KARMiC Journey Podcast – KARMiC

Authenticity. It’s a word with lots of buzz. It’s searched for, sought after and even after a lot of trying to achieve, is often still elusive. Authenticity is so valued because in its most simple and pure form, it is what people cherish and connect to most in life – in people, places, experiences and things. It’s hard to define because it can often seem limiting or too small a notion for a complex, complicated person, life, brand or business. The fact is, that in order to go big, we have to start small – with an understandable, focused definition of who we are.

The Covid-19 pandemic hit and in one way, will never leave. It’s one of those milestone moments that change things forever; one of those things that shifts human behavior, which as us marketers know, is one of the hardest thing to affect. Causing the change you want from typical, accepted-as-normal behavior to a new normal – or abnormal - takes a lot of time and money. It takes ubiquitous, can’t-miss-it media, both paid and earned, to get people to do or try something new; something out of the ordinary – like standing 6ft from someone you’re having a conversation with. Like wearing a facemask to the grocery store. Like washing your hands until they’re raw, cracked and dry.

Feeling grateful is motivating. It’s a bountiful emotion. Some scholars have even called gratitude a ‘virtue’. When turned on ourselves, it helps us re-set that “yucky” feeling we all sometimes feel.

When I go back to my class this fall, I’m going to teach a whole new group of students the benefits of Kindfulness. We’ll do exercises on emotional intelligence. We’ll work on developing positive personal interactions. We’ll discuss media literacy and learn how to pay attention to what matters. This is my one little part in trying to help future leaders honor themselves and others by seeing Kindfulness as a key skill. If we can all stay mindful and be kindful, the workplace will be a better place to work.

Culture is a living, breathing thing that needs nurturing. Bringing home-like elements into the workplace can have just as beneficial an effect as bringing work-like elements into the home. If we treated our co-workers more like family – were more invested in their well-being and happiness, and not just their productivity, talent and contribution to business – we would be able to create energetic, passion-driven co-workers, willing to work together for fun, love and mutual happiness. More like family.

Lately, saying “no,” for me has become more an act of bravery than a denial. It’s brave for me to put myself first based on all I try to stand for in terms of serving others. Yet, in order to help others, you must be the first person you help. In the spirit of the saying, feel good to do good and do good to feel good, I know I need to balance the kindness or “yes’s” I give myself, with those I give to others.

I was ready to apologize today before I was hung up on. I was willing to take responsibility for how I made her feel. But at the same time, it kind of bothered me that I felt this way. Saying, “I’m sorry” didn’t feel like the right words, because I wasn’t really sorry!

The writer Mark Twain once famously said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.” The ‘frog’ is that one thing you have on your to-do list that you have absolutely no motivation or inclination to do and that you’re putting off because it’s hard, uninspiring, no fun or just a plain pain to accomplish.

We had it made as children. We could all yell “do-over” and just wipe away the immediate past to start again, without repercussion. The beauty of a do-over is that it negates an attempt at something that was unsuccessful or unsatisfying. Unfortunately, it’s hard to apply the concept of a do-over in adult life. Yet, there is something so free-ing about the idea of starting again.

Where you sit at work or home is not an indication of where you sit in life. Let your values, attitude and kindness to others define your power seat and let a chair, be just a chair.