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Rhythm of Life – Door or Doormat?
Feature Segment – Emotional Intelligence: Use Your Imagination for Good

Today’s Quote

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. -Michelangelo

Rhythm of Life – Door or Doormat?

In an online forum about creativity, some of us had a discussion about generosity.  The premise was that if you share your creative work from a place of generosity, you don’t attach so much expectation to it.  It won’t be as scary.

Your creative work can be a door for someone who engages with it.  It can open a door to their heart.  A new way of thinking.  Maybe even a new life.

And…you can be a doormat.

Listen to the episode to hear about the key difference between a creative door and doormat.

Resources

Give and Take – Adam Grant
Boundaries – Henry Cloud

Feature Segment:  Emotional Intelligence – Use Your Imagination For Good

You know how in Episode 136 we talked about grief – that we’re experiencing shared grief right now, even if our experience isn’t the same?  We talked about comparative suffering, and how not to fall into that trap?  And then I promised to share some strategies for living while you’re experiencing grief?  Today’s the first of those episodes.

We humans are amazing.  We can imagine a future – that’s dangerous, scary, fun, or exciting. And not only that: we’re able to create it for ourselves.  Unfortunately, we often spend that imagination on the worst-case scenario.  Whether we’re conscious of it or not.

Because of the coronavirus, we’re on heightened alert.  Stress response kicking in big time.  And that includes imagining all kinds of disaster.  Not only that, but the media is adding fuel to that fire.

“The virus will come back in the fall, and be worse than ever.”  –Do they know that for sure?
“It will take years for the economy to come back.”  –Again, how do they know that?

In one way, this pandemic is already the worst-case scenario.  And here’s the thing: when actually faced with our worst nightmare becoming reality, we’re better able to face it than we imagine we will.

How can we focus our imagination on an amazing future, instead of a living hell?  How can we develop emotional intelligence in this situation?

1. Practice being present. See, feel, touch, taste, hear.  Right here and now.
2. Channel your imagination by following your curiosity and asking questions.
3. Do what only you can do.

Listen to the episode for specific strategies for focusing your imagination.

Resources

Artisan Podcast Series

Nothing’s the same as it was.  Things won’t be the same later either.  It will take new practices and habits to carry you forward into the unknown new world.  A world that only exists in your imagination right now.  Why not turn it into one you want to live in?  Something amazing.  Leave a comment if you’d like to share what you’d like to create with your imagination.

Your fertile imagination can picture a positive future or worst-case scenario. Why not choose to imagine the positive?
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Emotional Intelligence Series

132 – The New Success Superpower

134 – Communicating in Crisis

135 –Living in Uncertainty

136 – Let’s Call This What it Is

The post Episode #137: Emotional Intelligence – How to Use Your Imagination for Good first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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Rhythm of Life – Is Rest a 4-letter Word?
Random Riffs – Do I Sound Like I Could Sing Stairway to Heaven?
Feature Segment – Emotional Intelligence: Let’s Call it What it Is

Today’s Quote

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.  –C.S. Lewis

Rhythm of Life – Does Rest Have to be a 4-Letter Word?

Rest.  You know that thing we do when we’re tired?  Whether it’s mentally, emotionally, physically?  Why is rest a 4-letter word?  It feels like it my house.  And yet rest is as important as air and water.  Even though less urgent.

Do we make time for rest?  Do we make time for the other important non-urgent things in our life?  Often not.  We often go from fire to fire, never taking the time we need for what we say is so important.

It’s time to change that.  It’s time to make time for what’s important.

Random Riffs – Do I Sound Like I Could Sing Stairway to Heaven?

I’m on summer break in college, singing in a club.  I just finished Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” on my acoustic guitar,   and a guy comes up to me and asks if I can play “Stairway to Heaven”.

What about singing Joni Mitchell made him think I could possibly sing Stairway to Heaven?  Nothing.  Because he didn’t hear what I actually sounded like.  He heard what he wanted to hear.

We often hear what we think we hear; not what’s actually said.  We see what we think we see; not what’s actually there.

Feature Segment:  Emotional Intelligence – Let’s Call it What it Is

According to two researchers into human emotions and behavior, Brene Brown and Marc Brackett, many of us have a three-word emotion vocabulary:  mad, sad, and glad.  When there are actually something like 39 different emotions you or I could be feeling at any one time.

A hallmark of Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify and name emotions with precision.  Then express and regulate them in ourselves and others.

Resources to help with identifying emotions:

Brene Brown’s Podcast – Unlocking Us with Marc Brackett

Marc Brackett’s book – “Permission to Feel”.

One with emotional intelligence understands this and trains just as you’d train for anything else.  With this training, you develop your Emotional Intelligence.  Become a more successful and empathetic leader.  Make better decisions.  Unleash your creativity.

It’s especially important right now.  We’re experiencing collective grief.  For some, it’s mild.  For others, it’s profound.  And yet we often don’t have a language for grief any more than we have a language for other emotions.  On this episode we talk about a language for grief.  So you can

1. Identify and label it as what it is.
2. Express it and incorporate it into your life without it taking over.
3. Live and lead through this pandemic with hope and even joy.

In Episode 135, we talked about how dangerous comparative suffering is.  Dr. Marc tells us to give ourselves permission to feel.  Whatever it is.

Acknowledging emotion is an act of strength, not weakness.  Then you get to decide what comes next.

What language can we use for grief?  Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler wrote a book called “On Grief and Grieving”.  In it they defined 5 stages of grief.  These are not sequential, and yet calling them stages feels like that’s what they are.  So I’m calling them the 5 manifestations of grief.  You could feel more than one at a time, and could alternate between them on any given day or week.

Denial – this can’t be my life.
Anger – this shouldn’t be my life.  I didn’t ask for this.
Depression – I can’t take this.
Bargaining – I could or should have prevented this
Acceptance – I can live with this.

Remember:  this is not a roadmap.  It’s a language to describe how you feel.  So if you’re feeling it now, call it what it is.  Recognize which emotion you’re feeling.  Understand it.  Label it.  That way you can express it and begin to regulate it.

Grief can be your companion, instead of your controller.

Understanding grief is an important piece of the Emotional Intelligence puzzle.  Especially now.  You, someone in your family, or someone on your team may be acting out of grief and not see it.

Don’t tighten against the pain.  Feel it and breathe into it.  Because emotions are a beautiful thing.  They are what allow us to experience beauty.  Love.  Kindness.  Color.  If you try and cut off the bad, you’ll also cut off the good.  Instead, why not use them strategically?

No matter what you’re feeling right now, it is certain to change.  So, know what you’re feeling.  Learn to channel it.  And you’ll develop greater Emotional Intelligence.   What are you feeling right now?  Leave a comment.

Grief can be your companion instead of controller.
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Emotional Intelligence Series

132 – The New Success Superpower

134 – Communicating in Crisis

135 –Living in Uncertainty

The post Episode #136: Emotional Intelligence – Let’s Call it What it Is first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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Music resources to help encourage and lift you up.

Keith Urban Underground

Kat & Dave Show

David Foster Eleven Words 

Andrea Bocelli

COVID-19 Quarantine Spotify Playlist

Kathleen’s Facebook Lives

Feature Segment:  Emotional Intelligence – Living and Leading in Uncertainty

We’re all feeling it.  That sense that the world has just turned upside down.  And also maybe feeling guilty for feeling this way, if we’re not on the battlefield or immediate support team.  It’s kind of like survivor’s guilt.  They sacrifice every day and we’re on the couch?  All we have to do is stay home?  What’s big deal?

Brene Brown and mental health professionals call is Comparative Suffering.  Brene talks about it in one of her recent podcasts.

Comparative suffering doesn’t do you any good.  And let’s face it.  There are undoubtedly people suffering more than you right now.  And less than you too.

Now that we’ve acknowledged that, let’s get on to the real point of this episode.  This is a big deal.  To all of us.  Here’s why:

1. Worry
2. Helplessness
3. Economy
4. The worst? Randomness, uncertainty.   Bad things happen to good people.  With no apparent reason.

We often live as though that isn’t true.  We live as if we’ll never die.  When faced with the truth, it’s easy to collapse or harden ourselves.

Once you see this truth, you can’t unsee it.  Once you know, can’t unknow.  Your innocence is gone.  So now what?

To live and lead with emotional intelligence right now in time of worldwide uncertainty, the most important thing to do is to hold two apparently contradictory truths simultaneously:

1. We have an amazing capacity to affect change for good
2. Much of what happens in the world is outside of our direct control

Actions you can take today:

1. Connect with what IS certain. Whatever that is for you.  Seasons change.    God’s love.
2. If leading, state what isn’t known, and what is. Create certainty within the uncertainty.  A belief in something that doesn’t change.

Let yourself feel what you feel.  Don’t fall prey to comparative suffering.  Grieve the loss of freedom and also innocence.  And then decide you want to thrive in uncertainty.  Start by building foundation on what is true and unchanging.  Like God’s love.

Is there any music you’re listening to right now that encourages you?  Leave a comment.

To thrive in uncertainty, build your foundation on what is certain.
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The post Episode #135: Emotional Intelligence – Living and Leading in Uncertainty first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Opportunity Often Comes in a Problem Package
Random Riffs – Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
Feature Segment – Emotional Intelligence: Communication in Crisis

Today’s Quote

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.  –Peter Drucker

Rhythm of Life – Opportunity Often Comes in a Problem Package

It’s almost midnight.  I’m working on computer.  I just can’t seem to get caught up.  And now this:  an email comes in from my voice teacher’s assistant with a message from him.  The gist was this:

We’re going to have a TedX-type event at our workshop at month end.  I’m SURE you have a topic, outline, or even a talk you’ve prepared.  We’ll help you flesh it out to a killer talk.  Have it submitted by Sunday.

Uh. No.  I don’t have any of that.  So I start to panic.  Listen to the episode to hear what I did.

Random Riffs – Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

It’s been a strange winter in New England.  We’ve had almost no snow.  We’ve had some days that are more typical of mid-April than February or March.

And some of us couldn’t simply enjoy the day.  No, instead we had to worry that the other shoe was going to drop.  That somehow this great weather would be offset by a disaster of monumental proportions.  What does that say about our worldview?  Listen to hear what else I have to say about that.

P.S., I created a Spotify Playlist to listen to while you’re at home practicing Social Distancing.  Here’s the link if you want to listen.  Email or leave a comment if you have any suggestions for additions.

Feature Segment:  Emotional Intelligence – Communication in Crisis

An article in Inc. Magazine has this as the headline:  “Bill Gates and Elon Musk Just Issued Very Different Responses to the Coronavirus.  It’s a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence.”  It’s written by Justin Bariso.

Elon Musk tweeted:  “The coronavirus panic is dumb.”  His comment was literally correct, and yet doesn’t display emotional intelligence.

Bill Gates wrote a blog post that included this:  “In the past week, COVID-19 has started to behave a lot like the once-in-a-century pathogen we’ve been worried about.  I hope it’s not that bad, but we should assume that it will be until we know otherwise.”

Gates’ comment displays emotional intelligence because he shows the ability to balance emotion and rational thought.

Communicating in Times of Change

We’re all wired for stories.  What you may not realize is that if someone doesn’t tell us what’s going on, we’ll actually make something up.  Speculate.  And that takes on a life of its own.

I’ve seen it all the time in my own career.

Emotional Intelligence compels leaders to communicate even when there’s not much to say.  Or even when there’s nothing to say.

It’s also important to note that whatever you say must be true.

Communicating in Times of Crisis or Challenge

Now how you communicate matters at least as much as what you communicate.  Here’s where empathy matters.  Don’t minimize how they feel.  Bill Gates didn’t.

One thing that doesn’t work is to tell people to calm down.  You have to help calm them without saying it.

What if you’re not a leader?

It doesn’t matter.  These principles apply with your family, friends, or team.  In a conversation about the COVID-19 virus.  Or any other challenge.

An excellent example of emotional intelligence in crisis communication is Walter Cronkite announcing that President Kennedy has been shot.  Click here to see it.

So talk, even when you don’t want to.  Listen and understand.  Choose empathetic and rational words.  Watch how you talk.  Could make all the difference.

Emotional Intelligence is knowing when and what to communicate – especially when it matters most.
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Emotional Intelligence Series

#132: Emotional Intelligence – the new Superpower

The post Episode #134: Emotional Intelligence – Communicating in Crisis first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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Rhythm of Life – It’s Perfect.  NOT.
Random Riffs – What’s it For?
Feature Segment – My Self-Improvement Experiment — Afformations

Today’s Quote

Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.  –Zig Ziglar

Rhythm of Life – It’s Perfect. NOT.

I’m standing in my voice teacher’s studio, playing the recording of one of my latest songs.  We worked like crazy on this at the previous lesson, and I want him to hear what I did with it.

“Hmmmmm. Good.  A little too much vibrato there.  Oh and there.  Can you try to get rid of the vibrato on some of those held out low notes?”

Uh no.  I can’t.

“It’s done,” I say.  Final production, mixing.  Everything.  It’s done.  No more changes.”

“Well then, it’s perfect,” he says.

It’s not perfect.  We both know it.  But he told me a while back that I’ll have to call it done at some point.  That no singer is ever satisfied with their performance.  They always want one more take.

I’m making the best art I can right now.  Writing the best songs, singing the best, doing the best podcast I can.  Right now.  That won’t be my best 3 months from now.  Or 6 or 12 months from now.

It won’t be your best work either.  So, get used to it.

Random Riffs – What’s it For?

I was thinking today about cynicism.  How we hear something great, and immediately look for the dirty secret just under the surface.

And you know what? None of us has 100% pure motives.  That’s okay.  It doesn’t mean we’re evil or wrong, or what there’s a dirty secret under the rocks.  It just means we’re human.

Because we CAN commit to a cause bigger than us.  We can sacrifice ourselves for the greater good.  We can.  Even when we want to be seen, noticed, respected, or even loved.

It’s better to do good with mixed motives than to do  nothing until you make sure your motives are completely pure.

Feature Segment:  My Self-Improvement Experiment – Afformations

Positive affirmations.  They’re often touted as a way to make massive change happen.  Because if you change your mind, you change your life.  If you change your script, you change your life.

The change looks like this:  Speak -> Change Your Mind -> Change Actions -> Change Results.  As you can see, the affirmations start the process, according to this line of thinking.

Your life becomes a reflection of the thoughts you consistently think.

But here’s the thing.  They don’t always work.  Sometimes they don’t even work at all.

According to St. John, there’s a Belief Gap between where you are now and where you want to be.  If you can’t believe you can get there, you won’t.  Until you bridge the belief gap for the outcomes you want, it will be difficult to make the leap to reach the new life and create your new reality.  (Remember The Big Leap?  –Gay Hendricks even goes so far to say that we’ll subconsciously do things to undermine our desired result.)

When we use positive affirmations, our minds often say, “Yeah, right!”  And that does nothing to bridge the belief gap.

If statements don’t work, then what does?  Questions.  So Noah St. John uses the power of questions to make change happen.  He calls these questions Afformations, and uses them  to bridge the gap.

Listen to the episode to hear just what type of questions these are, what questions not to ask, and how to use these questions in your life.

Keep this in mind though – the questions aren’t what changes your life.  Action is what changes your life.  Afformations prime the pump so you are ready and willing to take action.

Key lessons from this book:

1. When you want something and don’t believe you can have it, what will your actions be?   Half-hearted at best, which doesn’t lead to success.
2. In order for Afformations to work, you need to internalize them. The best way is through listening.
3. Fear is defined as “the anticipation of pain”. This definition works for fear in light of actual danger, as well as fear in the face of perceived danger that doesn’t exist.

How did the Action Steps work?  -I’m not sure yet. It’s going to take time to internalize my new Afformations.  I did find that doing them was powerful already.  They built on each other throughout the book.

What I’m going to do next:

I’m going to combine the conclusions from Marie Forleo’s book Everything is Figureoutable and this book to create one big plan.  And use Afformations and prayer to help me move forward with my plan.  I think the two books together are more powerful than either was alone.  And combined with The Big Leap for context?  Amazing.

What can you do?

1. Get the book
2. Write your own Afformations and record them.
3. Listen to them at least once a day. Speak them out loud too.
4. Start taking action and watch what happens.

Let me know in the comments what you’re choosing to do as a result of listening or reading.

What does a 3 year-old do that we can learn from? They keep asking WHY.
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P.S., The other day I wrote a song based on a poem written by a friend.  It’s dedicated to those who lost loved ones in the Milwaukee shooting last week.  We must make a stand against violence and choose love.  Here’s the song on YouTube.  Please share it with your friends.

Self-Improvement Series

127 – Series Introduction
128 – Everything is Figureoutable
130 – My One Word Review
131 – Everything is Figureoutable Part 2

NOTE:  If you buy a book through one of my links, I’ll make about $.10.

The post Episode #133: Afformations first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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 On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – The First Big Test of my 2020 Word “Believe”
Random Riffs – What if You Could Choose Your Own Groundhog Day?
Feature Segment –The New Success Superpower

Today’s Quote

The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. –Pablo Picasso

Rhythm of Life – The First Big Test of my 2020 Word “Believe”

It’s Sunday morning, and I’m praying.  I have a mental picture of me worshiping God in the midst of millions or billions of people.  I feel completely invisible.

Except that God tells me I’m not.  He sees me and loves me just as I am.  I believe it in my head.  It doesn’t seem to reach my body.

So here’s the first big test of my 2020 word – believe.  Can my belief extend all the way to my heart?  My full body?  The answer to that has physical and emotional implications.

Have you already been tested with your 2020 word?  I guess we should expect it, right?  Growth means stretching beyond where we’ve been before.  Testing is part of the process.

Random Riffs – What if You Could Choose Your Own Groundhog Day?

We just had Groundhog Day in the US.  That day just happened to also be the Super Bowl.  And Jeep aired a commercial that redid parts of the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray and others.  And THAT got me thinking….if I could repeat any one day over and over, what would it be?

I thought of a few possibilities and settled on one that might surprise you a bit.  Listen to the episode to find out more.

If you could repeat any one day again and again, what would you choose?  Leave a comment.

Feature Segment:  The New Success Superpower

We’ve all seen them – articles about “the one thing Warren Buffett looks for that determines success”.  “Crack the success code with this one thing.” “Do this for massive success.”

Over the years, people have touted different skills as the new superpower for success:  financial acumen, programming, collaboration, agile, grit, abundance, empathy.  All are great.  I think ever greater, is this – Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence, or EI, includes more than empathy.  That’s what makes it a superpower.  And we’ll discuss different facets of Emotional Intelligence in a series alternating with our Self-Improvement Experiment Series.

Six dimensions of EI are discussed in Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley’s book “The Emotional Life of Your Brain”.  Because we can have unique combinations of these 6 dimensions, they call it our Emotional Style.

1. Resilience
2. Outlook
3. Social Intuition
4. Self-Awareness
5. Sensitivity to Context
6. Attention

Is EI really that important?  And if so, why?  Well, work has been evolving over time.  We’ve had 3 different models thus far:

Model 1.0:  Command and control.  Army, Nobles vs. Serfs, Dictator, Factory model.  It’s all  about compliance and order.

Model 2.0: Carrots and sticks.  It seems to give people a choice.  But when you look at it, it’s rewarding the worker if they do what those in power want, and punishes them if they don’t.  It’s really a disguised version of command and control.  Dan Pink talks about this in his book Drive.

Model 3.0: Internal motivation – autonomy and interdependence.  An entrepreneurial way of operating.  Creativity, working together, agile teams.  This model depends on enough people exercising emotional intelligence.   Those who do will be more successful in Model 3.0.

Your actions:

1. Remind yourself that EI is a success superpower. However you choose to define success.
2. Think about definition of EI: the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.  Ask yourself this question: how can I further develop this skill?  And then don’t actively think about it.  Just let your mind do the work.

This hasn’t come natural to me.  It’s a skill we each can and should learn.  I keep working on it.  Because Emotional Intelligence is the new success superpower.  What do you think about Emotional Intelligence?  Do you think it’s the new superpower, or not?  Leave a comment.

Emotional Intelligence is the new success superpower.
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NOTE: If you purchase a book from a link, I’ll make about $.10.

