Integrate masculine and feminine power for professional development and personal renewal <link href="../css/styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all"> </head> <body leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" topmargin="0"> <table class="Text10" width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td valign="top"><span class="Title">Feminine Power<br> </span>The online newsletter dedicated to helping you integrate feminine and masculine power for sustainable success. <p class="Par20"><strong>In this issue:<br> <span class="SubTitle">Why Time Management Doesn't Work</span>: 3 pages<br> Reading time: Approximately 6 minutes<br> </strong><img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="10" width="20" border="0"><br> </p> <table width="185" border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" align="right"> <tr> <td valign="top"><img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="10" width="5" border="0"></td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#e1c3c3"> <table class="Text10" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#f5ebeb"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="180"> <p><span class="SubTitle"><strong>Upcoming Events</strong></span></p> <p><strong><em><span class="SubTitle">Success with Ease Training for Women:<br> Get It All Done Without Sacrifice: A Woman’s Way to Flawless Productivity<br> </span></em></strong>So many successful women feel stressed--even frantic--and we wonder how we'll keep it all up. We yearn for more space, connection, relaxation, softness...but we don't know how to create it...or where we'd find the time. And when we think about slowing down, we wonder if it'd make us ineffective and lethargic. If we learn to relax, will we lose our edge? Not to fear! We CAN create more peace and calm without losing our momentum. Come learn to leverage your innate feminine power so you can get more done with less stress.<br> <strong>Tuesday, MARCH 28, </strong>7-9 a.m.<br> <strong><a class="Link" href="http://www.womensucceedwithease.com" target="_blank">Click here </a></strong>to learn more<strong>.</strong></p> <p><strong><em><span class="SubTitle">Success with Ease Training for Women:<br> The Gracious "No": A Woman's Way to Setting Limits With Demanding People<br> </span></em></strong>Women often tell us that a large part of their stress would be relieved if they could just get people to hear them when they say "no" and to agree when they make a request. Sometimes we resort to harshness and cutting people off, and other times we cave in to others' demands. Whether you've got employees who can deflect any request you make or customers or bosses who can't seem to hear the word "no" from you, this workshop will give you concrete skills for holding your limits with anyone, while at the same time maintaining your connection to them. Come learn to assert yourself and your limits using your innate feminine power.<br> <strong>Tuesday, APRIL 18, </strong>7-9 a.m.<br> <strong><a class="Link" href="http://www.womensucceedwithease.com" target="_blank">Click here </a></strong>to learn more<strong>.</strong></p> <p><strong><em><span class="SubTitle">Elements of Feminine Power: The Retreat<br> </span></em></strong>Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to learn how you’re using (or mis-using) your masculine and feminine powers, in an environment designed to pamper you the whole time! Join 10 other amazing women on June 9-11, 2006 at Alderbrook Lodge on Hood Canal, Washington for this powerful and life-changing weekend.<br> <strong><a class="Link" href="../retreat/index.html" target="_blank">Click here </a></strong>to learn more<strong>.</strong></p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top"><img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="10" width="5" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <strong><span class="SubTitle">Why Time Management Doesn't Work</span></strong> <p>She'd hired consultants. Bought a Palm. Gotten productivity coaching. Had her people trained. And all the consultants, trainers, coaches and the books she'd read (she told us she had a whole shelf of books on productivity) had agreed: She and her team needed to manage time better. They needed to increase productivity. They needed processes and priorities. And she'd been a good student and put it all in place. "So why... WHY!?!" Judy asked us: "WHY do I STILL feel so very overwhelmed and stressed out?"</p> <p>We sat down with Judy and did something none of the other consultants had done: we asked HER why her stress and overwhelm seemed insurmountable. "I used to think it was me," she said. "I thought I wasn't focused enough. I'm too easily distracted. I care too much and spend too much time with my people."