Have a Safe and Enjoyable Thanksgiving Week as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As. “Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach LIFE IS GOOD
Thanksgiving Perspectives then and Now…
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Tag Archives: Mindfulness
April Reflections and PRESENCE
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This April during the last 16 days of the month, many people will be practicing their traditions of worship. It is a time of reflection of who they are, how they relate to people in their community and the world at large. Reflection takes place to recognize shortcomings and how to define a place in their life with humility and courage. The Poet John O’Donohue explains the beauty of self-transformation by describing how we change without knowing we have it within ourselves to do so:
FOR PRESENCE – Awaken to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your own senses.
Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow it’s path.
Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.
May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.
May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of soul.
Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.
Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.
Enjoy yourself as your reflection of who You Choose to be Known As results in a positive experience for you in your business and personal life! Happy Holiday to those of you who are celebrating! Here follows an anagram to consider during this Holiday:
E asy to gaze out the window
T rying to forget incivility.
H ow we handle the self-managed situation
I s
C omforting to those involved.
S o why don’t we self-manage more often? ©Jo Ann M. Radja
The above poem by Poet John O’Donahue can be found on page 42 of the book, Bless the Space Between Us, ©2008 by John ODonahue, published by DOUBLEDAY.
The above Blog was originally published by LinkedIn on April 17, 2019 under the title, “Reflections. . . April, 2019.”
2018 Happy Veteran’s Day
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Happy Veteran’s Day to all who chose to protect us and our freedoms. Thank YOU!
Here in Chicago – https://abc7chicago.com/society/museum-campus-salutes-vets-with-free-days/4662822/ and many Companies as well: https://abc7chicago.com/shopping/heres-where-to-get-veterans-day-freebies/4648254/
Choose Who You Want to be Known As this weekend and heartfelt thoughts to all the Survivors this past week in California and elsewhere.
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach
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Halloween to YOU Too!
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Halloween is a calendar date that always brings whimsy into our lives. Here is an anagram for this calendar event:
How often do we have
An event where all ages
Learn to have fun and
Laugh.
Of course, it’s Halloween.
Whether we dress up or not,
Everywhere you look, people
Escape into this moment of fantasy,
Now and forever. . . ©Jo Ann M. Radja
Choose Who You want to be Known As — Life is Good
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive Coach
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa This is a paid-for Business Account, hosted by WordPress. It is for informational purposes only and NO cookies of a viewer’s personal data are kept by the owner of the account.
A Coaching Tool for YOU
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“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Albert Einstein
We often wonder where sayings and phrases come from. Recently, I saw an Ad touting “me time.” Although I’ve heard this slogan a few years ago, I came across an article I saved on this subject. The article’s heading read: “Your Me Time- makeover worksheet.” It is found in the “Health GUIDE,” page 190 of the July/August 2008 Health Magazine @ health.com (Editor unknown). The worksheet was published in 2005 in the reference below*.
The well-known authors, consultants, founders, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz * developed and published a number of self-development tools in their book, The Power of Full Engagement, Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. The “Me-Time-makeover worksheet” is another name for creating a map of your energy, developed by Loehr and Schwartz. Your energy falls into four categories: Emotional, Mental, Physical and Spiritual. Each category requires you to list HOW you spend your energy during the day. You then contemplate where you can change yourself to recover, your energy balanced consciously, where you want it to be.
Not everyone appreciates keeping a journal or diary. Yet, describing this energy map me-time worksheet as a “coaching tool” tends to be welcomed by many people. I believe this is so because when you come to your OWN understanding of how you act, the change in behavior is more sustainable. Your own self-development belongs to you as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As. Here’s another interpretation of the me-time energy makeover worksheet for your use: spendrecover-text-for-map
Enjoy your Winter Season and pat yourself on the back for your resilience in dealing with the weather!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach
* Loehr PhD, Jim and Schwartz, Tony. The Power of Full Engagement, Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Free Press (January 3, 2005) 256 pages. [This book was a New York Times Best-Seller.]
Processing Mindfulness on a Sunday Morning
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I’ve a grand memory for forgetting – Robert Louis Stevenson via BrainyQuote
I’ve a grand memory for forgetting – Robert Louis Stevenson via BrainyQuotePersonal values of using the Laundry Room are similar to the use of the small office refrigerator, i.e. forgetfulness. It happens on an early Sunday morning. You fill two washing machines which are side by side, and each has a 27-minute timer. You leave for a few minutes and return to see one machine has reached 16 minutes and the other is stuck at 25 minutes. After a short phone call, you remove the wet clothes and fill another machine.
