Lyle’s Room

Gifts get dropped in my lap.

My client, SkillPath, asked me to give a seminar for the Pine Mountain Lake Association in Groveland, California near Yosemite. I’m a city girl with a heart for the mountains, so I was essentially paid to be in paradise.

I was put up in a bed and breakfast that’s a historical landmark. It’s right next to the oldest saloon in California. As I checked in, I saw information about a room that’s apparently haunted by a ghost named “Lyle.” I wanted to meet Lyle. I didn’t feel at all scared about it. I was able to get that room.

Lyle allegedly turns on and off faucets and the TV. Here’s one guest’s story:

Lyle’s most consistent trick is that he removes ladies cosmetics from “his bureau” and puts them in places like under a chair. I was encouraged by a local to put all my cosmetics there just to see what would happen. I felt like that would be rude so I abstained from testing out the ghost’s ire.

Lyle's bureau

The room was a pleasure to be in. I felt and experienced nothing odd except that I didn’t sleep well. But I will attribute that to the baby back barbeque ribs I had for dinner. Mmm good and totally worth it!

Taking time to smell the dandelions

Scatological Road Warrior Tip

I’d like to offer a new tip for the road warriors among us. When living in a hotel room, it’s easy to miss the comforts of home. Even something as simple as bathroom air freshener might seem a luxury.

A friend from my women’s group introduced me to a product that eliminates bathroom odor before it even gets started. It’s called “Just a Drop.” You drip a drop into the lieu before you have a seat. The result is zero bathroom odor. And it comes in a tiny bottle that fits right into your TSA zip-lock bag.

I ordered one for home and one for the road. Not that bathroom odor is an issue for me. I’m a very dainty person.

Shout Out for ASTD

Do you or someone you love have an interest in being a trainer?

Back in 1999, when a mentor heard that I got a promotion to be a corporate trainer she immediately suggested the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). “You’ll love the people. It will feel like home.” What wonderful conversations I had at my first chapter meeting.

I attended the ASTD Train the Trainer course to teach me how adults learn. I was riveted by the experience and came away with oodles of tools that allowed me to transition to my new position like a pro.

When I opened my own consulting business, I started calling fellow ASTD business owners to network and get bright ideas. One kind person suggested SkillPath Seminars to me. I hadn’t yet heard of them. Over two years later, SkillPath remains my bread and butter client. I’ve been able to work in six countries and in groups of over 300 people. And now I can relish this moment and realize that my life changed dramatically based on one conversation with an ASTD member!

Now I feel like a peacock flaunting its feathers when I tell people I’m on the Board. It sounds so fancy and serious. As it turns out, it’s growing me in ways I never would have been able to guess. I’m making new friends and getting noticed for my own unique contributions.

Reach out to me if you have any questions about ASTD. I’ll be happy to help.

You Never Forget Your First Vlog

I dedicate this foray into the vlogosphere to the wayward curl you will see on one side of my head. I could have let that darling lock of hair keep me from hitting my goal to post my first vlog by May 19, 2009. I greet that curl with affection and a reminder of this wonderful quote:

Sloppy success is better than flawless mediocrity.

Welcome to my vlog!

The Joy of Singing

Semper Fi

I had the opportunity to give a seminar for the United States Marine Corps last month; something truly wonderful happened there.

The group was going through a series of self reflective questions. In small groups, attendees where discussing what they had written. I heard one woman share that she liked to sing and missed singing very much.

Later, she bravely allowed me to use her longing to sing as an exercise for the entire class. We brainstormed about ways a person could put singing back into her life:

Sing in the car

Sing in the shower

Sing in the choir

Sing karaoke

Just talking about her love for singing in this creative, open environment inspired her. She came back from lunch bursting with news. She went online and searched for “San Diego” and “singing telegram.”  She called a company, introduced herself and won an interview to audition.

This woman was on fire with possibility as she exclaimed to me, “I can earn extra money on the weekends doing something I love!”

And I ask you, do I have the best job in the world or what?

The story doesn’t end here because I have to admit to the blogosphere that I miss singing, too. I haven’t sung in public in 16 months. I miss it and long for it. I am writing you from a hotel room in Houston, Texas. The night is young so off I go – it’s karaoke time!

May “One Minute Note”

A wise doctor was concerned for his obese patient. If she didn’t change her habits soon, her life would be in danger. He asked her to march in front of the TV for sixty seconds every day. A week later, she called the doctor to ask him what else she could do. He extended her marching time by small increments and added other activities. The result over time? A bona fide exercise program.

What did that doctor do that was so brilliant? He gave his patient a micro-goal.  Micro-goals are easy, achievable and confidence building. They move people towards their larger goals.

I started a writing project recently. To keep my enthusiasm up, I assigned myself a micro-goal: to open the document and write anything I chose to at least three times during the week. With no pressure on me for quality or quantity, I experienced very little resistance to writing. I even got a fourth session in.
 
Would you care to set a micro-goal for yourself this month? I’d love to hear about it!