Edition 134: HOW TO STOP A SNEEZE AND PLANT A TREE
889 words of content including 5 Tips on Habit Change and 535 times to Begin anew.
Approximate reading time: 3.56 minutes. And isn't your Happiness worth it?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This newsletter speaks to Leadership, Happiness, and Coaching in your life and work.
IN THIS ISSUE
=============
I. How to Stop a Sneeze and Improve Your Life
II. Press Room: Let’s Talk
III. The Executive Happiness Coach®
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I. How to Stop a Sneeze and Plant a Tree
Part One: Learn to Sneeze
Several weeks ago the muscles in my lower back staged a revolt, making it impossible to sit,
stand, walk, or lie down without enormous pain. Every time I'm just about over it, something
simple trips the spasms again and I'm back to hobbling — one time it was putting on a sock;
another time I bent over the sink to brush my teeth and BAM! Five more days of hobbling in slow
motion.
The most recent issue was a violent sneezing fit, which blew out my back; I collapsed to the
ground in pain, bruising my hip in the process. The pain is omnipresent, yet it feels so ridiculous
that I have to laugh every time I think about it!
In every challenge there are lessons. Here’s how I connect coaching and back pain:
1. Slow Down. You can’t ignore the pain, but by staying slow and deliberate all the muscles still
work. I had to “re-learn” how to sit down and stand up, and in the process became more
attentive to every movement.
When you are trying to change a habit, you also have to slow down and be deliberate
about everything you are doing - or not doing.
Page 1 of 3
2. Keep Moving. To heal a bone, you must immobilize it, but to heal a muscle, you want to
keep it stretching and flexing.
If you want to strengthen a new skill, you can’t just read about it and expect it to “show up”
the next time you’re stuck. You have to try it out, test it in conversation, and notice how
that new behavior feels.
3. Learn How to Sneeze Properly. Until I had this crisis with my back, I’d never thought about
“how to” sneeze. Yet once that sneeze smacked me down, I had a new context for learning
something new. (Visit this site to learn how to stop a sneeze)
For many people, moments of crisis open up new awareness, e.g. that they could be Happier
or that their Leadership skills need work. FAILURE is a great teacher and motivator; PAIN
prompts us to seek alternative paths.
4. Stay On the Edge of Discomfort. To get better at anything, you must constantly challenge
yourself. I am reminded of this every time a friend or relative has surgery on a knee, hip, or
heart — within hours, a nurse has them up and walking, testing their limits. So I kept moving,
testing, finding the very edge of my pain, noticing that each day it was a little farther out.
Changing a habit requires that you step outside your comfort zone, and if your end goal
is quite different from current reality, that gap can feel terrifying. So don’t try to run before you
walk. Start small, and remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
5. Ask For Help. I reclined on the floor with my granddaughter to read her a story, and it was a
lovely experience…until I discovered that I did not have the core strength to get up! I had to
call my wife for help. We had a good laugh, once I stopped flailing about!
It’s hard to be an objective observer of yourself. When you’re striving to change, enlist the
help of friends, family, and coworkers to help you stay accountable to your goals.
Part Two: Recommit to Your Goals, Anytime
Yesterday morning at the gym,
three quarters of the treadmills
were occupied. One month ago —
and one month from now — mostly
empty. Many people set New Years
Resolutions about health, and by the
end of January we “regulars” are the
only ones showing up.
What’s going on? Excitement at the
start of the New Year fuels many
people, but within a few weeks old
habits and patterns re-emerge and the
energy dies.
What if you could recapture that energy of a new beginning, without having to wait until next
January 1?
Try a new story — the year is full of beginnings! Four seasons begin in March, June,
September, and December. Every month has a First. School starts in August, another term in
January. Every week has a Sunday. A Monday, for that matter. Every weekend begins with a
Friday. Every morning begins when your alarm sounds.
Page 2 of 3
That’s 535 different Beginnings from which to launch a new goal, a new habit, or a new
commitment to leadership, happiness, or self-care. And that’s just a short list.
Remember there is nothing magical about January 1. The best time to begin a new path is
today. And remember the Chinese Proverb, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The
second best time is now.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
II. Press Room: Let’s Talk
Workplace Culture:
Thanks to all of you who tuned into my guest appearance on The Sound of Ideas in mid-January,
when we discussed workplace culture. You can listen to the archived show here.
Re-Imagining Human Resources:
I am proud to be speaking at the 50th Anniversary of the
Northern Ohio Human Resources Conference on March 11 in
Cleveland. 20 years ago I was the program chair for this same
conference and I am reprising a theme from that year: maybe it’s
time to Blow Up HR (as we’re currently doing it). I created a
short preview of my talk, which you can view here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
III. The Executive Happiness Coach ®
The Executive Happiness Coach® is a global provider of Executive
Coaching and mentoring services. With clients in 27 countries and six
continents, my passion is to help build a Happier world and workplace,
one Leader at a time.
Want more Happiness, Leadership, and Coaching conversations in your
life? Contact me today.
If you received this from a friend, SUBSCRIBE now to get your own copy in
the future, and get a valuable leadership report!
*****************
Happiness is a decision, not an event.
How will YOU decide today?
*****************
Copyright (c) 2016, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the
following attribution:
“From HAPPINESS@TheSPEEDofLIFE, by Jim Smith, PCC, The Executive Happiness Coach®.
For more tips on Leading with Happiness, visit www.TheExecutiveHappinessCoach.com.”
Page 3 of 3