More than half of the 14 dryers are still full of dried clothes as well as the folding table. If you are a people watcher, you might enjoy reading that a 20-30 something man enters the Laundry Room. He bends down in front of a dryer and removes some of the dried clothes. He leaves knowing he still has dried clothes in the dryer. Forgetfulness happens at all ages [smile].
Have a mindful Sunday in you activities as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As. 
“Jo Ann” M. Radja
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When Mindfulness becomes a Personal Mantra
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Heedfulness, Mindfulness and Introspective Awareness help us retain our core values in life. The Dalai Lama
While leaving a Professional Building before Labor Day Weekend, I noticed a few available individual public trays of current magazines. One of which is called, YOGAChicago , September – October, 2016. It was a surprise to see the lead article written by Mia Park entitled, “Reflections on Mindfulness by Illinois Politicians at the DNC.” [this past Summer]
Ms. Park quoted a number of Illinois elected officials who shared how Mindfulness was incorporated in their public lives:
Senior US Senator Dick Durbin – “A moment of reflection is valuable….for you to consider what your political career might be able to accomplish. Real world reflection helps to set the stage for value-driven policy making.”[paraphrased].
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Cook County Board of Commissioners – “When you’re going off into battle to debate legislation, remember who you are accountable to.” “It’s important to be conscious of that always – it will keep you away from the forces that have led many politicians astray – money, special interests, and many other vices that make you cease to be a public servant.”
Theresa Mah – 2nd District – Reflects on how mindfulness for politicians can acutely keep uppermost in their minds why they became public servants for the people they serve.
The complete Mia Park’s one-page article, includes the Secretary of State, Jessie White is at this link :http://yogachicago.com/2016/08/reflections-on-mindfulness-by-illinois-politicians-at-the-dnc/
The quotation by The Dalai Lama was found at page 107 of his book, Beyond Religion, Ethics for a Whole World. (2012) He explains that:
Heedfulness relates to being vigilant and conscientious about what we do;
Mindfulness, in the context of living an ethical life, is about recollection of one’s core values and motivation; and
Introspective Awareness means being honestly aware of our behavior and bringing it under control. Of course, this does not happen overnight. It requires practice.
As You Choose Who You Want to be Know As, consider how a Mantra of a mindful thought will bring you closer to the person you want people to see. Enjoy!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach
When Mindfulness leads to Emotional Intelligence. . .
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At the heart of great leadership is a curious mind, heart, and spirit. Chip Conley via Brainy quote.com
Over the past few days, I’ve read a number of blogs from Social Media Influencers and Government Leaders. Stories emerged of how dysfunction not only causes breakdowns in communication but reason takes a backseat at a place of work. We may become a bystander to a discussion that causes us to become very uncomfortable and we don’t wish to enter the “fray.”
Some four years ago I was attending a Networking Event and was participating in a conversation between two men who were consultants. One man was from the East Coast and the other lived in a Chicago suburb. Another man, unknown to us, walked up and asked if he could join our group. We welcomed him (the black coat man) and he asked me about my business – that conversation led me to give him a sample coaching session. The man was eager and surprised himself by telling me something he had not told his wife; he was uncomfortable with the disclosure and decided to walk away. The two consultants offered that I shouldn’t have given my time to someone who clearly wasn’t appreciative of joining our discussion group.
What happened next was an example of personal mindfulness. The black coat man walked around the room and said to more than a handful of people, “You see that woman in the red jacket [meaning me] she won’t talk to me.” People began to ask, “Do you know that man?” It was unclear to many why the black coat man continued his pointing at me and saying she won’t talk to me.
Mindfulness allow you to become aware of your surroundings, what you are thinking, what you are feeling and what these sensations mean to you at that moment. Emotional Intelligence is a learned process where mindfulness forms the basis for you to manage yourself and by doing so, manage others. As you manage your emotions you are able to assist someone else likewise. Put another way, you observe what is happening around you, describe what it means to you, accept that someone else has something going on causing a disturbance, don’t take it personally and don’t become judgmental. While it may seem like a balancing act between your mind and your heart, in fact, it is a process that allow you control over how you are in the moment. The image above displays the end result of mind and heart balance – when you are comfortable in the emotional intelligence realm.
