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Articles from Valencia Ray | Selfgrowth.com
- Slow Down to Accelerate Your Results - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2013 from Valencia RayProductivity is not simply activity. Without a clear vision, a heartfelt why, and a clear strategy, you will waste your resources - time, energy and money. You will also increase the likelihood that you will create dis-ease in your body from overworking and stress. On the surface, these ...
Views: 1116 - Optimism Optimizes Your Performance - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2013 from Valencia RayUnderstanding optimism is important to elevating your performance. Finally, the power of feelings and emotions are beginning to be openly discussed within the context of science, business, and leadership. Historically, the term "touchy feely" has been used to dismiss important aspects of ...
Views: 1112(1 vote) - Clarity Takes Courage - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2013 from Valencia RayClarity is powerful and is a primary ingredient to performing at your best. It is poorly understood and generally not a feature of most people's strategies. Why? Because we are too busy being busy. We take pride in taking "massive action." Yet, if you are not clear about where you want to go ...
Views: 1072 - Storytelling: Directing Your Life on Purpose, with Purpose - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2013 from Valencia RayWe love storytelling; this love affair begins in childhood and we never outgrow it. Our brain is a "storytelling" organ, made perfectly for creating storyline. Life is not as objective as it appears on the surface. Via our perceptions of how we interpret the facts and experiences of our lives, ...
Views: 1098(1 vote) - How to Create More Time - On Purpose - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2013 from Valencia RayCreating time, at first, sounds ridiculous - until you understand how we co-create our "reality." Of course, when speaking of linear time there are only 24 hours to a day, and everyone receives equal amounts. Yet, if you keep talking about how fast 'time flies' and do not realize that you are ...
Views: 1361 - Authentic Leadership: The Eye of the Heart Sees Everything - by Submitted on Jul 30, 2013 from Valencia RayIs it 'eye' or 'I'? That is the question. It is interesting that they are pronounced the same. The physical eye allows you to see the physical world. The 'I'-who you think you are-determines the clarity of your perception: how you see the world and your life experience. Authentic leadership ...
Views: 1054(1 vote) - Emotional Intelligence: The Heart of Great Leadership - by Submitted on Jul 24, 2013 from Valencia RayEmotion and feeling have been given a bum rap. Emotion and feeling powerfully impact our behavior, decision-making, health, quality of relationships and life experience. To ignore them is to attempt to ignore half of our human nature. Navigating them intelligently has a definite leadership and ...
Views: 1102(1 vote) - Productivity and Performance: The Myth of Hard Work - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2013 from Valencia RayDoes success require stress and hard work as a means to reach your goal? I say no, and there is even objective neuroscience to support my belief and experience. "Hard work and stress" is a type of paradigm or mindset. I have had conversations with several people over time regarding whether ...
Views: 1206 - Emotional Intelligence: Mind Has Heart - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2013 from Valencia RayEmotional intelligence helps us to be smarter about our emotion. Emotion is a part of our mind-body connection. It is another expression of our intelligence. Feelings are the effect of our emotional perception. They add color to our lives. I say "perception" because how we look at a situation ...
Views: 958 - Creativity: The Creative Force of Words - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2013 from Valencia RayThe creative process is advanced in the direction we desire - or not - by the power of our words. Words energize our thoughts. Words are our thoughts spoken out loud; they set the trajectory for our thoughts. They are one step closer to determining the actions we take. Guard your thoughts; they ...
Views: 1164(1 vote) - Neuroscience of Leadership: Making Change Easier - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2013 from Valencia RayChange is the theme of our times. We can either embrace it and proactively create the change we want to see or allow it to randomly come upon us. Either way, change will continue to be a part of our lives. Neuroscience can help us as leaders to learn how to optimally operate our truly amazing ...
Views: 976(1 vote) - 3 Reasons Why Sleep Makes You a Better Leader - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2013 from Valencia RaySleep is apparently a little known secret to good leadership that is critical to high performance and well-being. It is not just for beauty rest; there are plenty of leadership and health reasons for getting a good night's sleep. It has unfortunately become acceptable and even encouraged in ...
Views: 1051(1 vote) - Emotional Intelligence: From Quiet Desperation to Real Happiness - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2013 from Valencia RayEmotional Intelligence is the mind of the heart, the right-brain in metaphoric terms. Realize that language has its limitations, and speaking in terms of the English language subtleties can be lost - such as having only one word for 'love'. When culture moved away from communicating with images, ...
