Category Archives: Communication

Posted on

Creating Cheerio Castles From a Mom’s Heart

Every Business Owner Has a Personal Story

As an Executive Consultant there are several questions all clients ask. The first being, “how do you know”. My response, “I am an observer of others, experiences, and learn something from all of it.” Our knowledge, experiences, and actions within and beyond those give us an extraordinary gift of intuitive education.

As stated by Colin Powel once said as Secretary of State (United States) you have to make decisions quickly and at times you may only have 80% of the information the rest you go from what you know.

I decided to share this story with all of you as last week was a particular tough one. Some dear friends of mine sent a care package with Cheerios. Below is one of my stories and from working with executives to raising a kiddo from hard places just as I do; you too have the ability to build Cheerio Castles.

Creating Cheerio Castles From a Mom’s Heart

What does a mom’s heart have to do with Cheerios and creating a castle? Cheerio castles are those little round bits of cereal you find on the floor, car, and craft projects. My imagination builds beautiful castles with cheerios. I am sharing one of my stories of being careful what you pray for and second, finding God’s answer daily.

I do believe God answers prayer in His timing and not our own. As humans we make prayer and answered prayer more complicated than God intended. Many years ago someone told me: “God’s ‘no’ or unanswered prayer is not a rejection but is for our protection.”  There are many variables to unanswered and answered prayer; when we are present, allowing God to lead the way, we find our prayers are heard and answered daily. This is one of my go-to scriptures for prayer: There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.- Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11

This past year my husband I opened our hearts and home to a beautiful 12 year old boy. We became parents for the first time by becoming Foster Parents. Becoming a parent found daily there is a learning opportunity about myself and heart. 

Unanswered Prayer | God did not answer our prayer through creating our own family.

Answered Prayer | God brought a beautiful boy to us. This boy is made for us and fits in so many ways we would never pray for; God knows.

Our morning routine settled in to my husband and son waking and getting ready. I tend to stay out of the way. My husband is better equipped to keep our son on track, getting him out the door on time, dressed, brushed, and in a joyful mood.

When the guys are busy I stay in our bedroom and use this time to pray, meditate, and wire my brain for what is on the schedule for the day. One morning during prayer I found myself grieving experiences we as parents would not have, bringing an older kiddo into our home and hearts.

 Prayer: Give all you have to God for he knows what burdens our hearts.

 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. – Romans 8:28

My prayer this particular morning went to my mind making a list of those things we will never experience such as:  quirky toddler moments, elementary school art projects on the refrigerator, mommy and toddler groups, little guy soccer, peanut butter and jelly faces, to our car would never have the cheerio chaos on the floor and seats, macaroni art, our dogs would not experience food on the floor or from a hand of a little one. My imagination spent more time creating cheerio castles, macaroni jewelry, what containers would store these amazing nutritious rounds of awesomeness, and so forth.

This prayer and meditation continued for about an hour and my logical brain hit me hard; almost an audible slap across the face. I said out loud to myself, “I do not have patience to clean up Cheerios out of the car.” My prayer took me from building Cheerio castles to the reality of patience.  I wrapped up this grief prayer session, not hanging onto what we will miss but considering the joy of messes a pre-teen and teenager brings without pretense.

The guys left for the day so I headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. As soon as I entered the kitchen my eye caught the dining room table. There were three Cheerios on our son’s placemat.  This has never happened before and my heart went directly to thanking God for answering prayer. My logical mind and temperament has no patience for such things as cleaning up Cheerios. God knows my heart yearns for Cheerio castles and that left me blessed with an answered prayer.  

God continues to leave me reminders of answered prayer as I continue to find Cheerios in unusual places. Sometimes I am not too keen on our beautiful boy and his shenanigans. God delights in my heart’s desire by leaving remnants of a Cheerio castle built in grief. God truly delights in our heart’s desires and I pray you too find God delighting in yours.

Be careful what you pray for: God knows what is on our hearts and delights in our joy.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37-4

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

 

Posted on

Building Community Legacies With Meaningful Conversation

Connection Collaboration Community

Have you heard “this is business, there is no room for feelings in business“, or some other derivative of it? Well, there is room; people remember how you made them feel over all else. Yes, they remember how they feel over you making them millions, cured their cancer,  or helped them solve a large issue.

All relationships in life, “people remember how you made them feel.” As I traverse from coaching executives to corporate teams the common denominators are “feelings” and “communication”.

Join me and others to build your legacy model with the 5 L’s. Legacy is building your sustainable growth model of how you show up in community, connections, and collaboration.

Legacy: Love, Listen, Lift, Link, Lead

Few Things To Consider:

  • Can you listen without bias or judgment?
  • When did you lift some one else to promotion?
  • Can you identify the last time you invited someone to an event; introduced them to people they need to know to grow?
  • Are you leading from behind the curtain or in front of the curtain?

REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

 

What people are saying:

  • Thank you for the reminder of showing up with intent. It changed my conference and connections. JB Entrepreneur, Helena
  • I want to let you know your break-out this morning was excellent and on point to connecting and influencing my end in mind. IP Entrepreneur, Great Falls
  • I’m super excited to know that you are available as a resource just downstream from us! JW, Butte
Posted on

Are You Prepared to Take Risk With Imagination and Innovation?

We all have risk and either we embrace it or do everything in our power to avoid it. Imagine the playground where a group of children are jumping off the top of the monkey bars and then there are the few who stand at the edge pacing waiting for the school bell to ring so they do not have to jump.

I want to encourage you to JUMP! Not in the sense of physical, mental, or spiritual harm but to really jump back into a childlike state and use your imagination, create, and innovate right where you stand. Ken Robinson states the risk of imagination eloquently, be prepared to be wrong. When you are prepared to risk, be wrong, and basically stand there looking like an idiot you are onto something!

Society has taught us to no longer within our natural gifts but to test out in an educational standard. Highly successful people have bunked the standard and create success by risking standing alone. The risk takers are the ones you watch rise to the next level, the risk takers are the ones who are creating original ideas.

When you are prepared to imagine, innovate, and risk within your gift set you are no longer living within a standard of average! ~ Tracy Worley

*Take time out and reflect on your life, career, and significance your natural gifts offer the world.

*Reflect on what you loved doing as a child (natural gift).

*Reflect on all of those assessments you have taken over the years (natural gift).

*Reflect on your voice of doubt, do it afraid, do it anyway.

* Reflect on discipline in your daily agenda, are you taking time to risk.

*Reflect on the ideas popping into your head and write them down, some will make sense and some will not.

Step forward with one of the above where clarity comes through and start moving forward without knowing how, details, or held up in the paralysis of perfection.

You are meant to have a life and career of significance so embrace your natural gifts, talents, wisdom, and knowledge to create original ideas. Look back in history and innovation, most of those who risked standing alone where mocked but now we have light bulbs after ten-thousand tries, we have flight because the Wright Brothers believed with imagination, risk, and perseverance it was possible.

Society standard of average is not where you are valued. Create value by standing alone in the edge of the monkey bars and JUMP!

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

Posted on

Be a HERO, Connect Over Coffee

TT TAlk Tuesday's

Tis the season to be crazy.

Be a hero and invite someone for a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or perhaps a hot toddy. Everyone needs a few minutes of respite…be the hero!

“Create clients, collaboration partners, and community meaningful to you one conversation at a time.” ~ Tracy Worley

Posted on

Masterminding Mondays

How do you make people feel?

Legacy is what people will say and remember about you when you are not in the room.

 

Think about the wake trailing a boat in water. Depending on the speed and intention the wake can reach far and wide. The wake can be soft or turbulent. It is a choice for your wake to be a positive influence or a negative one.

You can start making adjustments today to influence the outcome of lasting relationships meaningful not only to you but to the community at large left in your wake.

Below are a few questions to ask yourself for reflection:

  • What are people saying about you?
  • What would you like people to say and remember about you?
  • Do people revel in the your presence in the room or repel?
  • Are you influencing with relationship or influencing with position?

Look Up & Out, Tracy Worley

Posted on

“Influence is Human Connection With Your Heart First”

Fostering Faith Friday's

Happiest of Friday’s.

Human connection is the foundation of relationship and sustainable success in business. Well pretty much any influence you want to glean from others is connection.

Scott Halford wrote an excellent article about technology, observing our surroundings, and finding the brilliance of life right in front of us.

Cheers, Tracy

Look Up From Your Phone: The Answer to Awesomeness Is Sitting Right in Front of You

Posted on

Done vs. Undone: What are you influencing today?

TT Talk Tuesday's

Undone Vs. What is Done

How you view the world is how you communicate to the world. Awareness of self-perception is an ingredient toward your success in influencing the outcome desired.

I often talk about communication, connection, collaboration, and creating community through influence. Through communication consulting, coaching, and creating communities there is always a new ingredient to success. Each group, person, and influencers are different. From industry, personalities, organizational culture, and so on. Every scenario of connection has a variation of an ingredient you cannot create all connections as equals.

There is one main ingredient to influencing; how you are viewing the world, internalizing, and communicating outward.

 

Recently, I found a new awareness with myself. I was viewing certain things in life as undone instead of what was done. Personal case study: at home I became frustrated when a trash bin had not been emptied. The bin was overloaded, heavy and not easy for me to lift and dump in the larger bin outside. What my view of the word at this time was, undone; “why would the person who filled the bin not empty it, they have left a burden for the next person; me.” The next phase of this case study was to influence the outcome and have someone empty the bin. My attitude was not a winning strategy to say the least. Crashing down came the humbling awareness of how I viewed this particular area of my world. I did not see what was done, such as no garbage on the floor; everything was tidy in the bin. I only saw what was undone. Undone was this person did not leave the bin better than the way they found it.

