27.09.2023

Making Something Beautiful | Energy Levels | Outliers

Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS. 

You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach: 

Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: something that’s creating an energy (good or bad) - a word
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge

HOW ALIGNED AND BALANCED IS YOUR SH*T?
Take the free GLAS Understanding Assessment
and receive your PDF overview and score.

LEARN
Something Worth Sharing

Making Something Beautiful

I recall a conversation a good number of years ago while with a business coach. He was asking me about my strengths and what I truly loved doing; part of his questioning involved him enquiring me about my childhood and earliest memories. After a little mind-gazing, I shared with him my love of art and creating something beautiful.

Fast-forward to my career within our family’s business - we were proud manufacturers. What did I love about this, apart from the fascinating people? Well, it was the fact that we turned lumps of steel into beautiful products. If I’m honest, the fascinating people can also be considered as turning challenges with them into something beautiful too - engaged, thriving and happy people.

When I create a visual synopsis of a book, it’s always with the aim of simplifying and capturing inspiring content in a memorable and beautiful way. I love decorating cakes; the process of developing a vision and creating edible artwork to achieve a statement cake is joyous.

But if I’m honest, the first times (and for quite a while after) I started to try and make each of these things beautiful, they weren’t! As I’ve processed what it means to make something beautiful, I realised a few lessons I wanted to share:

• We are all in the process of making something beautiful, whether it’s parenting, leadership, artwork, our career or our life

• It’s easy to see the end ‘beauty’ and forget the mess and effort of getting there

• Time and patience is always needed to create true beauty, just look at nature!

ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or energy; a stand-out word / s

Effort

One of the ingredients of beauty can be EFFORT. Even the most natural beauty requires a little effort - even from the observer, we have to look for beauty and recognise it. This made me wonder what the origins of the word EFFORT were.

It originates from Vulgar Latin EXFORTIARE meaning "to show strength"- formed from Latin EX "out" + FORTIS "strong".

ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference

Your Energy Levels

This week, I’m suggesting that you print the following sheet, grab a highlighter or marker pen and shade in your ‘levels’.

PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)

“Do you know what your strengths are, and do you use them fully?”

A two-part question for you this week. It’s no good jumping to the second part about using your strengths if you don’t really know what they are in the first place. The question this week may require you to ask someone you trust to help you in identifying your strengths.

I’d love for you to send me your own stories / thoughts about this. Drop me a line with your answer / thoughts on this question

SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.

Doing Your Own Thing

Our daughter is outstanding at ‘doing her own thing’ - and doing it with style! It’s something I’ve always tried to do too. There are times where we have limited choice and need to conform, but there are more times when you can choose to do things your own way and in your style. Why follow the crowd? Entrepreneurs understand this - the value of doing things your own way. It gets this week’s shout out.

BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me

In addition to the GLAS Energy Levels download above, I’m gifting you my visual created for a superb book from Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers. This wonderfully fits with this week’s SHOUT OUT - daring to stand out and become successful. To support his thesis, Malcolm Gladwell examines why the majority of Canadian ice hockey players are born in the first few months of the calendar year and how Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates achieved his extreme wealth!

This visual is available to you for free (for 7 days) using the code: PRACTICE when you check out. Access is via the link below.

The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, in blogs / features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences. Please get in touch. The downloads do not have watermarks.

If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.

SORT YOUR SH*T TASTER SESSIONS

SELF & CONFIDENCE, RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY BUSINESS, PURPOSE, CAREER, BUSINESS COACHES…

LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis. 

I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:

• L: what have you learned?

• E: what’s your energy / feeling word

• A: what’s one thing you need to do?

• P: what are you thinking / processing?

• S: who or what can you shout out?