Garden Power

The other day I attended a Garden Power party.  What was it?  A gathering of friends to help plant a new garden for Ira Thompson at her house in Cary.  Ira considers herself an “indoor person” but she loves to look at the beauty of nature.  So she knew that to have a beautiful garden she would need to enlist the help of others – and she did just that!

Ira offered what she is known for – amazing food and fun!  She created a spread of breakfast and lunch goodies to feed those who attended and asked that each friend just bring a pair of gardening gloves and be ready to get dirty.  One friend is a landscape designer, Mary Liljequist of Earthly Delights Landscape Design in Raleigh.  She supplied the design and layout for Ira’s garden – lots of beauty and low maintenance for this “indoor girl” and everyone knew just what to do when they arrived. 

What a great time we had, being in nature, helping a good friend, reconnecting with some and making wonderful new connections with all who were there!  Asking for help is something many of us shy away from, but it is something we all need to do more often!

What are you ready to ask for help with?

Resistance to the New

Well, I did it, I am officially doing something I have been resisting for quite a while now, I am Tweeting on Twitter!

For months as I heard my friends and colleagues talking about this fun new social media tool, many thoughts were going through my head like “it will take too much time, I don’t know how it works and don’t have time to find out right now, it’s not for me, I don’t need it – and especially I won’t know what to write”.  The same excuses came up before I began writing articles each month, before joining Facebook, before writing my Workbook and before starting this blog.

Isn’t it interesting how easy it is to come up with a list of excuses when we don’t want to do something?  So what’s the real reason for my resistance to stepping into the new (technology, strategies, etc)?   I know it has something to do with putting myself out there publicly.  You see, in my not too distant past I would prefer to remain in the background listening to and seeing others express themselves all the while in awe of their ability and courage to do that.

Being a coach, I am always encouraging my clients to stretch out of their comfort zones which compells me to consistently do the same myself.   So, how do I know when I am ready to make the leap and stretch into something new instead of continuing to resist it?    For me, it’s when the curiosity of doing it and thoughts of possibilities it might bring start showing up more often.  When that happens, I jump in!

How do you know when you are ready to leap into something new?

Way out of Comfort Zone!

This morning I arrived at the Hilton in RTP to deliver my Getting Noticed, Known and Connected seminar for the Triangle United Way’s support/education series for job seekers.    The wonderful woman who coordinated the program, Gayle Manley, greeted me and then said “NBC 17  will be covering this event, a reporter will be here soon to interview you on camera and shoot some of your seminar”.  

My first thought was “Oh, no – I can’t be on TV”!  I was terrified but it was too late.  My next thought was “OK, I’m doing this – boy am I glad I didn’t know before I got here”!

When Josh Green from NBC-17 showed up and greeted me, I immediately shared with him that this was way out of my comfort zone!   He said “focus on me, not the camera” so I did – and you know, it was OK.  Josh asked great questions and made the whole process painless – and once I was comfortable with him, I really didn’t even notice the camera in the room!

Not sure how long this link will be live, but if you want to check out my spot on NBC-17, here it is.

I would love to hear one of your Way out of your comfort zone” moments!