1800askDonna

Breaking News: There's this thing called blogging

Well now. It seems that blogging is coming out of the closet. Just this week, both the Wall Street Journal and Business Week discovered blogging as a business tool.  Business Week even started their own blog (not much up there yet). (Thanks to Lisa Brown in F1 Space and Renee Blodgett in down the avenue.)

Link: down the avenue: Mossberg on Novice Blogging.

In the bad idea category

I know that some will take issue with my title...especially college frat boys, but I think flip flops that are also bottle openers fall into the "bad ideas" category. "Need some help with that bottle...wait, let me take off my flipflop.  Thanks to Gizmodo for pointing us to this.

Link: UnwiredNews | The New Gadget Review » Bottle Opening Sandal.

Surprises about Wonder Woman

It's no secret that I'm a Wonder Woman fan. But while I have read much of what has been written about WW, it came as a total surprise to read about the creator of Wonder Woman, and to learn that he was the creator of the DISC assessment so widely used by Coaches and Psychologists.

Not only did he invent the DISC, he was also instrumental in the invention of the the polygraph and the systolic blood pressure test.

Link: Stuffo "Wonder Woman's Dirty Secrets".

The New York Times > New York Region > One Millionaire's Strange Cry: Tickets, Please!

Link: The New York Times > New York Region > One Millionaire's Strange Cry: Tickets, Please!.

What would it be like to love what you do so much, you would do it even if you didn't have to? Well that's the case with Millionaire Walter O'Rourke who indulges his passion for railroads by working as a conductor on the NJ Transit commuter line.

The NYT says, "Walter Joe O'Rourke, who never wed, is married to the rails. Despite earning more than what he estimated at $2 million last year from his investments, he chugs along as a conductor, earning a base salary of $52,000 a year.

"Pocket change," Mr. O'Rourke said. "But it keeps me doing the one thing I enjoy doing most."

And I have to agree. I love my career...actually both of them. Each day has me doing what I love most...working with wonderful clients who are up to big things in the world, entrepreneurs who are growing their businesses, or executives who are up to making a change in how they function, or changing careers, or just ready to transition to a better way of life. And I love working with my colleagues and collaborations at Coachville where each day offers me the opportunity to connect with great minds, thought-provoking ideas, and the most creative and overachieving group you'd even want to meet. 

I'll admit it...I love what I do so much, that I often start early in the morning and am still at it late at night.  What about life balance you say?  Well I say life balance is about your work and life being so integrated that there is no demarkation.  and that's just great!

Where office and ideas collide

Link: The Monster Blog: Ideas Inside the Box.

I don't work in a cubicle.  In fact, I work from home, in an office that I just recently (last week) redesigned.  I wasn't entirely surprised that my new design opened up the space and made it easier to work.  But I was surprised at just how much the change impacted me.  I felt clearer, more creative and yes, even more energetic. 

In the Monster Blog Jayme also references an ABC News Business article on the "Working Wounded--Death by Cubicle"  which reports on a study that states that " A U.K . study found that 81 percent of people had their best ideas outside of the office."  Naturally, they're not talking about home offices, but rather those killer office spaces that are windowless and a pimple on the face of productivity and humanity.  Okay...that may be extreme.  But let me give you two examples of soul sucking office environments.

There was a time when I worked in corporate America.  Some of my corporate experiences were great.  Some of them were not.  On one occasion, fairly early in my corporate career, my boss promised me an office.  This was huge for me, because up until then, my desk pretty much sat in a fluorescent lit,  windowless corridor facing a blank wall.  Well, I should have stayed there, because the "office" turned out to be a former storage closet.  Windowless, doorless, with (I kid you not) a cigarette burn covered industrial carpet, and just enough room for a miniature desk (a normal size would not fit in there) and chair, and not much else.  There was not a chance that any creativity or energy could come out of that "room", and in fact, that space ultimately lead to my changing jobs, but that's a story for another time.

My husband worked for a large NYC financial firm.  It was his first job out of law school and I looked forward to visiting his new office.  It was one of those modular cubicles...one of dozens of identical ones.  Michael (being the quirky individual he was and is) wanted to personalize his cubicle.  He brought in a goldfish in a bowl, a plant and a poster puzzle of a 1040 IRS form.  His superiors flipped out!  The plant was ok (marginally) but the goldfish and puzzle had to go. To his credit Michael lasted in that cubicle longer than I would.  But you have to wonder why those folks were so against personalization.

Bottom line...your environment, office or other, has an impact on how you feel and how you function.  Coachville has a program on creating personal environments that support you in your life and work.  I find when I work with my clients that creating supportive systems and environments are vital in creating lasting change and success. There are nine environments, including your ideas (memes), your relationships and of course, your physical environments. More about that another time.  For today, take a look at your environment and make some changes that will make you feel good, work smarter and be more creative.

I'd love to hear how that works for you.