal agreement on all points, I personally enjoy the harmony rather than the dischord. It occurs to me the people like to be noticed, and like to be sought out. Many even enjoy having their attributes highlighted.

This really takes me back to policy of addressing the situation that makes me feel uncomfortable at the time when the outcome can be influenced. Along with this, the communication of the feeling to share the importance with other(s) is okay, as long as it's expressed rationally.

Hmm, not sure this is going anywhere. Page 2.

Unbelievable

I am trying to absorb what I saw happen with a supplier today. Naturally, I can't talk about it here but it was most irksome. My policy states that "I should channel the feelings that I have on this matter in the forum where the change can be effected." I invited these folks to reintroduce themselves to me.

Yoga tonight was fab, and I'm looking forward to piano -- which I'm getting ready for now.

Double-header on Tuesday

What a fabulous day. I got to cycle in the morning, train in the evening, had a meeting with someone today that I've been trying to meet for a year.

The cycling class was fascinating in that it was a study in breathing. Running at a reasonable cardio rate for a sustained period of time seemed to unlock a store of energy that lasted through most of the day (until normal daily trough around six-ish). Just goes to show that you don't have to pound out the workout.

The Tuesday evening training session also increases my energy level on Tuesday night. I'll be feeling good for another few hours, then hopefully sleep peacefully and through the night.

Why am I Tired at the End of the Day?

It's Monday night and I'm feeling tapped. Is it because I need to physically rest after 5 1/2 hours of Yoga and two hours of floor work over the weekend? Is it because I've been up for about 16 hours and active for most of them? Is it because I wear down a little at some of the requests I field and the energy spent on things that may not effect the outcome? Maybe it's a little of all these things.

I did find myself getting slightly annoyed at the persistence of one individual who kept badgering at one point. While I didn't provide full effort on this item, I tried to not ignore it and handled with the minimum amount of effort. I did this by rewiring the problem back to the folks who should have exchanged the information and gotten the data correct in the first place. Even thinking about it now is mildly aggravating. (So, enough on this -- can't work it now -- will work it when it comes back up -- hopefully, never again.)

There was a work event where I got coached (if not flagged) on my perspective of some executive assistance. I admitted to the language, and suggested my words reflected the way the situation had been portrayed to me -- with one name mentioned. When I mentioned the name, the "do it to us" concept was probably understood. Anyway, no further coaching after the name-dropping.

I was very happy to see the GM, who was in good spirits and found the way to playfully engage. I probably gushed positive, but it was done sincerely. I acted like I felt and I did so naturally. I was truly happy to see the person and glad to share the positive outlook for good things to come. My position should be valuable and backed up by the results. We'll see as we move into the year and the newly minted try their wings under severe resource constraints. Watch out for the sun, Icarus.

I think I can do a chapter a day in French and finish the book and review this month (it's the 16th and I finished chapter 14 today) and next month before French 2 begins.

I'm looking forward to the surprise this weekend, but not the driving. I want to go to the Yoga theatre Friday, but really would like to find someone else interested in this to go with and discuss. I'm REALLY looking forward to private Yoga on Saturday.

Friends

Lots of fun having dinner and partying with friends tonight. I felt bad wanting to leave early, but I was tired and it is a work night for me. Looking forward to upcoming events.

Yoga with a twist (twisted Yoga)

There's nothing quite as enjoyable as a two-hour Yoga class where there's plenty of time to do lots, and to focus on doing these things well. Sabine is a fabulous teacher and light-hearted enough to make it really fun. She's got just the right edge to cut through the more challenging parts of Yoga and enables a full room of people to enjoy.

Yoga and Rest

Saturday was good for Yoga as I got to do two sessions, totatlling about 2.5 hours of Yoga. The morning flow session was deep as well as intense. The afternoon sessions was quiet but somewhat intense. I felt new sensations along the side after doing turned side-angle and triangle poses.

I felt physically calm after the Yoga, and was pretty much in a restful state. Went out to look at some property, shop for iPod cover (too many choices), light dinner and movie.

Early evening with piano and rest.

Friday with Friends

It was pleasant to spend the evening with friends, and share notes on how our kids have grown, accepted responsiblity, and accomplished in different areas.

I recognized that I like to be represented in a way that is faithful to my belief and had to work to correct one story. I should just let this go, but since it was a little troubling I felt the need for closure.

Looking forward to some rest this weekend as a lot of effort was applied during the week, mostly at work. Sunday morning Yoga is almost certain, and I'm not sure what I'll do for exercise on Saturday.

It's late now, and a good time to unwind.

I Get Paid to be Patient!

Another fun and challenging day at the office (dear). I found myself running mostly back to back as I'm doing a lot of personnel work. I found one particularly challenging situation with a person who is running a little on the negative side. While I appreciate the sentiment and the motivation for it, there is a limit to how much venting is productive and in what forum is it appropriate. Certainly a group sigh is okay, but that must be followed by a deep breath in.

