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!
How strengths aided my recovery: An interview with Dr. Deb Chen
At age 27, Deb experienced a brain aneurysm. It was completely unexpected and changed her life. In this post, Deb reflects on how she used her strengths to recover from her brain aneurysm and re-engage in her community and work. Deb’s top 5 themes from the...
ICF Certification: Received ☑️
This month I'm being highly intentional about celebrating. What this means is that, throughout my day, when I do something I feel good about--even if it is minor--I take a micro-second to give myself a mental pat on the back, a congrats, a high-five, do a little...
What’s making me smile?
Let me preface this by saying that I am not spending my days with a big smile plastered onto my face. However, there are a number of things that have been lifting my spirits over the past few weeks and I wanted to record these here. More time with my immediate family...
Activity to build on team strengths: Victory story
Strengths Activity for Teams: Victory Story This resource is for team leads who want to help foster strong(er) teams. It outlines an activity that can be used during an in-person or virtual team meeting or retreat. This facilitated activity invites each team member to...
Awe
For as long as I can remember, I have been awed by a beautiful singing voice. Certain song/voice combinations stop me in my tracks, pull me in like some sort of powerful vortex (does a vortex suck people in? that may be scientifically inaccurate, but you get my...
7 ways to boost your happiness
Happiness is more than a "positive mood". It is a state of well-being that is tied to living a meaningful life and experiencing deep contentment. Furthermore, there is a growing body of research that suggests that happiness is linked to our physical health. As such,...
A positive approach to perfectionism
Huh? What do you mean: A positive approach to perfectionism? I used to think that perfectionism was something to overcome. I don’t think that anymore. Now, I think of it as something to be mindful of, to be(come) at peace with, and as a characteristic to leverage. I...
Your workspace and well-being
The physical space in which we work matters--a lot. Yet, it isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when we think about career satisfaction. I have noticed my workspace affects my mood, my productivity, my sense of calm (or lack thereof), and my overall...
Catastrophizing (do you remember 1999?!)
I was thinking back 20 years to December 1999--do you remember the "hysteria" leading up to that month?! Back then, my spouse and I ran a disc jockey (DJ) business; December 31 had us worried because we weren't sure how Y2K would play out. Anyone who is old enough to...
Worksheet for perfectionists: Healthy striving
Would you like to overcome perfectionism and begin moving forward? I've created a worksheet that offers a step-by-step process to help you move forward on a project even when you’re feeling stuck. It is written with perfectionists in mind. Perfectionists are people...
Overcoming perfectionism: What if that weren’t the goal?
Are you fed up with yourself and ready to start overcoming your perfectionism? What if I said I wanted to talk you out of overcoming it?! Yes, that's right: I want to propose a different way to see your perfectionism...a way that acknowledges the challenges and ALSO...
Anorexia, gelato, gratitude
Letter to Uno Gelato, a Vancouver-based business. Dear Paddy Mahony (Owner), Mike Raffan (Managing Partner) and staff at Uno Gelato in Kitsilano, Last summer, our 13-year-old daughter, Nayeli, was suffering intensely with anorexia nervosa. This mental health condition...