Sallie Felton, co-author of the e-book "Clutter Free and Clear: Take Charge of Your Time and Space" joined me today on Beyond Lip Service. Sallie challenged us to reflect on the waus that clutter effects us, while defining clutter in three broad categories:

1. material
2. physical
3. emotional

She suggests setting non-negotiable appointments with ourselves to get specific tasks accomplished, actually scheduling them in your day planner.

Take the task and break it into 15 to 30 time segments makes it more manageable. One of her suggestions was to put on a 30 minute CD and work on the task until the music stopped. I thought of it as task musical-chairs; with a little discipline  (keeping the appointments with yourself) all the chairs (tasks) will be removed as you go! Clutter can overwhelm us, Sallie mentioned that when we fudge on our appointments with ourselves we are really making the statement "I’m really not that important. I can let it slide…" Would you let your kids or someone else important in your life "slide?"

Speaking of kids, listen into the last 8 minutes of the May 5th Beyond Lip Service where we talk about great things to do with kids artwork… some things I never thought of. Drop me a comment or note share some of your declutter ideas.

LISTEN IN!

More about Sallie:

Sallie Felton, CMC, ACC has been a life coach and transitional specialist for 20 years. Her strength is she uses her client’s individual strengths to create and support his/her successful life goals.

Her expertise is regularly experienced by individuals all over the U.S. and

abroad through her renowned radio show, A Fresh Start with Sallie Felton, which  is broadcast live in Seattle on 106.9 FM HD Channel 3 and is available via the  WorldWide Web, Telstar Satellite Network and UpSnap Mobile Entertainment.

Sallie is co-author of the e-Book Clutter Free & Clear: Take Charge of Your Time and Space,  she is a bi-monthly contributor to Boomer Coffee House, and is a speaker and workshop facilitator, for information, visit www.salliefeltonlifecoach.com

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A parting thought is that your environment feeds your soul… start where you stand, set small, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-oriented tasks. You’ll be where you want to be in no time at all…

Have a great day whatever your adventure.
Sharon

My friend Dave gave me a great book the other day… It is a collection of Elbert Hubbard’s epigrams titled "A Thousand and One Epigrams."

I had given Dave a pre-release copy of Michael Port’s latest book "The Think Big Manifesto" for his recent plane trip… he found the "Manifesto" inspiring and returned the favor with an inspiring book for my trip. I began reading "1001" on the flight to Philly, I love how this book turns a phrase even when it is not an epigram. Elbert defines epigram as "a condensed nugget of wisdom and wit, flavored with a surprise…" How cool is that definition?

I will be tweeting many of them soon, but two of my favorites from Elbert are:

—"Do unto others as though you were the other."

—"You are what you think, and not what you think you are."

Elbert was Dave’s great uncle. He was quite an ad man, PR guy and writer in his day until his death on the S.S. Lusitania on May 7, 1915. Thanks, Dave… you do know how I love a gifted wordsmith.

Another favorite is, "An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all."  I might add "or big or bold" after dangerous. "An idea that is not dangerous or big or bold is unworthy of being called an idea at all."

As I was reading that epigram, I thought of why I was headed to Philly… I’m here with Michael Port, because today, he just released his 4th and absolutely best book by far: "The Think Big Manifesto: Think You Can’t Change Your Life (and the World)? Think Again."

Big, bold ideas that create action are needed today.

Since I met Michael several years ago, I have heard about his passion to write this book. With his "Book Yourself Solid" series and now "The Think Big Manifesto" he has challenged me to think bigger about who I am and what I offer the world. His passion is now out in print and it’s inspiring, compelling and challenging!

I encourage you to read the "Manifesto." The sooner the better because, today is the day to get the book and score some seriously neat free stuff.

LINK
www.thinkbigmanifesto.com

Once you read it, let me know what you think? What are the bigger, bolder things you will offer the world?
http://twitter.com/ssayler
http://twitter.com/beyondlipsvc

As many of you know, my Blog talk Radio Show is call Beyond Lip Service and the tagline is "Be bold. Life is about taking action."  Tomorrow, Tuesday the 28th 10 am Pacific is a great, prerecorded show with Gary Phillips (www.artofsafety.ca) on "Bold Communication in the Workplace," so what better way to sign off than with this epigram from Elbert about taking action: "An ounce of performance is worth a pound of preachment."

