Cancel Your New Years Resolutions!

With Michael Ballard 

your tour guide into the land of Resiliency

Hello and Happy New Years to you and yours.

I trust you had a wonderful holiday time.  n  

Yes? Lots of family, friends and festivities I bet. How very wonderful. 

No? Drats; to much darn drama? Well it does happen in the best of families. 

Well it's that time of year. Based on years of guilt, oh wait I mean tradition many tell us we are all supposed to set New Years goals and resolutions to better our lives. However, we know that does not work for most of us. So, as a reformed New Years resolution goal setter lets talk. Don't set those regular goals. Instead lets talk about setting some goals worth attaining, free to do and have the potential to offer very large payback for our health for ourselves and our families.

So as you settle back in to "everyday" living again post holiday's here are three things you do. Note I am being very bold I didn't say consider or try, I said do. Why? Well they are life altering.

The Ultimate Gifts

What am I talking about? Well I'm talking about the ultimate gifts we need to give ourselves that contribute to our mental, emotional and physical well being. I call them The BIG Three!

The Big Three

Sleep is the first one. Most of us don't get enough sleep and or a high quality sleep. There is a large price we pay if we don’t give ourselves a high quality nights sleep. Oh I know kids, work, neighbours, hobbies, cleaning, and so many other events can get in the way. However sleep helps restore us mentally, emotionally and physically.

So if you've not waking up feeling relaxed and well rested perhaps even energized after a night's sleep 6 out of 7 nights a week then it's time for a change. Note I said 6 out of 7. The goal is not perfection but excellence. So cut back on the TV and or coffee. Go to bed 90 minutes earlier, work in some exercise and stretching for a few minutes everyday. Walk the stairs, walk to the store or bike when weather permits. Also consider, use a little caution on what you eat or drink for your last meal, dessert and snacks pre bed if it can or does interrupt your sleep. Ask me about my love of hot and spicy Thai food and interrupted sleep when we meet.

Develop and deepen your inner calmness through working mediation into your everyday life. You can do it through walking, eating (Think Slow Food movement), exercising, you hobbies In fact just about anything that requires an even tempo. Slow that tempo down to under 72 beats a minute.  Add slow music it will help pull you down to a slower tempo.

Last and not least of the Big Three is Relaxation

My favourite way to relax is, well I fibbed I don’t have a favourite way to relax, I have several. I find that exercise helps, playing music, hiking, walking, baking, Epson salts bath with peppermint oil, reading and underwater swimming, dimmable lights and lit candles in the room. All help me lower my heart rate and breath a little deeper and slower.  So what do you do for 12 – 20 minutes at least once a day to slow down. It’s a very restorative and rejuvenating gift to give yourself. 

Lets wrap this up!

So I am quite certain like many of my clients I can hear you say But, But, BUT I don't have time for any of this. Well the BIG Three offer skills and mindsets with very large pay backs. The gifts of better health, concentration, focus, productivity, and happiness all wrapped up inside these three mindsets, behaviors and skills. Each helps build on the other.  They will help you feel restored, relaxed and renewed. Better yet they don’t cost any money. Give yourself the gift.  Oh and, your welcome. So until next time Imagine yourself with more Resiliency for Life!

About Michael Ballard

Michael specializes in helping people, families, organizations and community’s learn how to thrive with resiliency. Resilience is a process, a set of key assets, skills and beliefs that can change our lives. Resiliency can changes the quality of our journey and often the quality of the outcomes.

To contact Michael or to hire him for your next event:

Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com 

Please allow him or his staff 48 – 72 hours 

to respond during the business week.

Michael's Online Training
https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/

You can find his online programming for purchase at:
http://www.resiliencyforlife.com/OnlineStore

Michael is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant. He travels the world helping people learn how to add more resilience into their lives at home, work and community.

You can connect with him at:

Twitter: @ResilientMichae

Facebook: MichaelHBallard

About.Me: ResilientMichael

Business Site: ResiliencyforLife

His upcoming book The Gift is due out late winter 2016.

His audio programming can be found on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/artist/michael-h-ballard/id997763797

Lessons from Miss Patton for a Life Time

Lessons That Have Served Me A Lifetime
Dedicated to Miss Doris M. Patton my Grade One Teacher


The intensity of our conversation was and is still a very positive experience as I reflect on it. I can remember talking with my Mom (she was working at the kitchen table doing food prep) about starting to attend public school like it happened yesterday.

