July, 2011 | ArtSpirit7

July 26, 2011July 28, 2011

Feeling Stuck? How to Overcome Inertia in 60 Seconds

Mystery of the Heart — Cameraless Photo by Mary Gow

Do you find the week gone by and your “to do” list is longer than when the week began? Or have you given up on the list?

No need to feel ashamed. Sometimes inertia sets in and it could be that sunshine motivates you and there isn’t any! (as I write from foggy San Francisco).

Getting unstuck could take less than 60 seconds! One of the beliefs of feng shui, the art of placement, is that if you move 27 things you change your life.

Well 27 sounds a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? Why not take a baby step? Move one thing. A lamp, a coffee table, a bookcase, the TV.

In under 60 seconds I moved one small bookcase (I put pads on the bottom so I could slide it) and the results have been astounding! My living room has it’s mojo back! The positive vibe I get from this one change is delicious. So what’s one thing you could move?
So next time you feel challenged, try moving a table, a chair, the lamp. One big or little thing. See how it feels. One thing.

July 19, 2011July 28, 2011

Introducing the Lumbrella!

Introducing the Lumbrella! The Lumbrella is a Rolf van Widenfelt creation. The parts come in a kit that may be assembled on your own or in a class taught by van Widenfelt. Unless you already have a soldering setup you may want to take the class. You’ll learn how to solder LED lights to a cord and add on a control switch with an on/off button. The soft light look is achieved with ping pong balls. The lights are then attached to your umbrella of choice. You’re bound to get noticed on a rainy day! Want to find out more about how to make your own Lumbrella?

July 7, 2011July 17, 2011

5 Key Ingredients for Your Bragologue

Recently, I went to a presentation of “The Art of Bragging” by workplace communication and leadership expert Peggy Klaus, whose client list includes movie stars and mega-businesses. Klaus has been on Nightline, The Today Show, 20/20, and her advice has been seen in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, Business Week, and O Magazine.

According to Klaus, there is such a thing as “good bragging.” She defines it as “A way of talking about your accomplishments in a very conversational, fluid, story-like manner using a few (not a laundry list) brag nuggets or tidbits of information about you and your accomplishments, said with passion, a sense of urgency and delight to be in front of your audience.”

Like an elevator pitch with more pizzazz, a bragologue (Klaus’ term) is story-like and invites dialogue unlike the on-and-on monologue of a braggart that inevitably tries to one up you, drop names, exaggerate, steal credit, and repeatedly begins sentences with “I.”

Here’s some key ingredients of a bragologue. They include five to ten “brag bits,” which come from tidbits of information about you from:

1. What you love about what you do;

2. What you do with what you love;

3. Some of your career successes you’re most proud of;

4. New skills you’ve learned in the past year; and

5. Obstacles you’ve overcome in your life.

You can find more of Klaus’ guidelines for crafting your own bragologue in her book, The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It. What are some of your brag bits?