Leaning on Others

Have you ever had to rely on others for your life? I did 2 weeks ago (the reason I have not written recently).

I survived a 2 vehicle car crash and surgery. The people that came to the scene were incredible - calming me, phoning my husband, holding my hand, asking me questions to keep me alert...Then at the hospital, nurses and doctors kept informing me of what was going to happen before it happened (including just before they cut off my clothes to be sure I was not hurt seriously and before they inserted a cathider). I had to trust them to move me from a bed to the examination tables and back again. I had to trust them to reset my broken ankle after putting me asleep.

Once in a room, I had to learn to call people when I needed help getting up or moving around in my bed. And a day or so later, I had to trust a physiotherapist's advice to lean on a walker for support when walking or moving in and out of a shower.

Going to my mother in law's to put my foot up for 2 weeks and to begin to heal emotionally too, I learned a great deal about our community - that there are a tremendous amount of supportive services for people who have been in accidents. The police, victim services, personal home care and mental health associations have been amazing.

But I think that the reason they have been amazing is because I have made a choice to let them help me. I need the support as do my family and friends. This has been tough and has brought many changes into our lives. By leaning on others who partner with people in need, my life is deeply enriched in a way that I never expected.

Thank you to all the paramedics, nurses, doctors, therapists, friends, neighbors, and family who are a part of my recovery. Thank you for allowing me to lean on you. You have encouraged my heart.

Keep Partnering!

Wanda

Kaizen means "continually growing" in Japanese.
Are you tapping into your richness?
http://www.kaizenworks.org

Aaak! Delegation Mud!

THAT’S BEEN ON MY LIST FOR FAR TOO LONG! I’M STUCK! I HAVE SOMEONE WORKING WITH ME BUT I’M NOT GETTING MORE DONE THAN I WAS BEFORE! SOMEONE WANTS TO WORK WITH ME BUT I DON’T HAVE TIME! I’M OVERWHELMED!

If you are in any of these predicaments, I am so happy for you! That means you are growing and that your business is too.

So, smart ass (that’s me :) ), what can someone do if they are in any of these situations?

Great question!

All too often the idea of having people working alongside us as partners (whether a Virtual Assistant, Artistic Staff, Business Partner, Receptionist, Executive Assistant, Technical Assistant) is nothing more than a grand and exciting idea or intention. When it comes to actually doing the creating of the partnership, we fight obstacles and often allow them to slow down our momentum. Here are some more examples:

• I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START
• I’VE ALWAYS DONE IT MYSELF
• I KNOW HOW TO DO IT BEST
• IT TAKES TIME TO TEACH THEM AND I DON’T HAVE IT.
• I’M TIRED ENOUGH AS IT IS AND YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?
• I DON’T THINK I CAN KEEP THEM BUSY
• WILL THEY REALLY LIKE WORKING WITH ME?

If any of these statements describes your attitude, I want to encourage you that there is definitely something you can do to move past this in your partnerships. The only question is do you want to stay where you are or do you want a shining life giving relationship with your partner??? It’s your call.

In this one short article, we are not going to be able to address in detail these limiting thoughts. But, let’s take a look at each of them briefly to get you started on a more productive and nurturing path:

• THAT’S BEEN ON MY LIST FOR FAR TOO LONG! - Sometimes our priorities change. Is this item no longer a priority for you?

• I’M STUCK! - What is stopping you? Can you talk to someone about it? This usually helps to bring forward what is truly happening.

• I HAVE SOMEONE WORKING WITH ME BUT I’M NOT GETTING MORE DONE THAN I WAS BEFORE! - When this occurs, it is usually because we are not giving over the things we would rather not do and holding onto them for ourselves. What do you love? Focus on that and give the rest away.

• I’M OVERWHELMED! - I love the saying in Coaching, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The same is true for delegating. Take a small item and start.

• I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START - Is there one little task that you could possibly delegate to this person that you have not been able to accomplish?

• I’VE ALWAYS DONE IT MYSELF - True. You probably have. But is it something you LOVE to do? Wouldn’t you much rather delegate the things you don’t love as much to someone who enjoys supporting you?

• I KNOW HOW TO DO IT BEST - Do you? Well, maybe so. But would there not be value in getting someone else’s input? Maybe their ideas will refresh the process.

• IT TAKES TIME TO TEACH THEM AND I DON’T HAVE IT. - Who runs your time - your work or you? I hope it is you. What item of work could you choose to put aside right now to make room for planning and handing over this one item?

• I’M TIRED ENOUGH AS IT IS AND YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT? - It’s true. Many of us are tired. I’ve experienced how truly rejuvenating it is to see myself give over something to someone else. Maybe it will build you up to the point where you want to do more???

• I DON’T THINK I CAN KEEP THEM BUSY - If you are in a place where you don’t have a lot of work yet, that’s ok. Start gradually with a small package of hours or a small agreement.

• WILL THEY REALLY LIKE WORKING WITH ME? - That is up to you. How can you make it fun? How can you ensure communicate regularly?

Are you interested in knowing more about how to move these kinds of blocks in your partnerships? Would it help to talk with someone else about what you have been experiencing?

If you are interested in looking at this further, Kaizen Works is looking at the possibility of hosting and leading a teleseminar on this subject.


If you would like to have the information on this seminar sent to you, please fill out and submit this short form on the webpage below. It will assist us to prepare to have a conversation around this topic.

Please note that you will receive a verification email which you must respond to in order to hear back from us.

To sign up, go to: www.resources.kaizenworks.org/partnerseminar.html

Be sure to tell your friends about this all important discussion!

Keep partnering!

Wanda
www.kaizenworks.org