Blog
Explore career topics, including strengths, goals, healthy productivity, perfectionism and wellness.
What I love most about working from home
I'm an introvert and I'm also easily distracted and bothered by noise. So, I am en-joy-ing working from home! It is utterly delicious. My "regular" (non-COVID-19) situation was that I went to the University of British Columbia (UBC) several days per week for my...
Worksheet for perfectionists: Stop, start, continue
If you're a perfectionist, you have undoubtedly had the experience of working on a goal but not making progress in the ways you had hoped. Your own high standards may be holding you back. Maybe you're spending too much time on a particular task or taking too many...
Activity to build on team strengths: Great partnerships at work
Strengths Activity for Teams: Great Partnerships at Work This resource is for team leads who want to help foster strong(er) partnerships among team members. It outlines an activity that can be used during a team meeting or team retreat (online or in-person). In this...
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...