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In This Issue: July 26, 2007
- What Stops Coaching from Flourishing? I’m curious about what gets in the way of coaching really working in organizations – and I’m also giving a workshop on that very topic in October. If you’re involved in coaching in organizations, please take five minutes to answer my survey.
- Three Sources of Happiness. I’ve stumbled onto three powerful sources of personal happiness over the last month or so, all connected around the power of giving.
- Market Place Product of the Month I’m moving offices – and REALLY don’t want to hump stuff from one place to another. So I’ve put together a couple of great specials for a limited period, to help reduce my heavy load (and to give you a great bargain or two).
 Warm wishes,
Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons
PS - Know anyone who could use a little more happiness in their life? Please forward Outside the Lines to anyone you think might be interested.
What Stops Coaching from Flourishing?
I'm presenting a workshop called "Coaching 2.0" at the OD Network Conference in Baltimore in October and I need your help.
In the workshop, I will explore what allows coaching to REALLY flourish in organizations.
To do that, I want to understand the barriers that stop coaching from having the impact it might.
If you work in an organization, or provide coaching to an organization, I’d greatly appreciate you taking 5 minutes (or less) to complete this quick survey on coaching in organizations. You can take the survey now
As a thank you, I'll happily send you (if you wish) the results of this survey AND the handouts from the conference.
You can access the survey here
Three Sources of Happiness
Why bother being happy?
I’ve read the claim that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile (although no one seems to know exactly how many) and I assume that being happy is a good thing…
But apart from saving energy, what’s really in it for me?
As it happens, a bunch of things.
Robert Biswas-Diener & Ben Dean’s wise and useful book, Positive Psychology Coaching lists some of the benefits research has discovered – happy people live longer, stay married longer, make more money, receive better evaluation from supervisors, take fewer sick days, are more altruistic and more creative.
That’s not a bad start.
Part of your level of happiness is genetic – you’re just born with an inclination or otherwise to be happy.
But only part. Studies show that much of our individual happiness has to do with our intentional activities, and how we create meaning in our world.
So in the quest to bump up your Happiness Quotient, here are three ways to get more of that warm and fuzzy feeling
1. Give It Your Best
One of the most powerful coaching questions I know, and one I often start a coaching session with is, “What’s working?”
Much has been written about working from one’s strengths – but for many cultures, it’s a far more practiced place to look to what’s not working or where we’re lacking or not quite up to scratch.
In the glorious words of Baloo the Bear from the Jungle Book movie: “Accentuate the Positive…”
Understanding and then working from your strengths is not just more fun. It’s also easier.
Action
You’ll probably be able to take a fair stab at what your strengths are. But now you can get really specific.
Take the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire (VIA stands for Values in Action), a free way to find and rank 24 strengths here. It’s been taken by more than 30,000 people around the world, and is run by Martin Seligman – a giant in this field – so it’s a rock solid way to find out what you’re best at.
Anyone who’s remotely interested in coaching should at this stage pick up Positive Psychology Coaching (which I mention above). This is a truly excellent book - it’s already in my top five books that have influenced my coaching. It’s got wise things to say about happiness (many of them counterintuitive), useful resources (such as the questionnaire above), and practical demonstrations on how to use this material to coach.
2. Give it a rest
The second half of Baloo the Bear’s snappy line is “…eliminate the negative/Forget about your worries and your strife.”
What would it be like to put down the burden of the various worries and concerns nagging away at you?
How much time and energy would that free up for you? How much would it allow you to better be with the people you love in your life?
Action
I’m not a fan of most viral movies – ironic, seeing as many of you came to this newsletter through The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun.
I recently came across one that actually struck a chord– it’s called The Trouble Tree and it’s well worth giving yourself 3 minutes to hear its message
Also, consider signing up for their newsletter at the end of the movie. It’s for the Gimundo website which does a great service by providing news that “focuses on the positive and celebrates the GOOD”
3. Give It Away
The other day on the radio, someone was talking about one of the most effective means of preventing suicide.
Volunteer.
“People who are showing up to help on Tuesday don’t kill themselves on Monday.”
One of the factors that influences your happiness is your social network, and one way to weave yourself into that network and be connected is by giving someone your time.
Action
Give someone a helping hand.
