YouTube and Twitter have irrevocably changed the way we look at the world and gather information. We were already teetering on zero attention span, and…
oooh… a shiny object….
where was I … Yes – a short attention span. I just discovered mine is 1 minute 45 seconds. I was watching a very very cool Blue Angels video in HD. I Love those guys. Love Love Love. It’s a 4:50 minute video. At 1:45 I was ready for the next one. 1:45 — that’s about the equivalent of a Tweet – 140 characters. The equivalent of a 200 word blog. The time it takes me to make a cup of tea in the microwave because boiling water takes too long.
I’m a speaker. Time to rethink all programs. All webinars. All handouts. All marketing materials.
Follow Me!
Goals:
- Make each sentence pithier (is that a word?)
- Reduce fluff
- Catch and retain interest – for at least 1:45
- Incorporate a ReTweet Idea to support info & other users
- Front load video and audio content to get the best out there first
- Create downloads, e-books, & books with short chapters and paragraphs.
What else can we do to appeal to this short-attention-span world? Ideas? Let me know!
Thanks,
Beth
(193 words. Yay!)
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All rights Reserved
The first month of Resolutions is past… How ya doin’? Most of us were happy to see 2009 go – so anything is better than last year. What a crazy ride! So, what did you learn? What can you change? What can you let go of? How can you make 2010 better than 2009?
Here are 5 Secrets that will help:
RETHINK:
What goals worked? What didn’t? What will?
Is it time to rethink your priorities?
Any attitudes or habits getting in your way?
Take them on one at a time. It’s easier to make small changes than big ones. Can you make some short-term goals for the next week or month that will get you on a new track?
RENEW:
Renew YOU. Take a little time for yourself. Stare at a wall and think about where you want to go from this point on. Wallowing in the past only makes it worse. Focus where you want to go, not on where you’ve been.
Make a new commitment to yourself, to your faith, to your health, and especially to your relationships. Be mindful of what matters most.
REGROUP:
Take a step back. Most of our troubles come from overspending, overtaxing ourselves, spreading our time and energy too thin, and from saying hurtful things.
Think before hitting “send,” wait before speaking, count to 100 before blowing a gasket. Life turns on a dime, and these things are like feathers in the wind. Once scattered, they can’t all be retrieved.
You are you. Enjoy that. Celebrate you. Be happy that you have had the experiences, the sadness, the frustration, the lessons, the gifts, the joy… all of it.
RE-VIEW:
Have you ever looked at your “toys” and wished you could have the money back that you spent on all of them? We grownups aren’t much different from the 2 year old who tosses her new toy aside to play with the box it came in.
So much of what we buy is forgotten within weeks or months. Do you need that? Will it put you in a financial bind? What do you expect to happen if you buy it? Does it make sense? If you wait, what will happen? What won’t happen? After asking those questions, if it makes sense, do it. But ask first.
REVEL:
You are you. Enjoy that. Celebrate you. Be happy that you have had the experiences, the sadness, the frustration, the lessons, the gifts, the joy… all of it. Everything is a gift, and so much that pains us really does turn out OK. So many times we forget to live while we are “looking ahead”… Celebrate NOW.
There are no guarantees. Life is very short. Be happy. And take care of yourself.
Blessings,
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. all Rights Reserved
I don’t know what all the fuss is these days about the Law of Attraction, as if it’s a new idea that attitude determines our altitude.
I’m thinkin’ “attraction” isn’t even the right word… maybe it should be called “The law of attention.”
Isn’t it true that paying attention to something makes it loom larger?
Isn’t it true that paying attention to something makes it loom larger? Are we attracting or are we noticing something that was waiting in the wings for us to see it? “It” could be a goal or an upset or the number of red birds on the lawn.
There’s an old saying: “Where the attention goes the energy flows.”
If I pay attention to the fact that Phoenix has a lot of white cars (makes lots of sense in the desert!) I will see more white cars. If I pay attention to the happy circumstances in my life, I will be happier and the unpleasant circumstances are pushed to the side.
I drove into Honolulu one morning from Kailua. That’s an eleven- mile trek over the Pali Highway. Mapquest says it should take 19 minutes. Well, Mapquest hasn’t been on the Pali at drive time. It took me one hour and five minutes.
There were people waiting to hear me speak at the end of this drive. Yikes! Not good. But it would worse if I showed up stressed out and upset.
However, my philosophy is, “When you are in a tunnel, go with the flow!” Once I was in that traffic, my choices were narrowed to making sure I was in the fastest lane and I kept my blood pressure low. At some point, you decide that you can’t do anything and focus on better things.
