Off on vacation!

We all know the value of vacation time  We dream about where we are going, we make plans, book hotels, and meet up with family and friends.

The Europeans know the value of vacations as they have a government-mandated, paid 5 weeks time off a year.

It means time to slow down, let the body relax and mind think on stuff other than our daily lives. When it comes to an end, we pick up, with more energy, our lives as we know it.

One of my coaching clients just returned from a month's vacation and sounds completely different. She has a lightness to her voice from having regained her sense of self and has a new perspective on how to move forward in her life and business. Plus her great sense of humor has returned full force.
 
So before I return from vacation, rested and renewed, I wonder what the rest of the world does to  maintain the sense of renewal and carry it forward until the next vacation?

Quicknote:  "No Touch Monkey" by Ayun Halliday is the funniest travel adventure book I have read in a very long while.  High recommend reading it.

How would you do it?  Comments most welcome.

Just Listen

Finishing up Dr. Mark Goulston's book, "Just Listen" and am walking away feeling whole. Whole?

Being heard is key to the health of the soul. Communication is what links us in community and in intimacy.  There are two sides to any exchange: output and input. Listening is input.  Talking is output. Listening to others feeds the soul in ways we regularly forget.  Listening eliminates loneliness, isolation and a host of other non-medical aliments.

We turn to each other in times of crisis to be HEARD.  We turn to others to connect and to HEAR what is occurring in the lives of others that helps us feel better about our own world.  All through LISTENING.

I am refreshing my listening skills by reading Dr. Goulston's magnificent book,"Just Listen."  A 2010 objective for myself is to LISTEN more, talk less.  This will allow me to hear the issues of my particular set of clients and work with them more effectively to find the required solution. To listen is to learn. To listen is to connect deeply.  To listen is to build trust.

So this months' pick is "Just Listen," by Dr. Mark Goulston.  Easy read, well written and immediately applicable in everyone's day-to-day world.  Enjoy!