After 6 weeks of moving rocks, LOTS of rocks, removing 11 shrubs, caulking and painting every door and window on my own house, I then painted my parents’ house. Needless to say, I’m a bit tired. Today, my work space is much more sedentary. And who knew the coffee pot could be heavy?!?!

Physical work allows for lots of reflection and learning from podcasts! This is what I gained:

-Huge kudos and awe to my friends who have careers that require daily physical labor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I am grateful for my physical ability and I want to be as able bodied and minded as I can be for as long as possible!!!!
-Fuel your body and brain for the task at hand. My last day, I tuckered out. Then I realized, I had not eaten enough to fuel the work.
-Taking a break is important. We can’t always grind through the pain.

-Changing our daily routines is NOT easy. I learned I’m not as flexible in this area as I wanted to believe.
-As I have gotten older, I need more quiet than when I was younger.

-I still thrive doing meaningful work where I have well-defined responsibilities and the freedom to complete the quality I value.
-I greatly value self-sufficiency and a variety of skills.
-It’s important to not dwell on the imperfections. There will always be things that aren’t as clean, crisp, elegant as we would like.
-I love to just sit back and admire a job well done. A fresh painted house is the bomb!

-Having the right tools is always important regardless of workspace.
-Teamwork really does make the dreamwork. Having someone you trust to hold the ladder as you reach new heights is very reassuring.
-Having key people to support you while all you do is work is priceless.

-When you are overwhelmed with a huge project, remind yourself as often as needed, ‘just do the next step’. I said this COUNTLESS times moving rocks, painting window trim with and artist’s paint brush to get in the tight spaces from poor design/install, or days of dancing with the sun/shade to avoid tacky paint.
-Timing can make or break a project or a portion of a project. Don’t delay if you don’t have to. Start early or right away.

-I love listening to podcasts of people I know! It feels like I’m having a coffee with them and I get to learn more about them.
-Giving my talents as a gift allowed me to have more TIME with my parents!

I woke at 3:30 am worrying about a major life transition that I have little control over. I’m growing and expanding, and, trust me, it hurts like hell. As one does in the middle of the night during growing pains, you scroll on your phone.

After multiple posts in my feed about Simon being emotional from an AGT audition, I finally took the bait.

I watched Jane tell her story . . . which was hard to hear. Jane is only 30. She has been dealing with cancer for a few years. It’s back. She was at the audition alone.

Her stage name is Nightbirde.

Nightbirde sang an original song called “It’s Okay”. It’s about the last year of her life.

Wait, the lyrics! What did she just say? The stick of dynamite, everyone’s a little lost…

Then her song was over. There was a surprise pause until we all figured out that it was the end. It was really brilliant.

Then the dramatic editing for the Simon effect.  And the judges sharing their reactions and feedback.

Then, Jane, aka Nightbirde, dropped another bomb:

“You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

I did fall back asleep from my mid-night break, but this has stuck with me because it spoke to me right now at this place in my life.

It echoed painful times from the past.

It predicted future struggles yet to be.

It completely affirmed my 7 year journey of looking for the positive in every day, every. single. day. Every day, I write every day at least 7 positive things of sincere, significant meaning to me: prayer, learn, speak, gratitude, accomplishment, health, and intention.

Oh and don’t worry, I call out those nasty, mean gremlins. But I don’t let them hijack my life. Maybe several hours, but not my life anymore.

If you haven’t watched Nightbirde’s audition yet, please do.  Just click here, but only after you get your tissue. You’ll need it.

If you would like a Chakra Daily Writing Prompts guide, click here for your own.

I had a meeting to explore working with a new client recently.  As we were going over the project, a few things jumped out at me.

1. 60-70 slides for a 1 hour presentation.

2. The goal for the presentation was actually much broader than initially described.

3. This presentation would be given live by multiple presenters with a wide variety of public speaking skills.

So we discussed how to move forward on the project and the why behind the strategies.  Let me explain.

1. 60-70 slides for a 1 hour presentation.

That felt like a lot. 1 slide per minute or less. I had a vision of a strobe light, and glazed eyes of the audience.

But this also means that the audience is in constant alert for new information, which means constant cognitive processing. The ability to retain any of the content in the presentation is minimized.

So naturally, the question was asked: How many slides should we have?

And of course, I gave the most frustrating answer: I can’t say.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Remember this was an exploration call. So, once I have an overview of the core content and better understand the flow of information, I can look for ways to consolidate slides.

How will I do that?  I will use simple animation and visuals as much as possible.