</p> <p>"Then I started to wonder, ‘Is it the organization? Is it the leadership?' If I had more resources, I could do more in less time. If we had better training and systems..." But even Judy knew that while issues with her own skills and with her organization were relevant; they weren't the core of her productivity challenge.</p> <p>"Now I'm wondering if it's just that I need a flippin' vacation," she sighed. And with that declaration, she hit on the third of what we call The Three Myths of Productivity. Succinctly, the three myths are:</p> <dl> <dd>"I'm the problem."<br> "You're the problem."<br> "I just need to get out of here." </dl> <p>But here's the REAL truth about productivity: we've been going about it all wrong. Especially for us as women – but really for all human beings – productivity and time management are not math problems! Adding hours, subtracting duties, creating systems, and cutting out for a break (or a career change) are all mechanical solutions to the very organic process of personal productivity.</p> <p>And the Three Myths of Productivity – despite being the foundation of most of the time management and life-balance material out there – are all actually just signs of depletion. When we're feeling run down or we're not getting the basics of what we need to be our best, we're depleted. And when we're depleted, those three myths are where our minds go:</p> <p>What's wrong with me?<br> What's wrong with the world around me?<br> How can I get out of here?</p> <p>The beauty of these myths is that now that you know they're just signs of depletion, you have a much better depletion-detection system in place. You'll know you're run-down whenever you find yourself attempting to improve your productivity by trying to "fix" yourself, to control someone else, or to find an escape!</p> <p>And why is it so important to detect depletion? Because depletion is the true culprit of our productivity problems. All the other tools we've gained are helpful when we're feeling our best: On a good day, it's better to be organized than not, to have plans and priorities, and to schedule time for your important-but-not-urgent tasks. But on a day when you're running on empty, all the tools in the world won't make you half as good as you're capable of being.</p> <p>That's why your number one productivity strategy MUST be to keep your own tank full. You are creative, productive, savvy, forward-thinking, and generous when you're feeling nourished. You don't need to fix yourself, and you don't need anyone else to be different. You just plain get stuff done.</p> <p>The feminine paradox of productivity is that self-care is more productive than discipline. We get more done when we put our own well-being FIRST rather than "toughing it out" to produce, and hoping our reward comes later.</p> <p>We know this is counter-intuitive and goes against everything you've learned about kicking butt at work. We know it may sound like you're going to need three weeks in Fiji before you can complete that project sitting on your desk. But here's the truth: You can't be productive on dead batteries, but you CAN recharge them even while you're working.</p> <p>In the practices section below, we'll show you how.</p> <p class="Par20"><strong><span class="SubTitle">Practices for Integrating </span></strong></p> <p>The following practices have helped us and our clients recharge without unplugging. E-mail us at <a class="Link" href="mailto:support@elementsoffemininepower.com"><strong>support@elementsoffemininepower.com</strong></a> and let us know your experiences with them.</p> <p><strong>Drop your “brave girl” facade: </strong>We try to be so tough! We take pride in needing so little and delivering so much! Cut that out, girl! It’s draining you. Admit when you’re worn down: that’s the first step to filling back up. You don’t have to tell your boss or your biggest client, but find a soft little moment where you can be as tender with yourself as you would be with a dear friend.<br> <strong>Think smaller:</strong> Three deep breaths. Twelve ounces of water. A two-minute phone call to vent. A whiff of an inspiring essential oil. A cup of tea in a beautiful mug. One luscious piece of high-end chocolate. A ten-minute walk. You can afford these things. They will not give you a glowing tan or a romantic interlude, but any one of them can return an essential piece of yourself to you in a snap!<br> <strong>Take it in…No! REALLY take it in!:</strong> Even those three weeks in Fiji won’t fill you back up if you don’t exercise what we call your receiving muscle. Ever “gotten” a massage, but you either chatted the whole time or laid there thinking, thinking, thinking, not really feeling it? You weren’t receiving. Try this: right now, look around and notice that there are things that could nourish you right this instant, if you LET them. One dear friend said recently (after we encouraged her to start getting regular manicures) “I never knew the power of nails!” Your own hands, the view out the window, or a picture on your desk can nourish you if you truly take them in. And any of the “little things” we mentioned in the Think Smaller practice can really hit the spot. Just let them, okay?