As the Honolulu commuters and I trudged towards downtown, I decided to pay attention to how fortunate I am to have a job that allows me to return to Hawaii, my home for three decades. I drank in the beauty, the weather, the smell of the flowers. The Brothers Cazimero serenaded my slow march to town. (Hey – If you think you don’t like Hawaiian music…listen and they’ll change your mind.)
All the way I said “thank you” for every wonderful sight, sound, and smell. I paid attention to the great things happening on this trip. I thought about my friends, new and old, that I’d connected with, some on purpose and some by happy accident.
Even though I knew I was late, I didn’t let myself get negative or angry. I’m not always that good in traffic, but I was determined not to let it get to me.
I walked into my session with only moments to spare. A decade ago I would have been a wreck. Paying attention to gratitude; focusing on the things I could control; keeping my thoughts on my topic and the audience’s needs…all served to keep me from passing any traffic frustration onto my waiting audience.
In the grand scheme of things, it is what it is. My audience was fine – networking and talking with friends. I was fine – I knew the topic was a good one, and pertinent to a room full of Human Resources Managers.
By reminding myself to pay attention to the good things and the blessings of being here, I found it easier to take care of business and not get caught up in the drama of bad circumstances.
… it’s good to know it works when you really need it! 
Beth
~~~
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Here’s the deal: If you want to be Resilient, you’ve GOT to get enough sleep!
~ Sleep deprivation can kill you.
~ Waking you up in the middle of REM (Rapid Eye Movement or deep sleep) will make you tired all day, even if you went back to sleep and got a total of 8 hours. If you are awakened when you are not in REM sleep, you are not as affected by the interruption.
~ Light stops the production of melatonin, which helps you sleep. Even if you keep your head covered, and any part of your body is exposed to light, you lose the benefits that melatonin affords your body in helping you regenerate.
~ Your brain and body are very busy while you sleep. Cells are repaired, ‘tanks’ are refilled (endorphin, adrenal, thyroid, etc.) Your brain takes the millions of bytes and bits of information you collected during the day and puts them in order. It busily arranges data, dumps data you don’t need, and helps strengthen your memory. Get fewer than 6 hours of sleep and these processes don’t function properly.
~ Reuters reported on a “study by German researchers at the University of Luebeck”. The study showed your sleeping brain undergoes specific changes that lead to creativity and problem-solving insights the next day. This typically happens during “slow wave” deep sleep that occurs in the first four hours of the sleep cycle–but you need a full 8 hours to gain the benefits. Waking up too soon, or being startled awake can stop or reverse the processes.
Think of your computer. What happens if you give it a complex task, say, backing up, and you turn the computer off midway through the task? Kablooey! (That’s a technical term.)
One scientist claims that our kids would learn better if we started school at 9AM instead of 7:30, and kept them until 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
~ Teenagers need to sleep more than adults. They are getting mugged by their hormones, and their brains and bodies are assimilating huge masses of data. One scientist claims that our kids would learn better if we started school at 9AM instead of 7:30, and kept them until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. And parents might see a calmer kid if they let’em sleep when they need to.
~ And yes, you can get too much sleep. Two recent studies reported by Scientific American claim that adults who sleep more than 8 hours have a shorter life span, too. So you do need to have some balance.
~ Dr. Rafael Pelayo of Stanford University’s Sleep Disorder Clinic says unequivocally that sleep deprivation is dangerous. And sleep deprivation is cumulative. So you need to give yourself a chance to catch up! Your life depends upon it.
According to Dr. Pelayo this is what happens:
* You will have problems with memory and concentration.
* You will have problems finding the right word.
* You will become irritable.
* Neurotransmitters in your brain are altered.
* You become more susceptible to infection.
* At its extreme, sleep deprivation leads to death
So, kids, when you feel like taking a nap, maybe you should. If you are driving, pull off to a safe place and catch 20 minutes of sleep. If you are tired at work, take a power nap at lunch. If you’re a night owl, plan it so your meetings don’t start till later in the day.
And knock off the 24/7 work schedule. Don’t give yourself too much credit! The world goes on within you and without you. If you don’t make it in to work tomorrow, we’ll figure it out. We might miss you, but we’ll get along OK.
Give your body and your brain a fighting chance, and they’ll serve you (and your community) well for many years to come!
I think I’ll go take a nap….