Have a great day whatever your adventure
To success! To life!
Sharon
http://twitter.com/ssayler
http://twitter.com/beyondlipsvc

“…If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought…”
~George Orwell

At times, things just come out of my mouth… and it’s not until it falls out of my mouth that I’m aware it has an assumption (or two.)  Last week, I was trying to express myself to my friend Sparks; it just wasn’t as clear as it could have been.  In response, instead of frustration, pushing or prodding I hear 3 wonderful words… “Tell me more.”

Respectful Inquiry

It is amazing how things just seem to align… last Tuesday on our Blog Talk Radio show Beyond Lip Service (www.blogtalkradio.com/beyondlipservice), I had the pleasure of interviewing Marian Way (www.apricotisland.com/). Her specialty is Clean Language*, a process for helping others explores their own metaphors, and gain insights into their thinking and behaviors. As the name implies, it is ‘clean / neutral.’ It is also very flexible.

Clean Language started as a therapeutic tool, but can be used with everyday events, including:

• Interviewing
• Modeling different skills and perceptions
• Coaching and feedback
• Meetings and job appraisals
• Team building and decision-making
• Self-discovery and exploration

Clean Language strives to put our assumptions aside to let the other person be heard and understood. That’s when the beauty of “tell me more,” became apparent. Now, “tell me more” is not Clean Language, but it serves a similar purpose…

Consider a statement as simple as  “What are you thinking?” Seems tame enough, yet it assumes that they are thinking something. So it could be changed to, “Are you thinking anything?” Yet, that still assumes they are thinking. Changing the statement to be ‘clean / neutral’ “Is there anything else about that?” could include thinking or feeling or listening or hearing…

Some Clean Language phrases that can be slipped into a conversation are:

•  “What kind of … is that?”
• “Is there anything else about that?”
•  “What would you like?”

The key to using Clean Language and thoughtful communication is not trying to make anything happen. I find again and again, that others have their own answers, and creating an assumption and belief-free zone for someone to discover their own insights is respectful and more effective than any remedy I may come up with.
 
To learn more about Clean Language and Marian Way, visit www.apricotisland.com

“The human soul doesn’t want to be fixed, it simply wants to be seen and heard. The soul is like a wild animal – tough, resilient and shy. When we go crashing through the woods shouting for it to come out so we can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may show itself. ~ “The Courage to Teach” ~ Parker J. Palmer”
 

Have a great day whatever your adventure

To Success! To Life!

Sharon

*Clean Language was developed by psychotherapist, David Grove, as a way to keep his assumptions at bay, so he could work directly with his clients’ perceptions.

p.s. Tuesday’s guest is going to be great and maybe a bit controversial… Neil Ducoff, author of No Compromise Leadership. Neil states "The truth is, America’s economy was brought down by compromise. And we’re all paying the price for it.  With millions out of work, and no tangible let-up yet in sight, what can business leaders and owners – whether large corporations or mom-and-pop enterprises – do to save their companies and survive? He contends we will require a game- changing paradigm shift….  

Join me this Tuesday April 14th at 1:00PM Eastern/10AM Pacific for Beyond Lip Service at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/beyondlipservice

My friend Stephen attended a workshop over last weekend. As he relayed the event, he commented that the instructor had a favorite response to many questions… “Your choice.”

It is our choice, isn’t it? Yet, life doesn’t always feel as simple as those two words make it seem.

Sometimes, you have to make hard choices and sometimes the right choice isn’t very clear. Thinking about making a tough choice, first try to reflect on the law of unintended consequences… each time a choice is made other things will change. If possible, allow time to explore the benefits and risks involved in changing or not.

When faced with a hard decision, here are CHOICE keys to consider:

Choose one decision at a time. Revisit your goals and values and examine alternatives. This is a good time to check in with both your heart and head. What do you feel and think about the decision?

Honor those affected by your choice. Be proactive and inform them first. Do not play games or beat around the bush. Be transparent.

Open your communication and say what you mean. Use whole messages. A whole message has 4 parts; a description of the need for the decision, your thoughts around the decision (beliefs, values, goals,) your feelings about the decisions (your opinion or interpretation,) and your desired outcomes for the decision.

Independent balanced with interdependent. Respect there will be differences. One can still care about someone who has different ideas, interests, and opinions to your own. If you expect them to respect your choices one must respect someone else’s choices and opinions as well.

Courage to know your boundaries and maintain a commitment to the decision. This is not to imply that sometimes decisions cannot change, but be alert to pressures that go against your decision.

Endorse your decision, endure your choice, enjoy your outcome… I came up with so many “E”s it was hard to choose…
 

Have a great day whatever your adventure

Sharon

The Teleseminar on March 25th is canceled, thanks to a very bad cold. We will reschedule soon.