I did get some strong positive, though, from another member who described the opportunity as so abundant that it was difficult to know where to start the harvest. My goal is to always keep the soil ready for planting, while I must also remember when to sew my own seeds.

Yoga class tonight was very good. I was startled during savasana by a painful cry from a classmate. The sound of human despair abruptly occuring during deep relaxation was way out of the ordinary. I waited until the end of class, which was only a few minutes after the interruption and went over to offer comfort. I really didn't know if going over during class was okay, and the instructor went over as well after class rather than during the close. What was even more startling was that the person is normally very focused, upbeat, positive, and I never would have imagined the description of the situation that I received.

The explanation was partially puzzling: that the narrative during savasana helped the person to realize the transition from one side to the other across an expanse that was unknown, and unidentified. It's sort of like arriving at a destination, having missed part of the journey and not really sure why you're travelling in the first place. Even more strange is that I understood at an emotional level where it didn't make much sense from an intellectual level.

And we think we humans are smart...

The Longest Day

Wednesday ends up being the longest day of the week, today beginning with an early start at the office and finishing after piano. I recognized the need to break around 5, and got to Yoga early. There, I had the opportunity to do a little early relaxing, breathing, and a couple of simple postures.

The class was packed, but we still had room to work. I was happy to hear from someone behind me that my form was good, my movements smooth and that I was a model for him (since he couldn't see the teacher).

Piano is coming along. (Practice makes such a big difference come lesson time.) Learning more of the new Ravel piece and communicating well with my teacher. It's the end of a long day for both of us, but it ended up well today.

Practice What We Preach

I did a run today on channeling the feelings in the forum where the outcome can be affected. The feelings were brought forth honestly and were received and understood. The true test, however, is the desired outcome. My concern is that without a chronic and persistent chase that the status quo remains. There is a point in time where the target outcome must change in order to realize the intent.

My outward appearance brought at least one to the conclusion that I'd had a rough time today. While part of the negotiating was a little trying, I think the big drain was continuous effort with no time for assimilation. There is significance to the intermediate stops along the daily journey. The absence of these stops seems to compound the toil. So, take breaks.

Next step is to investigate the other opportunities available. It takes time to nurture and grow opportunities, or so it seems.

Monday

Work went mostly according to schedule today with my personal productivity at a high level. With few exceptions, my day went according to plan and I accomplished what I set out to do.

Yoga class was fabulous with the teacher coming to class fresh out of continuing/expanded ed. It was great to be the beneficiary of her renewed enthusiasm and updated knowledge.

I did some PD at home tonight for a computer problem that was accompanied by high emotion. It took about an hour to debug and, as expected, the problem was configuration settings. It just took the time to find out how the system worked and which settings needed to be modified. I'm glad the problem worked out and that relief accompanied the solution.

In the middle of this, I got a half hour of piano in and haven't studied French yet. Still time tonight to carry on.

Sunday in Columbus

As I wathched the morning emerge outside the windows of my mother's home, I remembered that each day offers a fresh start -- a clean sheet of paper; a blank canvas. If by choice we allow it, an infinite number of new possibilites are open to us for an equal number of new experiences. We can continue to work on projects in flight, such as our physical well-being. We can take the time to consider something totally new -- either that that comes to us instantaneously, or that we seek with open eyes.

If the day is a marathon and not a sprint, who do we preserve the freshness of morning through the day? One idea is the restorative periods of assimilation that we should allow for. A little downhill stroll after a long climb gives us the recharge cycle needed.

Timing

There is always that time in the middle of the night, or first thing in the morning, or some moment during our waking hours where that rush of frustration, panic, anger, anxiety or other sensation emerges. While these feelings are largely coupled to emotions and while emotions don't necessarily contribute to solving a problem or changing a situation, the feelings definitely creep into the foreground of our thoughts. For troubling situations, the recurring presence of these nagging thoughts gets in the way of our agenda.

So often we're told to control our feelings, or keep them to ourselves. There is the idea that letting out your feelings shows you as weak, or out of control. While that may well be true -- especially if the behavior driven by your feelings is inappropriate at the time you're driven by your feelings.

However, there is probably a good time to release and share the feelings. Is it possible that sharing the feelings in an appropriate setting -- such as working with a colleague with whom you're, say, frustrated? If feelings and emotions are part and parcel of the human being and experience, then the exchange of feelings along with the exchange of ideas needed to relieve the anger, frustration, etc. may be a very positive step toward making the changes needed for personal relief.

As an example, if I go day to day without expressing to a co-worker a situation that I would like to see changed and I continue to see no change, shouldn't I emphasize the need for change by sharing the feeling? At a minimum, isn't it better to share the feeling with the agents needed to make the change?

Maybe the best thought on this subject is that one shouldn't experience the negative impact alone. Maybe it's better to save the feelings until the time when they can be shared with the change agents -- postpone the midnight rush of anxiety until you can be with the group needed to change the situation? Probably, yes. I'm sure I'd be the hero to many if I had the recipe for turning off anxiety immediately, knowing that there is a better time to experience it. What may be most critical is to control the behavior -- which could be inappropriate -- and to channel the emotion, which could be a contribution to changing things as desired.