The post Episode #132: Emotional Intelligence – The New Success Superpower first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Where’s the Song?
Random Riffs – Batching Revisited
Feature Segment – Everything is Figureoutable, Part 2

Today’s Quote

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart.  – Charles Dickens

Rhythm of Life – Where’s the Song?

“Why not make some 5-minute art about that?”  That’s something my friend Sam Bennett says a lot.  She explained it in her book “Get it Done – From Procrastination to Creative Genius in 15 Minutes a Day”

So now I’m on a group call with Sam and 5 other women.  Describing the frustration of my creative work not working.

This time she didn’t suggest making 5-minute art.  This time, she asked “Where’s the song?”  She wanted me to practice the thing that was frustrating me to express how I felt.  Get back on the horse, so to speak.

You can hear what I wrote and what I learned by listening to the episode.

So, where’s your song?  Or whatever you make?  The world needs more of it.

Random Riffs – Batch It Revisited

You know how on Episode 130 I talked about how I batched my cooking, and that you could use this method to get more done with any project?

Well, this segment isn’t called Random Riffs for nothing.  Because sometimes random thoughts just pop into my head.  Like the song that you can hear when you listen to the episode.

It’s good to find the humor in almost anything.  And, I guess I have a lot of dishes to wash.

Feature Segment:  Everything is Figureoutable, Part 2

It’s all about love.  That’s the letter my 100-year-old self wrote to my present self as part of an exercise in Marie Forleo’s book Everything is Figureoutable.  Marie asked me to go to a quiet place, get comfortable, set the timer for 15 minutes, and allow my hand to move on the paper without thinking, editing, or stopping.

Now I’ve done this before.  It’s similar to Morning Pages, an exercise taught by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way.

Marie’s exercise is similar but not exactly the same.  Listen to the episode to hear what Marie recommends and how it turned out when I tried it.  And if you want to hear my commentary on the first half of Marie’s book, listen to Episode 128.

Anyway, what my 100-year-old self wrote to my present self was all about love.  I really had no idea what was going to come out.  I prayed before I started.  And that’s what materialized on the paper as I wrote without thinking, editing, or stopping.

I can’t even begin to describe how powerful this was for me.  To see these words and read them back out loud.  I know I said this about the last episode with another exercise, but this one alone was worth the price of the book.

So was this one, called “What I really want is…”  It’s meant to be done over 5-7 days, I did it for 9.  And had some interesting observations after completing it.

1. What I wrote was influenced by how I was feeling at the time.
2. Even so, there were still some themes that consistently stood out.

After reviewing the primary themes, I wrote a summary with an analysis of my conclusions.  Listen to the episode to hear what they are.

My analysis of this exercise:

1. Its power lies in your willingness to be honest.
2. Even for someone like me who is multi-passionate, and cares about a lot of causes, you can eventually see trends/theme if you keep at it.
3. It’s important to use both your mind and heart to discern what’s right for you. .

If you’re willing to do the hard work, using both your mind and heart, get Everything Is Figureoutable.  Don’t just read it.  Do the “Insight to Action” challenges.  Because power isn’t in knowing.  Power is in doing.

Now, you and I are still limited by our own beliefs.  We can’t simply chant positive affirmations to get ourselves to believe a different truth.  That’s where next book comes in: Afformations.

I’m just about to start reading it now.  When I get far enough along to evaluate it for you, I’ll include it in an episode.  In the meantime, if you have a book recommendation, send an email to  kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com, or leave a comment.

Everything Is Figureoutable.  It’s a great attitude to have in 2020, and beyond..

Power isn’t knowing something.  Power is doing something.
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Self-Improvement Series

127 – Series Introduction
128 – Everything is Figureoutable
130 – My One Word Review

The post Episode #131: Everything is Figureoutable Part 2 first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Batch It
Random Riffs – Inside-the-Box Creativity
Feature Segment – My Annual Review in One Word

Today’s Quote

I do not have one theme for each season, I just try to make beautiful clothes all year round. – Oscar de la Renta

Rhythm of Life – Batch It

I had a ton of food in the fridge just waiting to be turned into something delicious.  And, on Monday morning, I made 2 kinds of muffins, Irish stew, butternut squash soup, and chicken.  Whew!

(c) Kathleen Thompson

What’s so great about making all this at once?  It’s batching.  It’s a great way to get more accomplished.  Listen to the episode to hear the benefits and some tips on how to do it.

How might batching your work benefit you?  Leave a comment.

Random Riffs – Inside-the-Box Creativity

So many people say, “Let’s think outside the box.”  They think that’s where all the creative thinking lies – outside the box.  But what if that isn’t actually true?  In this segment I talk about a study that was done with children on a playground, and comments by a famous music producer, Bob Clearmountin.  Here’s a link to his interview if you want to listen to the whole thing.  The part I’m referring to is about halfway through.

Bob gives an example of a song that used the technique he described.  Here’s the link to that song.  .

Do you have any examples of your own inside-the-box creativity?  If so, please share in the comments or on my Facebook page.  I might even share them in an uoming episode.

Feature Segment:  My Annual One Word Review

At the beginning of every year, I do the One Word exercise that comes from Jon Gordon’s book called “One Word That Will Change Your Life”.

That One Word is my theme for the year.  Something I want to focus on.  Embody.

For 2019, my word was SING.  I talked about it in Episode 107.

I had no idea what would happen when I chose this word.  That’s the beauty of One Word.  It gives guidance and doesn’t try and control the results.  Not only that, but it’s easy to remember.

So what happened in 2019?

1. Through my experience at a singing workshop with my voice teacher, I ended up writing and recording songs with a co-writer. I’m on my way to completing an album.
2. I started putting some Psalms to music so I could sing them at my own piano. Our church ended up doing a sermon series on Psalms, and I wrote 6 more that went with the day’s theme, and taught the congregation to sing them.
3. My voice showed significant improvement
4. I made decisions based on whether or not the choice made my heart sing.

There’s a lot more to the story, which I describe on the episode.  And there’s still plenty of room for growth in every one of these areas.  But it’s time to celebrate just how much my word SING changed my life.

Heard some of story in pieces throughout 2019.  Pull together in one cohesive view of 2019 through the lens of SING.

In a sense, much of this was a complete surprise.  I didn’t plan to write this many songs, or professionally record them.  I was just writing to see if I could do it, and to worship.  So what happened was a surprise.

At the same time, it wasn’t.  Because I was prepared for something to happen.  My mind and heart were open.  Ready.  Watching for opportunity.  And taking action when it appeared.  All because I had my word in my mind.

Imagine what this practice could do in your life!  Something amazing, I’m sure.  You might want to get the book and try it for yourself.  I’ve been doing it since 2013.  It’s so powerful, that I’ve already chosen my word for 2020:

Did you do One Word for 2019?  If so, why not look back on the year and see what happened as a result of focusing on that theme?  If didn’t do this, no worries.  You can do it for 2020.  .

Pick a word.  Meditate on it.  Watch what happens.

One Word can be more powerful than all your goals.
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Self-Improvement Series

127 – Series Introduction
128 – Everything is Figureoutable

The post Episode #130: My Annual One Word Review first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Do You Wanna Dance?
Random Riffs – Melt, Melt, Melt
Feature Segment – My Year End Review

Today’s Quote

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’ –Alfred Lord Tennyson

Rhythm of Life – Do You Wanna Dance?

Drew and I needed a dance song to round out the album we’re working on.  I tried writing it a few times, and came up empty.  Then on the plane I had an inspiration, or so I thought.  It turned out the words were better for a ballad because they told a story.  (I’ll probably save them for another song.)

So now we start over.  Thinking about the type of person we want to dance with.  Now it started to flow.  Listen to the episode to hear a sample of our writing session.  And imagine what it might sound like when it’s done!

Random Riffs – Melt, Melt, Melt

I love traveling, especially when I get to go somewhere warmer in the winter.  But, it can be hard when we get a winter storm while I’m gone.  The last storm left a sheet of solid ice covering the driveway.

I couldn’t wait for it to melt on its own.  I had to chop it. As I worked, I found myself singing the song Jerry used to when he did it.  Listen to the episode to hear Jerry’s song, and then my new one.  You could sing it too.

Feature Segment – My Year End Review

As the teens came to a close, I found myself thinking about what I had learned and done in 2019.  I decided to do a year-end review of my year.  And share it with you in case you want to do one too.

These reviews are usually boring and tedious.  They don’t get to the heart of what happened.  They don’t tell the whole story.  Or even a story at all.  So I took it on myself to do a different type of review.  To ask myself some important questions and see how I’d answer them.

Here are the questions:

1. What Brought Me Joy?   And people.  Art is what we remember long after other memories are gone.
2. What surprised me? That I ended up writing songs to put in an album.  That’ wasn’t even a twinkle in my eye at the beginning of 2019.  Listen to the episode to hear how it happened.
3. What am I most proud of? That I followed my curiosity and the path that seemed meant for me, even though I can’t see a clear end.  Even with no guarantees.
4. What key lessons did I learn? I let fear stop me or slow me down much more than I had realized.
5. What does 2020 look like? Listen to the episode to find out what I think I’ll be doing in 2020.  It should be interesting to see how much the year looks like I expected it to.

Now let’s talk about you.  Why not do your own review, starting with some good questions?  You can use mine ro come up with your own.  You can share your findings in the comments, on my Facebook page, or keep it to yourself.  It’s up to you.

Whatever you do in 2020 and beyond, focus on who you are becoming.  You take yourself with you everywhere you go.  So you might as well be someone you’d want to hang out with every day.  So find your groove and make your life sing.  I can’t wait to hear your song.

Why not let your year-end review tell the story of your year?
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The post Episode #129: My Year End Review first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – A Motorcycle Manta
Random Riffs – What’s on Your Christmas List?
Feature Segment – Self-Improvement Experiment: Everything is Figureoutable

Today’s Quote

What came up at age 49 is I realized that of all the things I’m interested in, the thing I’m most interested in is figuring out what makes people tick, why people think the way they do, why they act the way they do. And I realized that music is such a great way to investigate why people do what they do.  –Yo-Yo-Ma

Rhythm of Life – A Motorcycle Mantra

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I chanted that under my breath as I practiced driving skills at a motorcycle safety course.  I was struggling with executing hairpin turns in a small box.

It seemed to help.  I passed the test, even though I struggled a bit on that one skill.

But what does that really mean, anyway?  That I literally can do ANYTHING?  Listen to the episode to hear what I have to say about that.

Random Riffs – What’s on Your Christmas List?

As I watched a friend’s children making their Christmas lists, I began thinking:  how many children ask for things they shouldn’t have to be worried about?  Like:

• My dad (or mom) comes home from the war
• Shoes to wear to school
• Billy stops bullying me

I have some things like that I want too.  Listen to hear what they are.

Santa can’t bring those things and put them under the tree.  But we can.  It takes each one of us working together to get started.  We won’t finish in our lifetime.  It’s still worth trying.  Because the world will be better for us having done what we can.  Together.  Merry Christmas.  And may the deepest wishes of your heart come true.

Feature Segment: The Self-Improvement Experiment – Everything is Figureoutable

Marie Forleo released a book titled Everything is Figureoutable.  I’ve been waiting for this to come out, so chose it as the first in my Self-Improvement Experiment.  Marie says you can retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in face of setbacks.  And that will make you unstoppable.

What I love:

Marie doesn’t tell us that everything can be the way we want.  Or changed.  But she does believe that at the very least we can figure out our next move – our response to what has happened.

We should take action in our life not just for ourselves, but also for others.  This is refreshing, and not always discussed in books of this type.

The way Marie talks about fear and how to discern the role fear is playing in the situation.  Whether it’s protecting or preventing you from doing what you’re called to do.  This alone was worth the price of the book.

Marie’s story-telling is great.  It helps the reader to better understand the principles, and keeps it lively.

What I love less:

The beginning of book was stuff I’d heard many times before:

• Belief is what’s behind every though, emotion, and action
• You are responsible for your own life
• “I can’t” means “I won’t”

Some of the recommended actions didn’t have the effect Marie intended.  Sometimes the approach was either/or.  I found that my answers were more like yes/and.  Other of her recommendations were golden.  Again, worth the prices of the book.

I’m just over 50% through this book right now.  But I didn’t want to wait to talk about it.  I may extend this to a second podcast, depending on whether what comes next is different enough from the first half.  If not, I’ll move on to the next book – The Book of Afformations by Noah St. John.

Did you read Everything is Figureoutable?  If so, please leave a comment to tell me what you learned, or didn’t.

Now go figure out what you’re going to do next.

To get the most out a book, test the ideas on yourself. And then teach someone else.
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The Self-Improvement Experiment Series

127: Introduction to the Self-Improvement Experiment

Note:  I make a few cents if you buy a book from the links on this post.

The post Episode #128: My Self-Improvement Experiment – Everything is Figureoutable first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Don’t Stick Your Neck Out
Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Cold Outside Revisited
Feature Segment – Give Gratitude All You’ve Got

Today’s Quote

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  -Anonymous

Rhythm of Life – Don’t Stick Your Neck Out

“Don’t stick your neck out!”

You’ve probably heard someone say that to you when you were thinking of taking a stand for or against something.  Or trying to make a change.

To some it means, “Don’t be seen.  Don’t take a risk.  Hang with the crowd.  It’s safer that way.  Don’t get your head chopped off.”

In my life, the phrase has taken on whole new meaning.  My Alexander Teacher wants me to be all in or all out.  Not stick my neck out.  That’s only partly in.

Going all in feels scary.  Less safe than only sticking my neck out.  But what if it isn’t?  Listen to the episode to hear more.

Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Cold Outside Revisited

Episode 103, I talked about how much I dislike song Baby It’s Cold Outside.  All kinds of reasons.  Here’s a link in case you want to listen to it.

This song caused big controversy in 2018 because of #metoo.  Now this year John Legend and Kelly Clarkson teamed up to record a new version of the song.  With words that don’t seem to celebrate seduction by coercion.

And yet there’s been backlash for this too.

So here’s a challenge: write some new really cute duets so we can simply forget about this one.  Wouldn’t it be lovely?

Feature Segment: Give Gratitude All You’ve Got

I sat on my couch, hunched over because I didn’t have the strength to hold myself up.  Feeling like I was at the bottom.  What did I have to live for?  My husband had been dead for 7 years, and now I was seriously ill.  I couldn’t see an end to the misery.

“Write in a journal,” people said.  So I did.  Poured out my heart.  I did the same on my morning walks.

Now I notice it’s the same stuff over and over.  I realize I’m repeating it.  Almost rehearsing it.  As if I was practicing my lines in a script.

Is this helping me feel better?  NO.  There has to be another way.  Another approach.

Ann Voskamp’s 1000 Gifts.

Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage.

Both books talk extensively about something important – practicing gratitude.

At time of this release, we just celebrated Thanksgiving in the US.  Whatever you believe about morality or lack thereof in the Pilgrims’ dealings with the native Americans, they set time aside to give thanks for what they still had.  Even though almost half had died.

I knew it was possible to feel grateful.  I just didn’t know how.  And then one day I had an “Aha!” moment.  Listen to the episode to hear what I did, and what the experts say about it.

You don’t have to limit your Thanksgiving celebration to once a year.  You can skip the turkey and pies, and go straight to the thanks.  Every day.

Give gratitude all you’ve got.  You’ve got nothing to lose except negativity.

Question: Do you even find it difficult to feel grateful?  What happens when you practice gratitude?  Leave a comment.

Give gratitude all you’ve got. You’ve got nothing to lose except negativity.
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The post Episode #127: Give Gratitude All You’ve Got first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Fear is Like March
Random Riffs – The Case for Logic
Feature Segment – Self-Improvement Experiment Part 1

Today’s Quote

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.  –Ernest Hemmingway

Rhythm of Life – Fear Is Like March

I was trying to take action on a business Idea I had, and….after 2 weeks I had made NO progress.  I had all kinds of “reasons”, but even they didn’t explain 2 whole weeks of inaction.

What caused much of the delay? Fear.  Soo strong that it felt like the lion that is March.  Not mild discomfort.  Nope.  A palpable fear, like a physical entity.  All because I had an idea.

Steven Pressfield talks about this in his book “The War of Art”.

He says that if you’re paralyzed with fear, you’re closer to your true calling.  Yet even though I know this, I let fear stop me.  For a while.

Today I finally started on a project plan.  With actions so small they will take 15 minutes or less.  Because they shouldn’t be that hard, right?

I encourage you to do the same.  And, as Elizabeth Gilbert says, don’t let fear drive.

See you on the road.

Random Riffs – The Case For Logic

Breaking News!!!!  Notification of a violent event shows up on my phone. As I listen to the news app, I see comments scrolling on my screen. Two catch my eye, each claiming that the other party orchestrated this to take our attention off the impeachment hearings.

Since they both can’t be true, in the segment we’ll examine the logical case for either being true.  And maybe, instead of touting our lack of logic, we could teach students logic so the next generation won’t simply parrot what they hear elsewhere without subjecting the statements to a logic test?

Feature Segment: Self-Improvement Experiment Part 1

What’s your favorite book?  We can learn a lot about a person based on the books they like.

Some people prefer fiction.  Others love biographies, memoirs, mysteries, children’s, or self-help.

And some don’t have anything good to say about self-help.  On this episode, we:

1. Define what Kathleen includes and excludes from self-help.
2. Use a different term
3. Promise to read, review, and experiment with the principles in some newly-published self-improvement books.

Think of me as your virtual crash-test dummy, except on books instead of cars.  It won’t be a rigorous double-blind study.  I’ll just report on my impressions and experience.  It should be fun.  Possibly entertaining.  And maybe even life-transforming.  We’ll see.

I know which books I’m going to start with.  If you want to join me, get the books in that order and read along. (If you buy with this link, I’ll make about $.05.)

Everything is Figureoutable – Marie Forleo

Afformations – Noah St. John

Creative Calling – Chase Jarvis

If you want to recommend a book to me, leave a comment or send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

Here are the selection criteria:

1. Doesn’t teach a tangible skill
2. Published no earlier than January, 2018.
3. Appear interesting to you and me.

“One must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.”  -Cassandra Clare

Books can take you to another world – out there or inside yourself.
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The post Episode #126: The Self-Improvement Experiment – Part 1 first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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This is a special episode.  I’ve been traveling for 2 weeks, and then we had a major storm that knocked power out.  So…here’s what I learned from my travels and post-travels.

I came home with action plans for my new songs and both creative projects.  All I have to do is start to implement.  But so much got in the way of getting started.

1. Real life.  You know,  stuff like errands, laundry, grocery shopping, clearing the yard of leaves.
2. The Resistance, as Steven Pressfield calls it.  It gets stronger the closer we get to our creative calling.

I didn’t plan for it.  I didn’t expect it to be so much.  Granted, the storm was an unusual wrinkle.  And, as a result, all the leaves came down about 3 weeks earlier than usual.

Some of that is normal.  And then there was the storm and unplanned eye doctor visits.  I had to be a bit flexible when it came to my schedule.

Has that ever happened to you?  Life gets in the way of the work you want to do.  Especially when it’s creative work.

It wasn’t all bad.  Here’s what went well:

1. I planned a light schedule.  It didn’t work out as planned, but I couldn’t have helped that.
2. When the unexpected happened, I adapted well.

What could I have done better?

1. Spend the first 15 minutes of the day on my creative project.
2. Put re-entry time on calendar.
3. Spent some of that re-entry time to organize and clean my office, especially of the paperwork I brought back from my trip.

Fortunately, I have a list of action items.  That’s important.  It’s also important to schedule your next actions.  Then make sure you either document where you left off or stop at a natural breaking point.

How do you keep momentum on your creative projects when you’ve been traveling?  Share in the comments.

When you blast off for travel, remember to leave time for re-entry.
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The post Episode #125: Your Project is Waiting first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Sometimes You Just Know
Random Riffs – A Storm By Any Other Name
Feature Segment – Built With Love: Problem Solving

Today’s Quote

We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them. – Albert Einstein

Rhythm of Life – Sometimes You Just Know

It started in my den.  With a phrase that is always near the surface of my mind.  “You are stronger than you know.”  The beginning of a new song.

