Nothing

Hell is a place where nothing connects with nothing.

~T.S.Eliot, Introduction to Dante’s Inferno

Lipton might be on to something

The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one’s personality. It has gained modern popularity as a form of interview by the French writer Marcel Proust. James Lipton adapted it for “Inside the actors’ studio” with the following ten questions:

1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on?
4. What turns you off?
5. What sound or noise do you love?
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
7. What is your favorite curse word?
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

    Try these ten out with friends and family you will be surprised by the answers.

     

     

Quote of the day- Common Sense

Napoleon said, Imagination rules the world. That is true, but having some good sense helps.
Sylla Leconte

The list about you, as a “kid”.

We all hear about “find your passion” ,”find what makes you happy” the problem is sometimes we really don’t know what that is.  One of the best ways to discover what makes you happy or where your passions are, is to get back to who you were and what you wanted out of life.  Simply put…What you loved as a child. When you think about your childhood happy or sad, there are moments that you had passion and as adults we forget that.  So take the quiz and go back to the beginning.  Remember what made you happy as a kid!

Complete the following sentences:

1. When I was a kid, I use to love to___________________.

2. When I was a kid, I spent my summers __________________.

3. When I was a kid, I daydreamed about__________________.

4. My favorite person, when I was a kid was________________.

5. When I was a kid, I spent a rainy day___________________.

6. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a______________________.

7. My favorite time of day as a kid was____________________.

8. My favorite color as a kid was_________________________.

9.  When I was a kid, the thing I liked about myself the most was________________.

10. When I was a kid, I hated to_______________________.

11. When I was a kid, my favorite game was_______________.

12. When I was a kid, my favorite book or magazine was_________________.

13. My favorite hiding place as a kid was______________________.

14. My favorite food as a kid was__________________.

15. When I was a kid, my favorite T.V. program or Movie was____________________.

16. My favorite part of my childhood home was__________________.

17. As a kid, I would lose track of time when I was________________.

18. My favorite holiday as a kid was_______________.

19. My favorite adult was___________________.

20.  My favorite age was______________________.

If you would like to share your answers please feel free to reply.

Quote of the day

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Why hire a consultant?

One of my clients ( a small business consultant) asked me to answer the following question at our last session: “Why hire a consultant?” He is having a problem answering this question when people ask him why they should do business with him. It seems like a philosophical question about worth, but in truth it is a question of marketing.  How is he marketing himself so that his clients really know the answer?  So here is my answer to the question.

1. Consultants are objective, outside agents.

They give a fresh point a view to a company because they aren’t part of the politics or status quo. Sometime people get so lost in the day to day of working they lose perspective, but an outside person can sometimes see and bring a fresh perspective on things. A consultant is not afraid of speaking out or lose their job, because they don’t really work for the company. This makes them more willing and able to make recommendations that break through to the decision-makers who need to hear the truth.  This brings me to the next reason.

2. Consultants are experts in their field.

You have many people in your company that could do a job or task, but no one does it better than someone that lives and breathes an issue.  By hiring someone that is a subject matter expert, you can get the job done faster and your people can work on other things that need to happen in the company. A consultant can dedicate more time to whatever task/project you need completed, so that your own staff, who just do not have the time or know how to complete the job can work on what they are good at.

3. Consultants are independent contractor.

This is key for companies that are too small to hire full time staff or have a short term project they need to complete.  Because the consultant is not an employee, you don’t have to worry about benefits, payroll, or hands on supervision.  You simple set up a contract and if the consultant doesn’t do a good job you don’t have to hire them again, but more importantly you have a professional that will help you grow your business without having to pay a large salary to them.

4. There is no long term commitment.

This is the one most people that are commitment phobic love. When the job is done your consultant simply goes away.  No termination, no layoff, no severance pay, just pay the rest of the contract and off they go. With a full-time or part-time employee once the project is finish you have to figure out something else for them to do or place them in another part of the organization. You are stuck in a long term relationship! But your consultant is a flexible resource. You can use them as you need them and if they are a great consultant you will want to use them all the time.

5. “The Price is Right!”-Bob Barker

When you figure out how much it will cost you to hire someone, pay a salary, pay health insurance, vacation and sick time, 401(k) plans and other benefits vs a flat fee or hourly fee to a consultant, the answer is simple.  Using a consultant is a cost-effective alternative for an organization that needs to get a job or project done quickly and efficiently.

But as every coach knows I asked him the right questions for him to come up with the right answer for himself. Here is my client’s answer… “A consultant brings value to your business; so you can focus on building the value in your business.”

Why get a Life Coach? – Training tip of the week

According to the Synergy Institute, 70% of people who work with life coaches find it valuable.

Many people will give you a list of reasons to have a life coach, but really there is only one reason..FOCUS!

A coach will explore options,  and help you discover what you really want in life, and focus on what you truly love to do. A good coach will help you design your life around the “what’s most important”, setting values-based goals and prioritized action items, and diligently integrate them into your life.  The key is help you set goals and action items.

Focus bring balance and vision for what you want in your life.  That’s what a life coach can be great.

For more information on life coaches go to the website of the International Coach Federation. At this site, you can get more details about the duties of a life coach and costs.

Question of the day-Chivalry-

Many people ask is chivalry dead; but my question is what is chivalry in the century?