First Week of 2006

Much of this week involved work. And, then there was work. Yet nestled between work sessions were Yoga, personal training, piano lesson and practice, study of French, discussions with people close to me and other fun stuff. Business results were better than planned, better than expected so that is good. So the best play for work is to lead the team to the next level, be more efficient and effective overall, and get smarter than others in the same business.

We're going to do the rain date for my Mom's birthday and Christmas this weekend. Even though this means saddle time in the car for many hours, it will be good to share the time with my family. This year has many other interesting events and as we proceed the activity density will increase -- college tours, app, acceptance and decision; seminars and travel; places I may go, etc.

The combination of opportunities and blessings is humbling, and leaves me compelled to make the most out of all things I do.

Self-worth

It's a difficult challenge to get through life if we define our sense of self-worth by those around us. Sure, a teacher can give us a grade, a boss can give us a raise, a parent can tell us we did well. But, there is a point in time where we have to decide for ourselves how we want to feel about ourselves.

If we wait for someone else to tell us how well we did, we may be waiting a really long time. If we need that encouragement from others -- which we all do from time to time -- we should find the environment that is supportive and positive. Should we need to express feelings to others that indicate we don't feel good about ourselves, we should first and foremost be honest about our feelings, but we should also realize that we don't have to accept feelings other than those we want to accept.

In creating an environment for growth, it's important that everyone has an opportunity to contribute, grow and learn. There's value in learning how to play the different positions even though you want the best players in their strongest positions at game time. Having the strong only do what they always have done doesn't lead to growth. At some point, the apex is reached. In a learning environment, the goal is growth.

Tapped?

At the end of Wednesday, after full work, Yoga, Piano, and stuff I'm finding myself a wee bit tapped out. With the tiredness comes a little feeling of anxiety, or impatience. I noticed it first in Yoga where it seemed just a little cramped tonight and hands and feet "encroaching" my space, in my face. I think that might bug me even if I wasn't weary. Or, was the anxiety prompted by the latte just before Yoga? Leaning toward the lack of personal space.

Two more days of work this week, with fun stuff to do. Travelling to see Mom this weekend and see how she's doing. Need to find some rest along the way. Don't forget the feeling of calm and relaxation gained after vacation and a few days off. Just remember that space and return to it :)

My First Blog

Today is a great day to stay in the moment. With all the many activities there are to do, thinking about them all at once will jam up the brain and create tension and anxiety. Breathe through any points of mental congestion. Take the time between tasks to assimilate what was learned and take note of what must be remembered.

Enjoy the interactions and make each one special as each interaction is unique.

No, I'm not writing a heady, new-age advice column -- but I probably could!

Good Day

It was a good day to get back to work. While I'd been keeping up with my e-mail while on vacation and saved the things that needed my attention when I got back, I realized that there is much more to work than just doing e-mail. I found a full and rich set of activities waiting for me to engage in and did so refreshed and revitalized.

Training was great tonight and there were lots of new, interesting and challenging exercises to learn and enjoy.

Back to Work

The new year begins for work. It's the year to be more efficient and focus more on use of time. It will be a good year -- a great year. Business will grow because of people and planning.

Last Day of Vacation

I have very much enjoyed my vacation. The good news is that I've kept up with my work for the most part and won't have to pour through piles of e-mail. January will be a busy month at work, so it is important to plan and to pace.

Today is rainy and cool outside (50) and a nice day to remain inside, study French, practice piano, and tidy up here and there. I caught up on some bookkeeping, but am not quite current. In addition to my normal things, I would like to add an organized home office to the mix of desired outcomes. I'm at the point where I start making tradeoffs of my time at home. I think the best approach is to always leave the room just a little better than when you entered it. At some point, there's nothing left to do. (Not a bad idea for a habit in general -- leave it just a little better than you found it!)

I went to Yoga today and the regular teacher was a no-show. Marie F. showed up as a student, but just so happened to be qualified to teach and under agreement with the center. She did an outstanding job, and it was really great to see someone rally.

I'll see SR at cyco tonight, but plan to use up the cyco passes. Triangle is a better center, is closer, has a more interesting selection of classes, and so on. However, there are great people at cyco and I've learned a lot there and advanced my skill.

Happy New Year

My First Blog
We're back from Paris, but still waking up at four in the morning. It's kind of cool to wake up early and watch movies, or Daily Show recordings. Yet in a couple of days I'll need to wake up earlier to avoid the irresistable urge to go to sleep by ten at night.

I got to do some great Yoga over the past two days and found the first of two sessions a little more challenging. I also did my floor workout today and found that went smoothly.

When asked about my NY resolution, I quickly replied that I'll continue to work on my French, my physical well-being, piano, my career and my family. That means I'm not really taking on any new ventures this year. As much as anything, I want to be more efficient as well as more effective. That really translates to organizing and using time wisely.