Taking Care of Yourself

This post is part of my Happy Worker series. I am going to look at several innovative business strategies that address the personal satisfaction of someone in the workplace that ultimately lead to a more productive marketplace.

It is amazing that innovation in the workplace is perceived negatively by the current work culture. There is generally a long lists of "why not" versus how to make it work. The prevailing beliefs in the workplace can sabotage even the best practice. This is an opportunity to shift the generally accepted truths.

In my own journey of developing business practices outside of the norm, I catch myself looking at the "perceived" truths of how business should be done. Being a mother and working at home has taken me out of the box and has me focused on the results I create.

In a study that has been released Nov 2009, Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth That We Can't Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone is an 8 year study comparing the labor policies of 190 countries. It looks at labor laws establishing a worker's right to paid sick leave, and maternity or parental leave, that improve the quality of jobs and allow workers to deal effectively with family obligations while maintaining their connection to employment. Countries with reliable programs for child care, sick leave, and health insurance are actually attractive to companies looking for healthy workers with an ample opportunity to deal realistically with the natural occurrences in life, like birth, death, and illness.

The ability to work in a workplace, with the flexibility to respond to our responsibilities outside of the workplace, has a dramatic effect on creating a healthy and happy workforce. The studies are finally catching up with the feminine wisdom that has been present all along.

In my day to day business, I know that when I have taken care of my personal responsibilities or have them handled, my productivity is exponential. Leaving something I value unattended can not only be distracting but also have a debilitating effect on my work day. I empower myself and my collaborators to take care of themselves before showing up at the office, even if it is another room in my house or a tea shop around the corner.

Overall, this practice creates an environment of compassion and acknowledges the whole person with a life and values, not just a cog in the wheel.

The Art of Preparation

You may not have thought of preparation as an art. But from a lifetime of moving and being a military brat, I have first hand experience of the art.

How do we find the balance between not preparing, being spontaneous and over preparing and planning? For me, finding the right balance allows me not only to have some wonderful unexpected things occur in my life ,but I also am prepared enough to take advantage of the opportunity.

In this world of mobility and rapid change, being liquid in our perception of our assets allows us greater opportunity. What does that look like to me? I am paring down the things I have in my life to represent those items I use often, I treasure greatly and will serve me for a long period of time. In a world where people are losing their homes and their jobs, this sense of liquidity with regard to our assets can help us stay grounded and see what is possible ahead instead of what has been lost which is behind us.

The art of preparation focuses on what is occurring in the moment, preparing for where we would like to be, and willingness to leave some space for the unknown to occur. Action can only happen now. I have seen people in my life make themselves crazy with multiple scenarios that could happen. Their actions become disjointed by the many possibilities. And when the opportunity shows up, because they have spread themselves so thinly in their expectations, they do not have the resources to pursue any of them.

My husband is a martial artist. And when he prepares for a class, he makes sure that his weapons and his uniform are prepared. He prepares his mind by getting him self to a quiet place. When he shows up on the mat, he is prepared to learn or to teach whatever the opportunity. Within the class, he knows either can occur, but by being open to either he is neither disappointed nor let down by the experience.

In a previous life, meaning before my husband, I dated a pilot. He was meticulous about checking the plane before we would take off. He would have his flight plan and his maps. But once in the air, if conditions changed he had the ability to change course without being concerned.

So I would suggest, that if you find yourself in a moment where the plan may not be clear, try practicing the art of preparation. It is just making sure you have a great jumping off point to move forward into what ever exciting adventures are next for you.

Your Creative Process, Microwave or Crockpot

As I look out into the world today, I am inundated with information, with ideas and somebody telling me how to everything. It is fast furious and not always well thought out.

One of my daughter's favorite Disney movie is Meet the Robinsons. There is one character who seems to be foiled at every turn because he has not thought out his actions. "I'm not so sure how well this was thought through." I am reminded of that phrase as I look out into the world. In this world of fast and furious communication, the creative process has been so abbreviated that it reminds me of a tv dinner.

The expectation of immediate satisfaction loses the depth that might otherwise be developed over time.

I have to admit I have been known to approach my creative process with that same anticipation and expectation of microwave cooking. Less mindful of the flavor and more concerned with having something to show.

But in recent weeks, I have found my crockpot , my slow cooking creative process. I start with my intention and slow building on each component developing the depth of my project overtime. The amazing part of this process is the intention. And then you add things along the way. It matures and comes together even when I am not consciously thinking about it.

I can remember being in high school doing my homework and getting stuck. Invariably, I would fall asleep. The next morning, I would look at it again and have an "aha" moment.

As a WAHM (work at home mom), the crockpot can be invaluable tool in having something interesting and nutritious for our family without slaving in the kitchen. It is conducive to interruptions and the demands of motherhood.

