Workshop Brings Out the Big Guys

As you all know, I recently presented a workshop called, "Your Hidden Potential: Discover Talents You Never Knew You Had." I know it was a success because I'm ready to do it again.  If I'd found myself not enjoying it at all, I would've thought, "Okay.  That was an experiment that will probably not be repeated again in my lifetime."

But I really think workshops are a great venue for me.  I believe I loved every aspect of it, from the creation of the slides to the publicity to the actual event itself.  I loved meeting new people and hearing their insights about talents. I enjoyed sharing all of the research that I've accumulated over the years with receptive ears. And fortunately I had some great participants, many of whom said they found what I had to say very refreshing.

So it's all good, right?

Here We Go Again... Or Not!

Being the perfectionist that I am, as soon as the seminar was over I began mentally checking off the things that weren't exactly how I wanted them to be. But even so, I can happily say that my self-critique remained just that: a critique.  It didn't turn into critical self-sabotage, which is what would've happened many years ago.  I've been working hard (and succeeding much of the time!) at finding that fine line between acknowledging the inevitable flaws that come with a first time anything- in this case it was doing my talents workshop for the public- and appreciating what worked really well. I also found myself hearing and believing the compliments that came from participants, which has not always been a given for me.

Now, in case you too are a perfectionist and feel as if you will never manage your own inner critic, I have some words for you: if I can do it, anyone can. My nasty little inner critic had resided in my brain for so long, I wasn't even charging him rent anymore.  He'd made himself right at home, to the point I didn't even recognize when my thought process centered around his shaming.

But recognition is a powerful weapon. I've learned that when my inner critic is hanging around I begin hearing lots of "should have's," to the tune of, "I should have done it this way... what was I thinking?  How did I miss that when I was preparing??!!"  And then the negative thoughts begin to spiral down to the point that everything I do seems pointless.  

(Not to brag or anything, but my inner critic could argue in front of the Supreme Court- he's THAT good.)

The Big Guys

But as I got better at recognizing my inner critic's antics I've made sure to evict him promptly from my mind, especially before he gets his arguments going. I oust him by immediately replacing his "should have's" with "could's." In other words, instead of going down the path of thinking how I regretfully should have done things differently, I think of how I could take it to the next level and do things even better next time.  Thinking of possibilities and tweaking existing work are my brain's forte, which means I'm bringing out The Big Guys - my driving talents- to tackle my inner critic. They are strong, objective and instantly effective. I've found that Mr. Inner Critic is no match for The Big Guys!

So now that I've tackled my first public workshop I can't wait for my next one.  You can bet it will be BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER! And I'll be sure to invite you when I set a date.

As for Mr. Inner Critic?  That dude will most certainly not be receiving an invitation.

Natural Gifts

“In times of stress or pressure, our acquired skills often desert us, and we panic.”

-Margaret E. Broadley

Your Natural Gifts  

Why I Succumb to the Thumb

Via Flickr

I never sucked my thumb. (I was a paci girl!)

My children never sucked their thumbs (which was lucky for us.)

So why am I now succumbing to the thumb?

As in, the Facebook Thumb?

via Flickr: ksayer1

After much debate, I have a business page on good ole FB. Lest you think me a complete luddite, however, I'll have you know that I've had a personal page for quite a while... but, cough, never used it much cough cough.

And currently, as I write this sentence, my business page says that I launched it "20 hours ago." However, from what I can tell, everyone else's FB business pages say, "launched 20 years ago." Which is questionable, since Mr. Zuckerberg wasn't even alive back then.

(Or maybe he was a toddler.  I've no idea.)

Anyway, here's why, up until a few days ago, I thought Facebook pretty much Zucked:

1) I NEVER wanted to know who ate Tostitos while watching the hockey game last night.

Or who liked the fact that that individual did that and then liked that she liked that ... and where that monumental revelation occurs on someone's timeline.

2) I had concerns about someone "liking" their own status.

Or commenting on their own update.  In my mind, it equates to a person addressing herself in the third person. And I am forced to wonder, is this the new way of communicating offline as well? Will FB permeate regular dialogue?

Perhaps I'll do a little experiment. At my next cocktail party I'll try saying, "It's been nice talking to you, but Katie would now like to go tear into some of those bacon-covered shrimp thingies. And then she'll let you know if she likes them by giving you one thumb up.

3) I wondered how everyone all the way to Venus and back could share everything safely, without some sort of Invasion of the Life Snatchers happening.

Here's a satirical segment I recently saw on The Onion.  The gist of it is this:

Q: When the CIA wanted to legally infiltrate people's every life detail, what did they do?
A: They started Facebook.

(Okay, well, I thought it was kinda funny. A little Zucked up, but funny.)

Via Flickr: ksayer1

Like It!

So why did I decide to switch over and enter this brave new world?

(Like I even have to tell you; everyone but me has known the answer for like, 20 years.)

Because I'm realizing that:

1) I kind of "like" how efficient and revolutionary it is.

Now I can connect with people I love connecting with but don't have the time to offline.

2) It has an incredibly good design.

I'm all about good design that has almost universal appeal.  Because I don't go for trends too much, being a non-conformist by nature, I tend to seek out innovations that are excellent to use, allow for individualistic experiences and are progressively beneficial.

3) I have business needs.

Since the world is on Facebook, I need to be there too.  (I know, I know. Duh!!)

So Please 

(now that you know I'm a convert) 

Won't You, O Won't You, Gimme a Thumbs Up?!!

If you happen to be thumbing through Facebook, which, statistically speaking, you just did less than five minutes ago, be sure to check out my new business page at:

https://www.facebook.com/growcareercoach

And let me know if you "like" it!

P.S. 

Don't get me started on the Twitter Bird. 'Cause I've Zuckumbed to that one too. (Or have I been Dorseyfied?)