Views: 1047 - Personal Development: What's the 'Self' in Self-Actualization? - by Submitted on May 29, 2013 from Valencia RayI was listening to a video by an author where he defined 'self-actualization' in terms of ego or selfish individualism - a type of narcissism. This goes to show the limitations of language and how meaning can be confused. The 'self' in self-actualization, in my mind, is just the opposite. It is ...
Views: 1597(1 vote) - Transformational Leadership: A Real Change Leader Leads Change - by Submitted on May 21, 2013 from Valencia RayA real change leader is courageous in dealing with personal growth - changing one's self. Let's be clear here; personal growth is not about 'fixing yourself'. It is about learning and growing to reach more of your true potential. A leader will need to acknowledge her or his fear and keep moving ...
Views: 921(1 vote) - The Eye of Leadership Performance - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership, as do people, evolves. Seeing through the eye of the leader has taken on a whole new level of meaning in light of recent advances in cognitive neuroscience. When a leader realizes that how she or he perceives their self, their team members, and the organization powerfully matters to ...
Views: 1246(1 vote) - Innovation: Two Brains are Better than One - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2013 from Valencia RayInnovation and creativity optimization requires mental agility. When we can flexibly move between and integrate our two hemispheres, we can tap our 'two brains'. They work best together, collaboratively. We have a right and left-brain for good reason… good reasoning. When we are too far on ...
Views: 1240(3 votes) - Self-Awareness: The Great and Powerful Oz - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2013 from Valencia RaySelf-awareness helps us wake up to aspects that are already present within us - we just don't see them. The blind spots of our society's conditioning over time can cause us to focus on what is allegedly 'wrong with us'. Sure, we all have shortcomings that challenge us to grow. These behaviors ...
Views: 1055(2 votes) - Change Management: From Survival to Thrival - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2013 from Valencia RayManaging change effectively involves managing mindset. Where your mind is set determines if change is scary and 'hard' or exciting and 'easier'. I don't want to imply that change will be without discomfort, but it doesn't have to be downright painful. How you see it - perception - matters. ...
Views: 1365 - Mindfulness Meditation: Live in Peace, Not Pieces - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2013 from Valencia RayInner peace is closer than you realize. You don't have to do any thing. In fact, it is your tendency to need to do something that is driving peace of mind out of reach. We have been taught to separate our self into pieces. Be one way at home and one way at office. One way at church or temple and ...
Views: 1283(1 vote) - Leadership Beyond Gender - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership development is another area of personal and professional growth that is, not surprisingly, undergoing change. What we historically attribute to leadership style is no longer working as we move further and further away from a one-size-fits-all workplace to a more collaborative culture ...
Views: 1196(1 vote) - Self-Awareness: Life Is a Hero’s Journey - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2013 from Valencia RayWe human beings love stories. One of the all-time favorite themes is ‘The Hero’s Journey’. Adventure stories and lessons from fairy tales were, and still are, at the top of my list of favorite movies, books, and conversations. This is why movies like “The Hobbit,” “Lord of the Rings,” and even ...
Views: 1538(1 vote) - Are You Really ‘Fixing’ Yourself, or Are You Simply ‘Learning’? - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership and developing emotional intelligence is really personal growth and development. It is important to distinguish this. If leaders want to become more empathetic, engaging and inspiring, we must recognize that we need to change our self first. One reason why this feels so threatening ...
Views: 1098(1 vote) - Why Optimally Operating Your Brain Matters So Much - by Submitted on Jan 29, 2013 from Valencia RayProductivity and performance matter, and underneath this is how we think. We load up on ‘what to do?’ but the deeper question is ‘how do we think about it?’. If we think that work and life are hard and that to be successful we have to feel pressure or stress, we are likely to dampen our level of ...
Views: 1074 - Leadership: The Courage to Actually Lead - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2013 from Valencia RayReal leadership is about having the courage to inspire change and engage the heart of others to take action. Not just action for the sake of action; there also needs to be clarity of ‘why’ you are choosing a given course of action. What are you as a leader doing that is different than you did ...
