The Bloomin' Blog

Let it Go--a Musical Reminder

Mimi Meredith — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:20:00 GMT

I am compiling great information from my contributing experts on life and sales beyond the elevator pitch. I will come back with the good news tomorrow.

In the meantime, I want to remind us of things we talk frequently on the Bloomin' Blog...

Let it Go--Let go of worries, anger, guilt...if it's worth feeling worried, angry or guilty about, it's worth doing something about. If you can't do something about it, let it go! It's clogging up your channel for goodness and stealing away space in your spirit meant for joy!

This too shall Pass--Remember this under ALL conditions. In times of joy and contentment...so you can better appreciate them and be present in those moments; and times that challenge and threaten...so that you can keep them in perspective remembering they may be difficult times but they are not the end times.

Then along came the group Ok Go with this fabulous song that wraps it all up for us ...

The Elevator Speech and other things that scare me.

Mimi Meredith — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:41:00 GMT

I first heard the term "elevator pitch" in 1985 when I was working at an advertising agency in Wichita, Kansas. I remember finding it amusing, since there weren't a lot of opportunities to ride elevators in WIchita, and no buildings high enough to indulge in conversation beyond "which floor?" The idea of a sales pitch to a stranger unsettled me then, and I've had to really work to get over my discomfort with it even now.

I hate it when people ask me what I do. And I'm certainly not going to randomly bring up the subject on an elevator.

"Funny weather we're having, Say! did I mention I can help your organization understand the keys to building better relationships so you and your people will prosper! How about those Diamondbacks!"

Relationship building is just that...building. You start with a foundation of mutual interest. ... ...

What's your brand? Part I of Who are you and what do you do?

Mimi Meredith — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:41:00 GMT

There was a time when the title of today's post could have been the opening line in a cigarette commercial. But today, brand relevance reaches far beyond product lines. There's not much we do as organizations, or individuals, that a good team of marketing professionals couldn't wrap into a branding campaign.

Growing up as the daughter of a Montana rancher, a brand signified ownership. It was clear to the world that the livestock bearing your brand belonged to no one else. And it was great incentive to raise healthy stock. You didn't want an underfed or poorly bred specimen as a walking display of your poor management skills. ... ...

Gentle Corrections

Mimi Meredith — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:34:00 GMT

Does the thought of driving in the rain evoke the same sense of relaxation as a rainy afternoon at home watching a golf match on television or curled up with a good book? Or do your shoulders tense just thinking about it?

I love driving in the rain. I like the cocoon created by the sheets of rain around me. It's like looking at the world through gossamer curtains. I don't even mind torrential rain...as long as all the drivers around me keep their heads about them...because it's so fun to be in the phenomena of weather, but protected just enough. And I know that eventually the downpour will end or I will drive beyond it. ...

Go Forth and Prosper

Mimi Meredith — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:57:00 GMT

What does it mean to you to prosper?

What are the first things you think of when you hear, "you will prosper"?

I think it is a word that is so much richer than success and implies so much more to me than a sense of immediate gratification. To me, to prosper implies a root system that is deep and in rich soils and a perennial existence that weathers all conditions. It doesn't imply that times won't be difficult or that I'm guaranteed smooth sailing. But I have the sense that my prosperity is linked to the core of my being that withstands those tests. I won't be overcome. I will prosper.

I'm grateful for this verb. I will prosper where I'm planted. And how will you prosper?

Thanks to Laura and her comment on the last post which set my little mental gerbil in motion on this rainy Sunday morning.
...

How's your sense of direction?

Mimi Meredith — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:52:00 GMT

When you are lost, what do you do?

If you're lost in a big city at night, does it affect you differently than being lost in a small, but unfamiliar rural town? How do you find your way?

I think we need to be aware of what causes us to lose our sense of direction. Why do we let anxiety and self-doubt cloud our ability to tap into our sufficiency?

Being lost can send us straight back into our core animal response of fight or flight. Your brain sends cortisol coursing into your systems, breathing becomes rapid and shallow your heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and you are pretty much reduced to the same response patterns of your dog or a rabbit. Gone are the gifts of higher thought...compassion...reason...patience.

Lost, and with your physiology working against you, you may head blindly in the wrong direction because you simply want to get away from your current location; you may heed the advice of someone you don't know who doesn't have your best ...

The Thrill of Competition

Mimi Meredith — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:42:00 GMT

Actually, it was ...

"The Thrill of Victory...and the Agony of Defeat!"

You can tell you're a baby boomer if you can remember that opening for ABC's Wide World of Sports. If you don't remember, or want a quick refresher, Click Here for a moment's reminiscing.

