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How Did You Pivot in 2020?

By |2020-12-28T17:06:22-06:00December 30th, 2020|Categories: Change, Problem Solving|Tags: , , |

This year may have started out well for some, but ended not so well for most.  The tentacles of this pandemic changed our lives in so many ways.  We had to get creative in order to survive, literally. I kept hearing the word pivot, mostly from companies in terms of their business models. Early on, as the cases started to rise at alarming rates, the mandate came down for businesses to close that were not deemed essential, to try to stop the spread of the virus. This caused a cascade of issues mostly related to businesses closing, at first temporarily, [...]

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5 Strategies to Determine Want or Need

By |2020-12-18T16:32:32-06:00December 23rd, 2020|Categories: Mindfullness, Problem Solving|Tags: , , , , , |

Some of us have issues determining want or need in terms of tangible items. This may not be an issue for some, but for others it can cause a myriad of issues, such as financial, storage that leads to clutter issues, relationships, mental health, etc. Sometimes just one purchase that you want, and not need, can hit all of these issues listed above. This is when establishing priorities comes into the picture. A priority is not necessarily a need. A priority just means that something else takes precedence. This is not to say that you should never buy anything you [...]

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Determining Root Cause

By |2020-11-17T13:41:13-06:00May 28th, 2020|Categories: Problem Solving|Tags: , , |

In my previous life, I worked in IT on a technical support help desk.  People would call in for help with technical issues with their computer equipment.  Part of problem solving on the help desk is to try to determine the root cause of the issue. You probably have had situations in the past where you had to call a service providers support center to resolve an issue for you.  Maybe your phone or internet service was not working, so you called for assistance.  The technician will ask questions to try to determine the root cause of the issue. This [...]

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A Small Change Can Make a Big Impact

By |2020-11-17T13:41:17-06:00January 8th, 2020|Categories: Change, Problem Solving|Tags: , , , |

It’s a new year and a lot of people make resolutions or create goals. Whether it’s a resolution or a goal, the key is not to make them so big that you won’t achieve what you set out to do.  Make one small change for each resolution or goal and over time those small changes will bring you closer to the result you want to see. Making a small change is not going to magically right things overnight. There are no quick fixes in life. Whatever brought you to the feeling that something isn’t working for you didn’t happen suddenly.  [...]

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Want Different Results? Take Action to Try Something Different

By |2020-11-17T13:41:17-06:00January 1st, 2020|Categories: Change, Problem Solving|Tags: , , , |

Are you stuck in a rut? Do you want different results? As we go along life’s path, things change and the routines and processes that worked so well for us in the past are not working today. Maybe you need to take action to try something different then what you’ve been doing. If you think about it, it makes sense. When you continue doing the same things but don’t get the results you want, a change in the actions you take is required. When I get stuck in an aspect of my life, the phrase that Albert Einstein made popular [...]

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Making Decisions

By |2020-12-18T13:15:48-06:00August 9th, 2018|Categories: Mindfullness, Problem Solving|Tags: , , , , , |

Sometimes making decisions is easy, other times not so much.  We all make decisions all the time, every day throughout the day.  We don’t think twice about many of them since they are part of our daily routines. We usually make these types of decisions quickly because they are not complex and may be repetitious.  The brains working memory only holds about 7 items.  More than that is processed into long-term memory which requires conscious effort. There are always choices or options to consider in order to make decisions. A decision ‘is the act or process of deciding’ according to [...]

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Ingrained Beliefs

By |2020-11-17T13:41:28-06:00January 10th, 2018|Categories: Mindfullness, Problem Solving|Tags: , , |

What are ingrained beliefs?  The definition of ‘ingrained’ in terms of beliefs, according to Cambridge Dictionary is, “so established that they are difficult to change.” Difficult to change, but not impossible.  We begin to learn ingrained beliefs at a very early age.  Some may not be as formal lessons, but in the words and actions we absorb through others in our environment. The ‘others’ can be family members, friends, and school teachers, as well as communications through the media.  Some people communicate in a variety of compelling ways.  We as humans have the faculty of free-will.  Through free-will we get [...]

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Too Many Choices

By |2020-11-17T13:41:30-06:00May 24th, 2017|Categories: Decluttering, Home Organization, Problem Solving, Reduce Stress|Tags: , , , |

Too many choices can cause indecision, which leads to frustration, and consequently, stress.  Think about it.  Have you ever been to a restaurant that has a menu with so many pages it looks like a novel? The wait staff wants to take your order but you can’t decide, so you ask for a few more minutes.  Those few more minutes go by and you still can’t decide.  Maybe your dining partners have the same issue.  You end up stressed out and order something that you may not be happy with because you had too many choices. How about your overstuffed [...]

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Keep Calm & …

By |2020-11-17T13:41:30-06:00March 8th, 2017|Categories: Problem Solving, Reduce Stress|Tags: , , , , |

Keep Calm & __________. That catch phrase took off many years ago, with additions like, & carry on, & think positive, & hire a professional (fill in the blank), etc.  Some of these phrases also have a comical suffix. According to Wikipedia, the phrase ‘keep calm and carry on’, actually came from a British motivational poster in 1939 in preparation for the second world war. The intent was to raise the morale of the public amidst horrifying predictions of all kinds. In today’s world, as in the original context of ‘keep calm and carry on’, this phrase has the same [...]

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Problem Solving With Spot The Squirrel

By |2020-11-17T13:41:30-06:00February 17th, 2017|Categories: Problem Solving|Tags: , , |

  Need some help with problem solving?  The story below shows how I watched a squirrel solve a problem, and reminded me of how simple problem solving can be. One of my passions is watching wildlife in my backyard.  My office is actually in my basement but I work from my family room.  It has a very large, beautiful window that looks out into my backyard.  Many people would be distracted by the activities of the critters, but for me it’s inspiration. It’s amazing to me, that I see so many different species of critters, since I live just off [...]

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