I’ve had the idea for quite a while, and couldn’t seem to write it.  In fact, I wondered if it was possible for me to write it.  It felt too big.

But, on this day, I’ve got the beginning of an idea, and I write the chorus.  Then, working with my coach, polish it and add a verse.  The next thing I know, I’ve got an entire song.  Except I don’t like it.

Listen to the episode to hear what happened.

Sometimes you just know, you know?  Don’t ignore that voice.

Random Riffs – A Storm by any Other Name

Yesterday the Northeast had a huge storm.  Rain and high winds.  In some places, gusting to 100 mph.  And what do they call this storm?

Not a storm.  Not a Nor’easter.  Explosive cyclogenesis or a bomb cyclone.

I thought they were just hyping it by calling it that.  It turns out there’s a clear definition for explosive cyclogenesis, and this storm fit the bill.  But why haven’t I heard that term until a few years ago?  Can it be that it sounds more scary than a Nor’easter, so they’ve taken to using the technical term?

What if they dialed down the drama instead?  Listen to the episode to hear another naming option that might not be quite so terrifying.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Problem Solving

“Uh, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”  Those words, uttered by the crew of Apollo 13 when an oxygen tank exploded and crippled the rocket that was headed for the moon, sent everyone at Mission Control into problem-solving mode.  Trying to get the crew home alive.

They had a strong motivation to figure it out.  A life-or-death situation will do that.  And they did get the 3 men home alive.

But imagine how it could have gone.  If they didn’t know how to effectively solve problems as a team, it could have been a disaster.

The Challenger explosion is a case where it didn’t go well.  There have been several analyses done about where NASA went wrong.  It wasn’t so much the lack of technical know-how.  It was about the process of making decisions.  Recognizing and solving problems effectively.

Problem solving a skill, just like learning to code, fix a car, or play the guitar.  On today’s episode, we’re talking about solving problems with love.

Say what?  What does love have to do with solving problems?  Listen to the episode and you’ll find out.  You’ll find that ego has no place in the room when solving problems.  Here are the highlights as to how to solve problems with love.

1. Externalize it

Put the problem outside the group, on the other side of the table.

2. Dial-down drama

We can’t solve problems when our stress response is in control of our brains. Dialing down the drama gets our cognitive brain back on track.

3. Listen – especially the leader

Not just listen, but listen with respect and presence.  Practice Yes. And.  To hear more about that, listen to Episode 069.

4. Evaluation Criteria

Decide how you’ll decide before you have to decide.  And agree to align behind the decision once it’s made.

Problem solving with your ego is competitive, even combative.  Problem solving with love is about doing what’s best for the people with problem.

For Your Action:  Think of a problem you recently had to solve. If more than you were involved, how did you do?  How effective was your problem-solving technique?  Was there one area that wasn’t as strong as others?  If so, then decide in advance how you’ll do it the next time around.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this Built With Love mini-series.  To listen to all the episodes, go here.

Built With Love Series

Or scroll to the bottom of the post to see all the links.

Remember – you build what you love.  Not what you say you love.  Make sure they’re the same.

Problems get solved well when you check your ego at the door.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture
119 – Your Product
120 – Your Marketing
121 – Your Relationships
122 – Your Communication
123 – Your Story

The post Episode #124: Built With Love – Problem Solving first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – The Jam Obsession
Random Riffs – Jam is Bustin’ Out all Over
Feature Segment – Built With Love – Your Story

Today’s Quote

The great thing about a song is that no one has to know your story. But if you tell it in a way that has clarity and means something to somebody else, then it can apply to their story.  –Amy Grant

Rhythm of Life – The Jam Obsession

It all started with the scones.  Made with flax seeds and almond flour.  I bite into one and say, “This would taste great with strawberry jam.”  But I don’t have any.

I know.  I’ll make some!

One thing leads to another, and now I’ve made strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry jam.  I even made cute labels.

(c) Kathleen Thompson

And to think it all started with scones.  Or did it?  Maybe what REALLY started it was exercising my creativity muscle with singing and songwriting?  Or gardening?  What if the freedom I feel as I create has spilled over into the rest of my life?  What if the same thing could happen to you?

It can.  Simply by exercising your creativity, it builds the muscle until you find it coming out all over the place.   In flavors.  Like strawberry, blueberry, and raspberry.  Or –in your case – maybe chocolate.

Random Riffs – Jam is Busting Out all Over

As I was  writing the Rhythm of Live segment, I thought of this phrase:  Jam is busting out all over.  That’s a take-off on the song from Carousel – June is Bustin’ Out all Over.

Listen to the episode to hear me riff on this.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Story

People use the word “story” all the time – in different contexts.  Marketing and branding experts tell us we have to be good at telling our story.  People feel compelled to tell their story to others.  And we often hear that the best way to connect with others is through story.

What do we really mean?  What’s so great about story?  Does it really matter that much?  What does it mean to build story with love?

One thing story isn’t?  Reciting a series of events.  Reliving an event in your own mind without communicating the emotion to the listener.

When told well, a story is similar to music.  It bypasses much of the brain’s normal defense mechanisms so we can be open minded and open-hearted.  It connects with deep emotions.

When not told well?  People can’t wait for it to be over.

Just like your voice is a gift for others, a story should be too.  Otherwise, you’d just talk to yourself.  To do that, you have to make the audience care.  Be emotionally invested.

At its core, a great story is about change.  A quest for the hero.  That’s why reciting a series of events isn’t a true story.  If you want to tell your story with love, here are the elements you’ll want to include.

1. Captivates the audience – their attention and imagination.

To do that, you need to:  a) Know who they are.  b) Understand what they love and what causes them pain. What they think about.  c) Want to help and serve them in some way

2. Show conflict.

What do we mean by conflict?  Anything that causes the hero to reach a crossroads.  Also known as the inciting incident.

3. Resolution

The end of the story.  How the character changed through the experience.  What they learned, and what we can learn from them.  The results.

To tell a great story with love means you so want them to understand something that you’re willing to work very hard to tell a story that helps them open their heart and mind.  You tell it with vulnerability and respect.

For your action:

1. Take one of your favorite stories. Preferably a short one.  It can be any media.  Analyze the story to determine how the author Captivated Audience, Created Conflict, and then resolved it.  What did you learn from that story?  Analysis of that story?
2. Take story you often tell –in whatever context. Run it through the same analysis.  Are you making the audience care?  If so, what demonstrates that?  Have you created conflict to increase audience involvement?  Is there a resolution?  A lesson for you and your audience?
3. What can you do to build your story with love? Rewrite your story, building in the 3 principles described in this episode.

Want to know something?  Building story with love isn’t  just for other people.  It’s for you, too.  The most powerful stories are those we tell ourselves.  For good – or ill.

Why not take a story you’ve been telling yourself, and learn to tell it better?

Whatever the story, whoever you tell it to, tell with love. Love for the story.  Yourself.  Your audience.  And the art of storytelling itself.

Do you have a story you’d like to tell with more power and connection?  Leave a comment.

When you tell a story, tell it with love. For the story. Yourself. The audience. And the art of storytelling.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture
119 – Your Product
120 – Your Marketing
121 – Your Relationships
122 – Your Communication

The post Episode #123: Built With Love – Your Story first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – What Did My Heart Say?
Random Riffs – When Two Hearts Collide
Feature Segment – Built With Love – Your Communication

Today’s Quote

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.  –George Bernard Shaw

Rhythm of Life – What Did My Heart Want?

I’m writing a new song.  It’s theme is that little things are what we really love about other people.  I finish it, and then am not sure if I like it.  There’s something that seems wrong.  So I meet with my songwriting coach to review it.

It turns out the reason I think there’s something not quite right is because there is.  I make an abrupt emotional turn that doesn’t keep going in that direction.  It changes directions again only a few lines later.

I had to decide which way I was going to go with the song.  Either make that change and stay there, or don’t go there at all.

There are 3 lessons we can learn from my experience.  Listen to the episode to hear what they are.

Random Riffs – When Two Hearts Collide

From the totally random archives of my memory, a scene from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore popped into my head.  As you listen, remember this: your heart isn’t always foolproof.  To discern what is really your heart, it takes quiet.  Stillness.  Don’t act right away.  Put it to the test.  Listen to the episode to hear more.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Communication

I found so many books on my bookshelf about communication.  All seemed to focus on one skill.  And yet so often it’s not those skills that are causing communication to suffer.  No, it’s more that we aren’t communicating with love.

What makes a great culture, product, or relationship?  Great communication.  One would think it should be natural, and yet it doesn’t seem to be.

Imagine if all communication was built with love.  What would the world be like?  Full of life.

What prevents communication with love?  To a large degree, our own pain and fear. That we’ve overcome with varying degrees of success.

How does it look to communicate with love?

• Whole-hearted and vulnerable vs. armor.
• Understanding and empathy vs. judgement.
• Kindness vs. bullying.
• Honesty vs. hiding.

Principles to communicating with love

1. Deal with your own stuff.

Take a listen to these old episodes to hear more about this.

Episode 034

Episode 036

2. Love them as they are. Not how you wish they were.  Or like you are.
3. Listen. Listen. Listen.
4. Uphold a high standard of truth

You can say something that’s true and it isn’t the truth.  The truth goes deeper.

Communicating with love requires sacrifice on our parts.  Sacrifice of our time, agenda, or ego.

Don’t do because it pays you.  Do it because it’s right.

The letter to the Romans in the Bible says this: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  That starts by communicating with love.

Communication is the undercurrent to everything we do and say. Do it in love.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture
119 – Your Product
120 – Your Marketing
121 – Your Relationships

The post Episode #122: Built With Love – Your Communication first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Going Out of my Head
Random Riffs – In or Out
Feature Segment – Built With Love – Your Relationships

Today’s Quote

If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships – the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.  – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Rhythm of Life – Going Out of my Head

I have a garden in my back yard that I haven’t worked on for probably 3 years.  And it’s been a “problem child” ever since I built it.  Because several different kinds of nasty weeds were growing there as part of the woods before we cleared it out.

The worst is the bittersweet.  A vine that twists itself around bushes, trees, and even smaller plants.  The roots are orange and spread everywhere.  They’re so hard to dig out.  But I’m trying.  Trying to reclaim this garden.

Working with this vine has helped me see “vines” that have wrapped themselves around my mind and heart.  Listen to the episode to hear more about it.

Random Riffs – In or Out?

Have you ever heard your parents say, “Quit coming in and out the door.  It’s either in or out.”

I felt like saying that to some flies the other day.  It seemed as though they were so anxious to get in, and then immediately tried to get out.

We can do that too.  Say we really want something, and then go in – out – in – out.  Instead of fully committing and taking action.

Dan Gilbert’s happiness talk shows that those who decide and stick with it are happier than those who believe they can change their minds.  Even if they don’t actually change their decision.    If you want to straight to the section I’m talking about, it starts at about 9:20.

Time to choose.  In or out?

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Relationships

How do people committed to one another, whether through marriage, family, friendship or partnership end up with a strained relationship?  How can so many relationships be dysfunctional and even harmful?

Relationships, even those closest, aren’t always built with love.  Even if they’re intended to be.  And yet, every relationship that matters should be built with love.  Not necessarily erotic or sensual love.  But brotherly love or sacrificial love.

Johann Hari recently wrote a book called “Lost Connections,” He cites research by a Harvard professor named Robert Putnam that is chilling.

1. People have dropped out of community and turned inward since the 1930s.
2. Active involvement in community organizations fell by 45% between 1985 and 1994 alone
3. Several decades ago, when asked how many close confidants they had, people would say 3 on average. By 2004, the most common answer was 0.

Loneliness has become the predominant feeling in the United States.  At a high cost to us personally, and to the society at large.

Because strong relationships are the glue that hold us together.

What does a relationship built with love look like?

1. People in the relationship grow and flourish
2. Respect
3. Empathy
4. Give and take
5. Differences, not divisions

What makes this not happen?

1. Commitment to our self is greater than to the relationship
2. Extreme competitiveness.
3. Lack of emotional intelligence.
4. Fear – of losing face, of being attacked
5. Shame

There are times when we have to give everything and get nothing back.  And that’s not easy.

How do you build relationship with love?

1. Assume good intent.
2. Active listening.
3. Treat the relationship as more important than yourself. Each party is responsible both to themselves and to the relationship.
4. Speak truth with love.

A question to evaluate whether or not your relationship is built with love: are we better because of relationship?  Is the relationship expanding us – or not?  Is it expanding others around us – or not?

The stakes are high.  Disconnection and loneliness are at an all-time high.  There are cracks in society.  You can help repair them by starting with your own relationships.  Then spread to the greater community and the world.  It all starts with you.

What action do you plan to take to build one of your relationships with love?  Leave a comment.

Build a better world by building your relationships with love.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture
119 – Your Product
120 – Your Marketing

The post Episode #121: Built With Love – Your Relationships first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Little Women and You
Random Riffs – Find a Break in the Traffic
Feature Segment – Built With Love – Your Marketing

Today’s Quote

Here’s my whole marketing idea: treat people the way you want to be treated.  –Garth Brooks

Rhythm of Life – Little Women and You

I just saw the trailer for the soon-to-be released new version of movie Little Women.  That same day there was an article in the Smithsonian Magazine with this as the title: “The new Little Women may finally do justice to its most controversial character.”

Amy.

She’s got a lot to not like.  And yet, her biggest flaw seems to be that she’s ambitious.  Unfortunately, women are often criticized for being ambitious, as if that’s a bad thing.

Now people who try to win at the expense of everyone else, and throw them under the bus are selfish.   That’s not the same as ambitious.  It’s time to change our thinking from shaming women for their ambition to embracing it.  Especially when success leads to more success.

It’s also time for us to stop shaming ourselves.

No one wins when we make ourselves small.  No one.  The world needs more people willing to live big.  Live bold.  Be ambitious.  Even women.

Random Riffs – Find a Break in the Traffic

On Episode 115, I talked about a traffic jam in most unlikely place – Mount Everest.  This year was one of most deadly climbing seasons ever, and there was a photo of a huge line of people waiting to get to the summit.  Many said that Nepal should restrict climbing in some way.

Listen to the episode to hear that happened, and what we can learn from it.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Marketing

It’s right on the cover of Seth Godin’s latest book – This is Marketing:  “You can’t be seen until you learn to see.”  And Seth starts to talk about the revolution that is going on right now.

The mass market has become splintered with the advent of the internet.  It’s clearly seen with the arts group I’m a part of, and with popular shows on television.  We can’t just put an ad in the newspaper any more.  And Game of Thrones, the highest rated show in quite a while, had only about 5% of the US population watching it, which is significantly less than many other popular shows.

The same thing is happening with books, movies, music, and food.  Pretty much everything.  Splinters are happening while we watch.

So…what’s the alternative?  Now you can treat people – like people!!!  You can market with love.

Marketing with Love means put others’ best interests at the forefront.  If we have something that can help them solve a problem we know they have, you have to tell them about it. Start a conversation.  Not force down their throats like cod liver oil.

When this happens, it’s magic.  Marketing becomes a joy to both parties, as opposed to a numbers game.

What does marketing with love look like?

1. Care
2. Listen
3. Empathy
4. Permission
5. Trust
6. Patience

That’s what it takes to build marketing with love.  After all, you’re building a relationship.  The same principles hold true.

As Seth says, when you do this well, you have the opportunity to bring work you care about to people eager to engage with it, pay you for it, and talk about it.  What could be better than that?

Your work matters.  Marketing matters.  Build it with love.

Your work matters enough to market it with love.
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115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture
119 – Your Product

The post Episode #120: Built With Love – Your Marketing first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Smoke Gets in What?
Random Riffs – Let’s Call it What it Is
Feature Segment – Built With Love –Your Product

Today’s Quote

Nothing is so common-place as to wish to be remarkable.  – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Rhythm of Life – Smoke Gets in What?

I’m standing in the kitchen preparing to make blueberry jam.  All I have left to do before actually making the jam is to boil the water that will seal the jars.  The first time I made jam this year, I used a tall stock pot with a vegetable steamer.  This time, I’m using the actual canning pot, which is huge.

Listen to the episode to hear what happened – before I even started cooking!  Oh, and I wrote some new words to an old song, which you can also hear.

Random Riffs – Let’s Call it What it Is

Clark Howard, a consumer advocate on the radio, talks a lot about “customer-no-service”. Well, I had my own experience with that this week.  Listen to the episode to hear what happened.

If you’re responsible for or participate in customer service, how about making it an actual service?  Why not mean what you say, rather than telling people what you think they want to hear and not acting on it?  Remember – it’s not what you say you love, but what you actually do that matters.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Product

I asked my brother-in-law to make me a holder for my Irish whistles.  I wanted to have them standing up so I can quickly pick one up and play it exactly when I need it.  And Kevin made me one.  But it isn’t just a whistle holder.  It’s a work of art.  Because he built it with love.  For the craft.  For the wood.

On this episode, we’re talking about building what you make with love.  How it makes all the difference in how people perceive it.  Feel about it.  People don’t love what works.  They expect that.  People love what gets built with love.

Zappos Shoes is known for their customer service.  They build that with love.

Dinners at the Farm is known for their exquisite farm-to-table dinners.  Every aspect of the meal is built with love – from planning, to cooking, to serving.

These businesses are so remarkable that people talk about them.  They share with their friends.  That’s one way to tell that you’ve built something with love.  People talk about it – in a good way.

Two authors have written about this.

Seth Godin – Purple Cow

Jay Baer – Talk Triggers

According to a study done by Examination Labs in 2017, 19% of all consumer purchases in the US were directly caused by word-of-mouth activity.  And business-to-business referrals had even greater impact.

A purple cow and talk trigger put you in a category of one.  Even if there’s tons of what seems like competition.

Of course there still has to be substance behind the purpleness.  No one would care about a purple cow after the first 30 seconds if doesn’t give good milk.  Remarkable looks must be backed by remarkable action

Purple cow and talk triggers are great, and explain what helps word-of-mouth to spread.  But built with love goes even deeper than that.  Love a powerful word.  And building what you make with love can be even more profound than purple cow.

How can that love manifest itself?  –In the WHY.  Why this matters to you and anyone using what you make.  The WHY shoes the love.  It’s actually the WHY you love most.  It’s what you’re willing to go to the mat for.

Andy Andrews often says that he can’t stand the term “best practices”. He says they’re built by consensus with people who are merely above average.  Those should be the baseline.  People who want to build with love should think WAY past best practices to get to extraordinary.  Seth Godin says this too.

Think of what you’d like to build with love.  Ask yourself – what would look like if it was 10 times better than it is now?

Now Kevin didn’t have to make my whistle holder so beautiful.  You don’t have to do any of this either. It’s your choice.

But it’s magical when love is added to mix.  So what’s it going to be?  Are you in?  Leave a comment.

It takes a greater commitment.  Especially when you feel like you can’t go against the tide.  You can.  Find a way.  Keep love alive.  Build what you make with love.

You know how it feels to buy something built with love? Give that feeling to someone else.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team
118 – Your Culture

The post Episode #119: Built With Love – Your Product first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – More Emotion, Less Singing
Random Riffs – People Like Us
Feature Segment – Built With Love –Your Culture

Today’s Quote

A rhyme doesn’t make a song. – Dorothy Fields

Rhythm of Life – More Emotion, Less Singing

At my voice lessons, Roger is coaching me through some of my original songs.  He’s teaching me how to express emotion differently from how it gets expressed in opera or show tunes.

I’m finding that more than just the technical aspects of singing have become habit.  How I express emotion through song has become habit as well.  And now I’m in the process of unlearning and undoing those habits to create new ones.

When habits are part of a group’s behavior, they’re called norms. And they need to be disrupted from time to time.  Because keeping to old ones can drag you, your team, family, or organization down.

I’m working to do just that with my singing.  You can do it too.  Disrupt your own norms.  Inhibit a habit.  Choose something else instead.  Experiment.  Play.  Until you find something that works.  That does what you intend.  And then at some point you’ll want to disrupt that one too.

