John TV: Episode #26

Without core values, we end-up needing what we want rather than wanting what we need.  What is it that you really need?

Refusing to Snooze

So often, when we come upon disruptive circumstances in our life, we just want to hit the “snooze” and just “get back to normal.”  We think the change, and the process of that change is going to be painful.  But what if it wasn’t?  What if it was an unexpected gift?  My friend, Nancy Berry, didn’t choose her job transition.  It chose her, as it has so many in the last 18 months.  But she didn’t hit the snooze.  And as she nears the end of this transition, she decided to reflect on her experience and to share it with those who helped her along the way.  She shared a copy with me.  I was so taken by reading it, I asked if I could share it with you.  I hope you will enjoy letting it sink-in to the circumstances in your life:

So often in the recent years, I longed for the opportunity to step off the treadmill and catch my breath.  I never really thought it would happen so I hadn’t considered how that dream might actually come to fruition.  If I had planned it, I would have won the lottery I never play or I would have married the wealthy man I haven’t yet met but I certainly wouldn’t have wished to be laid off.  While the means through which my prayer was answered certainly wasn’t in my master plan, the experience has turned out to be one of the greatest gifts and opportunities of my life.

From the very beginning, I was able to focus on the silver linings of this experience  - a quality to which I owe my always optimistic mother.  Far and away, the best part of this experience was spending 11 months as a full-time mom - there to get my boys off to school in the morning and to hear what was on their minds when they walked in the door after school.  I have enjoyed beyond measure the ordinary moments and tasks that everyday life brings with them in it and I was able to enjoy infinitely more of those moments over the last year.  What a blessing!

I met over 100 new people through my networking efforts.  These people opened my eyes to the wide world that extends beyond the legal industry as they talked to me about their work, their organizations and their industries.  I reconnected with countless people who I am thrilled to have back in my life - mainly former colleagues but a few old friends as well who I won’t lose touch with again.  I took a class to prepare me for the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification test, which I passed in January.  While I didn’t want to become an HR generalist, I wanted to shore up what I considered to be a lack of HR knowledge in my background.  I extensively researched a topic about which I have become passionate - that law firms need to have more rigorous interview techniques like those utilized by top accounting and consulting firms and UK law firms.  I have spoken on that topic a few times and have written a soon-to-be-published article for Am Law Daily.  I worked on several projects that I was interested in for different firms and organizations and I was able to do so at my pace. I attended two conferences, numerous webinars and monthly professional group meetings on recruiting and professional development to keep myself immersed in the industry to which I became so eager to return.   So many opportunities!

It wasn’t all work - I took naps and lots of them and have the worn couch cushions to prove it.  I became reacquainted with the gym.  I got to breath fresh air in the middle of the day.  My faith was tested.  I often passed but occasionally failed.  I learned to single task and even enjoy it.  I stopped driving 10 miles (ok, often more) over the speed limit at all times because I was no longer in a perpetual hurry, though I admit, I was awfully slow to realize that.  I read voraciously, enjoyed every word along the way, learned so much and was reminded of how little I know.  I started writing for pleasure and for profit.  I learned I am passionate about painting - but can only do so with a paint by numbers kit typically used by young children.  Seriously.  I was reminded there are some things I can control and many more I can not.   I was able to be still - a skill I did not know I had.   I was able to think - sometimes too much.  I was able to reflect - again, sometimes too much.  I was able to plan.  I was able to organize - but not enough. And I did an awful lot of nothing.  Such gifts!

No one has been more surprised than me at the quiet confidence I had throughout this journey that everything would work out and for the best.  That said, there were some days when my confidence wavered and others when it flatlined.  i have been carried along this journey over the last eleven months by the cheerleading, support, generosity and kindness of so very many people.  Some people who had never met me and many who had just met me went out of their way to help me even when I could offer them nothing in return.  There are 76 of you who have gone above and beyond on my behalf and for that, I’m genuinely eternally grateful.  Whether you introduced me to people with whom I could network, watched my kids while I was networking, asked how you could help and meant it or sent me an email out of the blue asking how I was doing and encouraging me to hang in there, I want you to know how much your efforts were and are appreciated by me.

I have said … “often times the circumstance in which we find ourselves is beyond our control, but the response we choose is not!”  Nancy chose not to snooze, but to wake-up to her experience … and it has paid-off.  Nancy will begin the next chapter of her professional  life later this month as she joins  Katten Muchin Rosenman as the Director of Professional Development.  Fire up the treadmill … I think she is ready to jump back on … with a whole new perspective.  In fact, reading her reflection today has refreshed mine.  Thank you, Nancy!

John TV: Episode #22

Five years later … Silent Alarm is a message more relevant than ever.  Do you hit the snooze with hopes to return to norm … or do you strive to transform?

Five Years Later … A Message More Relevant Than Ever

In this month of May … we are celebrating the 5th month of the 5th year of Silent Alarm.  So much has happended since Silent Alarm was originally published, making its message all the more relevant.  All aspects of “The Front Porch” … blogging, JOHN TV and the newsletter … will be dedicated to Silent Alarm thoughout the month of May.