Saturday I asked what conversations you might want to have on the Bloomin' Blog to start our third year. Julie offered hat her family had been discussing the topic of competition lately in light of the winter Olympics. I have been on a similar path of thought, not just regarding international sports, but competitiveness in business as well.

Humans thrive on competition. We seem to feel that it makes us our best. We run faster if someone is gaining on us. But sometimes, I think it just makes us paranoid, short sighted and miserly. ...

Seekers Welcome

Mimi Meredith — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:34:00 GMT

Today, I completely messed up my calendar for a second Monday in a row. Last Monday, I left a friend at breakfast. Today, I missed lunch with a former colleague I haven't gotten to see for six years. I can't tell you how sick it made me feel to get her "is everything all right..." email.

So, I decided to get off the couch (truth be known, I haven't been feeling too well, but I still would have loved having lunch with Chris!) and to do the things I've been meaning to, but "forget" everyday. That includes sending Elizabeth Cottrell her "prize" for being the first to write back with the "one word" in response to the January post on Gossip. As I looked for the email with Elizabeth's address, I found a note from January 1 to look at a page on her site. (See...my forgetting is covering a broad range of things. Who knows when it would have occurred to me that this had slipped through the crevasses in my mind?!) Elizabeth had added a page on connecting with God to her website. I took ...

Bloomin' Blog Year Number Two Begins and the Top Ten

Mimi Meredith — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:01:00 GMT

Here they are...the ten posts most read in the past two years...

10. Lead By Example
9. Mind the Gap
8. Leadership and My Father's Wisdom
7. Let not your hearts be troubled
6. Blooming Where I'm Planted
5. Shoot the Gerbil
4. Straighten Up and Fly Right
3. On cowards, cowardice and comfort--the human condition
2. What to Say to Someone Who's Lost a Job
1. Conversations with Self

Theories on how these came to be the top ten range from the fact that I know some hits are searches for a song lyric (I can see the phrases people use to search with) to the fear there are a bunch of sick and twisted people looking at the photo of me with a leaf blower wondering what might happen next. I got a link to the article from a disturbing site once, which was enough to give me the creeps.
...

How shall we celebrate?

Mimi Meredith — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:22:00 GMT

Monday will mark the second anniversary of the Bloomin' Blog. SInce February 22, 208, I have shared
105, 023 words
(excluding these!), I have written 165 entries about things that are important to me. My "topic expertise" falls into the categories of relationship building, communication and life balance. But those of you who've been with me know I have a pretty broad range of ideas I share in this community.

So here's my question, what should I write to celebrate two years of words a la Mimi? Is there a subject you'd like to hear more about or a new topic you want opened? This is your space...your community. So let's celebrate you and be sure you're getting what you'd like from this space.

Comment away friends!

Oh...on Monday I'll publish the list of the top 10 most popular entries. I have ...

Runaway dogs and the power of words

Mimi Meredith — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:47:00 GMT

On our walk this morning, Sage The Wonder Dog and I encountered my dear friends Alan and Melissa. As Sage greeted their dog, Lincoln, I recounted the story of how she had bolted through the front door and into the neighborhood a few nights ago. During her experience as a runaway, Sage stayed half a block ahead of me, turning occasionally to make sure I was still running behind. But when my son Patrick joined the pursuit, she stopped in her tracks and waited for him to catch up. Apparently, being with Patrick was more important than freedom.

Melissa said when Lincoln runs away, they get him to stop by shouting key words. In the case of this particular dog, the key words include "Treats!" "Pizza!" or "Hanukkah" (they said Lincoln knows that Hanukkah means she gets a present!) In addition to the priceless mental image of my petite friend in hot pursuit of her Airedale Terrier enthusiastically shouting Hanukkah! as she gives chase through their elegant neighborhood, the conversation gave me a bit to think about as we walked home.

...

The Business of Being Present

Mimi Meredith — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:27:00 GMT

There is much said and written about "being present" in a moment. Not allowing our minds to fret forward or replay events, but instead to just experience fully the here and now.

Much good can come from being present.

You will become a better leader. Why? Doesn't good leadership require you to look forward and plan based on the experiences of the past? Well yes. But none of that matters if you aren't really listening and focusing on information in the present. And no good decision can be made when your spirit is stretched beyond its limits without time to gain the calm center where rational thinking takes root. So learn to be present, and let me know how it affects your decision making and your leadership. ... ...

Are you the boss of you?

Mimi Meredith — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:34:00 GMT

"YOU are not the boss of me!" My nephew made it clear as a toddler that attempts by anyone--sometimes including his parental units--to try to exert authority over his world were not welcome. And who can blame him. None of us respond well to those who try to boss us without our consent.