Awareness is always the next step in success. I ask, what area’s in your life are you viewing undone when in fact they are done.

For me and mine, I had a change of attitude and influenced a better outcome of completion of “done” and that is leaving the bin better off for the next user.

Would love to know your thoughts and experiences of done vs. undone.

Look Up & Out,

Tracy Worley

 

Posted on

Fire It Up Friday | 9

Summer 2017 Series Episode 9

Oops, I am perfect. Smoke & Mirrors to Civility.

Caveman & Courage

Humans think and say the darnedest things about others! This past week our country (USA) has been rocked with racial tension with both sides name calling. I find it interesting celebrity (media, comedians, politicians) receive so much play in name calling, back slurs, and downright more hate mongering.

I tend to stay away from the news, politics, and other negative scenarios. There is no courage in being of caveman mentality beating each other over the head with words, actions, and deed.

Personally my life is not perfect; my business and family navigate through the gambit of emotions, conflict, love, fear, anger, joy, connection, and community.

I CHOOSE to find value in others before judgment or bias. I CHOOSE to leave my garbage bag of “stuff” outside the door; this creates a clear space to find commonalities, community, and connection to civility.

10 Core Leadership Characteristics of Self: giving you space to lead others without blame.

  1. Take responsibility for your words, actions, and deeds (no excuses).
  2. Model with integral behavior; say what you do.
  3. Self control; slow to judgment and quick to praise.
  4. Wisdom is an integral part of decision making; knowledge experience, community input gives confidence to the process. If it turned out wrong, go back to #1 on this list.
  5. Lead gently and firmly, putting value of humans over all else.
  6. Respect others and live the Golden Rule (we cannot ask others to do what we are not offering).
  7. Do the right thing; even when it is the most painful thing to do.
  8. Trust first so others have a clear path to follow.
  9. Be open to teach and learn; daily be open to teaching and learning.
  10. Create a system; systems create less confusion of expectation, communication, and opens an environment of loving humans first.

Thank you for joining me on our Summer Fire It Up Friday Series.

Look Up & Out, 
Tracy Worley
Posted on

Are You Killing Your Legacy?

Create your legacy before others create it for you.

One of my greatest mentors and teachers John C. Maxwell taught me, “people remember how you made them feel.” As I traverse from coaching executives to corporate teams the common denominators are “feelings” and “communication”.

Have you heard “this is business, there is no room for feelings in business“, or some other derivative of it? Well, there is room; people remember how you made them feel over all else. Yes, they remember how they feel over you making them millions, cured their cancer, helped them solve a large issue.

Register Here

Join me and others to build your legacy model with the 5 L’s. Legacy is building your sustainable growth model of how you show up in community, connections, and collaboration.

Legacy: Love, Lift, Link, Lead

Few Things To Consider:

  • Can you listen without bias or judgment?
  • When did you lift some one else to promotion?
  • Can you identify the last time you invited someone to an event; introduced them to people they need to know to grow?
  • Are you leading from behind the curtain or in front of the curtain?

Hope to see you there!

Posted on

Fire It Up Friday | 4

Summer 2017 Series Episode 4

Be Selfish to be Selfless!

 

Loving Friday’s with all of you! Last Friday of June and we are ramping up to a juicy series. Today challenge yourself to find area’s to be selfish so you can add more value to others and be selfless.

God has blessed each and every one of you with combined gifts and talents no one else can bring to the table. We are meant to be individuals to serve the world as a whole.

My selfish story: a few years ago in Columbus, Ohio I had an opportunity to learn from renowned business coach. We were sitting in a small group of about five in a circle. The coach went around and asked us all questions, and then we masterminded on a few topics. From there this coach proceeded to look me straight in the eye and stated, “you need to be more selfish.” My immediate response was discomfort and tears (I rarely ever cry or in public for that matter).

Basically, put your oxygen mask on first!

Great coaches implement a delicate balance of  not pushing you off the edge while letting you find discomfort in problem solving or transforming to the next level of your success. Being “selfish” is one of those examples of discomfort so you can transform into next step. Break down your resistance for a moment of discomfort to transform to the next level. 

In the video I talked about being at the table. What this means is are you serving people and places you have no business adding value to? Is it your time to be at the table?

Few questions for yourself:

  • Are you sitting at the right table?
  • Can you voice your boundaries clearly and effectively?
  • When serving do I walk away with a full cup or an empty one?

Selfish and selfless leads to one core tool and that is your voice. Use your voice to create boundaries into selfless opportunities to serve within your gifts. The world needs what you have to offer; speak up!

Thank you for joining me on our Summer Fire It Up Friday Series.

Look Up & Out, 
Tracy Worley