Cache of the Day - A Girl's Weekend

Happy Birthday, Dawn! Today is Dawn's actual birthday, but we celebrated all weekend in Chicago this past weekend. Of course, Dawn LOVED it when I would ask the waiter to PLEASE have everyone come over and SING to Dawn! You should have seen her face! She was SO happy!

Somehow - whenever I'm with Dawn - my sarcasm skyrockets. I can't say why. It just does.

We did have a great time, dining in wonderful restaurants (I especially enjoyed our dinner at Lawry's Prime Rib), and we also had our share of imbibing.

Check this out: we even discovered a wine/cheese/chocolate bar, with flights of each available for astronomical prices. It was all worth it, however, just to have the opportunity to sing - once again - to Dawn.

We also caught a show at the Second City. Very fun and very well done. Improv is SUCH an art! Such talent!

The weekend was great fun and I can say this with all sincerity - Happy Birthday, Dawn!

Cache of the Day - Changing Perceptions

I love love LOVE my job, especially when I have the rare opportunity to actually work with a group to facilitate learning. Today, I facilitated a group of leaders from various organizations throughout the Bloomington area. This was session 5 in a series of nine sessions designed to increase the skills of leaders so that they can more effectively create RESULTS for their companies.

Oftentimes, leaders will think they are on the right track but - if they are open to new ideas - a "shift" in their perception can take them to a more impactful place. A shift that will provide a clearer identification of what needs to be different. A shift that creates a path to a different future. I love the way that training can shift the thought process in an individual so that they can more clearly see where they need to go.

Our class today focused on COMMUNICATION (ALWAYS a great topic) and the necessity for leaders to adapt their styles to create a more effective relationship at work. We did some "skill practice" exercises (we NEVER do role-playing, by the way. NO one likes to do ROLE-PLAYING!), and we had some discussions on challenges and limitations that we have in our current relationships.

Everyone had a chance to adapt their own style to meet the needs of others. Not easy, but changing perceptions isn't an easy thing to do.

Our participants had a great time, learned a lot, and changed their perceptions on how to more effectively communicate with others.

Cache of the Day - Facing Fears

I'm assuming that most of us fear something - heights, snakes, death, or neck-biting deers (my nephew Eric's greatest fear!). Oftentimes we try to avoid them, but one of the best ways to overcome fears is by actually facing them. I have read that, if you are afraid of spiders, for example, that you should imagine the worst scenario that can happen, such as having spiders crawling all over you. This is supposed to calm you. I find this very hard to believe, but then again, I don't have a PhD in Psychology, so I will assume that this theory is a result of a study that was conducted that revealed these results.

I have typical fears - related to heights, mostly. I experienced vertigo on the top of the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building. I am a "freaky flyer" in an airliner and I can feel my heart rate skyrocketing, particularly on takeoff and landing. For some reason, I have a crazy fear of bridges, known as gephyrophobia. I experienced this quite a bit when I lived in Los Angeles, particularly driving over freeway overpasses. I realized how intense it was the first time I drove over the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

Speaking of San Francisco, I had the unique opportunity of experiencing the triumvirate - my fear of heights, flying, and bridges - during a trip to San Francisco when the tour helicopter we were flying in actually went UNDER the Golden Gate Bridge. Here's the shot.

My most recent fear has nothing to do with heights. Taylor has started driving. I don't think I need to say anything else. You can bet I am not imagining the worst that can happen to face this fear. Fortunately, she seems to be a very cautious and aware driver so, while I will always have a fear for my child, I know that she will be careful and will drive safe. Right, Taylor?