Posts

Dr. Peggy Marshall

Happiness

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Last month we focused on changing our perspectives on mistakes, obstacles, and disappointments. This month I want to focus on Happiness Boosters. But first, let’s talk about happiness. In Shawn Achor’s book, “The Happiness Advantage”, he reveals a different view of happiness from what we have been taught to believe. Happiness actually comes before success. Yes, that’s right-countless studies with thousands of people have proven this point. Working hard and achieving success actually comes after we find happiness. Optimism and happiness are fuels for success. How does Achor define success “The joy we feel striving for our potential”. So the question for readers is “Do you want to be happier….do you want more joy in your life?” I think we all could say that increasing our happiness quotient could definitely make our lives better.
Dr Peggy Marshall

Oops to Eureka

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“Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly” -Robert Kennedy I am working on a presentation for our team on Happiness using the book “The Happiness Advantage” by Shawn Achor. This blog will focus on one specific chapter entitled “Falling Up” which discusses the opportunity to turn failure into success. As a coach I have had many clients, in fact most of my clients, have faced some type of adversity which they believed created a failure for them. The clients who were able to see the opportunity in the challenge rather than looking at it from the perspective of total failure were able to make the most progress with turning the opportunity in to a future success. In Improv, this realization is called “Oops to Eureka”. What we think of as our greatest failure can sometimes be turned into a great success.
Dr Peggy Marshall

Spring Cleaning You

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March is the month that we begin to feel the effects of Spring weather. It’s wonderful to see new blooms as we cast off the dreariness of winter. When I lived in Ohio I used to give my house a Spring Cleaning. We can use this analogy when we think about spring cleaning ourselves. Ask yourself-what do I need to clean out; what do I need to let go of? Where are the cobwebs?
Dr Peggy Marshall

A Passionate Life

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"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."— Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s February-a month associated with love and passion. I want to focus this month’s blog on doing what we love. I have worked with clients who are extremely successful, yet are not doing what they love. This seems counterintuitive because most of us believe that if someone is successful that person must love what they do. This is not always the case. Tama Kieves in “This Time I Dance” talks about her own evolution into doing what she loves. She was a very successful lawyer yet found herself lamenting to a friend that she wasn’t sure she LOVED being a lawyer. Her friend asked “If you are this successful doing work you don’t love doing, then what could you do with work you love doing?” I think this is a great question for all of us as we connect the word love with work
Dr Peggy Marshall

The Formula for Success

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It’s January-the time of year that many of us make resolutions-changes that we are absolutely committed to in 2011. Or maybe you decided that you didn’t want to make a resolution this year because you always lose momentum early and feel that you have failed. I am going to be discussing a strategy to help you rethink what success means to you. The strategy is to monitor our movement through the stages of change-not just the end goal. Just moving through the stages of change into action is a great success. Also, I am using the word goals rather than resolutions because we can come close to reaching goals with resolutions we are entering an either-or space. Thinking about the changes we want to make in terms of goals recognizes that we take actions towards targets rather than being firmly resolved to either do something or not do something.
Dr Peggy Marshall

End of

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As we reach the end of 2010, I want to remind readers of the importance of reflection to our growth and success. There is not a better time for reflection then at the end of something and the beginning of another. I know most of you are thinking-“Is she crazy-doesn’t she realize how busy my schedule is?” I certainly do as my schedule is also brimming to the top. However, if we don’t set aside time for reflection we risk moving into 2011 without a solid evaluation of what’s working in our lives and what is not. As a result we could be destined to repeat 2011 in the same manner that we moved through 2010. I find in my busy life that the best time for reflection is the last week of the year as activities seem to have reached their peak by then and I feel like I can take a breath.
Dr Peggy Marshall

Working on the Right Thing

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Last month we began a series on Overcoming Blocks to Success and the focus was on misalignments. When you asked yourself the questions about misalignments, did you find anything that you need to work on? I know that I personally have to work on my own denial especially in areas when I tell myself that something isn’t impacting me when it definitely is.
Dr Peggy Marshall

Thinking Differently about Conflict

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When we think about conflict, many of us cringe. We avoid it, we ignore it, and we may try desperately to remain disengaged from it. However, when we allow ourselves to embrace conflict as a natural component of healthy relationships, we can learn tools and techniques that move us through conflict more quickly and resolutely. Dudley Weeks in “Eight Essential Step to Conflict Resolution” lays out a road map for us to successfully navigate through conflict.
Dr Peggy Marshall

What Matters Most

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I was talking with a friend today who has survived five bouts of cancer (more on that in my September blog). We were talking about how priorities change when one is faced with life changing circumstances. He related a story about a woman who when she found out she had cancer quit her job because her job was making her sick. Our conversation made me think about Cheryl Richardson’s book, “Take Time for Your Life”. (www.cherylrichardson.com) She believes that people face seven common obstacles that seem to prevent them from living their best life. The list includes; difficulty putting self first, a schedule that does not reflect priorities, feeling drained by people or situations, living on adrenalin, lack of a support community, and putting their spiritual well-being last.