Beth
~~~
Beth Terry, CSP
Professional Speaker and Author
Website
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Great news. Your brain is plastic. Forget everything you’ve been told about it dying off, seizing up, shedding gray matter. Not true. Turns out your brain can˜remap’ itself – it’s that resilient. If one area of the brain is damaged, (providing there is some living tissue left) your noggin just starts rerouting traffic. Tiny engineers set up cones, little road workers with flags send thoughts barreling down different neuronal pathways, new roads are built, and life is good again… eventually.
It isn’t immediate. Road building takes awhile. The joy is, with each passing decade there’s more and more proof that old notions of dying brains due to age or stroke may be coming obsolete.
So goes the wisdom reviewed in a great book by Norman Doidge, MD. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books)
The medical community calls it neuroplasticity. We’ve heard about this before, but Doidge makes it understandable and very readable. Never mind some of those hard-to-grasp notions in The Secret, this is the real deal: Doidge reveals a study where patients with chronic pain can control it with their thoughts, essentially remapping pain centers and rerouting traffic off the rocky road to a much more serene path.
If you or someone you love has had brain trauma or if you just had waaay too much fun in the 60’s, this is definitely a keeper for the bookshelf.
Keep smilin’ and keep those neurons firin’,
Beth
It must be said. Parenting in this country has gone to hell. I can’t hold this in any longer. I’ve raised a lot of kids, and IMHO our job as parents is to develop character in the children and give them a solid grounding for life. They are the future of this country: the future entrepreneurs and employees. The future leaders.
I’ve enjoyed occasionally catching the American Idol show from time to time. Seeing kids have a chance to try out their skills, find a stage, be tested in the real world — all that warms my heart. No one ever said celebrity and fame is easy. Simon Cowell is more than likely much kinder than the average director. The inability these children have to deal with his rejection shows they aren’t ready for the road they seek.
This brings me to the parents. It is apparent that these children have been told too often how GREAT they are. While it’s good to encourage your children and help them dream, filling their heads with fluff and leading them to believe they are “star quality” without teaching them how to work for it creates unrealistic expectations.
This is the problem with the “Self Esteem” movement of the past two decades. We have created children with unrealistic notions about themselves and little of the character or work ethic to get where they want to go. Singing along with your iPod does not make you the next singing sensation. It takes work. And parents who believe their job is to be their kids’ best friend do more damage than good. John Rosemond said it best, “Parenting is not a popularity contest.”
Somebody’s gotta be the grown up.
Just sayin’
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
What is lurking in the dark corners of your laptop? If you’ve owned a computer for more than a year, you’ve got clutter on your desktop. Those of us who have had computers for decades have duplicates, old files, corrupted files, useless junk, and more.
There are programs that will get rid of some duplicates and “orphan” files. Spring Cleaning, GrupaDupa, and the like. You can do a search to find a program you like. But the bulk of the decision making is still yours, and still takes decision-making about specific stuff you’ve stashed away like so many old T-shirts and cool knicknacks from that trip to Yugoslavia.
I used a cleaning/duplicate program and was stunned to find I had as many as 8 copies of the same file lurking in various spots. Even though my Mac has a search function, I can’t always find all the cool things I want because I forget what I called them!
The problem with so many “declutter your hard drive” columns is they focus on dumping temp and duplicate files, deleting cache files, and getting rid of programs you don’t use. That’s fine and dandy… but we’ve all got other things that need to be culled. The jokes we downloaded, the pictures with people we don’t remember, old notes and information that’s no longer relevant. These require you to pay some attention. So after you do the other decluttering for PC’s, or for Macs try this:
Make a commitment - You can do this in chunks of time. Hint: Keep a notepad handy so you know exactly where you stopped if you don’t do this in one sitting. You’ll also need to note which folders are the “good” folders and which are dump-able. I’m not a techie, and I’m sure some techie will read this and explain how they can do this on their terminal or with some other cool program. Oh well. This worked for me and it may work for you.
STEP BY STEP:
1. BACK UP! Then if you delete something by accident, you will be OK.
2. ARCHIVE: In an external backup system, create an ARCHIVE file for files you no longer need on a current hard drive, but want to keep. Think storage locker. In the Archive, create folders for Correspondence, Business Info, Personal, Photos, Humor, etc. to make it easier to sort. If you can, keep the Archive external drive attached while you work.
3. ANALYZE: On a blank piece of paper, start a list the old fashioned way. What are the 12 or so broad categories that you need/want keep on your computer? (Finance, Personal, Research, Marketing, Business Logistics, Writing, Games, Correspondence….)
4. ORGANIZE: Once you’ve got those mapped out, briefly Outline what would go under each of these categories. The more clarity you have in the beginning, the faster this will go.