</p> <p>These tips can be like ice chips in the desert to a depleted woman, AND they really are just the tip of the iceberg. We warmly invite you to our monthly Success with Ease trainings and our June and October retreats if you’d like to do some SERIOUS productivity training. Productivity, that is, through learning to truly receive.<br> </p> <p>Until next time,<br> Here's to your uniquely feminine power!</p> <table class="Text10" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5"> <tr> <td><img src="../imglib/sarasignature.gif" alt="" width="113" height="46" border="0"></td> <td><img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="10" width="20" border="0"></td> <td><img src="../imglib/michelesignature.gif" alt="" width="197" height="46" border="0"></td> </tr> </table> <p></p> <table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#b6c3a4"> <table class="Text10" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" bgcolor="#f0f5e1"> <tr> <td valign="top"> <p><span class="SubTitle"><strong>Need a Little Nourishment at Home?</strong></span></p> <p>When our homes need a little boost of beauty and nourishment, we call Linda Hanson, our resident Southern Living At HOME Independent Consultant in Issaquah. Linda can give Martha a run for her money with her brilliant decorating, entertaining and gift ideas! Trust us...we need help in this arena and Linda is our go-to woman! </p> <p class="Par-7">Southern Living at HOME’s mission is to create a feeling of welcome, comfort, and beauty in homes all across America, while fostering the Spirit of Generosity in the lives of their Consultants and their families. Linda would LOVE to give you the opportunity to conveniently purchase items for yourself, as well as corporate gifts, rewards for employees, weddings and birthday gifts, etc. Southern Living At HOME has several product lines; they include their glass, iron, pottery, decorative accessories and books and magazines.</p> <p class="Par-7">To learn more about the products Linda offers, visit <a class="Link" href="http://www.southernlivingathome.com/decoratingfun" target="_blank"><strong>www.southernlivingathome.com/decoratingfun</strong></a></p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <p><br> <img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="40" width="10" border="0"><br> </p> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="8"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#f5ebeb"> <div align="center"> <b><b><a class="Link" href="timemgmtdoesntwork_print.html" target="_blank">Printable version</a> </b>|<b> <a class="Link" href="../subscribe.html">Subscribe to Feminine Power</a></b></b></div> </td> </tr> </table> <br> <img src="../imglib/space.gif" alt="" height="40" width="10" border="0"> <hr> <p><span class="CopyRight">© 2006 Sara Harvey Yao and Michele Lisenbury Christensen. All rights reserved. Feel free to forward or re-publish, with the following copyright and contact information attached:<br> "By Sara Harvey Yao, MA and Michele Lisenbury Christensen, MA, PCC. Please visit <a class="BSmallLink" href="http://www.elementsoffemininepower.com">www.elementsoffemininepower.com</a> to read more about the twelve elements of feminine and masculine power, learn about events with Michele and Sara, and request a free audio CD introducing the elements."</span></p> <p><span class="CopyRight">To make subscription changes, please don't e-mail us; click the link at the very bottom. You can make your change or end your sub</span><span class="CopyRight">scription in just a few seconds. Challenged? E-mail<a class="BSmallLink" href="mailto:support@elementsoffemininepower.com."> support@elementsoffemininepower.com.</a> Thanks!</span></p> <p><span class="CopyRight"><strong>PRIVACY</strong> and Spam Policy: You'll never get an e-mail from a stranger as a result of this list, since we never sell, rent, or give away </span><span class="CopyRight">our subscription list. All privacy, no spam!</span></p> <p><span class="CopyRight"><strong>TO SUBSCRIBE FREE: </strong>Visit <a class="BSmallLink" href="../subscribe.html">www.elementsoffemininepower.com/subscribe.html</a><br> </span><span class="CopyRight">Takes about 20 seconds. You'll receive our audio introduction to the Elements of Feminine Power and every month we'll send you fresh ways to activate your power for sustainable success.</span></p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>