I've been working on a presentation for our company retreat next week. My "personal development" topic is supposed to be "Work/Life Balance and De-stressing"... which seems to be a good topic for me lately. I purchased 2 books on the subject, and would like to recommend them to anyone who needs a little balance in their life!
The first one is more of a "cheerleader" type book about increasing positive emotions in the workplace (or at home, with friends, etc). But it's got some very good ideas. It's called "How Full Is Your Bucket?" It talks about the power of positive. The book suggests that each of us has a bucket and a dipper. When our bucket is full; we feel great. When our bucket is empty; we feel low. Whenever we put a drop in someone's bucket by giving them a compliment or doing something nice, we essentially use our dipper to fill their bucket... and in turn, it also fills our own bucket. And when we say/do negative things, we not only are dipping out of someone's bucket, but we dip out of our own (it gives us an empty feeling to be negative to others). There are lots of good scientific studies sited in the book, and a great example of "negativity kills" with Korean War POW's. Even though the overall feeling is positive and comes across as being "cheerleading", the book has got some great information and is a good pick-me-up. It is co-written with the inventor of the Clifton StrengthsFinder method (an assessment that helps people discover their talent areas).
The second book I read (in the same afternoon), is called "Juggling Elephants". It uses a funny parable-type story about a man taking his daughter to the circus. He is sitting next to a ringmaster from another circus, and they get into a conversation about how life is like a circus. And YOU are the ringmaster of it. It talks about the 3 rings of the circus (professional, relationships, and self), and how to balance the "acts" in these 3 rings. And that juggling elephants is impossible. It really helps put your priorities in perspective, and how to keep them there.
These are very quick-reading books. Less than 150 pages, and print that is easy to read. I would recommend both these books to anyone who is trying to balance a busy schedule of work and life. And to anyone who needs a little positive energy, too.
So, I haven't found any good books on De-Stressing, though. Specifically, for those of us who work from home and "not taking work home with you" is sometimes a difficult task. Anyone have any suggestions?
Tobina, I will look for both books, thanks for the information. Some suggestions that I like, "Pack Your Own Parachute" I have the book but is in some boxes that haven't been unpacked yet so I can't give the author's name, 'The Power Of Positive Thinking:, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, good reading for everyone, "Wisdom of Our Father's" by Tim Russert, last but not least, "Light on Mainstreet" by none other than our own Rudy Taylor, it will make you appreciate small towns and rural America.
THANKS AGAIN TOBINA
Frank
Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach is good for that, it's a day book with a thought for everyday about appreciating the small stuff. Another thing, have you tried yoga? It really does work, just a slow easy practice not the hard to do stuff.
You folks are a little too heavy for me.
I just finished reading "Mr Jefferson's Women" and am just starting "Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door."
Thomas Jefferson, by the way, was single when he was in the White House.
There is probably to much about sex in Jefferson's books for me to read and understand.
Frank
Why, Frank, I'm surprised you lack knowledge of those subjects. :-)
Suggested reading might be "The Song of Solomon" in the Holy Bible. There, you will get a full education in the the dicey side of life.
Or you can just turn on the stupid TV set. Everything you always thought was wrong --- is now promoted as good and acceptable.
Another good book is the The Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock (I think...if I remember correctly). Fascinating book! Pretty long read but extremely interesting theories surrounding the building of the Egyptian pyramids.
The last 2 years at our summer conference, we've listened to books on tape. "Raving Fans" was the first one, and "Fish!" was the other one. Both of them are parable-type stories that are SO easy to listen to/read and keep you intrigued in the book without being too heavy. Raving Fans was the best, by far. It should be a pre-requisite to any business owner before opening a business! It really gets to the heart of customer service; but puts it in such an easy-to-relate way. You learn that unhappy customers are much more vocal than customers that are just "fine". And that you have to work to make Raving Fans of your customers; customers who will go out and recommend you to others.
"Fish!" was also a good book, but not as memorable to me. It talked more about creating "Raving Fans" within your company. It offered suggestions for how to analyze the employees, get engaged with what they're doing, and getting them engaged in the company and it's goals. Again, in a parable-type format, so easy to follow.