5. CREATE: On your desktop, create a new Folder in ALL CAPS for each of your broad categories.
6. INITIAL SORT: Move files into one of three places: TRASH, ARCHIVES, specific FOLDER appropriate for that topic. On a Mac, drag the file into the folder of choice. On a PC (in Windows – VISTA), create a folder on the desktop and drag the files to it using the Explore function: Right click the Start button, then left click “Explore” – that brings up the list of folders, etc. and you can drag files within that. (Thank you Bonnie Mattick for helping with PC hints!)
7. SECONDARY SORT: Once you have moved all files, tackle only ONE CATEGORY Folder at a time. On a Mac, if you have more than one file of the same name, a window pops up with “an older [newer] file with the same name exists, Replace?” I usually say replace if it’s newer, ignore if it’s older. That simplifies the process during the first sort.
8. BE RUTHLESS: Unless you are writing a book or are a master archivist, you probably can dump most older files. If you just aren’t sure – create a file on the ARCHIVE disk called “For Consideration.” Once you have finished cleaning up your desktop, you can sort through the Archive files at your leisure and dump things that don’t matter anymore. Really, there are a lot of emails on your computer consisting of, “Thanks, dude.” Those take up a LOT of hard drive and need to go away.
9. CHUNK IT: Set aside an hour for each folder – Max – Set a timer and keep yourself honest. That way you won’t get lost reading old stuff and stop doing this project. If you have a laptop, organize while you are doing something else – watching American Idol with your kids, sitting in the Doc’s office waiting for an appointment. At the airport.
10. RESTART: During this process, you may want to save everything and do a computer restart from time to time. Moving and deleting a lot of files can confuse your computer’s directory system (that’s a technical term ;-D.) As one of my tech guys told me, “Many of our computer issues can be solved with a simple restart.” So even if you are halfway done, note where you are and give your computer a chance to re-organize.
11. CLEAN UP: There are many programs out there to help you re-organize your disk after making a lot of changes. On my Mac, I start with Disk Utility to repair permissions. (Applications –> Utilities) After Disk Utility, I use Tech Tool Deluxe or Onyx. Since I’m not a PC person, I can’t recommend one for PC users, but you have a much wider choice than Mac users. The idea here is to help your computer re-organize, compress, optimize, and clean up all the random things that were changed.
Once you’ve got things started, maintain your new system of organizing by keeping a cheat sheet handy. Knowing where you will most likely look for things, and having a system for naming files will save you time and energy later.
Happy sorting!
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Haiti. The economy. Terrorism. Climate Change. Politicians. Outside influences. War. Famine.
It’s on the front page and in our in-box daily. There are new movies out questioning the existence of God (again.) People debating the environment (still.) Euthanasia, Abortion, the Death Penalty, Gun Control… Didn’t we debate all these when I was in college? Yes! When I was in High School? Yes!
I don’t really care if there is scientific evidence for “a God” — if there isn’t one, than I shall invent one. We NEED to have some semblance of Hope in the world.
We create Hope by being Grateful. I am concerned for all the things listed above. I send good thoughts, donations of time and money, and visualize it being taken care of, visualize it healing. I can’t do it all. I am pedaling as fast as I can. That is Resilience. I keep getting up every morning and looking toward the future with Hope and a plan. And if that plan doesn’t work, I come up with a new one. Resilience again.
So – I turn off the incessant, insistent 24/7 news and I make a list.
I say a prayer of thanks for the health that I DO have, for eyes that see and hands that work; for legs that walk and toes that wiggle. I am grateful for puppy snuggles and grandchildren giggles. Grateful for electricity that allows our thoughts to whiz across wires and airwaves at mach speed between us. For a roof over my head, warmth in my home, streets that are paved, water that runs clean in the pipes, and friends that love me. May we all go to sleep tonight remembering that we are blessed. Even in the worst of situations, there is Hope. Those who claim HOPE is a naîve and false notion are mistaken. Hope is to the human soul what electricity is to this computer. It keeps my soul humming.
Keep the faith. The times are big and potent. And they have always been big and potent.
Be well.
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The first few weeks of the year seem to go by in a blur. In honor of National Get Organized Month, Here are 5 ways you can get moving and clear the cobwebs. I recommend you give yourself a limited time (using the timer mentioned in an earlier post) so you don’t waste an entire day on trivia. Do 45 minutes to an hour a day for the next couple of weeks:
- De-Clutter: Do a sweep of the house or office. Start at one end with either a box or basket in your hand. Everything that doesn’t belong goes in the basket as you move from the corner and walk through the whole space. When you walk past the ‘home’ of an item in the basket, put the item away. Do a quick straightening up as you go. Don’t be a perfectionist and get all caught up in details. Just get it done.