What habit do you want to change? What’s your version of “more emotion, less singing?”  Leave a comment or email me at kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

Random Riffs – People Like Us

Today I went to a Jerome Kerns sing-along at a community center near me.  (He’s most famous for writing the music for Show Boat.)  Another of his most famous songs is “The Way You Look Tonight” with Dorothy Fields as lyricist.  That song won Academy award for best original song in 1935.   It’s from the musical Swing Time.

The number of women who have won an Academy Award for Best Original Song are so few that it’s noticeable.  Unfortunately, that’s similar to how many diversity efforts look in organizations.  Not necessarily for lack of trying, but because people often can’t see themselves as part of the group.  People who do things like that.

Part of education is to help people believe they are worthy. To open their eyes to the possibility that people like them can do things like this.  What are they and we missing if they don’t ever see that?

So, if you’re in a position to guide, encourage, inspire, or lead others, look for people who might not volunteer themselves.  Who might not know they could do something, and don’t even try.  Look for them and nurture them.  Show them that people like them do things like this.  And we’ll all go out humming.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Culture

Core values.  Often hanging on the wall in the lobby.  Set up as computer wallpaper.  Not always practiced.  Yet, are they actually values when they’re not practiced?  Your culture isn’t what you say it is.  It’s what you do.  Thus, it doesn’t matter what you say your core values are, no matter how much you wish they were true.  It matters what actions you take.

How can you build a culture with love?  It doesn’t happen by accident.  It doesn’t happen by posting core values on the wall.  It happens by intention and practice.  And exhibiting 5 characteristics.

1. Trust

Adam Grant – Give and Take.     Strategic Givers can build a strong culture.  Partly because giving helps to build trust.

Simon Sinek – Leaders Eat Last.    Others matter at least as much as you do.  You’ll put the team ahead of your own comfort or reward.

Yet, trust takes time to build.  So even though it’s part of the foundation, it doesn’t happen first.

2. Pursue a greater purpose

One of the 6 important emotional needs is to have a sense of purpose.  The strongest cultures know that and make sure everyone understands what the purpose is.  That they work toward making that happen.  A shared sense of purpose creates cultural cohesion.

3. Communicate with honesty and empathy

Both are necessary.  One without the other destroys relationships.  One pushes people away.  The other is based on a lie.

The power of honest and empathetic communication is amazing.  You may feel some immediate pain.  But that’s nothing compared to the festering wound that happens with dishonesty or cruelty.

4. Challenge and support

A culture built with love isn’t all togetherness all the time.  You want diversity and challenge.  It’s the only way to growth.  It can even be loud and heated.  But about the situation, problem, or idea.  Not personal.

It’s important to know when to challenge and when to support.  Support when it’s hard.  When someone messes up.  When someone or the group gets attacked.

5. Disrupt the norms

This one’s more about changing up how to do things.  Norms are like shorthand.  No one has to tell anyone how to do something.  They just know and do it.

But they can become auto-pilot.  They can be slowly poisoning the culture from the inside out.

Disruption isn’t easy.  It’s like changing a personal habit.  And disruption keeps people on their toes.

Wouldn’t you love to live and work in a culture built with love?  Where you grow, and so does the group? Where you’re working toward a greater purpose – together?  You can.  It starts with you, and can spread.

What does it take to build a culture with love? Trust, purpose, communication, challenge and support, disruption.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?
117 – Your Team

The post Episode #118: Built With Love – Your Culture first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Sing With Your Hands
Random Riffs – Two Words.  Sounds Like…
Feature Segment – Built With Love: Your Team

Today’s Quote

A strong team can take any crazy vision and turn it into reality.  – John Carmack

Rhythm of Life – Sing With Your Hands

If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, heard my one word for 2019 is SING.  And just what you might be trying to accomplish this year, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing.

This week was no exception.  At my voice and Alexander lessons, we’ve previously identified tension in several places that impact my voice.  And this week I tried something different to identify and even stop the tension.

The funny thing is that I kept noticing tension in places I hadn’t noticed it before.  As I discovered each one, I put my hand on the spot to try and encourage it to release.  I really could have used 4 hands.  And, as you know, I only have 2.

Have you ever wished you had 4 hands?  Sometimes a little extra help could come in handy, couldn’t it?

Then again, sometimes all it takes is a different perspective.  And you suddenly see more clearly.  Why not try it yourself?  Let me know how it goes.  Leave a comment.

Random Riffs – Two Words.  Sounds Like…

The first Democratic Presidential debate provided fodder for the late-night talk show hosts, and Jimmy Fallon was no exception.  It started like you’d expect.  And suddenly his monologue cut to a video; that turned out to be a montage of the candidates and President Trump to the tune of “Modern Major General” from Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan.  Here’s a link in case you want to watch it.  The video starts at 4:08.

I posted it on my Facebook page.  People responded with links to other G&S in places you wouldn’t expect.

I know that Gilbert & Sullivan operettas were the foundation of musical theater.  And that they’re still performed today.  But I didn’t know how often they show up in movies, television, and even satirical YouTube videos.

Here’s one by the Muppets of a lesser-known song from the Mikado.

So if you want to be cool, apparently it doesn’t hurt to know a little G&S.  It might make you look super smart.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Team

What happens to a team when the manager bullies them into completing a project early – without consulting them first?

What should a manager do when faced with a difficult problem brought to them by someone on the team?

On this episode, we explore these questions as we look at how to build a team with love.  And you don’t have to be the leader of the team.  You can impact the team for the better, even when you’re not in charge.

Brene Brown, in her book Dare to Lead, says that a daring leader practices 3 principles to build a team with love.

1. Stay curious and ask the right questions.
2. Share power.
3. Lean into vulnerability by having difficult conversations.

I would add:

1. Remind the team of the WHY.
2. Challenge others to greatness.
3. Call on the quiet ones.

When our teams are built with love, it’s a win – win – win.  The team wins because they enjoy work more.  The manager wins because he/she has a highly effective team.  The organization wins because they get more effectiveness from teams like this one.

It’s not easy to build a team with love.  It takes a lot of maturity to act differently.  Share power.  And ask questions rather than dictate results.

It’s also important to have difficult conversations.  It’s easier to say nothing.  Make veiled remarks.  Or just order people around.  But a team built with love has real conversations.  And uses questions to get to the truth underneath truth.  And even under the next level.

What teams are you on right now?  Are they built with love?  Could they use more? What could you do to contribute to your team’s love quotient?  If you want to chime in, add your comments to the conversation

In the meantime, build your team with love.

Want to build your team with love? All it takes is one person. What if it could be you?
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love
116 – What is Love?

The post Episode 117: Built With Love – Your Team first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – I Stepped in it
Random Riffs – More About Mud
Feature Segment – Built With Love–What is Love?

Today’s Quote

Love is not a feeling of happiness. Love is a willingness to sacrifice.  –Michael Novak

Rhythm of Life – I Stepped in it

The other day I was moving some plants around in the garden.  I set the hose on trickle to water them well and promptly forgot about it.

A bit later I went to dig holes for 2 new lavender plants and stepped in one of them.  And it was filled with mud.

(c) Kathleen Thompson    (after rinsing my shoe)

There’s a lesson here.

I could have seen the mud.  I just wasn’t really looking.  I was too focused on my goal that I didn’t notice what was around me.

We can do this with projects too.  We don’t notice roadblocks until we run into them.  We don’t notice that perhaps we should have zigged instead of zagged because we’re so focused on doing what we already said we were going to do.

So, every once in a while, just stop.  Pay attention.  Notice what’s around.  You may see holes in your project plan.  See another way to do something.  Or you may see the mud before you step in it.

(c) Kathleen Thompson     The finished bad (after it dried out)

Random Riffs – More About Mud

I’m sitting at my voice teacher’s recital.  Lucy stands up.  A former opera singer and sometime director, she strides to center of platform, take stance, and opens her mouth to sing.  Listen to the episode to hear the surprising song.  Here’s a YouTube link to the entire song.

Feature Segment – Built With Love: What is Love?

In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye asks Goldie, his wife of 25 years, whether she loves him.  She defines love as what she does for him and what they’ve shared together.

How do you define love?  In the context of building something?  It’s good to ask this question as we embark on our Built With Love mini-series.

In the same Erwin McManus podcast I referenced last episode, he says that love is what you sacrifice for.

A famous bible verse read at many weddings talks about love.  It’s part of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  He says love is more important than faith that moves mountains, great communication skills, the ability to tell the future, wisdom, and giving everything away. Then he defines what love is.

O Henry’s story, The Gift of the Magi, demonstrates that kind of love.  Jim and Delia sacrifice something of theirs to buy a gift the other will love. Listen to the episode to hear more about that.

This kind of love is a pure-hearted sacrifice.  Acting on the belief that the cause, purpose, relationship is greater than self.  The self is not out of the picture.  It’s just not whole picture.

Simon Sinek’s book “Start With Why”, talks about manipulation vs. inspiration.  Manipulations like price, fear, promotions, aspiration, novelty.  All influence behavior.

What’s the antidote, according to Simon?  Knowing your WHY.

That’s part of love, isn’t it?  A cause bigger than ourselves.  Donald Miller talks about this too in Building a StoryBrand.  What’s the problem with the world that your product or service helps solve?  Seth Godin – This is Marketing.  What’s the change in the world you seek to make?

We each have a choice.  To build a monument to our ego, wealth, success at expense of others, or build something to last.  That uplifts, inspires, heals, eases burden, brings joy, or a sparkle in someone’s eye.

You can make the choice to do that in your workplace, organization, studio, family.  Now that you know what love is, you can choose to build with that kind of love.

Imagine how world will look then.

Imagine how the world would look if we built it with love.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love

The post Episode #116: Built With Love – What is Love? first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – I Hear Horns
Random Riffs – Traffic Jam in a Most Unlikely Place
Feature Segment – Built With Love

Today’s Quote

You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.  – Bob Nelson

Rhythm of Life – I Hear Horns

If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, you’ve heard that I’m recording songs I wrote or co-wrote.  Right now we’re in the process of adding instruments to the tracks we already recorded.  Virtual instruments “played” with electronic keyboard.

If you haven’t ever done this, it’s challenging.  Because a keyboard doesn’t act like a wind instrument. Or a guitar.

Not only that, but I tried my hand at arranging horn parts for one of the songs, something I haven’t done for years.

As you might imagine, the results have been somewhat mixed.  But I’m learning something through the process that might help you too.  Even if you don’t write or record music.  Listen to the episode to find out.

Random Riffs – Traffic Jam in a Most Unlikely Place

I’ve been traveling to Los Angeles a lot during this past year.  And if there’s one thing you can’t ever seem to escape, it’s the traffic.  Traffic jams all over the place – seemingly at any time of day.

But one place I never expected to hear about a traffic jam is on Mount Everest.  Yet, according to news reports, that’s exactly what’s going on there.  And it’s caused 11 deaths in May of 2019 alone.  Here’s a picture of that traffic at the summit.

The reasons given are:

1. Bad weather limits days when climbing can occur
2. Low-cost guide companies who take climbers without sufficient experience.

So if you’ve been thinking of climbing Mount Everest, you might want to think again.  It might be safer to drive in LA.

Feature Segment – Built With Love

“What do you love?”  Go ahead.  Say it out loud right now.

So now here’s another question.  Do your actions align with what you just said?  According to a podcast by Erwin McManus, you build what you actually love.  Not what you say you love.    Sometimes they don’t match.  Would I be able to tell what you love by what you do?

In my case it’s a mixed bag.  In some parts of my life, my words and actions line up.  At least a fair amount of the time.  Others, not so much.  The same may be true for you.

Where they don’t line up, there could be 3 reasons:

1. You’ve fallen in love with something else, and it happened so slowly that you’re still telling yourself an old story that no longer fits.
2. You really do love the thing, but something is keeping you away from it. Like sense of duty to someone or something else.  Or feelings of inadequacy.
3. You like to tell yourself the story that you love something, and you’ve never actually done it. And probably won’t.

It’s time to be honest.  Time to look at your values and actions and see where they do and don’t match.  Time to live in integrity.  Because that’s what holds the building up.

And the thing is, these decisions we make don’t just impact us.  They impact everyone around us.  There is nothing we do that impacts only ourselves.  And the essence of building with love is building something with and for others.  Because in the end, love is really about a relationship.  What we build shows what we love – whether it be other people, things, or checking things off our to-do list.

The letter of James in the Bible says this:  “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”  That’s exactly what we’re talking about here.

Do you know what you’re building right now with your life?  Take a look at your relationships.  Work.  Health.  How strong is the building?  How much integrity is there to hold it up?

Maybe you’re building something that you don’t want to build.  If so, it’s time to tear it down.  Get out whatever tool you want and start the demolition.  Then build what you actually love.

Why not start today?  Right now even?  Remember – you won’t be perfect at this.  No one is.  Especially not me.  But it’s still a worthy goal.  One to strive toward for the rest of your life.  Isn’t that exciting?  Encouraging?  Just imagine – you have unlimited growth potential.  And all you have to do is start.

What might you want to start or stop today?  Leave a comment.

You show what you love by what you build.
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The post Episode #115: Built With Love first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – You’re Not Ready
Random Riffs –  I Wish
Feature Segment – We’ve Only Just Begun

Today’s Quote

Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. –George Bernard Shaw

Rhythm of Life – You’re Not Ready

“You’re not ready.”  That’s what I heard from my voice teacher as I talked about a plan to record my songs.  Not that the songs weren’t ready.  That my voice isn’t.

In the past, I might have felt defensive.  Tried to protect myself.  Or discouraged.

This time? I felt validated and hopeful.  Validated because I was an accurate judge of where my voice is at.  Hopeful because it’s not the end of the story.

Maybe you’re in middle of something that you’d like to move faster than it is.  Or just got told you’re not ready.  If so, why not go back to the reason why you’re doing whatever it is?  If the struggle is worth it, then keep going.  Even though you’re not ready – yet.

Random Riffs – I Wish

You know how parents of babies say something like “I wish Suzy could talk so she could tell us what’s bothering her?”  And then Suzy turns 2 or 3 and won’t stop talking, and they wish for quiet?

It’s kind of like that with spring in New England.  We can’t wait for it to come, and then complain about the bugs.  The grass.  The endless clean-up from winter damage.

For me, spring is worth any hassle that comes along for the ride.  Other things are that way too.  We get to enjoy their beauty, even with a little discomfort along the way.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: We’ve Only Just Begun

“Will this be on the test?”  How many teachers cringe when they hear that question.  After working to help their students learn to love learning, and that’s what they hear?

The workplace equivalent is “What gets measured gets done.”  Different teams’ goals can get in the way of them working together effectively because they are measured differently.

In the last 20+ episodes, we’ve talked about an approach that’s quite different from “What gets measured gets done.”  We’ve explored what it means to be an Artisan.  One who cares so much about what they do that they’re willing to do the work it takes to get great at it.  Not because it’s on the test.  Not because it’s measured.  Because it matters.

On Seth Godin’s Akimbo Podcast of May 8, 2019, he talked about golden age of TV.  When television dominated and there were only 3 stations.  A mass market had been created by radio, and further consolidated with television.

And suddenly the beginning of the end of that mass market came.  Ushered in by digital broadcasting.  And accelerated with the internet.  Now there’s unlimited choice.  No more standardized test.  Almost every industry is experiencing upheaval with these unlimited options.  The mass market has split wide open.  The changes are reverberating throughout the world.

Yet it isn’t suddenly different.  Three trends happening during this time of transition.

1. Consolidation among giants – trying to recreate the mass market.
2. Tech start-ups – trying to capitalize on the upheaval.
3. Artisans – those who see the value in the niche.

You who are living an Artisan life are dedicated to your own noble cause.  To helping change the culture for the better.

If you’re an Artisan in the same industry as one of those mega-companies, you can’t take them on by playing the same game.

If you’re an Artisan inside one of these companies, duck your head.  Because the same attributes that make your organization appreciate you also make them scared. See what they don’t want to see.  You can thrive there, but it takes intention.

Whatever you do with all you’ve heard, please remember this – you are created to create.  Let that keep you playing big.  Not hide the light of your creativity.

Because this truth is just as fundamental as the truths in the Declaration of Independence.  And just as the ideal that all people are created equal has yet to be fully realized, the truth that you are created to create hasn’t either.  It’s something that will take your whole life to fully embrace and live out.  And that’s okay.  Because you’re worth it.  The cause is too.

I’d love to hear from you.  What does artisanship look like in your life now?  What are you doing to explore and develop artisanship? How much do you believe that you’re created to create? What do you dream of creating – even if it feels scary?  What questions do you have that you’d like answered?

Please leave a comment or email me at kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

You were created to create.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All
109: Creativity: What’s Old is New Again
110: Creativity: Create Your Own Seal
111: Community: The Beauty of Collaboration
112: Community in an Artisan Collective
113: Serving the Greater Community

The post Episode #114: The Artisan Life – We’ve Only Just Begun first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Virtual Reality Has Nothing on Me
Random Riffs – I Don’t Get the Enneagram
Feature Segment – Serving the Community at Large

Today’s Quote

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.  –Mahatma Gandhi

Rhythm of Life – Virtual Reality Has Nothing on Me

You know those Virtual Reality scenes in a movie?  Where the character flies from one place to another in a split second, when there’s no way it could happen in real life?  It feels like my life’s a bit like that lately.

There are so many different facets to my life, that it’s hard to keep up.  Or keep them straight.  Stuff piles up on my desk because I don’t even have time to put away.  Suddenly the desk has been swallowed up.

It’s not always like this.  There are days where I focus on one thing and get completely in the flow.

It turns out that I need both in my life.  Days of novelty or change.  And times of concentration and flow.  The problem is, there are so many distractions.

The phone, undone chores, to-do list, beautiful weather.  Anything and everything can be distraction.

For me it’s often reading a book.  For you it could be something else.  What’s most insidious, though, is what we do that looks like work and feels like work…and isn’t the work that will actually move us down the field.  It isn’t important to further progress.  It’s busy work.  And it’s a form of hiding.

Only you know for sure whether the work you’re doing is important – or hiding.  It’s pretty easy to convince yourself of anything.

Random Riffs – I Don’t Get the Enneagram

People all over are asking me this question – what’s your Enneagram #?  What’s an Enneagram you ask?  A system that explains personality by splitting into 9 types.  And something called a Wing.

Despite reading the entire book, I couldn’t decide what I was.  I felt like a combination of 3 or 4 different options.  When I tried to guess some of my closest friends, I couldn’t figure out what they were either.

I’ve found much better luck with DISC and Strengths Finders.  Check them out if you’re interested.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Serving the Greater Community

Jeff Goins and Stu McLaren weren’t motivated to make more money with their businesses.  Until they discovered this – a great purposes.  Not just the purpose for their business, as great as that is.  No, an even greater purpose.  To serve the community.

Jeff connected with a charity that was close to his heart. And Stu McLaren’s wife formed a charity that funds the construction and teacher for a school in Kenya.

Serving can come in different forms.

Active service:

• regular volunteer like my sister Ann at Pine Street Inn in Boston
• special event like a short-term missions trip
• Do your normal work for a charitable organization – like bookkeeping, teach music
• Or do something completely different – cook and serve at soup kitchen

Another option is with the business itself.  If you run a company, you can get certified as a B Corporation.  Combine profit and purpose.

Even if you’re not running a business, you could try and work at a B Corp or similar.

What else can you do beside active service?  –Donate.

It could be money or goods.  Direct or indirect.  You’re only limited by your creativity.  Listen to hear about how some famous and not-so-famous people serve their communities.  And why not share your story of service, if you have one?  Leave a comment or send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

Serving the community with your work can be as rewarding as the work itself.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All
109: Creativity: What’s Old is New Again
110: Creativity: Create Your Own Seal
111: Community: The Beauty of Collaboration
112: Community in an Artisan Collective

The post Episode 113: The Artisan Life – Serving the Greater Community first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Singing Like a Frog
Random Riffs – The Fitbit Doesn’t Like Me
Feature Segment – Community in an Artisan Collective

Today’s Quote

For me, it’s always part of my holiday to go and work my way along the shelf in the local artisan bakery with its breads, savoury tartlets, pastries and cakes.  It’s soul food: one of those things that tells you about a place and the history of a place and its people. –Paul Hollywood

Rhythm of Life – Singing Like a Frog

You know how I told you that my word for 2019 is sing?  Well, I expected some interesting twists and turns related to that word.  And this year has already delivered.