My crockpot approach to problem solving and my creative process lets me be at ease with whatever life throws my way because in the background away from my conscious mind, those ideas are still developing and maturing. When I have the chance to give them my full attention, everything flows together.

Reduce, Recycle, ReFashion

Looking for any escape from the overstuffed closet full of clothes, you might want to consider jumping on the ReFashion movement. I know that I have clothing that I cannot bear to part with, but it no longer has a place in my day to day life anymore. Why not ReFashion?

For many of us, a new wardrobe every season is just not possible. There are many ways to update your wardrobe with accessories and a few well placed purchases. But there is another alternative. Take old well loved clothes and reinvent them. If you are handy or crafty, this is a great way to spruce up your wardrobe.

Wardrobe Refashion is an online community that focuses on reinventing the old into something new. It is a great place to just get ideas and if inspired, join in. GreenUpGrader has a great interview with the founder of the website, Nichola Prested.

For those of us who are not handy with the sewing machine, why not find a seamstress to work with you. Or maybe create a group of ReFashionistas where you work cooperatively to reinvent the clothes you have.

Gratitude for My Laughing Sisters

As the rest of the world is in Thanksgiving preparation, I wanted to take a little moment to just be thankful for the friendship and camaraderie of Three Sisters Laughing. For everything we do or have done, we are still laughing and letting ourselves be silly and enjoy the moment.

This past year, Sandy and Sharon have made sure that I kept up my adult conversation. Our meetings have never really been about the work but the opportunity to get together and just see what happens. There is a special alchemy that occurs and is something that I look forward to. Beyond accountability, we have deepened our understanding of ourselves and what we value. I never thought work could be so fun. I think it is not only what you do that makes a difference, but who you are creating and playing with while you do it.

And on top of it all, we have shared and learned a whole bunch of stuff, stuff we had no idea we didn't know about. There is an element of unknown that is a generous gift we allow ourselves to have and share. Because really anything is possible in the stuff we don't know yet....

The Rosy Colored Glasses of Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

For this one day in which we focus on being thankful for the many blessings of our lives, we have the opportunity to shift our perspective of the world around us. Imagine if we actually spent more than one day being grateful.

The world clamors around us with an overload of doom, gloom and despair. It becomes the prevailing color of the events. I would much rather have my rosy colored glasses of gratitude. What do I get by looking at the world through this perspective? Thanksgiving every morning. I get to see the good news, hope, and compassion. What we focus on is what we see.

Try out adding a Happy News Source to your daily routine...It just might make you smile and let you see things in a different.

Three Sisters Laughing- Our Holistic Business Model

Sharon, Sandy and I brought our individual experiences to the table and jumped in. In many ways, we are cliff divers valuing all the lessons along the way. We created a loose business confederation based on some joint values and a genuine appreciation of the exponential results of creating in a group. Our diversity created its own dynamic and we fell into this holistic perspective naturally and with ease.

Our Holistic Business Model

• A consensus driven model of business. I believe that all concerns have value and once those concerns are resolved, people are able to show up more powerfully.
• Self-care. Women's roles have us learning to suffer or to set aside our care. When we are taken care of, the world works better. (A piece of wisdom my father imparted to my husband.)
• Collaboration. Just a another form a sewing circle or quilting bee. Everyone focus on one project and moves it forward in a atmosphere of care, love and fun.
  
• Leveraging technology. Use tools and there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
• Do what you love or love what you do (That may only be a matter of perspective)
  
• Integrity is key. Accountability. If you don't believe in what you are doing, you are going to get in you own way.
• Collective power and talent. Exponential results are possible. Communicate what you need. Success is when needs are met. We don't have to do everything ourselves. Barter, trade whatever.
• Results Oriented Work Environment. Time is our own and our participation is not based on how many hours we contribute, but the results we are able to create.
• Work at Home. An environmentally sound business strategy that cuts down on the commute to work.

The most amazing part about this journey is it has been an organic and empowering experience for each one of us. The most exciting part is that this is a living process that is evolving with us and our knowledge.

Three Sisters Laughing-Our Story

Who are we? This is our story or our herstory.

This journey began as a business/social experiment. The three of us embarked on a path uncharted and developed our own way of having a business together.

This would not have been possible without each of us valuing integrity in the work we did individually as well as together. But also, we knew better than to take ourselves to seriously.

The first time we met we had no clue as to what we the big picture might be. But, we each saw the opportunity in working together with other individuals in order to grow ourselves and our businesses.

The best metaphor that illustrates how we work together is a quilting bee. Just as with a quilting bee, everyone works on a single project together for a group member. But it is work in an entirely feminine way, cooperative and collaborative, taking into consideration the individual not only the results they create.

Our "quilting bee" allows us to laugh while we create solutions, explore and test technology, and allows us to leverage several perspectives versus having to do it all alone.

We have developed a holistic business model that works for us. This blog is that journey and some of the things that have worked and not worked for us.

Charter for Compassion