Jody Harper

Procrastination as friend or foe?

jody — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:34:54 +0000

The other day I was discussing the topic of procrastination with a client. As is always the case, whatever is up with my client is a reflection of what is up with me. I learn so much about myself when I am coaching clients! After our call, I stared this topic down and asked myself, “Why am I procrastinating on making blog posts?” The answer that came to me was simple. Writing about my own life and experiences is new and intimidating to me. It’s easy for me to write ad copy or a marketing brief, but when I write something more personal, a whole new set of critics come out of my head to tell me, “Who cares? or “You have nothing important to say.” Whereas those voices can be correct even when they’re a bit harsh, the truth is that it doesn’t matter if anyone reads this post (although I am all for people reading it!) The important thing about writing is to keep doing it. Practice makes perfect. I don’t feel comfortable writing about myself or the topic of procrastination. One thing I have learned is that when I am procrastinating it is because there is an uncomfortable emotion I want to avoid. If I keep doing it though, I will become more comfortable. It’s a stretch for me to think of procrastination as a friend. I have one positive thing to say about it. Once I face it and do the task anyway, it feels great! Plus, the next time it gets a little easier.

Who are your fans?

jody — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:44:07 +0000

When I was in the eighth grade I had a group of fans. I was good at speech and drama and my fans recognized something special about me in that context. When my parents came to “parent night,” my dad said he felt like I was a movie star.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, while you were growing up, you had at least one member of your family who was your fan. They recognized what made you unique and special.

It’s funny how throughout my life I’ve had fans. You know the ones. People who just really like you. They like being around you. They get you. Usually they’re friends or colleagues. So why is it that I have spent so much time, energy and money on trying to get those who aren’t my fans, who never will be my fans, to become fans. Yes, the efforts have been futile.

Seth Godin calls it your tribe. I know what he means. I think I’ll redirect my attention to those adoring fans. You know who you are. When the skill and the fan status align, that’s when I know the working relationship will be mutually-rewarding. Plus, I get a new friend in the deal.

Who are you fans? How much of your energy is focused on them?

Are you a Hall Monitor?

jody — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:55:06 +0000

When I worked in a corporate setting, I made it a regular practice to gather the group working on my project into a conference room. Our meetings were always fun, loud and interesting. There was a lot of joking and freedom to bring in ideas. Everyone was free to share their ideas equally regardless of rank, level or experience. We would laugh so loud at some of the crazy ideas, sometimes we’d be asked to be more quiet by one of those “hall monitor” types who believed their job was to keep things in order. Most of the time though, people would pop their heads in to see if they could join in on whatever project or challenge we were working on. The energy was contagious. Those “hall monitors” types could never shut us down because we had success on our side.

2010

jody — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:52:49 +0000

I feel an optimism in the air as 2010 begins. There is nothing really tangible to point to for proof. It is just a feeling. Most everyone I speak to is talking about how much better this year will be compared to last year.

So here’s an idea. What if we all agree it IS a better year? If we all agree and believe it to be true, won’t we most likely make it happen? There’s a lot to be said for our collective strength. When we agree to maintain an optimistic attitude, we will notice opportunities abounding. As opposed to to the opposite where all we see is the negative.

We are living in a transitional time where we are re-evaluating our collective values. Do we dare have the courage to step forward and claim our right to the pursuit of happiness? What does that mean, anyway? To me it means to live with true prosperity. A truly prosperous person enjoys robust health, wonderful and loving relationships, fulfilling work, the pleasures of life such as good food and also, the peace of mind of money in the bank.

Can’t go back

jody — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:13:36 +0000

With the economic upheavals we’ve all experienced over the last couple of years, it easy to wish we could all just go back to the way things were. Back to when we had more equity in our homes, money invested and discretionary income.

So much of what we were living was an illusion. The illusion of continued and sustained growth. Not growth on a sound model, but one based on a bubble that had to burst.

If the economy constantly flowed without ebbs, we would never have the gift of knowing what is going wrong and getting on a better path. Although the recession has caused many people too much suffering and stress, it has also provided us with a gift and opportunity.

The gift to re-think our collective values and contribution. Also the opportunity to wake up from an unsustainable illusion. We should thank the ebb we are in for helping us examine what is most precious and important in our lives. Most everyone I know has re-evaluated their lives and values. Especially around money. Many ask themselves, is money serving me or am I serving it?

It’s a great time to ask ourselves this question. True prosperity stems from money serving you, your values and an authentic life.

Making Assumptions

jody — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:34:05 +0000

With so many changes happening around us, both in our working and personal lives, there is a temptation to make assumptions. For example, when change is afloat (which there is a lot of lately), I assume the outcome will be the same as in the past or that if I apply to same strategies as I did in the past, they will work. The truth is that every situation calls for us to increasingly rely on our intuition to figure it out. Complex problems require research and fact-finding, but when it comes to making the final decision, it is usually most successful if we rely on instinct.