Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Biggest Loser

I love NBC's "The Biggest Loser." My husband and I take time to watch it each week (while eating a healthy snack of course!) and are regularly blown away by what the contestants are able to accomplish. One of the things that I enjoy so much about "TBL" is witnessing the contestants reach what they once perceived as unreachable milestones. In addition to their own commitment, they do this with a lot of support and resources. Awesome support (trainers and teammates) and awesome resources (have you seen that gym?)! Sounds like a pretty great formula for success to me: Commitment+support+resources. 

So it makes me think about what seems unreachable to me. Will I shoot for it anyway? Do you? How strong is my commitment? What about yours? Am I in touch with my support systems? Are you? How about resources? How can this formula help me (an you!) reach your milestone?

We may not be on a tv show, but we can all commit to making ourselves and the world a better place. I'm going for it. Are you?

Kristen H.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Sometimes We Forget

I recently got this quote from a daily e-mail I receive from the Foundation for a Better Life .

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” –Woodrow Wilson

Sometimes in the routine of everyday life, I forget why I am really here. And I don’t mean, here as in sitting at my desk typing this post, but why was I put in this place to do this work. I was talking to a friend about this topic recently and they said they felt the same way. Now their “day job” is much different than mine, but it made me think that this is something that lots of people struggle with.

I believe no matter where you are working, this quote rings true. We are all here to enrich the world. So if this is something that others are contemplating, I figure there have to be ways to remember and not get caught up in the tasks list, phone calls, and emails that consume our daily lives. How do you do it? How do you remember why you are doing the work you do?

Kristen Y

Thursday, April 9, 2009

25,000 mornings.

On TV, I recently saw a great commercial. It started with...


"Twenty-five thousand mornings, give or take, is all we humans get."


So what haven't you done, that you want to?

What haven't you said, but want to?


We all need you to be your best. To do the things you dream.

To be the person now, you have wanted to be all along.


The clock is ticking. What will you start today?



Thursday, April 2, 2009

It's Just Words.

I was in a recent discussion with a friend about marriage and commitment. Our conversation centered around how and why divorce happens. What happens when your partner doesn't end up sharing the same commitment as you? What can you do? As someone who comes from a divorced family, I was particularly intrigued.

My friend said, "In the end, they are just words."

Wow. I had to stop and think about that. Is that really true? My friend and I both want our words to be congruent with what we do - but what happens if and when others don't agree or don't follow through? And certainly I know I'm not perfect and haven't followed through with every single commitment I said I would do. Heck, I'm not even married, so I can't even begin to provide advice regarding marriage.

But this "actions are louder than words" piece is sticking with me - and, I have definitely dealt with it in other areas of life - personally, professionally, etc. I also know I am not alone.

How do you best have conversations with others about congruence? Without leaving them feeling as though you are judging them. Without coming across as "I'm better than you." How can we best teach the next generation of leaders?

Because in the end, it's more than just words.

Mike