Life By Design’s Weekly News
March 18, 2009
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News this week:

~ Dare I say I think Spring has Sprung!
~ Victoria DePaul on Journey to Self this week
~ It Is What It Is…By Paula Klee Parish
~ Quote of the Week

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Dare I say I think Spring has Sprung!

I know that just last week I was gripping about the cold weather that had set in after the tease of spring.  This week there has been another turn in the weather - has been BEAUTIFUL!! Mid 40’s to 50’s so far!

We have been spending time outside spotting lots of birds and going to the park.  This week I registered Logan for 4 year old kindergarten, got my acceptance letter for graduate school, and ordered my cap and gown…and it’s just Wednesday.

I am looking forward to Spring Break from school next week and enjoying some more of the nice spring weather!

~ Tonya

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Victoria DePaul on Journey to Self this week

This week on Journey to Self we will be searching for leadership excellence with author Victoria DePaul.

With more than 24 years experience in corporate America, Victoria C. DePaul knows a thing or two about effective business leadership. After struggling for many years with how to motivate employees to perform at their best level, DePaul discovered that the basis for motivation is the person’s desire to be happy.

In her new book, Creating the Intrapreneur: The Search for Leadership Excellence, DePaul uses her personal and professional experience to guide readers toward achieving true success in business and life. She explains that all organizations and communities are energy systems in which the basic unit of power is the individual. In order to achieve results, people must be empowered to experience and express their creative self. Only then will they be truly happy and productive.

Based in personal experience and application, the concepts that Victoria introduces are more than theory — they are the proven steps to organizational transformation. Further, she discovered what true happiness is- the full experience of our creative, spirit Self. In order to achieve excellent results, all that was necessary was to empower others to express their unique creativity. In other words, she learned to provide the vision, guidance and tools and then got out of the way. The natural result was a motivated and innovative workforce, leading to increased production results, high levels of morale and accountability.

Victoria, parent of two teenage sons, holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies- Business Administration, from the New York Institute of Technology.

Join me Thursday March 19th as Victoria DePaul and I talk about her book and the search for leadership excellence. Listen live at 10am pst / 11am mnt / 12pm cst / 1pm est on Blog Talk Radio ~ http://blogtalkradio.com/journeytoself.

You can join the chat room during the show, use the “click to talk” feature, or call in (347) 215-8942 with your comments or questions.

If you can’t make it to the live show - no worries, all shows are archived and available with the show notes soon after the show on the Journey to Self Website ~ http://journeytoself.info

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It Is What It Is…By Paula Klee Parish

This is an all too common phrase that seems to simply state the obvious but actually implies helplessness.
Voted by USA Today as the #1 cliché of 2004, it seems to have made a comeback. Every where you go you hear someone saying, “It Is What It is…”

Origin of It Is What It is:
There is no question that the phrase was first heard in the “sports” arena. And, if my information is correct, NFL’s Carolina Panthers, John Fox, originated it.

This cliché, popular within the circles of coaches, business execs, and those of us who just want to say “It’s happened; I’m going to forget about it; I’m going to move on, and there is nothing that can be done about it.”

“We showed up and gave 100%, and it is what it is.” - NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson said, after finishing second in the Nextel Cup championship. (AP, Nov. 22)

The question has been asked: What does this cliché really mean?
In a nutshell, it means this is the way it’s going right now, and that’s how it is. It is a way to say: “don’t over think the situation”. It’s a reminder to keep things simple, don’t overanalyze things, or a way to put a definition on something that’s hard to explain.

It is a phrase used to instill a sense of acceptance in a situation. It is used to remind one of the unalterable elements of life. Think of “I am who I am”. The phrase defines things that cannot be changed: “it is this way, so we have to accept it”. An apple can never be an orange, even though you wish, hope and dream it was an orange…it IS what it IS.

It is the condition and/or state of the present that has to be accepted.

Just like: I hate the fact that I wear a size 10 shoe, but it is what it is…

The question has been asked: Why do we use this cliché?
Because it describes something that cannot and does not need to be changed, or will not be changed, but is generally not important enough to fight over and can be overcome. In a bureaucracy, where some “Jaba the Hut” type is standing in the way, we should take the lead from General George Patton who said: “Just go around the idiots…” Of course our economic situation needs much more forethought than that. However, the good news is…we have the ingenuity, talent and skills to close this chapter of our history and move forward in a positive direction.

Something to think about:
The phrase is also used to transition to positive issues. It is actually used to turn a negative into a positive…let’s take that lead…

Inertia to Motivation:
A reminder from our very own Ernie Fasio of LIMBA…”We never make great strides when things are honky dory. It’s just too easy to continue in a sub-optimal way when we are not forced to make a change. Well the time for change has come. We need to reach deep within ourselves and reapply the ingenuity that has been the hallmark of our American industry. We have no choice. We’re cornered in an alley, and we are forced to fight our way out. Fortunately we still have the muscle and brains to prevail.”

Let’s start this New Year with the optimism of our forefathers who looked at challenge as an opportunity to make great strides. Let us seek to learn from our mistakes and build the tomorrow for our children and grandchildren that they deserve and that we owe ourselves as participants in the growth of this great nation.

Let’s change: It IS what It IS…to…Let’s Make It Happen!

Paula Klee Parish is the Founder and President/CEO of Performance Solutions, Inc., a corporate training company whose focus is professional development and personal growth. She is also an adult instructor/educator, writer, life coach/behaviorist and author of: The Journey to Be Your Own Best Friend: How to Discover Your Power Within.

(Click book to buy)

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Quote of the Week

There’s a very positive relationship between people’s ability to accomplish any task and the time they’re willing to spend on it.”

~ Joyce Brothers

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