I heard my singing on a scratch demo with my songwriting coach.  Then there was my last voice lesson.  We were trying to eliminate tension under my chin.  And it didn’t even sound like singing.  It sounded like a croaking frog.

It’s so often the way, isn’t it?  We start out all excited.  I did.  I started the year with word SING.  I was excited to see what would happen by setting this intention.  By focusing on singing.  I didn’t know I’d come face to face with my shortcomings and then struggle to even get a pleasing sound out.

This is what happens in the messy middle.  When the novelty has worn off and we’re nowhere near the finish line.  As uncomfortable as this is, we learn so much in the messy middle.

If you’re there right now, take heart.  Send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com or leave a comment with show notes.

Random Riffs – The Fitbit Doesn’t Like Me

Morley Palmer came home with a new car almost every year.  And loved it.  Until something went wrong.  Then it was, “The car doesn’t like me.”

My husband Jerry and I used to joke about his dad’s attitude.  And then the other day I felt like saying it myself.  Listen to the episode to hear why I almost said, “The Fitbit doesn’t like me.”

If you know me, you know that one of top 5 strengths on Strength Finder is Achiever.  I like to get stuff done.  Yet, as my friends said, what really matters is that I know I did something.  And that I enjoyed the process.

The same is true for you.  Love the work and keep doing it.  The results will follow when we’re ready.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Community in an Artisan Collective

In 1927 29 physicists and chemists gathered at the 5^th Solvay International Conference of Physicists and Chemists.  A community of scientists.  And 17 of them won a Nobel prize.

How is that possible?  There was something about the community that made it possible.  A blend of encouragement and healthy competition.

We touched on this in Episode 111.  Athletes who were rivals and trained together pushed each other to perform better.

The Artisan Guilds of yore worked in much the same way.  Like the Cremonese violin makers, headed by Antonio Stradivari.  And their influence was at least as great as the scientists at the 5^th Solvay International Conference.

What about this type community is so powerful?  How can you use that in your world as an Artisan?

1. Let curiosity loose.
2. A different perspectives helps bring ideas to life.

A great example of this is the first-ever image of a black hole that was just released.

3. Learn something you don’t know.

How do you find this community?  There are several options.  Listen to the episode to hear how you can find like-minded people to develop your artisanship together.

I believe so strongly in this, that I’m starting a group.  It will be limited to 8 people who are willing to invest in their own work, as well as the work of others.  Check it out at this link.  We’ll have a phone call to determine together whether or not it’s a good fit for you.

Want to grow as an artisan?  Want to be part of the elite group who become truly outstanding?  Then join a community.  Your art, and the world, will be better for it.

Have you had a great experience with an Artisan community?  Leave a comment.

17 Nobel Prizes coming out of the 5th Solvay Conference wasn’t an accident. It was community that did it.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All
109: Creativity: What’s Old is New Again
110: Creativity: Create Your Own Seal
111: Community: The Beauty of Collaboration

The post Episode 112: The Artisan Life – Community in an Artisan Collective first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – A Bucket, a Trowel, and a Snow Blower Walk Into a Snowstorm
Random Riffs – The Last Gasp
Feature Segment – Join a Collaborative Community

Today’s Quote

The fun for me in collaboration is, one, working with other people just makes you smarter; that’s proven. -Lin-Manuel Miranda

Rhythm of Life – A Bucket, A Trowel, and a Snowblower Walked into a Snowstorm

We had a last-minute winter snow.  13 inches of wet snow.  When I tried to clear it with the snow blower, the chute that throws the snow got clogged.  This caused the blower to stall.  All the way at the end of the driveway.  UGH.

Listen to the episode to hear what I did, what I learned (and not just about snow), and what you can learn too.

Random Riffs – The Last Gasp

Have you ever had the experience when something supposed to be over and wasn’t?  It happened last night.  It’s the 3^rd day of Spring, and yet we had 3 inches of snow in the night.

Winter was supposed to be over.  Technically it is over.  Yet, you’d never know it by the weather.

This “not over when it’s supposedly over” used to happen with tech projects too.  And how often is that true in life too?

Sometimes the thing actually isn’t over.  Sometimes have to live in both realities for a while.

At other times it’s the last gasp before it gives up.  It looks impressive.  Like it will never end.  And yet, it will be gone tomorrow.

We can’t always tell which it is.  It may feel like forever.  It may be hard to hang on.  Hang on.  Find support through that last gasp.  That one more thing you think you can’t take.  You can.  Spring is coming.

Feature Segment – Join a Collaborative Community

I recently worked with a songwriting coach on one of my songs.  We did quite an overhaul of it.  It was quite the collaboration between us.  This experience showed me 4 characteristics of collaboration that make it a powerful way to experience community.  And in turn, grow as an Artisan.

1. Start with a song. A fleshed-out idea.
2. Open hands, open heart. Check your ego.
3. Break it to make it
4. Collective greatness greater than sum of parts

Resources:

Lysa Terkeurst – It Will Be Okay

Ann Voskamp – The Broken Way

Adam Grant – The Creative Power of Misfits 

You’ve probably seen a sports team loaded with superstars that doesn’t win a championship.  Then a ragtag group of misfits creams everyone.  That’s the power of collaboration.  That looks like respect, trust, and holding space for one another.  Even when it’s noisy and even looks chaotic.

So find a person or people to collaborate with.  Bring what you have.  Be open and willing to break it.  Trust the process and each other.  And watch what happens.

Want to build artisasnship? Join a community of collaborators.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All
109: Creativity: What’s Old is New Again
110: Creativity: Create Your Own Seal

The post Episode 111: The Artisan Life – Join a Collaborative Community first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – A Study in Opposites
Random Riffs – Does This Look Like Me?
Feature Segment – Creativity: Create Your Own Seal

Today’s Quote

Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it.  – Tallulah Bankhead

Rhythm of Life – A Study in Opposites

Today I happened to look up at my bookcase.  At the top was a plaque that says RELAX.  What was right underneath it?  3 books:

• Side Hustle – by Chris Guillebeau
• Book Yourself Solid – by Michael Port
• Performing Under Pressure – Hendrie Weisinger and JP Pawliw-Fry

They seem like complete opposites.  Either hustle or relax.  But what if those aren’t the only options?  Listen to the episode to hear what I mean by this and how you can apply it to your life.

Random Riffs – Does This Look Like Me?

I recently had a caricature artist draw me.  I didn’t’ think it looked like me.  What’s most important for drawing a great caricature?  Learning how to see.

The same is true in life too.  It’s easy to overlook people because they seem ordinary.  Yet they are anything but.  It’s important to learn how to see people for who they are.  Get to know the real them.

(c) Kathleen Thompson     Does this look like me?

Feature Segment – Creativity: Create Your Own Seal

It’s a time of intrigue, family feuds, and conquest.  England in the 11^th century.  Edward is crowned king.  And he uses the first recorded seal stamp.  It’s dipped in wax and seals a letter or other important communication.  It helps the document reach its intended audience without tampering and helps the recipient identify the sender.

As an Artisan, you want to have a seal too.  A signature, so to speak.  Something that makes your work immediately identifiable.

How can you create your own seal?

1. Imitate the best. The masters..
2. Analyze what makes it work.
3. Make it your own.

What approaches can you take to make it your own?

1. Analytical approach
2. Experiment and let it naturally evolve.
3. Look at the medium with fresh eyes and reinterpret.

Your “why” can help you create your seal too.

When your work becomes instantly recognizable, be prepared for people to either love you or reject you.  Because you now you stand for something clear.  Not everyone will like it.

People might be able to steal your idea.  They might be able to steal your program.  They can’t steal you.  Like the seal on ancient documents, your personal seal is the best anti-theft device I know.  What’s yours going to be?  Experiment until you figure it out.  And then put your seal on everything you make.  Someone’s waiting for you.

Want to share what you’re doing to create your own seal?  Leave a comment.

Someone may steal your idea, but they can’t steal you. Your personal seal is the best anti-theft device.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All
109: Creativity: What’s Old is New Again

The post Episode 110: The Artisan Life – Create Your Own Seal first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Tune-up Tip – The Mystery of Flavenoids
Random Riffs – I Might Use This
Feature Segment – Creativity: What’s Old is New Again

Today’s Quote

I continue to be interested in new things that seem old and old things that seem new.  – Jaquelin T. Roberson

Tune-Up Tip – The Mystery of Flavenoids

You’ve probably heard the old expression “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  It’s been common wisdom for a long time that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is part of a healthy diet.

What do we do?  Try to distill the essence of what’s nutritious in the apple and give it to people without having them actually eat an apple. Because if an apple is good, concentrating the nutrition from an apple has to be even better, right?

Not.  It turns out that the whole is greater than the component parts.  That’s true for an apple, and it’s true in life too.

It could be the coach, the leader, who makes it that way.  Or it could be the relationship between the members of the team.  And the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts.

Eat apples. Drink tea.  Enjoy the food.  And get the full health benefits of flavonoids as you eat real food.  At the same time, work to create a team in your family or organization that’s unbeatable.

Random Riffs – I Might Use This

Have you ever collected stuff thinking, “I might use this someday.”?  Marie Kondo ‘s book “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up”  and her new Netflix show “Tidying Up” has taken the world by storm. The guiding principle?  If something doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it.

This can be a challenge if you’re in to crafts, or making or repairing anything.  Any one of those activities has stuff that comes with it.  Not to mention the books that teach you how to do the thing you’re into.

There’s a big movement called “upcycling”.  Not simply recycling old stuff, like taking clothes to Goodwill.  This is making something new from the old.  But here’s the thing: to do that you have to have old stuff on hand.

The question is – how much old stuff?  How can you practice life-changing magic of tidying up and also practice making something new from old?  Listen to the episode to hear some solutions to this dilemma.

Feature Segment – Creativity: What’s Old is New Again

An old commercial for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is a perfect demonstration of what we’re talking about today:  3 ways to make something new from something old.

1. Twist it. Might be a twist on one old idea, or combine two.  Like candy cane cookies.
2. Embed; Put one inside the other – like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
3. Combine: Blend 2 to create a whole new flavor – like chocolate + coffee = mocha.

The Bible says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”

Every idea has already been had.  What makes our ideas creative is the twisting/bundling/combining of ideas to create a new combination.  There can be creative magic there.

• What’s a Kindle?
• How did they modify Hersheys Kisses?
• What’s YouTube?

I saw a great example of twisting at Hancock Shaker Village many years ago.

Then there’s the chocolate-covered potato chip.  Embedding at its best.

Or Baabaazuzu.   Combining in some of the most imaginative ways I’ve seen in a long time.

What’s similar to all these besides making something new from the old?  Play or experimentation.  Loving the process.  For someone like this, the process is the fun part.  The work is the fun part.

A friend’s cousin has a YouTube video about how much he hates Pachelbel’s Canon in D.  On the video, he shares many other songs using the same chord sequence, and sometimes even the same melody.

If feel like you’re not creative, or creative enough, perhaps you’re expecting too much.  Perhaps you’re expecting brand, spanking new.  As in completely new.  From blank sheet of paper new.  Recognize that there’s nothing new under the sun.  Some of most creative people I know admit that.  They say what they do is twist, embed, or combine.  Materials, art forms, ideas.  Real creativity is to make new from old.  Only God created something from nothing.  We are recreating.  Turning old into new.

It takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?  You can even practice.  What can you play with?  Experiment with?  Choose one old thing to make new.  Post a picture of description in the comments or on my Facebook page.  It could be really cool to see what you make.

So twist. Embed. Combine.  Build creativity as you make the old new again.

Creativity is making something old new again.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS
108: Creativity: One Ring to Rule Them All

The post Episode 109: The Artisan Life – What’s Old is New Again first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Progress Report on My 2019 Word
Random Riffs – Chicken Soup With Rice and Other Rhymes
Feature Segment – One Ring to Rule Them All

Today’s Quote

There must be more to life than having everything.  –Maurice Sendak

Rhythm of Life – Progress Report on my 2019 Word

In Episode 107, I told you that my one word for 2019 is SING.  I thought I’d give you an update on what’s happened since I chose this word.

I participated in a workshop called “The Music in Me”.  It’s for people in a program with Roger Love, and it’s the most fun I’ve had in years.  Here’s a link to the video of me singing there.

Not only that, but I got my heart back in my singing.  Listen to the episode to hear how and maybe why it happened.  And what might happen next.

And know that I understand.  Sometimes it’s hard to have a heart.  Because when you do, you feel more joy…and more pain.  Others can break it.  Yet, if you want to grow as an Artisan, you need your heart in what you do.

So what do you want to do?  The choice is yours.  I know what I’m choosing now.  I hope you do too.

Random Riffs – Chicken Soup With Rice, and Other Rhymes

Right after “polar vortex” which hit much of the upper US, I posted something on Facebook about the book “Chicken Soup With Rice” by Maurice Sendak.

Carole King even wrote a song to the story.  You can find it here on YouTube.

That got me thinking.  What if I could narrate my day using the same rhyming technique?  So I did it.  Listen to the episode to hear my narration using the rhyming pattern of “Chicken Soup With Rice”.

How about you?  Can you narrate your day using the same rhyming pattern?  Leave a comment.

Feature Segment – One Ring to Rule Them All

There’s a poem that starts JRR Tolkien’s trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”.  It speaks to one ring that rules them all.  It’s the ring of power.  It renders the wearer invisible.  If you wear it too many times, you start to fade until you become almost like a walking dead person.  It eventually corrupts the wearer if they wear it too long.

For an Artisan, there’s a ring that has just as much power.  Renders you invisible.  The longer you wear it the more you fade.  And it eventually corrupts your work.  What’s that ring?  Fear.

So many have talked about fear, especially related to creative work.

Elizabeth Gilbert – Big Magic
Steven Pressfield – The War of Art
Julia Cameron – The Artist’s Way

Now it’s important to acknowledge that there’s good fear.  The world is a dangerous place, and fear plays an important role in keeping you safe.

Then there’s the fear that prevents you from doing the creative work you’re called to do.  Don’t forget that you’ve been created in love to create with love.  And yet fear, the one ring to rule them all, can stop you cold.

Being an Artisan requires experimentation.  Comfort with the unknown.  Fear can’t rule there, or you’ll play it too safe.

• Liz Gilbert – put fear in the back seat.
• Steven Pressfield, Julia Cameron, and Seth Godin – make creative work a daily habit. Do the work as a professional.

This is great advice.  And it works for me.  But not forever.  Every so often I just lose it.  I can’t keep going.  Maybe you feel the same way.

People tell us we’re enough.  We have enough to deal with it alone.  Maybe that’s true sometimes.  But often I think we need more.  Especially where our creativity is at stake.

Brene Brown – “marble jar” friends.  People who make deposits into your life all the time.
Todd Herman – new book called The Alter Ego Effect.   Create an alter ego who is our heroic self.
Erwin McManus – pastor of Mosaic church in Los Angeles.  Jesus calls out the good in us that we don’t see, or haven’t developed yet.  Calls us out to do things beyond what we can do in our own strength.  To be what we can only be with God’s help.  Build a creative community that works together and depends on God.

You can exchange the ring of fear for the ring of love.  Love that casts out fear.  And out of love comes faith and hope.

Fear’s not gone forever, but it no longer has power over you.  It’s like Liz Gilbert says; fear’s in the back seat with its seat belt on so it can’t reach the steering wheel.

So put fear in the back seat.  Make a habit of doing the work.  Have marble-jar friends.  Create an alter ego.  And let God call your greatness out of you.

It takes a lot to pursue the life of an artisan.  Want your creativity to flourish?  Don’t wear the ring of fear that corrupts and renders you invisible.  Instead wear the ring of love, and let it rule over all.

Creativity flourishes when love overcomes fear.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity
107: Seal Creativity With a KIS

The post Episode 108: The Artisan Life – One Ring to Rule Them All first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – My Word for 2019
Random Riffs – I Take Back What I Said
Feature Segment – Seal Creativity With a KIS

Today’s Quote

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  –Leonardo da Vinci

Rhythm of Life – My One Word for 2019

I select a theme word at the beginning of each year.  This is based on the principles in Jon Gordon’s book “One Word That Will Change Your Life”

Some of my words in past years were Create.  And Joy.

I had a few options, and hadn’t settled on anything for 2019.  And then one day I woke up and thought I had it.  Listen to the episode to hear what I chose.

Have you come up with your one word for this year yet?  If not, why not do it this week?  Let your One Word be your North Star for however, much remains of 2019. And let’s see what unfolds.

Random Riffs – I Take Back What I Said

Back in Episode 97, I said that the Sia song “Chandelier” should be retired.

Well, after this past weekend I’m changing my mind.  At least slightly.  Because after hearing someone sing it well, I realized it wasn’t the song I didn’t like.  It was the delivery.

The same was true with brussels sprouts.  It wasn’t the vegetable I didn’t like.  It was the way they were presented.

Sometimes think we don’t like something, when it’s really the delivery or package we don’t like.  I don’t want to reject something that could be incredible because it didn’t look that way at first glance.  Maybe you don’t either.  Because sometimes the package hides the beauty inside or underneath.

The next time you experience something you don’t like, ask yourself why.  Maybe it’s not the thing at all.  Maybe it’s just the package.

Feature Segment – Seal Creativity With a KIS

Maria Callas told a young singer to eliminate vocal embellishments unless they better communicated the emotion of the song.  Creativity is the same way. It isn’t about more.  It’s about less.  Seal your creativity with a KIS – Keep It Simple.

It’s similar to what we talked about on Episode 105, except here it’s about the output, as opposed to the process.

Sadly, this isn’t how many people or companies operate.  They act as though they believe more is more.  Food companies are notorious for this.  As are software companies.  They load up on options or new versions.  It gets confusing and dilutes the brand.  Do you know that Quaker Oats now has 25 flavors of instant oatmeal?  And all of them are less healthy than the original

Contrast with the iPhone.  The design is simple.  They’ve resisted complicating it over time.

We so often try to add more, thinking people get more for their money that way.  Much of that just adds to confusion.

How can you deliver simplicity when the tendency is to expand?  How can you know how much is enough and not less than enough?

1. Keep your eyes on the purpose
2. Ruthlessly evaluate everything in light of that purpose.
3. Aim for clarity.

Finally, if creativity delivers simplicity, keep thinking “How can I deliver the most powerful and effective result?” Don’t rest until you’ve achieved best balance you can between functionality and simplicity.

Simplicity isn’t simple.  If was, everyone would do it.  Artisans practice KISing their creative work.  Because true creativity delivers simplicity every time.

What are you creating?  Is there anything that’s overly complex, confusing, or just plain too much?  How can you simplify it?  If you’re having trouble figuring out what to do, send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.   Or leave a comment.

Are you longing for your creativity to deliver extraordinary results?  Seal it with a KIS.

Want your creativity to deliver extraordinary results? Seal it with a KIS.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory
106: Constraints Ignite Creativity

The post Episode 107: The Artisan Life – Seal Creativity With a KIS first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Tune-up Tip – Don’t Say “Nuts” to Nuts
Random Riffs – They’ve Gone About as Far as They Can Go
Feature Segment – Creativity Explodes With Constraints

Today’s Quote

I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.  –Jeff Bezos

Tune-Up Tip – Don’t Say “Nuts” to Nuts

At the start of this new year, many of us are thinking about our diet – specifically starting one.  There are so many options that it’s hard to keep track.

Then there’s the confusion about what’s good for you.  Something’s bad for you one day, and good the next. And nuts are no exception to the confusion.

An article in May 2018 issue of Tufts Health & Nutrition Newsletter describes several health benefits of nuts.  And also advises us how we can include them as part of a healthy diet.  Listen to the episode to hear the good news about nuts.