But how do you do as boss of you? Even if you aren't self employed, you're your own best boss. In What Makes the Best Jobs Best? we had some great conversations about memories of everything from retaliatory bosses who controlled restroom breaks and personal property, to the best bosses--the ones who nurtured careers and provided guidance and understanding that led to true professional development.

Looking at our lives from the perspective of workplace psychology, we each have the opportunity to go about our work of living each day being the best boss and the best employee ever! ... ...

Say What You Need to Say

Mimi Meredith — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:12:00 GMT

What does more damage, the things we say or the things left unsaid?

Today, I'm going with things left unsaid. They can erode relationships, bring committee work to a grinding halt and sabotage even the best-built businesses

Remember the rule we discussed in
...

What do I do?

Mimi Meredith — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:11:00 GMT

Hello self-serving subject matter. This blog is all about me. And ironically, it's an effort to be sure my community understands exactly what it is I do, in spite of the fact that I often say what we do is less important than what we are. What I am becomes evident spending much time with a person or her writing. What is not revealed within that context is that I am... for hire! I do...stuff! And I'm good at it. So here's a list, in no particular order of what you, or a group you know, might want to hire me to do... ...

The State of A Union

Mimi Meredith — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:13:00 GMT

Do you find yourself exhausted by politics? Perhaps you are just really worn out by the antics of "the other" party? Do you have some commentators you love and others whose mere presence on a flat screen causes you to run from the room?

I for one, am very, very tired of partisan politics. I'm tired of my side, your side and the other side. I want someone to rise above it all.

Then I remember, if peace begins with me, so do repaired unions. If we want to see others work out big issues, we need to be better keepers of little ones. ...

What makes the best jobs the best?

Mimi Meredith — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:23:00 GMT

I have my theories on the answer to this question, but I'd like you to take just a moment to expand my base of understanding by answering the following questions on the blog's comment section...

1.     Have you ever had an outstanding boss?
2.     What makes a great boss great?

3.     Have you ever had a job you really loved and if so why did you love it?

Thanks for helping expand my world today friends! I'll answer eventually, but I want to know what you all think!

Here's to a growing goodness kind of Monday!

...

Three steps to self renewal

Mimi Meredith — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:28:00 GMT

I think everyone needs time just to be. Thinking often can turn to worrying or strategizing, particularly as your responsibilities increase. The challenge is that people who are most stressed are busiest and don't have time to get away. So how do you benefit from the capacity-broadening, decision-improving benefits we know come with renewal when you have limited time? Look at time differently! Instead of thinking in terms of hours; think in terms of 10-minute units. Much can be done in those short chunks of time that equip you to handle the rough hours ahead.

And remember...the time to renew yourself is before you make the critical misstep of responding from depleted supplies of patience and tolerance. So...when you feel the walls closing in, take time to. ... ...

Are you patient?

Mimi Meredith — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:39:00 GMT

I ask the question, simply because I'm often not. People may ascribe that quality to me, but I rarely exhibit it.

How does patience lead to great leadership?
Often we think leaders are people who have the authority to react immediately and confidently in any situation. One CEO responded to my advice that he wait before intervening in a situation and said, "Mimi, that's difficult for me. I operate with a slash and burn approach."

He could get in there and "get 'er done," but we were dealing people. And people sometimes need our patience. By not jumping in, he watched as a staff person exercised abilities he didn't believe she possessed to deal with the situation on her own. Her department was stronger for it because her leadership was affirmed. Had he followed his instinct, the result would have been the same (a trouble-causing employee was asked to leave), but the fallout would have been significant, as I'm sure you can guess...or have experienced.

How does patience work in parenting?
I try to remember the ...

Help Haiti

Mimi Meredith — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:04:00 GMT

Haiti, I forgot you. I read Mountains Beyond Mountains and you changed my view of the world. And then, I simply forgot to remember that every time I ate more than one meal a day, I was rich.

And now, you lie in a rubble. Just when things were beginning to improve...as if the poorest of the poor in the world might find solid ground beneath their aching feet...you've been left with nowhere safe to stand.

So Bloomin' Blog readers, what can you and I do? We can give a donation with all our heart--that means more than the check or credit card contribution that might ease your conscience--and support organizations that will quickly send relief to this small country devastated by a 7.0 earthquake yesterday as I...what do you suppose I did as the walls caved in there...answered an email, enjoyed a mid afternoon cup of coffee in the security of my perfectly equipped kitchen?

So please, stop. Think. Read. Look at the heartbreaking images. ...