2. The goal for the presentation was actually much broader than initially described.

I learned that the content needs to be valuable to industry professionals as well as the general public. This feels tricky as it spans from expert to novice. But the end goal is the same: understand and value the unique qualities of the product to buy it.

This shifted the strategy from educational to sales, from providing facts to building momentum, with an expectation of a decision at the end, a proverbial “YES” at the end.

How do we get a YES? We show the value. We keep it simple yet engaging.

3. This presentation would be given live by multiple presenters with a wide variety of public speaking skills.

Oh! This surprised me, but it is vital information. It will add this to my exploration calls!

This opened the door to put ‘script’ content in the Notes section. 

#1: This helps control messaging.

But equally important, it gives ALL presenters a chance to PRACTICE! They can video themselves giving the presentation, or work with peers or supervisors, or me, to practice and get feedback. 

Also, this may reveal hiccups in the presentation that the author and myself become too familiar with.

The client shared a story of giving a presentation that was designed to use the notes section. But when the moment came, there was not an easy way to see the notes. And this last minute snafu understandably threw off everything.

So we will test various scenarios and provide a pdf guide for how to give the best presentation possible.  Watch for this soon!

Invest up to 30-minutes to explore CallaPlan services. Select a time on our scheduling page here.

Today I say a prayer for my family who served in the military. I am grateful they came home, but their wounds were quiet.

What MEMORIES do you have of friends or family serving in the military? Did they share their stories, tell you about their experiences? How many people do you know that died during their service?

Have you had the opportunity to talk to them or others about their experiences? Have you had the opportunity to thank them for their service?

The commitment our military pays is not glory or humility, bravery or stoicism. For some it was required and others it is a decision and gift. I am grateful.

I wrote this in 2020:

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries for the 620,000 lost lives. Records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemoration was organized by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.

52 years later, my grandfather fought in WWI in France. He obviously survived, because I am here. But the atrocities he lived… I can’t imagine. World War I saw unprecedented levels of carnage and destruction from new military technologies and trench warfare. By the time the war was over more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

I only know that my grandfather was gassed with mustard gas. And his horse was shot out from under him while en route to bring a message to a general. The fact that he successfully continued on foot amazes me. He never ever spoke of his service to me.

He was never a man of many words other than asking me repeatedly if I could play “Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra, an Irish Lullaby”. His recliner was next to the piano in my grandparents’ home. He would softly sing the chorus when he’d ask, and he’d smile. “No grandpa. I don’t know how.” He asked enough that I told my piano teacher, my aunt, his daughter-in-law, “Grandpa keeps asking me to play this song.” She made a simplified arrangement for me. Based on my writing, I’m guessing I was 9.

I finally went to his house to surprise him and play it. He smiled so big and sang along as I hammered out my abilities. I still muck up my fingering in a few places 40+ years later.

I know he was full of sass, but he didn’t show it to me as a small child. He could fix ANYTHING!!!! And he did for the entire family, all the time. He had a large family. His first wife died after their 3rd child was born. He later remarried and had 7 more children. I have 27 cousins on this side of my family. He had a lot of houses to help keep running! And he worked maintenance in a factory. And his car and his workshop in the basement were always spotless.

The impacts of his experience as a soldier were profound. After his first wife died, he sought medical help. I don’t know any more details than that. But with what I have learned in more recent years, I am confident that his experiences have affected his family profoundly. Some in amazing ways. Many of us are have DIY, self-sufficiency abilities to fix, repair, make things for ourselves and others. He loved children. He was known to come scoop up grandchildren for excursions. Grandpa and Grandma made us ALL Christmas ornaments all year long for YEARS for our Christmas presents. Some in devastating ways. He lost 3 sons way too soon, 1 as an infant and 2 from differing brain tumors. His coping skills and silence didn’t always serve him well.

When I think of Memorial Day this year, I think of my grandfather. I am grateful for his service, his sacrifices, his survival, and ability to continue with his life despite WWI experiences. I think of the complexities of war and how it really impacts the human condition. And I worry about what young soldiers will face in the future. It is not glorious. It is horrific whether canons, bayonets, tanks, fighter jets, bombs, chemicals, nuclear submarines, drones, propaganda, or hackers. And as much as trench warfare and other technologies changed war strategies, I believe that today’s technologies make warfare more invisible, subtle, and cause grave danger to world peace and stability.

During the time frame from WWI, then The Spanish Flu, then the Great Depression, then WWII, Americans and the world suffered greatly. I am not interested in history repeating itself on those levels ever again. Most people today have little connection to what this was really like. We have experienced loss and hardship for sure, but nothing like this time frame.

May you take some time today to reflect on the true impact of war and human life, and may your values show in your daily actions.