Views: 1112(1 vote) - Be YOU, Magnificently – Is that Arrogant? - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2013 from Valencia RayLeaders, and people in general, are searching for new answers. New answers – innovation – require an open mind. I hear and read much about innovation. Much is being said about ‘cutting edge’ and ‘embracing change’ and leaders leading. Still, many people cling to what they know. How do you ...
Views: 1101(1 vote) - Personal Power Increases with a Purpose Filter - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2013 from Valencia RayPersonal power and a sense of purpose are at the foundation of real productivity. Having a sense of purpose that is compelling for you fuels personal power and passion. Personal power is not about ‘power over’ others. It is not even about always ‘being in control’ over the environment. Haven’t ...
Views: 1041(2 votes) - Neuroscience: Closing the Gap Between Intellect and Heart - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2013 from Valencia RayHaving a neuroscience background and having owned and operated a surgical and medical practice for many years prepared me for the new next level expression of my life purpose – to restore vision. It’s obvious how an eye surgeon restores vision. Then there’s expanding the vision for one’s life – ...
Views: 1407(3 votes) - Collaborative Leadership: Obama Tech Team Lessons in Adaptability - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2012 from Valencia RayA brilliant example of collaborative leadership in action is illustrated in an article I read in yesterday’s Sunday Business Section of the newspaper entitled “Obama Tech Team Ventures Forward”: Collaborative Leadership Structure is an innovation to the traditional hierarchical structure. It ...
Views: 1582(4 votes) - Mindset Matters: Is the Heart Always Right? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2012 from Valencia RayMindset is like a thermostat. Where your mind is set, like a thermostat. The setting holds the temperature—temperament, as in mindset—in place. Mindset settings have two basic ingredients: thoughts and feelings. Belief is formed from emotionalized thought that has an assigned meaning. Brain ...
Views: 1142(2 votes) - Neuroscience of Leadership and Change: Embracing the Millennium of the Mind - by Submitted on Dec 12, 2012 from Valencia RayLeadership and personal development can be most effectively integrated into corporate and entrepreneurial training programs when approached through the gateway of neuroscience and brain research. It is our amazing brain that allows us to engage conscious reasoning, choice, and to imagine ...
Views: 1050(1 vote) - The Emotional Brain and Leadership That Resonates - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2012 from Valencia RayThe term “Resonate Leadership” reminds me of the ability it requires to play my piano skillfully. When I play the notes in harmony, it is soothing and harmonic. When played out of alignment and ignorantly, instead of music to my ears, it becomes unpleasant noise. This concept of “Resonance and ...
Views: 1057(1 vote) - Leadership, Personal Growth and Maslow – Beyond Theory - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2012 from Valencia RayI’ve noticed leadership and personal development being associated with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework in online and offline conversations these days. Maslow was obviously a thought leader, especially ahead of his time. I see an interesting twist, however, that deviates from the ...
Views: 1134(1 vote) - Leadership Development Means Business - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2012 from Valencia RayLeadership development when valued in the organizational culture can mean more business, more employee engagement, and more fulfillment at work. Another word for leadership development is “personal development.” Leadership development done “on purpose” can lead to teams that have a sense of ...
Views: 958(2 votes) - Collaborative Leadership: Are You a Mindful Leader? - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2012 from Valencia RayMindful leadership is an idea whose time is here… now. Now is the present moment, and unless you can be self-aware enough to listen to what is present to you, here, now, you are not showing up as a mindful leader. Mindfulness takes practice, particularly in our hyperactive culture, which is full ...
Views: 1256(1 vote) - Work-Life Integration: Do Long Hours Equal Productivity? - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2012 from Valencia RayIt seems to me that many people are short on time and long on things to do. This certainly was an issue of mine also at one time. What I learned during those years was that time wasn’t the issue as much as was energy and focus. Lack of clarity and reflection time often drain the brain. When ...
Views: 1070(1 vote) - Making Innovation Easier by Retraining Your Brain - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2012 from Valencia RayInnovation has become more respected as a concept within the scope of business. “Business as usual” is no longer supporting competitive advantage. We are now looking for ways to change the status quo. This is quite a change from the recent past—at least on the surface. We say we want innovation ...
Views: 1104(1 vote) - Corporate Team Productivity Lessons from a Cow Farmer - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2012 from Valencia RayHigh-level productivity is a product of happiness—even in cows. There’s a lot of talk on the airwaves about innovation, productivity, employee engagement, and team building”…lots of talk. It’s really time for more action. I will say that I am seeing signs that people are finally realizing that ...
