IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Pause For A Bit
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - Seek Sanctuary
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

The feature article this month looks at the benefits of taking a break from your normal activities to facilitate new ideas and creativity. Be sure to try a pause that refreshes.

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

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What problem are you working on that would benefit from a pause? Do you recall the Coca-Cola slogan "the pause that refreshes"? What do you mean pause? How can I take time to pause when I can't get everything done as it is.

For some of us pausing feels like we are being unproductive. We will lose our momentum if we pause. We feel guilty and become self-critical when we slow down because we already think we aren't doing enough.

We find ourselves living on a treadmill that keeps moving faster and faster. If we step off everything will fall apart and we won't be able to put all the pieces together again. That kind of thinking reminds me of the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty! He sits on a wall, takes a great fall and he can't be put back together again. We just need to remember we are not Humpty Dumpty.

Luckily we in the northern hemisphere are just starting our summer months. We have the perfect excuse to slow down a bit. It gives our bodies and minds a chance to catch up. Pausing is taking the time to sharpen your saw which is one of Steven Covey's principles of highly effective people. Here are four ways to help you sharpen your saw.

1. Take a desktop vacation. Play some beautiful music to slow down
your pulse rate. Surround yourself with lovely pictures of
nature or a place you would like to visit. It doesn't even
require a plane ticket. Stand up and move around. Moving
stimulates creativity.

2. Do a two minute meditation. Just close your eyes for two minutes
and focus on your breathing. Your chattering mind and the din of
the noises around you will fade into the background. This little
pause will help you feel refreshed.

3. Take a mini getaway. We have three day holiday weekends that
encourage us to pause. You don't have to go away to get away.
Gardening or reading are wonderful escape routes.

4. Take a vacation. Actually going away for a week or two is a
wonderful long pause. Maybe you go to the same place every year
because it is so relaxing and comfortable. Maybe you enjoy
visiting new sites and seeing how others live. Vacations help
you depart from your usual activities and provide some diversity
in you life.

Generating new ideas, inspiring your creativity or feeding your soul requires you to do something different. To help you break out of our usual patterns and step off the treadmill just pause for a bit. You will find it refreshing!
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WORDS OF WISDOM

"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Gandhi

"Our life is frittered away by detail....Simplify, simplify."
Henry David Thoreau

"If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life."
Wu-Men
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GUEST ARTICLE - Seek Sanctuary by Heifetz & Linsky

"Having a readily available sanctuary provides an indispensable physical anchor and source of sustenance. You would never attempt a difficult mountain journey without food or water, yet countless people go into the practice of leadership without reserving and conserving a place where they can gather and restore themselves.

A sanctuary is a place of reflection and renewal, where you can listen to yourself away from the dance floor and the blare of the music, where you can reaffirm your deeper sense of self and purpose. It's different from the balcony, where you go to get a wider perspective on dynamics of your leadership efforts. Analyzing from the balcony can be hard work. In a sanctuary, you are out of that world entirely, in a place where you feel safe both physically and psychologically. The rules and stresses of everyday life are suspended temporarily. It is not a place to hide, but a
haven where you can cool down, capture lessons from painful moments, and put yourself back together (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002, p. 204)."

Reference: Heifetz, R.A. & Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the line: staying alive through the dangers of leading. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.