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The Power of Connectedness and Lemon Baked Haddock
For the most part, I work from home. This of course does not include the time that I am teaching at the studio, but alas, I do have an additional, regular, full time position as a business consultant which involves a lot of time at my computer or on the phone. When I explain this, it is confusing to many people, conjuring up a variety of misconceptions or delusions, ranging from “oh wow – that is awesome, working in your pajamas everyday or taking the afternoons off right?” to “yeahhhh right, you don’t really do very much work do you?” or “that must be really hard to stay focused and…
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The Strategy of Convenience and Whole 30 Coconut Crusted Chicken Fingers with “Honey” Mustard Dipping Sauce
Let’s get one thing straight – I have not always been a super healthy eater. While I have always liked my veggies and fruits, I also liked my fast food, sweets, and prepackaged convenience foods. When I was younger, I was all about what was easy and “tasted good” and not too concerned about the health (or lack thereof) in the foods that I was eating, plus I lived down the street from a Steak and Shake. According to Google, there are some Steak and Shake locations in the EU, but none in Ireland, so for those who may not know, it is a fast food diner type restaurant with…
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Enjoying the Process, Rosy Prospection, and Slow Cooker Balsamic Roast with Cauliflower Mash
Have you ever noticed that sometimes the anticipation of an event is even better than the actual event itself? The excitement of looking forward to something quite often makes a holiday, vacation, celebration or night out much richer and greater than the sum of its parts. Psychology refers to this phenomenon as the “rosy prospection” and according to researchers, Terence R. Mitchell and Leigh Thompson, it is the “tendency for people to anticipate events as more favorable and positive than they describe the experience at the time of its occurrence.” There are a multitude of variables which contribute to this effect (which tends to be more specific and situational that…
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Adventures in Brainstorming and the “A Team Salad”
Throughout my studies in both psychology and business and my professional life thus far, I have been fortunate enough to participate in many ongoing learning, training and certification opportunities. Some have been quite niche or nuanced and others more broad and generic. Topics have ranged from leadership development to time management and goal setting techniques; from interpersonal skills like conflict resolution or negotiation to project management and so on. And a lot of these programs or protocols, especially my Six Sigma training, have emphasized brainstorming as an invaluable and critical first step to problem solving and identification of root causes as well as potential solutions. And to be honest, I…
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The Profound Impact of Others and Paleo Fish Tacos
The power of word of mouth is phenomenal. There are so many times that I personally have been influenced or influenced someone else’s decision by a simple referral or recommendation (or avoided a situation or product based on someone’s negative review). According to Nielsen, 92% of all consumers trust and believe recommendations from friends and family members over all other forms of advertising and even anonymous online reviewers have a 70% trust rate. And beyond just purchasing decisions we can be persuaded or dissuaded to pursue certain goals, activities, or decisions in our careers and personal lives. Researching which is best or what we should do is often only more…
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Fresh Starts with Fall Resolutions and Fiesta Worthy Taco Muffins
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald I CANNOT believe it is September already. Seriously, where did the summer go?! Although it was fabulous, I feel like I blinked and it was over just like that. And already things are feeling different. Fall means not only a bit cooler weather, beautiful changing leaves, and my personal favorite clothing color palette, but also for many people – a fresh start or opportunity to reset our lives with a semi-clean slate. In fact, it has been said that September is the new January when it comes to setting goals and making…
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Mediterranean Memories and Inspired Simple Salmon Sheet Pan Recipe
Something that I have come to appreciate more and more over the years is value of a photo. It is tangible little reminder of a person, a place or a happy time which conjures up memories that might otherwise fade or be forgotten. Pictures act as type of journal documenting our lives – monumental occasions and milestones and sometimes the more mundane, but simple pleasures and experiences. And both research and personal experience shows that time spent reflecting on the good times in the past, can often make us feel happier in the present. I was recently reminded of this when I saw a post from this time last year…
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The Trouble with Work Travel (and Buffalo Chicken Salad to the Rescue)
I am back in London again today, albeit this time around for business meetings as opposed to “Pilates-marathon-training.” So needless to say there will be less tucking and messy buns and more dresses and PowerPoint over the next few days. As I have mentioned, I tend to travel quite frequently between work and fun and although I find that my habits and routine are quite durable back at home, I must confess that the business trips are the hardest times for me to stay on track. When I travel for pleasure, I build time into my schedule for my habits and the things that I enjoy, which does include working out…
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Leveraging the Familiarity Principle :: Basil Artichoke Chicken Butternut Squash Pasta with Cauliflower Alfredo
When facing an opportunity to make a change in our lives we usually have two options: to orchestrate a big, sweeping, dramatic shift or to take small, incremental steps of progress in the desired direction. There are certainly merits to both approaches and the ultimate efficacy of either is dependent upon our own proclivities, the nature of the change that we are tasked with, and the circumstances and other constraints surrounding it. There are many cases where people have been struck by a lightning bolt, new insight, or deep conviction which caused them to instantaneously start or stop doing something virtually overnight and never look back. A new idea completely…
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From Arts and Crafts to Avocado Caprese Chicken Salad
As I contemplated my love for Sunday Brunch and the fabulous friendships I have had throughout the years, I reflected, as I have many times in the past, on the fact that for me – the time best spent has always been that which involves engaging in deep conversation. Most of the people that I have chosen to surround myself with also enjoy endless hours of discourse and metacognition, often focused on our own introspections and observations of the world around us. For me, this “thinking about thinking” and examination of mental and emotional processes has been not only a valuable source of knowledge, but also so fascinating to me…