Emotional intelligence is a process and it most definitely can be learned. How you act in the moment is what I call, “Choose Who You Want to be Known As.” Since today is the last day of June we have another beginning in our imperfect world tomorrow on July 1st. Have a great month of July in your chosen career path!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach
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Following Up is Not Always Easy. . .
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Pain often leads a conversation
Over six months ago, our city was mourning the loss of a young man who was shot while walking down a street. After a video of the shooting was released, citizens vehemently blamed people they believed were personally responsible for the death. Anger and bewilderment followed in our neighborhoods and across social media. The personal anguish of citizens was felt, recognized and acknowledged resulting in municipal and federal investigations beginning the work to respond to the demands understanding the Why of what happened. The citizen focus over the past few months appeared to be quiet and perhaps blurred. When people are in mourning, learning how to deal with the pain is not an easy road to go down. Pain leads the conversation.
I am writing this blog post because of two separate instances that happened this week. The first occurred shortly after I arrived back in the City from a business trip. I spoke to a man and asked a follow-up question of why downtown streets were closed due to police protection. He was surprised I knew about what happened since I was away, and then responded that a construction crew accidentally hit an energy mainline. Responding to his surprise, I said, “I’m signed up with the city to receive weather and other alerts.” His perception: “That’s because you are So and So.” The conversation remained friendly and the man understood from me that all citizens were able to receive the same alerts.
The second instance was my learning that the US Justice Department would hold a meeting where citizens would have an opportunity to raise their concerns about interaction with the police department – an outgrowth of the investigation that began six months ago. I listened to this news shortly before 6:00am. The next day the Illinois Progress website announced only 30 people attended the first Justice Department forum. http://www.illinoisprogress.org.
Following up on issues that are important to you is not easy when you are in pain and mourning. If I had not listened to the news early in the morning, I would not have known about the US Justice forum that evening. The business of municipal and federal agencies is for the common good – so for those who would like to attend a future forum, here is the listing, again from Illinois Progress: http://progressillinois.com/news/content/2016/06/15/us-justice-department-hold-public-forums-chicago-police-department-probe.
As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As this week, consider reaching out to someone who would benefit and want to know about these future forums. Thank you and have a great week!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coaching
What is it Right, Wrong or Gossip?
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Out of some little thing, too free a tongue / Can make an outrageous wrangle Euripides
We sometimes forget that mistakes people make – are nonsensical. Here’s an example. Last Saturday I brought down to the loading dock of the building where I live three bags of paper; a worker from the shredding company was waiting for the paper to load onto his truck. The bags were inside a wheeled, carry-all cooler that I use to cart around groceries and other items for my convenience. The worker took each bag out individually and when he looked down at the bottom of the carry all, he saw some items he decided were garbage. Which they weren’t. He didn’t say anything to me about these items, he did say something to someone else.
My apartment stored a vacuum cleaner which was broken and could not be repaired. I left the loading dock area and went back to my apartment to retrieve it. Another tenant saw me wheeling the vacuum cleaner, that I placed in the carry-all cooler toward the building recycling area; he offered help; he explained the vacuum cleaner had to be placed in a dumpster, not the recycling area because it had a plastic exterior cover. He wheeled the vacuum cleaner to the dumpster (which I didn’t know existed), lifted up the carry-all cooler that held the vacuum cleaner and hoisted it over the top of the dumpster is a few seconds. As I quickly said, “What are you doing? the carry-all cooler wasn’t even 2 years old; it is not garbage.” “Oh, yes it is, the man replied. The man outside (the shredding company worker) said your carry-all cooler carried garbage!” Huh! Needless to say, my wheeled carry-all cooler was removed from the dumpster, wiped clean, and is available for my use again. Gossip has a life of its own and spreads more quickly than the truth.
It’s important to remember, whatever is left for pickup anywhere outside, it is available for anyone to look through and use. Happily, no garbage was in my carry-all cooler and the misconception was corrected. No matter what your career path may be, let’s hope the perceptions we hold about someone else are based on reliable facts. As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As this week, enjoy a gossip-free day!
Mindfulness also is a platform that may be utilized when faced with the example I have shared with you: Observe, Describe, Accept, Don’t take it Personally and be Non-Judgmental. Again, enjoy your week!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach
Career Management Coaching 