Views: 1040 - A Fragile Self-Image Makes Happiness Elusive - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2012 from Valencia RayHappiness will be elusive as long as a man or woman builds their self-image or worth based on what they do and how much money they make. I read an article this weekend in The New York Times Magazine bemoaning the fact that many men are losing their self-worth because their “macho” jobs are going ...
Views: 1318 - Life Purpose: A Little Known Secret to Tap Your True Potential - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2012 from Valencia RayYour true potential is an existing possibility that needs to be cultivated and nurtured. We all have a purpose for being born. You are not a random accident. Yet, many people do not realize that how we see our self is a huge determinant of whether or not we pursue a higher vision for our life. ...
Views: 1057 - Personal Development: The Value of Meaning and Passion - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2012 from Valencia RayKnowing your life purpose makes life more meaningful and fulfilling. It gives you the “why” to look forward to in your day, in your work, and in your life overall. Knowing your true values can point you in the direction of your purpose; they underpin meaning. Otherwise, you may find yourself in ...
Views: 1099 - Olympic Leadership for 21st Century Clarity and Confidence - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2012 from Valencia RayLeadership is evolving, and it needs to. A one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach is no longer working, and for good reason. The immense change we are facing is requiring leaders to be authentic and vulnerable, which means “less fear,” not weak, and in touch with their own individual ...
Views: 1080 - Fear of Conflict in Team-Building — What’s So Scary? - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2012 from Valencia RayTeam dysfunction is at the heart of much organizational dysfunction. After all, people comprise teams and teams create organizations. Or, let’s work backwards: if we want to improve organizations, we need to develop individual people. Notice I said, “develop,” not “fix” or “improve.” Our view of ...
Views: 2855(1 vote) - Is Your MindSET for Productivity with Greater Ease? - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2012 from Valencia RayProductivity does not need to be hard. Hard work does not define success, nor real productivity. Success as we tend to define it does not often equal happiness, either. Perhaps if we stop implying that hard work and success are required before we can be happy, we can be happy as we work and ...
Views: 1196 - The Optimism Bias: Is it Bad for You? - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2012 from Valencia RayOptimism and happiness are interconnected. With the world around us changing as rapidly as it is in our business environment these days, being optimistic can make a very significant difference. Yet, I sometimes hear online and offline comments that being optimistic is not realistic, or even ...
Views: 1612(1 vote) - Emotional Intelligence: I Feel, Therefore I Am - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2012 from Valencia RayEmotional intelligence is beginning to be recognized as a powerful contributor to business intelligence—“soft” skill or not. I’m all for respecting the intellect, and I’m all for respecting our intuitive feeling mind, as well. I have a book on order called “Descartes Error,” by Antonio R. ...
Views: 1778 - Engaging Employees Begins with an Engaged Leader - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2012 from Valencia RayEmployee engagement evolves organically from a leader’s engaging behavior and an engaging organizational culture. It is really not a “formula.” It boils down to leading and creating organizational culture in ways that stimulate trust, show interest in the individual’s wellbeing, and stimulate ...
Views: 1277(1 vote) - Happiness: Are You Confusing Your Career with Your Life? - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2012 from Valencia RayHappiness can be so fleeting for many because we have our priorities backwards. Many people connect their sense of self-worth with their career, with what they “do.” What you “do” is not the same as who you are. Now for many this statement will sound totally confusing. “Of course,” you may ...
Views: 1040 - Leadership: Inspiring Others is Only the First Step - by Submitted on Aug 07, 2012 from Valencia RayOur leadership “true potential” is not realized simply by inspiring others or feeling inspired or just having more information. Knowledge is not really power until it is applied. Recognition or an “aha” are only nice, interesting tidbits until you muster up the courage to make the change. ...
Views: 1079 - Collaborative Leadership: Does the Leader Need to Know it All? - by Submitted on Jul 31, 2012 from Valencia RayCollaborative leadership allows others to get their “voice” in the room. As long as there is a healthy level of trust, the terms of group meeting engagement can be explicit. This allows for a culture that can embrace a diversity of thought, which is something that is crucial for innovation. ...
Views: 1062(1 vote)