Random Riffs – They’ve Gone About as Far as They Can Go

I was at my Alexander lesson.  I could feel the relative freedom in much of my body and breathing.  And then we came to my shoulders.  They felt as though there wasn’t any more they could give.  They had gone as far as they could go.  I guess that was true – for that day.  But that doesn’t mean that’s as far as they can go forever.  Tomorrow could be different.

Think of your life that way too.  As far as you could go today might not be the edge tomorrow.

So why not have hope?

Feature Segment – Creativity Explodes With Constraints

I sit with a blank piece of paper and pencil.  Ready to start writing my first song in more than 10 years.  Apprehensive.  Unsure of myself.  Almost afraid to write the first word.

Now I close my eyes.  Remind myself of the type of song I wanted to write.  Now the picture becomes clear.  And so does the storyline of the song.  Why?  –Because I created constraints.  Constraints magnify creativity.

We often think we need more something to be creative.  Actually, the opposite is often true.  Constraints require more creativity because we keep bumping up against the boundaries.

Here are some powerful ways that constraints can stoke your creativity.

1. Keep a list/file/folder of ideas and work from that. This gives you a starting point.  Starting is often the hardest and scariest.
2. Require a large (or even specified) number of ideas before you choose one. This gets you past the expected or predictable.
3. This requires you to rethink and opens connections in your brain.
4. Limited resources. This requires flexible thinking.

What is also needed besides constraints?  Belief that the impossible can be possible.  Or, as Marissa Mayer says, “…a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

How many products we use every day seemed impossible – or impossibly stupid – in the beginning?  Like the iPhone or Spanx.

The film Landfill Harmonic beautifully depicts doing incredibly creative work in some of the most challenging constraints.

Constraints fire creativity.  Constraints of working from existing ideas, regulating the number of ideas, obstacles, and limited resources.

What constraints you living with?  What can you even manufacture?  How could these constraints help you become more creative in your own walk of life?  Leave a comment.

Constraints can be the catalyst for creativity.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder
105: Forget the Big Bang Theory

The post Episode 106: The Artisan Life – Constraints Ignite Creativity first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – What if They’re Doing the Best They Can?
Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Colder Outside
Feature Segment – Forget the Big Bang Theory

Today’s Quote

Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is the result of good work habits.  –Twyla Tharp

Rhythm of Life – What if They’re Doing the Best They Can?

Brene Brown’s therapist asked her a challenging question when she was complaining about how someone acted:  “What if they’re doing the best they can?”

Studies have shown that we often judge others by their results and ourselves by our intent.  I’ve seen that in my own life.  Empathy is when we don’t do that. When we understand what someone else may be feeling, rather than simply judge them.

So though I’ve seen that I sometimes judge others, I’ve also seen that I often judge myself more harshly than I judge others.  Maybe you do too.  What if you asked yourself a similar question: “What if I’m doing the best I can?”

As we start this New Year, why not take time to appreciate just how far come in the last year?  Then start this new year with a greater understanding of yourself and others.  Greater appreciation.  Knowing we’re all doing the best we can right now.  And that’s all we can ever do.

Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Colder Outside

In Episode 103, I talked about how annoying I found the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.  I didn’t say the song should be banned, which sounds like book burning.  But merely that perhaps its time had come to quietly be retired.  After I wrote the episode but before it released, a radio station pulled it from  its playlist, citing #metoo.  And then things went crazy.

People called in, demanding they reinstate the song.  Friends on Facebook discussed it back and forth.  Then William Shatner jumps into fray.  It got ugly.

It’s easy to love people in theory.  It’s harder close up.  When we don’t agree.  But let’s cut the noise.  Dial down the rhetoric.  Have real conversation instead.  Listen with the intent to understand.

In 2019, let’s agree to listen more than we speak.  To hear with our hearts.  To give as much as take.  Let’s make civil rights and #metoo unnecessary by treating one another as brothers and sisters we’re meant to be.

Let’s make this a happy new year for everyone.

Feature Segment – Forget the Big Bang Theory

The universe was created with a big bang.  Some say it was through a concentration of energy, and others say it was spoken by God.

That was wonderful and all, but what happens next?  And they all lived happily ever after?  Actually, the rest of life happens next.

Here at New Years, there are so many advertising products that promise a big bang.  Instant change.

Now quick fixes are great, because they help us see that change is possible.  Once we believe it’s possible, we’ll work harder to achieve it.  But we still have to work to make that change a habit.  Do it over the long haul.

Small, consistent actions done over time is what makes change happen.

We’re in the middle of a series on being an Artisan, and talking about creativity.  It’s easy to believe creativity comes in a spurt – like a big bang.  And that isn’t necessarily true.  It often comes by showing up day after day.

This New Year, don’t get sucked into advertising for Big Bang anything.  The Big Bang already happened.  Now it’s up to you to live the rest of your life.  With a series of little drips that makes a big difference.  What do you want to start dripping?  Let me know in the comments.

Remember this when you’re looking for a big bang: the Grand Canyon was made with tiny drips.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity
104: Time for Wonder

The post Episode 105: The Artisan Life – Forget the Big Bang Theory first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Feature Segment – Time to Wonder

Today’s Quote

Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.  Steven Hawking

Feature Segment – Time for Wonder

Remember when you were a kid and looked up at the stars?  Or saw what was underneath the water?  You looked around and dreamed.  And wondered.

Somewhere along the way, you lost that child-like wonder.  You got hurt. Wonder was replaced by “reality”.

Picture these movies:  Blade Runner and The Matrix.  They depict a stark and dark reality.  Even the hero can’t truly change the world.  He can make it a bit more human, perhaps, but the world will still be dark.

Then there’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  It starts out dark too.  It’s only winter all the time.  And yet.  Something’s different.  Or more accurately, someone’s different.  Aslan.  The Lion.  King of Narnia.  He brings hope.  He brings spring.  He brings back a sense of wonder.

In order to live the life of an Artisan, you need to develop your creativity.  To do that, it takes a world view that believes change is possible.  An abundance mindset.  That opens up the world of wonder.  Helps you to really see.

So today, as you celebrate this holiday season, and think about your creative journey, take time for wonder.  Here are some ways you could practice:

1. Walk under the stars. Even if have to bundle up in the cold.
2. See what lives under the water. Swim, snorkel, or go to aquarium.
3. Climb a mountain or a tower and look out
4. Go to an art museum and spend a lot of time on one piece of art that speaks to you
5. Read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

I wonder what you might make in the new year?  Leave a comment.

Wonder feeds your soul and fuels your creativity.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice
103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity

The post Episode 104: Time to Wonder first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Finding the Words, a Song Update
Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Feature Segment – 4 Habits that Foster Creativity

Today’s Quote

If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die.  –Maya Angelou

Rhythm of Life – Finding the Words – a song update

You heard on the last episode how I was struggling to find the right words for a song I was writing?  As of the last episode, the only thing I had that I liked was part of the chorus.  The third line was predictable and had to go.

I had tried to write the bridge, and that was even worse.  4 of the 5 pages of failed attempts were the words to the bridge.

So I took a different approach.  I asked myself, “What are the circumstances at the beginning of the song?  And then, what has to happen to move me to where I am at the chorus?”  That got me thinking more about the arc of the storyline and less about the words.  Then it was a matter of choosing words that rhymed, fit the rhythm of the melody, and were easy to understand.

While all that was going on, I went from 5 pages of notes to 17.  It was painful at times.  Fun at others.  And always an adventure.  I didn’t know where I’d end up.  And the journey was interesting.  I saw that I can actually edit my own work pretty ruthlessly to get to a better result.  It was a great exercise.

I learned some lessons while I wrote this song that you can hear when you listen to the episode.  And apply them when you have to make a speech or presentation.

If you want to hear my songs as I record them, go to my YouTube channel.

Random Riffs – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

I don’t know why this song keeps getting recorded. Because have you ever really listened to the words?

Let’s see…..

1. She wants to go home. He’s trying to force her to stay.  Kidnapping?  Entrapment?  At least – coercion.
2. He tried to get her drunk. And she suspects that he spiked it with something even stronger to eliminate her possible resistance.
3. She says no, and he won’t take it for an answer. He does the opposite.

In the era of #metoo, or even when you use common sense, would you sing this song?  Play it?  One radio station eliminated it from their playlist just before I recorded this episode.

There’s nothing wrong with showing respect for people who often don’t get it.  Like women.  People of color.  People with disability.  Jesus did it all the time.  With tax collectors.  Prostitutes. Blind people and lepers.

Maybe 2019 will be the year we turn #metoo into #respectforall.  And why not start right now?

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: 4 Habits that Foster Creativity

Today is the first episode in our Artisan Series to focus on creativity.  Since the work revolution will mean that the best work goes to artisans, and artisans need craftsmanship and creativity, the more you can develop your creative muscle the better.  And the cool thing is that this is a skill you can develop.  It’s not just meant for certain artist types.

Here are 4 habits you can practice to develop your creativity.

1. Sleep

Sleep-deprivation is ubiquitous in the United States.  And yet driving while sleep-deprived can be as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.  The problem is we can always just fix it.  We can only encourage sleep by practicing good sleep hygiene.

There are tons of resources to help you get more and better quality sleep.  And if they don’t work, you can see a professional like I did.

To develop and sustain optimal creativity, get at least 7 hours sleep per night.

2. Notice your body’s rhythm

Daniel Pink in his book When says that certain times of day are optimal for certain activities.  He cites some norms, and then advises that you test your own work to determine your own rhythms.

Related to that are the work/break methods to help you focus.

Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of work and then either a 3-5 minute or 15-30 minute break.

52/17 Rule – detailed in The Muse.

3. Practice creative thinking in ways unrelated to work.

Also from Daniel Pink in his book A Whole New Mind.  He recommends paying attention to design and writing down your observations.

There are other ways too.  Listen to the episode to hear  suggestions.

A great example of someone who practiced this technique was Victor Borge, the comic pianist.  Here’s a short YouTube clip of a classic bit.

4. Practice Gratitude

Gratitude builds positivity.  It frees your creative mind.   It doesn’t so much matter how.  What matters is that you do it.  Regularly.  As a practice.  Habit.

Creativity can be elusive.  It needs space to work.  It unfolds like a flower.  You can encourage its growth by practicing the 4 habits.

One of the things that creates the most meaningful life is when you exercise your creativity with and for other people.

I can’t wait to see what you make.  If you have any ideas about what it might be, leave a comment.

Creativity doesn’t perform on command. It unfolds like a flower.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice
102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice

The post Episode 103: 4 Habits That Foster Creativity first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Sometimes There Are no Words
Random Riffs – The Butterfly Effect
Feature Segment – Building Craftsmanship: Practice

Today’s Quote

Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.  –Dan Heath

Rhythm of Life – Sometime There Aren’t Any Words

It all started as a dare.  I was challenged to write a song in 2 weeks.

I did it.  It wasn’t easy.  I struggled with words, but I eventually did it.

Then I started on a second song.  Had the same struggle.  Because emotions run deep, and we feel them in a different part of our brain than where language sits.

I did finish it though.

Now I’m onto song 3.  I got the chorus pretty quickly.  After that, I got stuck.  I’ve been working every day for more than a week just on a 4-line bridge.  It’s just not right.

Part of the reason been having trouble finding the words is because the emotion is stronger this time.  It’s about something I have to choose to do every day.  How I have to choose to live.  And let’s face it.  Sometimes there just aren’t words.  And yet as songwriters, we try and find them.

I’ll let you know when I finish it.  I’ll put it up on YouTube with the others.

Here’s a link to a round table discussion with 6 incredible songwriters.

One comment that stuck with me was that these writers feel privileged to write songs that become the soundtrack for someone else’s life.  And you know, the words we say to others do that too.  It’s a big responsibility.  Be careful of the words you use.  Not out of fear.  Out of respect and love.

Random Riffs – The Butterfly Effect

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect?  That even a small butterfly flapping its wings can have a huge effect on the weather – even causing a typhoon a long distance away?

There was a movie about this in 2014.  And Andy Andrews published a book in 2009.

Perhaps you’ve seen this in your own life.  You make one decision that seems small – and it changes the course of your life.

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.  –Benjamin Franklin

At times like these where politics has become a series of contentious sound-bites, and people are trying to be more self-expressed and let it all hang out, it’s time to think about the butterfly effect.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Building Craftsmanship – Practice

I’m standing in my voice teacher’s studio.  Doing my warm-up exercises.  Starting low and moving higher by half steps.  He watches and listens intently to see what I’m doing.  When he finds something that isn’t working as it should, he stops and corrects it.

In the 5 lessons I’ve had so far, I can see that in each one he’s focused on one aspect of my singing.  He doesn’t work on everything at once.  He’s been methodical.  He believes in practicing success and building on it, which is essence of what we’re talking about today – Deep Practice.

That term was coined by Daniel Coyle in his book “The Talent Code”.

He defines it this way:  “The form of learning marked by 1) the willingness to operate on the edge of your ability, aiming for targets that are just out of reach, and 2) the embrace of attentive repetition.”

Here’s how you can do Deep Practice:

1. Notice when something isn’t right. You may need the help of a coach.
2. Isolate one thing to work on.
3. Slow it WAY down.
4. Put it in context.
5. Practice outside of your performance time and space.

Once you’ve practiced enough and put it into context, you can try it out in performance.  Don’t be surprised if you have mixed results.  It might take a while to fully incorporate new learning into performance.

Once you’ve mastered this skill in performance, repeat the same steps with a different skill.

Where would you like to start?  Pick one thing.  Just one thing.  Get a coach if you need one.  And then keep practicing.

For additional resources,

The Talent Code –Daniel Coyle

Practice Perfect – Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, Katie Yezzi

Work with me.  Fill out the short form at the bottom of this page.  I’ll get in touch with you to explore working together.

Instead of racing to the bottom, why not race to the top?  Where do you want to start?

Deep practice is one of the keys that unlocks craftsmanship.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice

The post Episode 102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – It’s Meant to be Scary
Random Riffs – Everything’s Relative
Feature Segment – Building Craftsmanship: Apprenticeship

Today’s Quote

Things are never quite as scary when you’ve got a best friend.  –Bill Watterson

Rhythm of Life – It’s Meant to be Scary

In the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible, King Saul and the Israelites are hiding in caves from the Philistines.  They’re outnumbered about 10,000 to 600.  Jonathan, Saul’s son, decides to take action.  Even though he doesn’t have any promise that God will intervene on their behalf.

It’s easy to think that Jonathan just had super-human courage.  But what if he’s just as scared as your or me?  And took action anyway?  I look at my own life, and see how often I start to take action and then back off.  Play it safe.

And yet I know that what it means to live fully alive is to go full out.  Make big choices and live them out.  So I’ve started taking steps to live that way.  I started writing songs again.  And I’m posting them on YouTube.  Even though I don’t feel ready.  Here’s a link to the channel.

Random Riffs – Everything’s Relative

Since this is episode 101, I got thinking about the number 101. And you know how dangerous that is…

It really is all about the context.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice

What kind of craftsmanship could you develop if you had 12 years to learn from a master?  Amazing, that’s what.

Most of us don’t get that kind of mentoring.  College and on-the-job training don’t even begin to teach us what we need to know.  Since apprenticeship has all but died out everywhere except in the trades, what options do you have to learn not only the ropes of your chosen craft, but also the nuances?  Let’s evaluate them based on 3 criteria:

1. Skilled craftsperson and teacher
2. One-on-one or small group with feedback.
3. Affordable

What are some options?

1. Company-sponsored mentoring program
2. Professional organization sponsored mentoring program
3. Coach or paid mentor
4. Mastermind group
5. Live Course
6. Online Course

It turns out there are ways to be an apprentice in the modern era.  Find the one that’s right for you and try it.  Don’t be afraid to say it’s not working and try something.  Also, don’t expect it will be a silver bullet.  Building craftsmanship takes time and work.

If want to work with me, I’d love to help.  If you want to be better at the craft of expressing yourself, whether it’s using your voice, crafting a presentation, or telling your story on your website, I can help.  I have years of experience in software design, presentations to senior leaders, and performance. I can help you express yourself in a way that others will listen and take action.  Just fill out the short form below, and we’ll find a time to talk about whether working together is right for you.

Whatever you do, stay committed to building your craftsmanship.  What got you where you are won’t get you to the next step.  No matter how good you are now, can always get better.  That’s what makes it fun.  There’s always room for more.  Now go out there and build something.  Be an artisan.

Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools

The post Episode 101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Feature Segment – We’ve Only Just Begun

Today’s Quote

Imagine a world where everyone believes they are created with love to create in love.  –Kathleen Thompson

Feature Segment – We’ve Only Just Begun

We’ve explored a lot together in the 99 episodes before this one.  Big and small questions.  Questions like “Why am I here?”  “What’s so great about beans?”  or “How can I make great decisions?”

Today, we’ll focus on three themes that have come up again and again.  That are important enough to remind you (and me) of again today.

Be an Artisan.

Imagine you’re God.  You’re the embodiment of love and creativity, and you haven’t created anything yet.  What would you make that shows your character?  You might just do what he did – make humans with the same ability and desire to create.  And that’s exactly what he did.  Creativity is built deep in your soul.

You can see it in children.  They say, “Here.  I made this.”

Then we grow older.  Things get in the way.  And yet, creating – being an Artisan – is where we find the most meaning.  When we create for and with one another.

Erwin McManus says this in his book, The Artisan Soul: “The most important work of art is the life that we create.”

Imagine right this minute – what could living an Artisan life look like for you?  In your family?  Work life?  Anything else you do?  Does it feel like freedom?  Joy?  Adventure?  A lot of work?  Yes. And.  That and more.  Living an Artisan life is worth it.

Transformation takes intentional action.

Sometimes part of us has to transform to become an Artisan.  Yet, transformation only happens when you set the intention.  And follow up that intention with purposeful action.

If you believe in your worth – believe you are called to be an Artisan and create art for others, it’s time to put your intention behind it.  And then take action.  Some to consider:

1. Have you embraced the truth that you’re created to create? What does that look like in your life right now?
2. What intention would you like to set today, and is there one action you can take to head in the direction?
3. How would you like to invest in yourself? Is there one thing you’d like to start working on?  Figure out what will help you grow – what will make you uncomfortable – and do that.  Even if it costs you.  Especially if it costs you.  What does it cost to NOT do the thing?

Change is constant

If you’ve been with me for any length of time, you’ve heard me talk about quite a few changes in 4 years.

During that time, I had four different managers, was in 3 different groups, and created 39 versions of the same presentation to convince senior management to invest in a $40M project.  Now I don’t have a manager at all.  Or, more correct, I’m my own manager.

I also got hit by a hit-and-run driver in a stolen car, so my car was totaled.  I celebrated 2 college graduations of my friend Ruth’s children, and 2 weddings of my friend Sarah’s children.  My mom had 2 hip replacements, and my sister shattered her ankle.

Yep.  Nothing stays the same.  Time keeps going and so does change.  It’s important to not only accept, but also embrace that change.  Say “Yes. And” as life throws curveballs.  Like – yes this happened.  And what can I learn from it?  What can I do now?

Remember it’s supposed to be this way.  Change.  Discomfort.  Challenge.  Even pain.  It’s how life works.

You have what it takes to make something beautiful.  We’ve only just begun, you and I.  Here’s to new beginnings.

What would you like to begin today?  Celebrate today?  Leave a comment.

Here’s to new beginnings.
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P.S., Resources to help you invest in yourself

Pastors and Teachers:  Voiceology, by my voice coach, Roger Love.  Here’s a free video to get a preview.
Business Owners:  Clockwork, by Mike Michalowicz
Leaders:  Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
Find Your Voice:  Voice Coaching by me

The post Episode 100: We’ve Only Just Begun first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – My Voice Got Rusty
Random Riffs – A Whole Other World
Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftspeople Take Care of Their Tools

Today’s Quote

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.  — Confucius

Rhythm of Life – My Voice Got Rusty

While I traveled to Ireland with my family, I didn’t do my voice exercises every day.  My voice got a bit rusty.

It’s going to take a bit of work to get the rust off so I can continue to improve.  It might even be a bit uncomfortable at first.

Is there anything you’ve let get a bit rusty?  Why not just start again today?  Be willing to feel uncomfortable – and even a bit rusty – in the beginning.  It’ll soon wear off.

