Workplace Wisdom...
Discover Fulfillment in Life and Work
with Michelle Y. Drake

Every interaction, reflection, observation...physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual...contributes to the mosaic of who we are.

We choose to put ourselves into some situations, but have no choice in others. We are shaped by both.

We may not be able to always control our environment but we can control our reaction to that environment.

This week what will you control?

Watch what I have to say about becoming a leader here and here.

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Labels: career-advancement, inspiration

When my sons were little they liked to "help" me.

To the by-stander it may not have been apparent. The chore they loved best was washing the windows and front door glass.

They had an interesting technique, they would spit on the glass and then take their little hands and smear the liquid around...Just like mommy and the cleaning spray and cloth.

They were always so proud and enthusiatic about their work. I have to admit that I encouraged them to "help" me. So I brought my double-time workload on myself.

There are many people who "help" in our lives the same way the boys "helped" me.

It might be

• a well-intentioned mother who consoles an over-weight child with homemade cookies
• a bitter friend who "bashes" your spouse when they perceive you have been wronged
• a negative relative who always feels compelled to tell you why your idea or dream can't work

While these "helping" actions are usually not meant to do you harm...They create more work for us in our lives.

We all need to be more aware of how to best respond to these well-intentioned sabatours. Carefully protecting ourselves, our relationships and our creative ideas so we are not manipulated by someone else's perspective of life.

Ask yourself...

Is this feedback, response, action really helping me move closer to my joyful life?

Well, is it?

Labels: inspiration, success-stories, workplace-survival

As I have been preparing all of my family's favorite dishes for Easter I noticed something remarkable...

I can smell my quiet voice...And the nurturing voices of the women of my past.

Does that sound a bit, well, woo-woo? Well, have you ever smelled something and been transported to a very vivid memory? That is what I am talking about.

For me the quiet of cooking evokes smells of my childhood...Different dishes trigger different feelings and voices.

Bread, Wedding Soup, Pizza Roustica, Pizzelles, Honey Balls and Bow Ties...Evoke the voices of My Mother, Aunt Marie, Nana and My Aunt Jennie.

The smell of bread baking...

the rhythm of kneading the bread...

the smooth texture as it begins to become what it was born to become...

I am the bread and the baker!

I hear my Aunt Jennie (she died a few years ago at 96 years old) a little powerhouse of a woman who taught me lessons on being faith-filled, disciplined, giving and generous, direct in speaking my mind and how to bake bread. All these lessons came with a special twinkle in her eye...She was fresh and playful right to the end.

Aunt Jennie called me Michealina and made me "earn" the bread recipe...Leaving a few steps out each time... I would try to make the bread like hers, and when it did not come out "nice, nice" I would call her for help and she would give me another trick...Eventually I earned the full deal and am now charged with passing the recipe down so that both it and Aunt Jennie lives forever.

At the holidays I bake 10 pounds of flour...The smell is in the house all day long...About 10 loaves get baked. I spend time with Aunt Jennie and myself as I cook.

Work keeps me on a very fast pace...

This special kind of quiet time keeps me connected to the women and traditions of my people...

Which ultimately keeps me connected to my best self.

I encourage you to inhale, smell your quiet and rediscover yourself!

Labels: inspiration, success-stories