As for being heavy Mr. Gray... I will confess to having read a fun little novel a couple weekends ago... you know the type with a scantily clad man and woman on the front...and the title has something to do with savage, or ravage... :-X
Pam; I haven't got into yoga yet. I don't know much about it. I prefer to do the things that I enjoy (walking the dog, stamping, sewing, reading), but it still comes down to having the energy and time after a long work day to actually ENJOY and DO those things. Posting and reading on the forum between "fires" has become my little time-out during the day. Believe it or not... I DO actually get work done; not just post/read on here! It's nice to have something to change my focus for a bit.
Catwoman,
Didn't aliens build the pyramids?
Quote from: Rudy Taylor on July 15, 2008, 12:02:32 PM
Why, Frank, I'm surprised you lack knowledge of those subjects. :-)
Suggested reading might be "The Song of Solomon" in the Holy Bible. There, you will get a full education in the the dicey side of life.
Or you can just turn on the stupid TV set. Everything you always thought was wrong --- is now promoted as good and acceptable.
Rudy the only things we watch on TV are COPS, News/Weather the Gaithers and Hunting and Guns shows, I just never see anything else worth watching.
That was never established in the book...what was the author tried to prove was that the pyramids pre-date what is currently accepted as being the timeline for their origination. Actually, he did some really good investigations...the appendix is GINORMOUS. Another good book of his is "The Sign and the Seal", which traces the hunt for the Holy Grail...which I guess is actually spelled "gral", which doesn't stand for the traditionally thought cup...it actually stands for a vessel...such as a human. His book came out long before the hooplah surrounding the idea that Mary Magdalene (sp?) might have been the wife of Jesus. His book traces the fact that there might very well have been an offspring, which was taken to France. It actually was a better book than "Fingerprints" and had an interesting note in the preface...I guess the first research assistant quit three years into the book and handed Hancock a thirteen (or was it fifteen?)-page letter of resignation. Uhm...wouldn't you have thought that letter would have come two years earlier and been about 13-14 pages less? Man, talk about being PO'd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got ya Tobina, yoga is just somthin I took up years ago cause it helped with my flexibility, de-stressin was just a plus! lol. A really good book is A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, it's about a woman who starts life as a servant in the local squires house and ends up bein the head of a multinational corporation! I've read it several times just cause I like it lol
Tobina,
I had a book given to me when I was a manager at a large construction company in Wichita. It was given to me by a customer at the end of a very long, very large construction project. He was an older gentleman, previous CEO of a company, sat on many boards, including I believe Via Christi in Wichita.....Anyway, when the job was over we sat down and he told me he wanted to present me with something!!! (I got real excited cause I thought it was going to be a massive bonus for getting in under time and budget and all the stressing I did constantly) No Money :'(. He gave me a book and told me if I didn't learn to manage my stress, that I better start saving money fast because I would have to retire at 35 or die from a heart attack at 40!! Then he laughed and sent me on my way.
Long story short, book is called: Don't sweat the small stuff, It's all small stuff!
Really good at putting work, family, and self in perspective. I have it if you would like to borrow it and give it a read. Just shoot me a message and I can bring it uptown to work since I seem to be chained to the desk daily!!
Frank and Rudy,
Actually, Thomas Jefferson led a rather Spartan life, female wise.
The first three women he proposed to turned him down.
When he finally married at age 30, he married a widow but she died ten years later and he never remarried.
His attempts after that were usually with married women. Except for the time he spent in France, those tries were not very successful either.
One of his efforts while vice president made "headlines" and he had to issue an apology.
If it had not been for Sally Hemings, the man might have been a total wreck.
There were supposedly six children born from this "clandestine" arrangement but not all lived.
Waldo, was Sally the Slave girl? I forgot her name, that was worse than Bill Clinton, I have never heard that Bill left any Children behind, I think his cigars were sterile.
LOL, Frank!!!!!!
Sally was his slave girl, one of some 120 or 130 slaves he owned.
Jefferson never directly acknowledged any association with her but one of his peer slave owners documented 3,700 trysts with slaves over his lifetime.
She was not set free when he died but one of her children was. Even though she was not legally free, no one associated with the estate complained when she set out to live with that child and died there several years later.
If someone should claim Bill Clinton as Daddy, he would probably wag his finger and deny it.
Waldo, if one showed up for Bill it would probably be named Roi Tan
I need to get off of here today I am getting behind in my work. I will check back later.
Dan; I've heard good things about that book, but haven't taken the chance to read it yet. I will take you up on that offer! I'll PM you when I'm ready for it! Thanks!