Why not start today?  The sooner you start, te sooner  you’ll get to the fun part.

Ready?  Set?  Go!

Random Riffs – A Whole Other World

I was organizing my Kindle while getting ready for my trip.  While doing so, I saw “Pride and Prejudice,” a Jane Austen novel.  As is the case with Amazon, they also showed me several other books in the category “People who liked this also bought that…”  And what was in that list?  Several books called “Pride and Prejudice Variations.”

There were so many it was like entering a whole new world.  One I didn’t even know existed.  Which got me wondering; “I wonder how many other alternate worlds exist besides this one?”

Which then got me thinking about the information we see on our phones.  We get customized news delivery based on what we’ve previously liked and clicked on.  We can end up living in a world where we hear and see only what reinforces what we already believe.

That may feel good, but it doesn’t build empathy or understand of others.  It doesn’t improve our relationships with people unlike us.  And it doesn’t lend itself to creativity.  That requires diversity of though and healthy conflict.

So remember that the next time you find yourself in an alternate reality that’s looking awfully familiar.  It might be time to jump through the looking glass to Wonderland.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftspeople Take Care of Their Tools

I opened the case of my Ovation guitar.  The one I’d gotten as a college graduation present, it had sat in its case, ignored, for months.  And now I saw a huge crack running the entire length of the top.

If I was a professional musician, I’d play that guitar every day.  I’d make sure it was climate-controlled.  I’d take care of it.

And that’s what this episode is about.  Artisans take care of their tools.  Because to be at high level of craftsmanship, you need skill.  And maintaining that skill at the highest level requires high-quality tools in good working order.

Though the tools for each craft are different, there are 3 common principles for tool care that apply to all artisans.

1. Use for intended purpose

Don’t re-purpose for something else.  It often doesn’t work, and can dull or break the tool. Not only that, but if you reserve your tools for use with your craft, your mind will automatically associate picking up the tool with starting work.  It’s easier and faster to get in the flow.

2. Prevention, Rotation and Maintenance

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Rotation helps keeps tools fresh. Three ounces of maintenance are worth the same point of cure. All help to avoid repair or worse, the tools becoming unusable.

3. Repair

No matter how well you prevent, rotate and maintain, some repair will eventually be needed.  Make sure you have a true professional to do these repairs.  Whether it’s you or not.

Don’t forget!  The greatest tool you have is you.  Your body, mind, and heart.  It’s important to keep yourself tuned up.  You don’t want to end up with a huge crack in your system like I found in my Ovation guitar. Keeping yourself in tune will help keep you playing beautiful music for a long time to come.

What tools do you use for your craft?  How do you keep them in good shape?  Leave a comment.

As an Artisan, your tools are an extension of you. Take care of them as you would your art.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard

The post Episode 099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Commitment Creates Happiness
Random Riffs – The Color of Song
Feature Segment – Building Craftsmanship: When it Gets Hard

Today’s Quote

Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.  –Mario Andretti

Rhythm of Life – Commitment Creates Happiness

Have you ever had 2 options of what to do on Saturday night?  You held off committing to one until the last minute?  Like Saturday morning?  And then you didn’t have that much fun?  Why not?  What can this teach us?

Dan Gilbert TED Talk – Surprising Science of Happiness

He and a team did a study at Harvard about choice and the ability to change one’s mind.  The results may surprise you.

It turns out that commitment to something makes us happier.  Listen to the segment to hear about the study and how you can apply its conclusions to your life.

Random Riffs – The Color of Song

A friend on Facebook wrote a post asking us to list songs with colors in the title.  It was interesting to see what people said.  Before listening to the episode, why not think of your own list?

Listen to the episode to hear the list of what my friends came up with.  As you would imagine, songs with blue in the title were the most numerous.  After all, it’s the most popular color by a large margin.

Then there were songs with two colors in the title.  There was one with three.  And another that had the word “color” in it.  Such a colorful variety.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Building Craftsmanship When It Gets Hard

The atmosphere was so tense you could feel it ready to explode.  6 bakers competing in the Great British Bake-off.  John was particularly intense.  He wanted to win this thing.  To prove to his parents that he should be a professional baker, instead of an attorney, like they want him to be.

He makes a pretty major mistake.  And the result tastes awful.  The judges spit it out of their mouths and ask for water.

How do you come back from that?  What do you do when your dream appears to be going out the window?  When you just can’t get past where you are?  Or you have to start over because you made a huge mistake?

What do you do then?

This is where commitment comes in.  The commitment you made to yourself and those whom you love or serve.

It may also be time to go back to following your curiosity and practice change to see what you can shake up.  But sometimes all it takes is time.

How can you stay committed through the hard times?  What can bring back the creative flow and joy of your work?

1. Go back to Why

Actions:

• Write down your why and keep it where you can always see it.
• If don’t know your why, take time to meditate on that now.
• Reframe your why so it’s not all about you.

2. Recite past successes

Actions:

• Keep a journal of successes and read it when you need reminding
• Celebrate every win or success, no matter how small.

3. Calibrate expectations

Actions:

• Test your reactions to small stuff.
• Plan for setbacks.
• Repurpose your failures.

Sometimes it’s necessary to make a change to see results.  The thing that got you here won’t get you there.  Sometimes you just need to persist.  Sometimes there are changes already happening you can’t see.

Where are you right now?  If you’re cruising, then take time to celebrate your wins.  Document them for when things aren’t so great.  Remember that this too shall pass.

If things aren’t going so great right now, don’t lose heart.  Believe it’s possible to move past it.  Then act on that belief.  Take some actions listed here.  Or, get in touch with me for coaching or just email.  There are links in the Coaching and Contact pages.

As we said in Episode 096, we don’t need more people who can simply follow directions or take orders.  We need artisans – those who willing to stand out and serve.  If you’re one, commit to commitment.

Wanna know what happened with John?  I tell you near the end of the segment.

So commit and take action.

1. Go back to Why
2. Recite past successes
3. Calibrate expectations

You may not win a contest like Great British Bake-off, but you can win where it matters to you.

If you’d like to share your story of when you needed commitment and time to get through a difficult challenge, leave a comment.

What builds craftsmanship? Curiosity, change, and commitment.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change

The post Episode 098: Building Craftsmanship – When It Gets Hard first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Invite or Command?
Random Riffs – Played to Death
Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftsmanship and the Art of Change

Today’s Quote

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.  — Steven Hawking

Rhythm of Life – Invite or Command?

I’ve been telling you for a while that I’m really paying attention to how I sit, stand, walk, and lie down.  Trying to inhibit the habits that aren’t serving me well.

You’d think because I know it, I’d just change.  It’s not as easy as it seems.  It reminds me of the classic “All in the Family” episode where Edith is going through menopause.  In his exasperation, Archie yells, “I’m gonna give you just 30 seconds.  Now come on, change.”  Here’s a link to the episode if you want to watch it.

That’s what I feel like telling myself sometimes: “Now come on, change.”

What does that do?  Makes it worse.

An important lesson I’ve learned from the Alexander Technique is to explore.  Invite change, rather than trying to cram it in.  Like you, I’m doing the best I can.  Change is happening, even when I can’t see it.

I want to encourage you too.  You don’t have to push yourself to “so change already.”  Be gentle.  Invite yourself to change rather than push.  It can make all the difference.

So come on, explore.

Random Riffs – Played to Death

The other day I was listening to podcast called “All Songs Considered”.  The hosts were talking about what songs were great in their time, and now should be retired.  Because they’ve lost their impact.

Listen to the episode to hear my short list of songs that should be retired.

With all the options we have to stream music, you’d think we’d have more variety now.  But it takes intention to hear something out of the norm.  Let’s decide together to confuse the algorithm that decides what music to play us.

Now if I could only get “Let it Go” out of my head…

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftsmanship and the Art of Change

As you heard in Episode 096, one mark of a craftsperson is to follow your curiosity.  On today’s episode, we’re exploring the second foundation of craftsmanship – embracing change.  Change that comes from experimentation.  Testing.  Constant improvement.  Disrupting your life and work to make it better.

The best know this and practice it all the time.

1. A friend in college learning a new bow technique after years of lessons.
2. Seth Godin designing new courses that bring the best of online do-it-on-your-own-time with a true community.

How can you embrace change?

1. Practice with low-impact activities.
2. Break down large changes or projects into smaller pieces so it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.
3. Do a downside analysis. Listen to Episode 084 to hear more about this.  And check the show notes for a free decision-making template.

We’re all wired for change.  We’re also wired against it.  Fear works to try and keep us safe.  Don’t fight with fear.  Just make sure it sits in back seat.  Not driving.  To do that, practice changing with low or no impact activities.  Break down into small chunks.  Do downside analysis to mitigate risk.

Think about our modern conveniences.  At one point they didn’t exist.  And then they did.  It didn’t happen all at once.  It took a proves of experimentation.

Where do you want to start?  Start with something almost unnoticeable.  The smaller the better.

So try it.  Practice.  Chunk the work.  Reduce risk.  And watch craftsmanship grow.

Where do you want to start?  Leave a comment.

How do you get good at change? Practice. Chunk. Reduce risk. Watch craftsmanship grow.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship

The post Episode 097: Craftsmanship Requires Change first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Don’t Add Blueberries to This…
Random Riffs – (Mis)Quotes
Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftsmanship – Follow Your Curiosity

Today’s Quote

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.  –e.e. cummings

Rhythm of Life – Don’t Add Blueberries to This…

Blueberries are in season here in CT.  I’ve been picking at Deercrest Farm in Glastonbury, where I get my produce.  Even talked about it in a recent blog post.

I love blueberries.  I could eat them almost every day.  But I found out the hard way not to put blueberries in this…

I followed my curiosity that day, and learned some valuable lessons about cooking I wouldn’t otherwise know.  It’s so much more fun than simply following a cookbook.

Random Riffs – (Mis)Quotes

So often you hear famous quotes or proverbs and nod head wisely.  “Yes!”  And yet, how many times is the quote not even the original?  Someone somewhere along the line shortened or changed it, and the changed version became better known.

Listen to the episode to hear some examples of what I mean.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Craftsmanship – Follow Your Curiosity

I followed my curiosity when trying to make Madrigal costumes for Jerry and me using a sweatshirt, shorts, and modern dress pattern.  And you better believe it developed my craftsmanship in ways I didn’t predict.

You can learn to follow your curiosity too.  As you heard in Episode 095, it’s one of the foundations for building craftsmanship. And craftsmanship is one key to living an Artisan Life.

What does following your curiosity look like?  Do you know you can practice it any time?  And how fun it is?

The first key to follow your curiosity is to do it when stakes are low.  Because you want to push yourself to edge of your competency to grow and stretch.

A great example musical arrangers when they reinterpret songs.  Here are the Beatles and Carpenters versions of the same song – Ticket to Ride.

Beatles

Carpenters

One way to follow your curiosity is to ask the question, “I wonder what would happen if I tried — this?”

Other questions you can ask?

• I wonder where that comes from?
• I wonder who started that?
• I wonder what would happen if I turned this upside down?

A sense of wonder is an important part of curiosity.  That and experimentation.

You heard in Episode 090 about daVinci taking years to complete the Mona Lisa.  It was all because he was experimenting with light.

You can follow your curiosity by asking questions.  You can follow your curiosity by doing regular activities a different way.  The more you practice the better, even if you aren’t directly practicing your craft.

If you remember nothing else from this episode, remember to ask yourself this question, “I wonder what would happen if I tried…this?”

Now go and do it.  Let me know how it goes.  Leave a comment below, or send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.  I can’t wait to hear what happens when you try it.

To follow your curiosity, ask “I wonder what would happen if I tried this?”
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship

Announcing:

I thought you would love this. The business author of Profit First, Mike Michalowicz (I struggle to pronounce his last name too), just released his newest book, Clockwork.

In the book he outlines an extremely simple process to make your business run itself. He challenges the concept of “grinding it out” and shows that how even the smallest businesses in the world, can run all by themselves. I just picked up my copies, and thought you might want to check it out too.  Here’s the link.

Enjoy! *****************************

The post Episode 096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – What Picking Raspberries Taught Me About Seeing
Random Riffs – CCO What?
Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Foundations of Craftsmanship

Today’s Quote

Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.  –Jonathan Swift

Rhythm of Life – What Picking Raspberries Taught Me About Seeing

I was picking raspberries at a friend’s house.  It was a bit of a jungle.  I was trying to make sure I got every ripe berry so they wouldn’t rot on the bush.  I thought I had them.

But, it turned out I didn’t.  When I went back in the other direction, I saw many I had missed.

That happens in other places too.  Ever notice how you can drive somewhere and notice how it looks.  And then it looks completely different on the way back?

A change in perspective changes what and how we see.

Random Riffs – A Silly Kid’s Song and Perspective

You know how your mind can make huge leaps from one thing to another?  That happened to me today as I outline the previous segment.  Listen to hear what I mean.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Foundations of Craftsmanship

I was stuck.  Hunched over my computer trying to build a website, and couldn’t get a button to show up on screen.

I tried everything I knew.  Nope.

Then asked myself – “I wonder what would happen if I tried it this way?”  Eventually the button appeared.

What is that?  It’s called curiosity.  One of the foundations of craftsmanship.  A large part of curiosity is asking the question, “I wonder what would happen if I did…this?”

Last episode: constraints contribute to creativity – “What does this make possible?”

Curiosity leads us somewhere – somewhere often unexpected.

To build craftsmanship, it helps to work directly on your skills.  But you can also grow by working around the edges, so to speak.  Curiosity, also known as looking at things from a different perspective, causes experimentation.  This helps you grow too.  Even if you end up throwing away a lot of what you do.

The second building block for your craftsmanship foundation?  Change. Always testing all the time.

We used to joke at work that we never finished a project.  Sure, it was officially closed.  But there was always something to tweak.  Fix.  Test.  Improve.

Don’t do this before you deliver your work.  Deliver, or ship.  And then keep making it better.  Iterating.   What builds craftsmanship is the discipline of delivering as is, and then continuing to improve as you get

Change fueled by your curiosity.  Both are cornerstones of the foundation to build craftsmanship.  What’s the third one?  Commitment

Commitment to continue the work.  Improve.  Grow. Learn.  Stretch.  Even when it’s hard.

You don’t have to necessarily commit to one course of action – though that may be necessary.  It’s more about commitment to the process, and the WHY behind what you do.  Commitment to grow in craftsmanship, for as long as it takes.  Commitment to the purpose to which you’re called – even if you don’t see results.

Commitment shows you stand for something.  You can be trusted.  It gets you through times when you’ve got no inspiration, creativity, or enthusiasm.

Now here’s the thing: practicing curiosity isn’t that hard. It can even be fun.  Practicing change can be hard.  It feels uncomfortable.  But you can get used to that.

Practicing commitment is the hardest of all.  There aren’t any shortcuts.

Where do you stand right now?  Check yourself on the 3 C’s of Craftsmanship.  Curiosity, change, and commitment.  Do those and you will see growth.

Want to be a craftsperson?  Build the foundation first.  Then watch the rest grow.  Feel free to leave a comment about the commitment you’re making to yourself and your craftsmanship.

What builds craftsmanship? Curiosity, change, and commitment.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What’s Your Signature Scent?

The post Episode 095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Constraints Boost Creativity
Feature – What’s Your Signature Scent?

Rhythm of Life – Constraints Boost Creativity

I almost didn’t record today’s episode. Why?  Well, my mother had surgery and I’ve been needed to help my dad care for her.  Not only that, but I injured several ribs doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.  Listen to the episode so you don’t repeat my mistake.

Anyway, that meant I didn’t have as much time for research and the outline.  And the deep breathing required to sing or speak is just a bit too much right now.

So, I seriously thought about not putting out an episode this week.  And then I realized – I talk about creativity a lot – and creativity flourishes with constraints.  This is a perfect opportunity to exercise my creativity muscle.

I set my intention and asked the question, “How can I deliver an episode that serves you and doesn’t require a ton of research or for me to talk for very long?”  Then, “What do these constraints make possible?”

I let that simmer for a bit.  And what came out?  This episode.  The Finding Your Groove – the Dislocated Ribs Edition.

When find yourself with circumstances you didn’t expect, you can do the same thing.

1. Remember your greatest creativity comes from constraints.
2. Ask “What does this make possible?”
3. Let your subconscious mind “work on it” for a bit.

You might be amazed at what comes from it.

Feature Segment – What’s Your Signature Scent?

I’m in a hurry.  Run downstairs to throw laundry in.  And smell something rotten.  I don’t see a dead animal, so I open the freezer a crack.  The stench is so gross it almost makes me retch.  Somehow the freezer had turned off, and all the food rotted.

It took a lot to get the rotten food out of there.  And in the process, the freezer, basement, garage, and car all smelled.  I’ve worked diligently to get rid of the smell, and it’s not going without a fight.  The only place that smells better as of this episode is my car (Good thing, considering how much time I spend in driving.).

That got me thinking about how quickly a smell can spread until it permeates everything.  It’s true of rotten food.  And it’s true of our lives too.  Wherever we go, and whatever work we create, we bring our aroma with us.  It follows behind us.  And quickly spreads to other people.

What aroma do you want to give off?  We’re not always conscious of the aroma we give off. We get used to our own smell.  We have to look for clues.

Your aroma part of your signature. Your signature scent, so to speak.

Remember – 93% of communication is how you communicate, not what you say. Changing the “how” takes techniques and understanding your intention.

What aroma do you want to give off?  It’s your choice.  It’s part of signature style.  Part of your Artisan identity.  Make your signature scent the one you want.  Even more important – make it one others want.

If you’d like some help, I’m here to coach you with technique.  And we can even go deeper.  Send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com to schedule a free 20-minute consultation.  Let’s start making your signature scent one that others will want to remember.

As always, your comments are welcome.  Because we’re better together.

Your signature scent lasts long after you’ve left the room. Make sure it’s sweet.
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Artisan Series Episodes

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The 3 C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.

The post Episode 094: What’s Your Signature Scent? first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Using a Compass Instead of a Map
Random Riffs – It Wasn’t on the Map
Feature Segment – Start With a MAP

Today’s Quote

The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps.  — Bob Black

Rhythm of Life – Sometime We Need a Compass Instead of a Map

For so long I was caught up in mechanics of building a business.  And I found that everyone is trying to sell you their process for making your business a whopping success.  They’re all over Facebook.

But it’s so easy to get caught up in the stuff of creating business that you lose your way.  Sometimes we’re  better off with a compass than a map.

So much of life doesn’t have a precise route.  It’s more like a general direction.

Random Riffs – It Wasn’t on the Map!

Jerry and I were on our motorcycle in central PA, driving across Route 6, when we decided to take a side road.  Unfortunately, what looked like a scenic road through the woods turned out to be a loose gravel path.  There was no way we could ride that for several miles.

Sometimes the map doesn’t show you everything you need to know.  It certainly didn’t in this case.  It doesn’t always contain all the variables needed to make a decision.

Feature Segment – Start With a MAP

It doesn’t look anything like the actual earth.  Most of the continents are misshapen and the wrong size.  It’s the first map that attempted to depict the 3-dimensional earth on a flat surface.  It was done by Gerard Mercator.

What’s so important about this map?  Whoever controlled the maps controlled the trade routes.

This story part of the intro to a book called “The Island of Lost Maps” by Miles Harvey.

If maps were important in 1569, they are also important today.  In fact, a MAP is just what you need to start your journey as an Artisan.  But not just any map.  An Artisan MAP.

In Episodes 090 and 092, we talked about why you should be an Artisan.  Because you are created by the Creator to create.  In episode 091, we talked about the 3 C’s that mark an Artisan – craftsmanship, creativity, community.

Today we’re talking about where to start on your Artisan journey.  With an Artisan MAP.  What is that MAP?

Mission

Your vision of the world as it could be.  The change you’d like to see in the world.  A world you imagine could exist.  And would like to help bring it about.

Mission allows for several options of what or how you accomplish the mission.

It’s important to have a mission.  A mission is better than goals.  As we said in Episode 083, goals are meant to be short-term.  To hear more about that, check out episode 083.

