Sarah M. KippSarah M. Kipp

humor

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Express Yourself, Write!

My client has just landed an opportunity to present at a large conference in her field. She is ecstatic that she was chosen, but confides to me that presenting at this level is new for her. She wants to do everything she can to make a great impression.

We spend some of our session clarifying what she believes the characteristics of a successful speaker are and what concerns she has about her own abilities.

“How clear are you about who you want to be when you are in front of the room?” I ask my client. [Read more…] about Express Yourself, Write!

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Stink Grumpy and Mama Grump II: How to Get Moving When We Just Don’t Wanna

Most people will agree that if you want to get something done, counting on motivation alone is not enough. Even when we are working on something we love, there are days when we do not feel like showing up. There are times when something else–or everything else–will feel more important than what we committed to do. Anne Lamott’s recent Facebook post on May 1, 2013 traveled around this week reminding us that “There is no good time to write. It will never be easier. If you won’t find an hour a day now, you won’t find it then.” Her writing, as always, is a good read, and she both calls us to action and gives us the first steps to get going.

Before I began writing this, I sat down with my two young daughters to map out our day. There were several jobs that each one of us needed to do and did not want to do. There were other things we preferred to be doing. To say we had ‘an absence of motivation’ would be a gross understatement of our actual state. Both children sprawled out in front of me like a big life lesson.

What do I believe works best when we are in full-blown resistance or avoidance? Three things rise to the top and survive the rigor of quality assurance tests.

1) Add humor immediately. I used to think that reviewing ‘why’ I had committed to something was the most important step. When a person is in resistance though, even the most noble intention and the most inspiring call to action sound like utter hogwash. My daughter did not need to review the many reasons she needed to take a shower before heading out to socialize tonight. She knows all about the importance of hygiene, and still did not want to shower. Instead, I asked if I could break our family rule of no name calling, and wrote an impromptu rap piece for her on the staircase called “Stink Grumpy and Mama Grump II.” When I added chest thumping and pathetic dance moves, the tone shifted and we began to move forward.

[Read more…] about Stink Grumpy and Mama Grump II: How to Get Moving When We Just Don’t Wanna