In March 2002, so much had happened in the prior six-months … The terrorists’ attack on September 11^th, Enron, Worldcom, and the related implosion of Arthur Andersen.  I so clearly remember wondering if we would learn anything from these experiences … or if we would simply hit-the-snooze and go back to sleep in our desire to get back to “normal.”  I knew there was so much to be learned … and it was that desire which gave birth to Silent Alarm:  A Parable of Hope for Busy Professionals.  As a parable, it was not designed to be a recipe to fix our business community or the world … but rather a story to create an experience to look inside.  In the last five years, many lives have been touched … because readers have allowed the story to touch them.  And some of them have been nothing short of a miracle.  I know, because they invited me in to participate in the miracle.

I also clearly remember my very first breakfast meeting with Clint Greenleaf who would eventually become the publisher of Silent Alarm.  He described Silent Alarm as a powerful “evergreen” story … meaning a message that would always be alive.  Five years later, Clint has become a great friend.  And five years later … the message of Silent Alarm is more relevant than ever.  If the great recession has proven anything, it has proven that in 2002, most hit the snooze and went back to sleep.

A publisher typically doesn’t celebrate the 5^th year Anniversary of a book in a society that thinks only the most recent publications could be relevant … unless its message is evergreen!  And if it is … then five years is only the beginning!  And so in this upcoming 5^th month of the 5^th year we are celebrating in five ways in May:

1.       Five for Fifty   For the first-time ever … and only through May 31^st, we are offering a special 5-for-50 package … five autographed copies of Silent Alarm for $50.  This is only available by calling our office at 630-357-7897.  We hope you will be part of our wake-up call by sharing the message in a meaningful way with those you care about most!

2.       Special Postings and Give-Aways  The Front Porch will be packed with celebration.  All blogs, JOHN TV and our May 2010 Issue of “The Front Porch” newsletter will be focused exclusively on Silent Alarm throughout the month.  We hope you will join the conversation by posting your comments and becoming eligible to win one of the 25 personalized copies of Silent Alarm to be given away throughout the month of May.

3.       New Formats for Waking-up  We will be busy throughout the month working with Greenleaf Book Group and BackThird Studios on the upcoming summer release of the Audio, Ebook and Large Print editions of Silent Alarm.

4.       Free Discussion Guide  Many small groups and book clubs have experienced some amazing conversations by using Silent Alarm.  The Silent Alarm Discussion Guide is available to download for free in the hopes that it will encourage group discussion or continued personal reflection.

5.       Finally … Silent Alarm in a “flash”  This summer we will release a “flash movie” in celebration of the fifth year of Silent Alarm.  With music, pictures and words of inspiration … we hope it will serve as a gentle alarm for waking-up … that can be passed person to person via the internet.  We hope you will enjoy it when it comes to or in-box!  There has never been a better time for waking-up … than there will be this summer!

Beyond Our Intentions

This morning, I was attending a breakfast meeting for the Chicago Executive Forum. After listening to a thought-provoking presentation, we were given some questions to discuss at our table. The presentation and the questions triggered some meaningful conversation. My friend, Tricia Krohmer, was sitting at our table … and one of her comments really got me thinking:

It was simple and powerful … knowing the difference of having intentions vs.being intentional.

Just a few letters different … but worlds apart. Both take effort. Both require some level of focus. But one is a way to set some goals … and one is a way of life. One depends on the hope of someday … and the other is about making the most of this day.

In a world that is exponentially moving faster … I think it would do us well to recommit to being more intentional. Maybe then our good intentions wouldn’t be needed at all … for they would, most likely, have already been done!

John TV: Episode #18

No one is clueless … unless you choose to be.  Clues are the glue to our life.  You might want to look around and get one!

John TV: Episode #16

So what’s ON SALE?  Never hurts to do a little soul-searching!

John TV: Episode #14

 

 We don’t go running away from our values.  We go drifting away.  And one day we wake-up in a place we never meant to be … drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.                                                                     - GOOD to the CORE

John TV: Episode #12

 

 Wherever this Christmas takes you … be there!  Make this Holiday Season mean something to you … and especially to those around you.  Merry Christmas!

2nd Annual Twelve Days of Gratitude

The 2nd Annual Twelve Days of Gratitude (Dec 1st- 12th) is underway.  Last year I introduced the 12-Days of Gratitude in my Front Porch Newsletter and again made the challenge in the recent November issue.

The concept is to write a note of gratitude to 12 different people who have made an impact in your life.  One note each day for 12 consecutive days … from December 1st through 12th.  If the intended recipient is still alive, mail it to them.  If not, simply tuck it in a treasured file.

Last December, numerous people took-up this challenge.  Some managed to write all 12 days … others did whatever they could.  All of them would tell you it transformed their awareness of gratitude.  It will take you about 10-minutes a day, yet the return on investment just might change your life!

Numerous people from across the nation have emailed me letting me know they are taking up this year’s challenge.  And it is not too late for you to do the same … we are now on DAY-3 but it will only take a few minutes for you to do three notes today to catch-up … and then just one a day for the rest of the journey.  If you do … I have a feeling, beginning on Sunday, December 13th, it will likely transform how you experience the 12-days of Christmas!

Grab a stack of notes cards and a pen … and let your celebration of gratitude begin!