Assets

This is your craft.  What you are good at.  Skills you develop over time.

When you develop your assets, you can have great impact.  You can become so good you infuse your assets with another A – artistry. You create something people want to own, like that Da Vinci painting I mentioned in Episode 090 

Plan

The actions you take to fulfill your mission.  The plan includes 4 parts:

• Strategy – overall approach.
• Framework – how you flesh out strategy. Still somewhat generic.
• High-level plan
• Detailed plan

Though your Mission seldom changes, your Plans, and thus your MAP, can change.  Let it grow organically as circumstances change and as your grow.

You don’t have to have the entire map done before you start.  Even if you have the germ of a mission, one asset not fully fleshed out, and a rudimentary plan on the back of napkin, you can still start.  You’ll learn a lot by moving.

At the same time, action with any mission is aimless.  Action without using your assets is frustrating.  Action without a plan is fruitless.  So be intentional.  Create even the most rudimentary map.

If you want help, reach out.  I know what it’s like to succeed and fail.  I’d love to help you develop mission, assets, plan.  Just send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com or leave a comment.  You’ll start your artisan life with a map firmly in hand.

What are you waiting for?  See you out there.

How do you start living life as an Artisan? With a MAP.
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Artisan Series Episodes

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The 3 C’s of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?

The post Episode 093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP. first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – When You Can’t See Progress
Random Riffs – Laughter is Good for the Soul, the Singing Version
Feature Segment – Creator, Consumer, or Critic?

Today’s Quote

People don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care.  –Theodore Roosevelt

Rhythm of Life – When You Can’t See Progress

I sat in Elizabeth’s studio and cried.  I couldn’t see any evidence of improvement, despite my hard work at Alexander lessons and voice exercises.

It’s hard to trust when we can’t see or feel change, isn’t it?  Sometimes it’s because we’re not really looking.  We don’t really believe change is possible.  And sometimes we can’t see because the change is beneath the surface.

What am I learning from this experience?

1. Work with people you trust and are experts so you can trust you’re doing the right thing. Lean into that trust.
2. Action is better than no action. No work will definitely not yield results.  You have to keep doing the work.
3. It’s important to have goals, but you might need to hold the timeline loosely.
4. Sometimes it takes a different person or approach to help change.

If want some encouragement or a listening ear, send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com or leave a comment.

Random Riffs – Laughter is Good for the Soul, the Singing Version

Last week at Ruth’s house, we sat at the piano bench, as we so often do.  Only this time she pulled out the “Favorite Book of Humorous Songs”.

We sang and played and laughed until the tears rolled down our cheeks.  It felt so good.

It’s good to laugh, isn’t it?  No matter what the circumstances.  When you do it, you may feel a little bit crazy.  That’s okay.  Even good.

Feature Segment – Creator, Consumer, or Critic?

The room is alive with energy.  People animatedly talking with one another.  And then the meeting starts.  Within 30 seconds all the energy has drained out of the room.  People slouch in their chairs.  No one volunteers anything.  They speak in a monotone.

What happened?  Where did the creative energy go?  It left when “business” started because everyone in the room realized that they aren’t there to create.  They’re there to produce.

We are created to be creators.  Artists.  Yet, many of us don’t life that out.  Even though that’s what makes us fully human.  Fully alive.

What happens when our creativity is stifled – either by our own insecurity or fear, or by others? We turn from being a Creator to a Consumer or Critic.

Consumerism has been encouraged by our culture and driven by the Industrial Revolution.  It’s even considered patriotic.

It’s not limited to spending money, though.  Consumerism also includes consuming experiences or knowledge.

It’s okay to consume.  It just shouldn’t be what drives us.  It shouldn’t take the place of creating.

Beyond consuming, we can even take it another step further – become a critic.  Not feedback.  Criticism.

Criticism focuses on past behavior.  It’s usually negative.  Feedback is different.  It focuses on future behavior.  And should only be given by someone who has earned the right – a parent, coach, teacher, manager, or friend.

Both outside and internal forces can turn us into critics.  Listen to the episode to hear what I mean by that.

Unfortunately, we’ve become a nation of critics.  Armchair critics who aren’t in the arena themselves.  Because people who are creating don’t have time to be critics.

Those who speak about this:

Michael Port – Steal the Show

Brene Brown – Rising Strong

How can you have the courage to create instead of consume or criticize?

1. Have a compelling reason to create.
2. Try it in an arena where you won’t get criticized.
3. Block out the noise.
4. Carry a list of people who have earned the right to speak into your life and listen only to them.
5. Form or join a community.

We’re all created to be creators.  It’s what makes us most human.  Brings us most alive.  Everyone is created to be creators.  Not just a few “creative” people.

Easy to live below potential by becoming consumers or critics.  Can do it from fear or insecurity (internal factors) or because environment stifles creativity.

Take stock of your ife today.  Work, volunteer, family, friendships.  If you’re sliding – or already slid –into consumerism or criticism, what can you do to change that?  It might simply be your attitude or habit.  Or – maybe it’s time for a big change – like me.  If can’t create in your work right now, you might want another outlet.  A place where your spirit can soar.  Where you can develop the potential of your humanity.

If want help evaluating your workplace, created a quiz for you.  I’ll help you determine if your workplace is stifling your creative spirit.  Click here  for the quiz.  Then depending on results, you can decide what type of action to take.

This is too important to let slide or leave to chance.  As I said in Episode 090, the future of work is to Artisans.  Artisans are creators.  In Episode 091, we saw that an Artisan lives at the intersection of craftsmanship, creativity, and community.  Craftspeople make something.  Create.  Artisans use creativity as they work.

Whether at work, play, or relationships, commit to be a creator today.  Take actions toward that end.  Even if you think you aren’t “creative”.  Or an artist.  You are.  You just have to find the spark and fan it into flame.  Let me know what you’re doing by leaving a comment or sending an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

Are you a Creator, Consumer, or Critic? Only one is fully alive.
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The post Episode 092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic? first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – I’m Not Singing
Random Riffs – At a Loss for Words
Feature Segment – The Three C’s of an Artisan Life

Today’s Quote

Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.  –Leo Tolstoy

Rhythm of Life – I’m Not Singing

I strode to the stage and prepared to sing.  I planted my feet, nodded to the accompanist, took a breath, and then told myself, “I’m not singing.”

Why would I do that?  Tell myself not singing when I clearly am?  Because singing is not only physical and emotional; it’s also mental.  Your brain tells your body what it takes to make each note.  And mine has gotten its signals crossed.

All of us do things automatically – like walk, sit, or stand.  And often our movements are done with more effort than they need to.  Our signals get a bit crossed.  Sometimes it comes from an old injury or trauma.  We adjust to compensate, and then keep it up when the injury is no more.

In order to stop these habits, we often need to tell ourselves that we aren’t doing the thing we are doing.

What do you not want to do today?  Leave a comment.

Random Riffs – At a Loss for Words

Have you ever felt like you were at a loss for words?  We all feel that way sometimes, even when it’s important to speak.  When we focus on ourselves, it’s easy to feel tongue-tied.  When we focus on other people, it’s easier to naturally respond.

Feature Segment – The Three C’s of the Artisan Life

On the last episode we talked about why you want to be an Artisan – no matter what your walk of life.

What are the hallmarks of an artisan that we can apply to any industry? It turns out there are 3 C’s: craftsmanship, creativity, community.

Craftsmanship – making something with the highest workmanship.  Something that stands apart from the rest.  Like a Stradivarius violin.  Sculpture by Michelangelo.  Shaker furniture.

This doesn’t happen overnight.  It takes a lot of practice, work, and coaching.

We can often notice when craftsman is at work.  It exhibits these 3 characteristics.

1. Appears effortless.
2. It works. Or fits.
3. It’s often simple.

Craftsmanship alone is not enough.  Creativity is needed too.  It’s not necessarily artistic creativity.  It can also be the way you solve a problem.  Innovate new technology or repurpose the old.  Marry facts and story. Or science and faith.

When the left and right brain work together, we get a perfect marriage of craftsmanship and creativity.  Two hallmarks of an artisan.

What’s the third C?  Community.  Most great artisans don’t create art alone.  They need other people.  To develop, encourage, empower, appreciate their art.

The letter to the Hebrews in the Bible says this: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

As Simon Sinek says, “Together is better.”  There’s power in together.

Community also shows up in those with whom we share our work.  We want to be better for them.  To make life better for them.

Why not take stock right now?  Do you have one C that is less developed than the other two?  Why not commit today to develop it further? Choose one and get started.  Remember – this is a long game.  Like an apprenticeship.  You don’t have to do it all at once.  It’s better if you don’t.  And you have to be willing to be bad before you can be good and then great.

Make your commitment in the comments, or send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.  The sooner you get started the sooner you’ll get there.   Start becoming an artisan today.

The 3 C’s of a true artisan? Craftmanship, creativity, community.
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The post Episode 091: The Three C’s of Artisanship first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – I Cried Reading this Book
Random Riffs – Found: A New Organ
Feature Segment – Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work

Today’s Quote

In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.  –Seth Godin

Rhythm of Life – I Cried Reading This Book

If you’ve been following my journey for a while, you know I left my job at the end of 2017.  My first priority?  To get connected with my body again.  Let go of tension.  Dance.  Sing with freedom.

Some of this came from old injuries.  Much came from stress at work.  And it’s taking longer than I thought to recover.  Sometimes I feel like it’s just me. That I couldn’t hack it.  I felt differently when I started to read a new book called Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance – and What We Can Do About It.

According to Dr. Pfeffer, many people are literally dying for their paychecks.  Here are some of the statistics he cites.

1. WebMD reported that work was the #1 source of stress, with 25% of people reporting extreme levels of stress
2. Job stress costs employers approximately $300B per year
3. The costs from stress to the US health care system are $200B per year
4. 60,000 deaths per year in the United States could be prevented if companies changed their attitudes and practices.
5. $63B could be saved per year in the United States if companies changed their practices.

We have to do something.  The question is – what?  I’m not quite sure yet.  I know the first step is awareness.  That’s always the first step to making social change.  I do know that we can’t make everything in life about the money.  Our primary goal should be to make life better for the human race.  Money is only a part of that equation.

So, for a start, read Dying for a Paycheck or Leaders Eat Last.   Then, start a conversation.  At work, by leaving a comment, or by emailing me at kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.  Change always starts with awareness and talking about it.

Then, what about this?

1. Create culture change within your own group.
2. Vote with your presence. Choose to work at companies that don’t have such a toxic culture.

I’ll keep reading the book.  If the author has any other suggestions I can pass on, I’ll talk about it in a future episode.  In the meantime, I created a quiz for you to determine how toxic your organization’s culture may be.  You can find it here.  Once you see the results, you can decide what type of action to take.

I wish I could change this myself.  I can’t.  It’s going to take a lot of people to make change to something so ingrained.  It does make me more resolved to support you with a toolbox.  One that helps you identify and execute on options you have to make your life sing. No matter how much work may try to muzzle the real you.

Random Riffs – Found: A New Organ

In April, US scientists announced they have discovered a new organ.  It’s a highway of moving fluid.  It has potential as a diagnostic tool, and new treatments too.  Listen to the episode so hear more about it.

Don’t Forget

Your voice is the most powerful tool you have to connect with others.  Yet, you might be missing that connection, and relinquishing that power, without even knowing it.  To find out more about you can develop your voice to reach your audience, try my free 20-minute voice consultation.

Feature Segment – Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work

In November, 2017, a painting sold for $450M at an auction.  It has been the most expensive painting sold at auction ever – at least so far.  The previous record was $179M.  The painting’s name?  The Savior of the World by Leonardo da Vinci.

What made this worth the price? – the reputation of the artist.  And daVinci earned his reputation.  He experimented with new techniques and brought them into his painting.  He strove for excellence.

I believe that your future success at work will come from being an Artisan – no matter what line of work you are in.

Why? Here are 3 reasons.

1. The changing nature of work will require more creativity and innovation.

Companies are looking to gain even further efficiencies, which will come via automation and artificial intelligence.  Repetitive jobs will further erode.  What will be left?  Jobs requiring creativity and innovation.  The ones machines can’t do.

If you are a business owner, the same could happen to you.  If your competition automates and undercuts your price, you have the same problem.

2. You have the satisfaction of a job done with excellence by focusing your efforts

Cal Newport talks about this in his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You : Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love.

In order to be innovative and creative, you need skill.  Know and understand the process.  The more you focus on one thing and get so good they can’t ignore you, the better.

3. Your work bears your signature – your stamp. It’s unique and personal.

Now you’re past just good.  You’re unique.  Even though daVinci didn’t sign his paintings, they still had his signature.  There were ways to tell they were painted by him.  Our work should be same.  Get so good that it reflects who we are.  It becomes unique.

Where would you like to start?  You don’t have to it all at once.  Just choose one: skill, innovation, or signature.

Don’t leave your career up to efficiency experts.  Become an artisan.  Start today by making a commitment to be one.  Then keep listening.  In the upcoming episodes, I’ll be talking about how to be an artisan with skill, innovation, and your unique signature.

What are you committing to in order to develop as an artisan?  Leave a comment.

The marks of a true artisan? Skill, innovation, and signing your work.
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The post Episode 090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – The First Day of My Next Voice
Random Riffs – A Revolution That Went Too Far
Feature Segment – Break Free: Burn the Boats and Have a Plan B

Today’s Quote

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.  –Seneca

Rhythm of Life – The First Day of My Next Voice

There I was in Roger Love’s studio, at my first voice lesson.  He asked me to tell my story.  I gave him the short version.  Then I said this: “This lesson.  This time together – this is the first day of my new voice.”

You heard me say in Episode 087 that I felt like I was coming home when I walked into Roger’s Voice of Success workshop.   Yet at the same time, as I sat in the studio, I had no illusions that this would be an instant transformation.  It’s an investment.

Have you ever had a vision of what could be?  You take one step and keep moving, and then you’re there?  You look around, and see that “there” shows you another mountain to climb?  That’s how I felt when I got home from my first lesson with Roger.

While we’re striving, it’s important to differentiate between striving for growth (or striving satisfied) and striving to prove ourselves worthy.  Striving for growth includes rest and there’s a peace infused in the process.  Striving to prove ourselves worthy is stressful and exhausting.  So even as I work on my body and voice, I’m doing it from a place of rest.  Trust.  Joy.  I hope you will too.  Believe me, it’s a lot more enjoyable that way.

Random Riffs – A Revolution That Went Too Far

In 1914 a revolution happened.  The first stoplight was installed on the corner of Euclid Ave. and 105^th Street in Cleveland, OH.  Invented by James Hoge.

This completely revolutionized the way we drive.  But that’s not it revolutionized.  Listen to the episode to hear about how the concept of green, yellow, red has permeated so much of our culture.  And not always in a good way.

Don’t Forget

If you’d like to learn how you can harness the power and personality of your voice to move others, sign up for your free 20-minute consultation with me.  Click here to schedule your time.  Together we’ll explore options and you’ll leave with a voice tip you can put into practice right away.

Feature Segment – Break Free: Burn the Boats and Have a Plan B

So many have told the story about how Hernan Cortez told his crew to burn the boats when they landed on the Yucatan Peninsula to try and capture the Mayan treasure.

I always hated that advice.  It sounded like something someone would say when they were trying to sell you their course on how to ditch your boring life or job and follow your passion.  And they laugh all the way to the bank while you wonder if disillusionment can pay the bills.

Not only that, but both Seth Godin and Elizabeth Gilbert say that we shouldn’t put so much pressure on our art.  Whatever that art is for us.  We shouldn’t expect it to work.  We need to give our gift to the world with open hands and the full understanding that it might not work.

So what’s right?  Should we burn the boats?  Or understand “this might not work?”

Both.

How?  By doing a controlled burn.  Here are three steps to a controlled burning of your boats.

1. Get going: Set destination, map course, set sail.

This includes project planning, which we talked about in Episode 025.

2. Have a back-up plan (not a back-out plan)

This includes using a decision matrix to help with a down-side analysis.  To get a copy, email kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com.

3. Burn the boats

Take action.  Leave the past behind.  Know there is no back.  There is only forward.  Not the one plan, but some plan.  A, B, or Z.

Where do you want to go?  What boats do you want to burn?  How does it make you feel to think about burning them?  What can you do if your plan doesn’t work?

If you want to start a conversation, send an email to kathleen@kathleenannthompson.com, or leave a comment.  Let’s break free together, shall we?

Burn the boats, and have a Plan B.
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The post Episode 089: Break Free – Burn the Boats and Have a Plan B first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Taking Up Space
Random Riffs – Don’t Start With Why
Feature Segment – Break Free – Find Your Voice

Today’s Quote

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.  –Neil Gaiman

Rhythm of Life – Taking Up Space

I heard Dr. Amy Cuddy talk about presence, and taking up space.  How people who feel powerful expand.  Those who feel powerless, make themselves as small as they can.

I saw an immediate connection to the work I’ve been doing with my Alexander teacher.  I’ve made a lot of progress since starting lessons.  I still have a long way to go.  It will take patience and gentleness with myself as I keep at it.  I want to take up the space I’m meant to have.

How about you?  Are you taking up the space you were meant to have, or are you shrinking to make yourself small?  I’m encouraging you to take up your space.  You are a gift to the world.  Share that gift by showing up all the way.

Random Riffs – Don’t Start With Why

One of my favorite books is called “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek.  Its main premise is that what you do not as important as why you do it.

As important as it is to start with why, there are times when why isn’t helpful.  When would that be?  When something goes wrong, and we ask “why” questions.

What’s wrong with “why” questions?

1. They often focus on the negative, like “Why can’t I…?”
2. They focus on the past, not the future.

Both often lead to rumination, which is not productive.

What works better?

“What” questions.  Like “What patterns can I find across these situations?  What could I do differently next time?”  These questions get to both the cause and solution in one step.

You want to know your motivation and purpose?  Start with Why.  You want to solve a problem?  Go straight to What.

Feature Segment – Break Free – Find Your Voice

Have you ever made an important presentation and had everyone in the room completely engaged?  To the point where they couldn’t wait to pepper you with questions like “How could we make this work?  Can you go deeper into the numbers?  What are the next steps?”

What made that presentation work?  Well, it helps to get your facts straight.  And prepare a compelling story.  But here’s the thing: studies show that 93% of communication is HOW we say what we say.  Only 7% is the words we choose.  And of that 93%, the most important piece is how your voice sounds.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t know how to use our voices to speak our truth.  It’s important to find our voice and develop it.  It’s one of the keys to breaking free.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ve had my voice my whole life.  It’s done just fine.”  Are you sure?  After all, the voice you use most likely isn’t the voice you were born with.  Why?  Because your voice was developed through imitation.

I know this firsthand.  Even with years of voice lessons, my voice began to take on the sound of co-workers, who were low and monotone.

What do you have to say that’s important for others to hear?  Wouldn’t you like people to hang on your every word?  Receive the gift of what you say with gratitude? The stakes are high.  You have only about 15 seconds to make that first impression.

It’s important for you to find and develop the voice that works for you – in whatever setting you find yourself.  If you’ve been trying to break free in some aspect of your life, now is the time to find your voice.  Learn to communicate in a way that reaches other people with more impact than you ever have before.  And the funny thing is – as you find your voice, may find yourself in other ways too.

I believe so strongly in the difference finding your voice can make, I opened a voice coaching program to help you find the voice you were created to have.  Help you speak what is in your mind.  In your heart.  In a way that others will listen.  Feel like they know, like, and trust you.

The program includes a 3-step plan:

• Assessment
• Customized strategic plan
• Action

It can be live in my studio or virtual.  I want to make it as easy as possible for you to find the voice you were meant to have.

Where do you start?  With a conversation.  Click the button below to schedule a free 20-minute chat.  We’ll talk about how you’d like to break free with your voice.  And then you’re on your way.

I Want to Find My Voice

There’s no pressure. No deadlines.  It’s just an invitation.  To help you be the gift you already are to the world.  To help you find your voice.

How could your voice help you break free?  Leave a comment.

Your voice is a gift to the world. Make it one they want to receive.
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The post Episode 088: Break Free – Find Your Voice first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.