Carnival (referred to as Venus), Jim Dine, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Springing Forward…
It is raining here in Seattle and feels like the middle of Winter, although there are signs of Spring. The days are staying brighter and tonight we set our clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time. The Narcissus are blooming, too, along with March’s Daphne (O’Dora) which sends its beautiful fragrance out, so we notice…in the middle of the dampness, the season is changing.
Today is International Women’s Day
On Twitter: #IWD2014 hashtag
Upcoming Seattle Event:
I would like to highlight an exciting event, to be hosted by the Women’s Funding Alliance on March 31, 2014, featuring Stephanie Coontz and Lindy West, at Town Hall: Today’s Feminism
Spend the evening with two of our region’s most savvy, sought after experts on issues that matter to women. We will welcome Lindy West and Stephanie Coontz for a lively discussion about modern solutions to strengthen women’s voices online and expand economic power among women. Lindy and Stephanie will each offer a TED style talk followed by an interactive discussion with the audience.
Hope to see you there! Get tickets early! (These are not expensive: $10.00)
Coaching Notes — Reflections on coaching with leaders:
A theme that seems to be present among many leaders in coaching relates to the difference between general intelligence, including skills and expertise, and emotional intelligence (EQ). Daniel Goleman writes compellingly about EQ, and is a trusted resource.
A connection between empathy and self-care:
A recent conversation with a wise mentor, helped me consider a connection between one aspect of EQ, empathy, and self-care. She offered that we are most able to be empathic and to consider another’s perspective and ‘walk in another’s shoes’ when we have a practice of compassion toward ourselves. We are most able to be present with others, when we are grounded and solid, and whole, ourselves. We are most able to ‘be there’ for another, when we are coming from a place of balance and when ‘our bucket is full’. On the other hand, when we are depleted, we have more trouble with self-management and are far more prone to reactivity. Being response-able is much easier when we are rested and generative. So, from this standpoint, knowledge about taking care of one’s self, and all aspects of wellness and self-care, becomes prominent in how we lead.
The connection between empathy and EQ, and the connection between empathy and self-compassion is discussed here: Dr. Kristin Neff. Kristin also makes an interesting distinction between self-esteem and self-compassion.
Another resource is Rick Hanson, author of Hardwiring Happiness, the New Science of Contentment, Calm and Confidence. Rick writes about brain science and re-wiring our thought patterns and approach to the world in an empirically supported and practical way. He has a newsletter that you can find here.
Check out the Resources on my website for more references in Articles & Books.
Winter can be dark and damp in the Northwest, and it allows us to go inward. In anticipation, too, of Spring and various home-comings, many blessings to you!
Ah, not to be cut off,
not through the slightest partition
Shut out from the law of the starts.
The inner – what is it?
if not the intensified sky,
hurled through with birds and deep
with the winds of homecoming
Rainer Maria Rilke
~Lynn Hagerman, March 8, 2014