Mini-Challenges (not resolutions - because resolutions are made to be broken)

This year, instead of setting a new year's resolution, I decided to try a 30-day challenge. Inspired by a TED talk suggesting that I "Try Something New for 30 Days," and an article about how writing 3 pages a day can change your life, I pulled out one of my old journals on January 1 and committed to writing a little each day for the whole month.

First, let's talk about the 3 pages (in case you didn't read the article). They have to be hand-written. So I did cheat a bit by using a smallish journal.  But the good news is the words you write DON'T MATTER. You can even write the same word over and over for 3 pages and still get the benefit.  The more I did it, the more it became a stream of consciousness - starting with a "dear diary" format, then ending up with grocery lists and reminders throughout.

It definitely made me realize how very little I sit still and think. I mean, I can sit for a LONG time and view Instagram stories or other social updates. But having to do something with my hands and brain that was not connected in any way to a screen was FOREIGN.  When is the last time you hand-wrote anything longer than a post-it?  I can tell you, before this month, for me, it had been a very long time.

In case you are wondering, it takes about 15 minutes to write 3 pages worth of words on average journal-size paper.  And also, in case you are wondering, I did not end up doing it every day.

What did happen: After writing, I had a clearer head and a sense of accomplishment. On the days when I wrote in the morning, it gave the day a good start, and on the days when I wrote in the afternoon, it seemed to give my afternoon a kick, so I could re-focus on the work at hand.  It became a little ritual, where I would leave my desk, pick up my journal, and find a quiet place where I knew I wouldn't be interrupted. I looked forward to escaping to this mini-retreat every day!

So, will I keep it up? Yes, I think so! First, I'm farther along in a journal than I ever have been in my life. Second, I'm not beating myself up about missing a few days.

And what's up for the next month? I'm planning to join See Jane Write for 28 Days of Grace. Basically, taking a little time for yourself each day. Check out the link for ideas of ways to "take a moment" if you need one!

What's your favorite go-to "me time" activity? And if you want to report in on your resolutions, feel free - but also feel free to turn them into mini-challenges that you only planned to test out for a month!  :-)

Emotional Intelligence: EI-EI-Oh!

When I am working with new employees, I usually ask them to do some form of personality or behavioral assessment.  These assessments help us figure out what type of work they most enjoy (so we can match them up to the right job), where their strengths and weaknesses lie (so we can help them create a development plan), and what their current “emotional intelligence” - EI -  score is.  We measure emotional intelligence to determine a person’s ability to handle himself and interact with others.  A high score indicates