It doesn’t have to be a big thing – a child, a spouse, a friend. Or it can be stepping up and giving your time to one of the thousands of small groups who are doing good in your community.
A fantastic book on this is Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World by Marc and Craig Kielburger. The Kielburgers founded Free the Children and Leaders Today when they were teenagers. Their book brings together their own stories and those of others such as Jane Goodall and Oprah Winfrey and practical advice on how to get involved.
You might also be inspired by checking out the website “The Richest People in America” here (a hint: it’s not about the cash), introduced to me by Denise Mosawi of Destineering.
Don't take my word for it
Smart folks thinking out loud about the give and take of life:
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
-Winston Churchill, British statesman
"Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present."
-Albert Camus, French philosopher
"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis."
-Margaret Wander Bonanno, American writer
“Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route.”
-Charles Caleb Colton, English cleric
"Be happy. It's one way of being wise."
-Colette, French writer
Want to learn more? Here are some useful resources
You can find out more about Positive Psychology Coaching, Me to We and the Jungle Book movie on my Bookshelf here
Market Place Product of the Month
I mentioned in the last newsletter that Box of Crayons is moving, and this week we signed the lease on the new office space. Woo hoo!
All very exciting – except for the thought of carrying heavy boxes of products from one location to the next.
So my goal is to sell my remaining 280 copies of Get Unstuck & Get Going on the stuff that matters in the next month, before we move.
I’ve put together two possible choices to help me help you help me help you (you get the picture).
1. Upgrade
Have you ever had an upgrade from Economy to Business Class on a flight? I have once, and it feels like an incredible treat, a step into a little bit of luxury.
I can’t provide free champagne on take off, but I can offer you a different upgrade…
Buy the Get Unstuck & Get Going Core Program, and we’ll “bump you up” you for free to the Complete Program for free (that’s a jump from $90 value to $135).
If you don’t yet know about Get Unstuck & Get Going, you can check it out here
But here are four facts you can consider:
It’s won four awards, 1 for design and 3 for being an outstanding self help book
Famous folk such as Anita Roddick of the Body Shop think it’s cool
It’s being made into a James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig
We have not had a single copy returned of the 3000 we’ve sold
(OK – one of those wasn’t true).
You can get the upgrade at this link only
2 Whipped Cream on top
There’s ice cream. And then there’s an ice cream sundae, with whipped cream, hot chocolate fudge topping and a cherry on top.
Buy the Get Unstuck & Get Going Complete Program, for $135 and we’ll add a free Fun Pack, all the best goodies from The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun – (You can see the Fun Pack in all in all its multi-coloured glory here)
That’s an added $40 bonus – and you can access this special at this link only
Remember, you can only access the specials through these two links:
Upgrade Get Unstuck from Core to Complete
Top up the Get Unstuck Complete with the Fun Pack
This offer is good until Monday July 30, after which we’re off on vacation…
And I should add – we’re not reprinting Get Unstuck & Get Going, so these last 280 copies are in fact the last 280 copies.
Got It Going On: Michael's Speaking Gigs
I'm currently finalizing my schedule for speaking in organizations and at conferences in the second half of the year and I'm looking for some great places to come and speak.
Could I be of service to your organization? If you know someone who's responsible for booking speakers or organizing conferences, please send them my information.
In the next couple of months...
I'm taking a break for my public schedule - things will start up again in September. You can always see what's going on.
About Michael
Michael Bungay Stanier is the guy behind The Possibility Virus, an organization that provides products and services so people can have lives of fun, inspiration and action.
To learn more about his corporate offerings, see BoxOfCrayons.biz
You can find out more by contacting Michael directly at michael@boxofcrayons.biz or +1 (416) 532-1322.
Subscribe - To subscribe to Outside the Lines click here or go to PossibilityVirus.com.
Reprint - I'd be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of Outside the Lines in your newsletters, websites, and message boards. Simply include the following attribution:
Michael Bungay Stanier is a professional keynote speaker, the author of the best selling coaching tool, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters and the creator of Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun. A certified coach and Rhodes Scholar, he works with teams and organizations to help them do less Good Work and more Great Work.
Schedule - Outside the Lines is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. Your contact information is never traded, never rented, never sold.
I send out an extra email one to three times a month detailing programs and offers.
©Box of Crayons 2007. Box of Crayons is a registered trading name of Maida CC Inc.
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