At the end of your sweep, you will wind up with a stack of papers or things. Now do one of the following …
- Delete: As in Dump it. Destroy it (Shred if sensitive paperwork); put it in a large trash bag and decide you don’t need this 1988 clothing catalog anymore. Not unless you are a collector of memorabilia. Really, if you can’t part with it in the dumpster, see the Donate paragraph below. This goes for files on your computer (more on this tomorrow) that are cluttering up your hard drive, too. If you must, put them on an archive disk, but delete them from your active work space.
you can also …
- Delegate: In this economy, there are a lot of people who are willing to come to your home or office and help you get things done. Whether it’s cleaning, filing, organizing, hauling, or delivering, ask your network if they know of a trusted person you can bring in for a short time. A new set of eyes helps tremendously. They see what you don’t see, and they don’t have emotional attachments to your audio tape collection. Find them and use them. Professional Organizers are wonderful for creating systems and training you to stay OUT of messes like the one you are in.
- Donate: The best way to feel good about de-cluttering is to give your cast-offs to a good cause. What group makes you feel good when you support them? Grade Schools can use your old magazines, intermediate and High Schools might want your books. Abused Spouse shelters can use everything – they often leave home with their kids and just the clothes on their backs. Big Brothers & Big Sisters is a wonderful organization. Goodwill and Salvation Army often will come and pick up. Call your favorite charity and lighten your load.
- De-value: It’s a new year. Take a long hard look at that stack of things you have accumulated — if your house caught on fire, would you mourn their loss? Would you risk your life to save them and haul them out of the house? If not, are you giving them too much weight? As soon as I started thinking about my “stuff” that way, it was easier to get rid of them. It’s time to stop saying “I might need them some day” and “They might have value some day.” No and No. Even when shoulder pads come back into fashion, they will look different. Say good bye.
“He who travels lightest travels fastest.”
Someone once observed, “He who travels lightest travels fastest.” That is one of the best philosophies for simplifying your life I’ve heard in a long time. As I work on this de-clutter project I notice one very telling sign: I am more relaxed, less distracted, more able to get to the job at hand. Without the clutter messing with my mind, it is easier to make decisions and get to the work I care about the most.
Tomorrow, I’ll tackle that desktop of yours that has been growing for – what – DECADES? Time to take a swipe at it and clean out your Digital Clutter.
Have fun!
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Yes, I did say earlier that “one of the ways out of Overwhelm and Despair is to do something, anything.” I stand by that. Action dissolves inertia.
Procrastination, on the other hand, can be an art form.
Procrastination, on the other hand, can be an art form. Think of times you have rushed to solve a problem, only to discover you were fundamentally wrong about the problem. Have you ever answered an email in haste, then discovered you didn’t have all the information, or you sent it to the whole list instead of just one person? Finished a project in a half-baked way and discovered there was an easier way? Sat and stared at the problem and didn’t get any of the rest of your work done?
Procrastination happens because: 1) we don’t know where to start; 2) we don’t believe in the project; 3) we don’t have a sense of urgency in the matter; 4) we don’t have enough information; 5) we are scared of the outcome.
I use Procrastination on one project as an energizer to get all my other projects finished. Example: I KNOW I’m Resilient. I just don’t really understand all the ins and outs of WHY I’m more resilient than most of my siblings and a lot of my friends. Things I’ve endured would’ve killed a lot of people, or at least sent them running for the hills.
So, I’m intending to write daily in this blog about Resilience to assist you, AND to understand where I’m coming from on the topic. I couldn’t think of a thing to write on Sunday and Monday. The blog page was open for two days… nuthin’. In the span of those two days, I got a LOT of office work done: Pulled 2009 files, started 2010 files, started tax prep, input the rest of my data, cleaned my office, dumped outdated information, cleaned my closet and prepped a box for a domestic abuse shelter. Zoom zoom zoom. Where did all that energy come from? Procrastinating on my blog post!
When I awoke this morning – far ahead on my End of Year To Do List - and walked into a clean office, this post started to write itself.
I procrastinate because some things are like fine wine. They need to sit a spell before they are ready.
I procrastinate because some things are like fine wine. They need to sit a spell before they are ready.
As long as you are using the procrastinating time in other useful ways, procrastination isn’t always your enemy.
Now that I’ve set every Professional Organizers’ nerves on edge, I think I’ll go find something else to avoid… ;-D
Beth
© 2010 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
