Blog
Explore topics relating to perfectionism, gentle productivity, and building on strengths so you can move forward in your higher education career without throwing your quality of life out the window!
A gratitude letter for George Cotton, voice teacher, mentor
A gratitude letter expresses our appreciation for someone who has touched us and to whom we haven't fully expressed our thanks. It can be to a parent, sibling, friend, a boss--anyone. Ideally, the letter is shared out loud with the intended recipient. This is my...
My list of 23 for 2023 (Q1)
In December-January, I felt resistant to creating yearly goals for 2023. This surprised me, given how much I (normally) enjoy setting, tracking, and evaluating my goals. However, I went with the flow this time and didn't craft any goals at that time. By early...
Self-awareness is not enough
Self-awareness is necessary for self-change. But, self-awareness isn’t enough. When it comes to making changes in our beliefs, habits, actions, it’s the application of learning (from the self-awareness) that leads to change. Perfectionists struggle with the...
Use a distraction log to reduce procrastination
Procrastination, writes James Clear, is a force that prevents us from following through on what we set out to do. Given this force [I love his choice of that word], we need something equally powerful to counteract and resist procrastination. Enter the use of a...
Tips to get unstuck from perfectionism
Here are 12 tips to help you get unstuck from your perfectionism when it shows up, slows you down, is annoying, or sucks you into its vortex. There are no easy-peasy solutions to "overcome" perfectionism (I don't believe in overcoming perfectionism as I've written...
How do I become my future self?
How often do you wonder about your future? If you're anything like me, probably a lot. Without using these exact words, when we think about the months and years ahead, the question you (and me) are asking is "How do I become my future self?" What is "Future Self"?...
How do I make a change?
How do I make a change? This is a central theme when I work with my coaching clients, and in my own life. So it's a question I think a lot about. The other day, I was reflecting on my process. Mostly I was having fun playing with ideas and words and the letters in my...
Tool for decision making: 10/10/10
Decision making can be tough In our career, we continuously need to make decisions. Making better, and good, life and career choices is, well…a good thing and using a tool for decision making can get us there. I am fascinated (yes, really) by decision-making processes...
I feel old at work
Do you ever catch yourself thinking “I feel old at work”? Maybe that thought comes up because you’re among the older workers in your unit or organization, or because the clients you serve are young. Perhaps it's because your director/manager is younger than you are....
How to write your mission statement
This post guides you on how to write your mission statement. I recommend you create your mission statement after completing these two activities: identify your values (you can use this Worksheet on Values) and articulate your vision (see this post for details,...
How to write your vision statement
This post will take you through the steps of how to write your vision statement. You can find a downloadable worksheet at the end. Many of my coaching clients have commented on how valuable their statement has been over time. I recommend working through the...
Having more fun in life
Having more fun in life has not been one of my priorities and throughout my teens and adulthood I've poured my energy into working and accomplishing. I've reaped benefits from this "work hard" behaviour (or habit?): approval, acceptance, and accolades. But I don't...