Me in business mode

My Mom, Dawn, was very pleased that her first-born was heading off for his first day in Grade One. I too was very excited and pleased. Being the extroverted one that I was and remain, first day represented friends to be made, lessons to learn, teachers to meet, and things to experience.


Little did I know, however, that within the first three weeks of school my Grade One teacher, Miss Doris Patton, would quickly find several key factors about me. Some that have positively defined me and help me with career choices, others that would define a couple of attributes that in her words, “These will challenge Michael and will hinder him. Perhaps be hard on him during his time in school. However, he has skills and gifts both in the classroom and in the playground that will serve him well, once he leaves school.”


At the time, I know did not know how those words would later ring true. Seems yours truly has some interesting combinations of talents and “issues.” I do not like, fact is I have strong disdain for, the common phrase or description of strengths and weaknesses. I am more of a “strengths and challenges” kinda person.


What Miss Patton so quickly identified, dedicated educator and very intuitive professional that she was, was my eye-hand coordination issue. Printing and writing to me was then and today remains a challenge.


“Slow down, practice more, not so fast, try another pen/pencil, try again… .” How many hundreds of times did I hear those instructions during the first 10 years of school. Later in life, in a state of serious frustration, I bought a typewriter with Pica font 10 point and extended carriage! I am so sure that many of my teachers who could now read what I put to paper breathed a huge sigh of relief.


Miss Patton’s skills and the lessons that I learned from her that have served me well over the years are:
Pay attention to those around you. Each has gifts that often exceed ours in several categories or in different ways than we have.
Pay attention to your intuition. Miss Patton figured this out about me in less than 20 days of classroom time. Her experience, her attentiveness and intuition. First rate.
Third lesson and biggest of them all: Stay respectful. One never knows what the other person or persons we are living next door to or working with are facing. I never felt less than with Miss Patton. Her gift to me was to make me feel I could be and do more. What a gift she shared.


This was a very big gift to give a child just starting out in school. Little did she know how much I would need to hang on to her words for Grade Two. But that is a story for another time. Miss Patton offered up to me untold patience, kindness and insights into my future and myself. I’ve always held her up as a first-rate example of what a teacher should be.




I was blessed to spend a day at the track. High speed safety training. Interesting and exciting. A wonderful gift.


So until next time Imagine Yourself having more Resiliency for Life.




To interview Michael, book him for your next event or to have him consult with your group can contact him at:






To interview Michael, book him for your


next event or to consult you can contact him at:


Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com


www.MichaelHBallard.com




You can purchase Michael's audio programming on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes






https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae


https://about.me/resilientmichael





https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

https://soundcloud.com/michael-h-ballard

http://www.resiliencyforlife.com

Lessons Learned From Mr. L. Smith Science Teacher KCSS

Lessons Learned From Mr. Smith 

Respect Makes a Difference

Michael H Ballard of Resiliency for Life

I have had many significant teachers in my life. Some formally at the head of a classroom and others as next door neighbours, friends, coworkers, managers and some out and out strangers who I spent time with for only a short period of time.

Today though I wanted to honour one who in a very brief moment showed finesse and an emotional intelligence that both respected the student who had made a punishable offence twice, spared his feelings, made the point and showed the class his leadership skills while then at the same time ensure that the class understood the issue at hand.

I was in science class with Mr. Smith as the teacher. He was upbeat, respectful, and he made his topic of science interesting and it stuck.  The student who goofed and created this punishable offence was like the rest of us in Grade 10 just trying to fit in and being teenager’s explore life in all the ways teenagers do.

Expect he had bought porn to school and did not try to hide it. This was not dainty cute lots of airbrushed PG13 no brown paper bag required porn but instead it was very vile. Mr. Smith in catching the student grazing and lusting upon the pictures firmly asked him to bring it up to the front of the room with the magazine “Closed” so as to not offend anyone.

He then proceeded to ask the student why he felt the need to look at such a magazine in a public place. Did he not realize that some would find it offensive?

So Mr. Smith then ask the student to throw it in the wastebasket. The teacher then asked him why he didn’t invest his time in actually talking to a few of the young ladies in the school. Because if you invest your time talking with them instead of objectifying some of them, when the time is right, and you’re the right age amazing things could happen, with the right young lady with you.

Now you have to know that Mr. Smith was (and still is I certain) smart, hard working, approachable, volunteered more than most other teachers,  and his classes where ones we all enjoyed taking. However and it’s a big HOWEVER his wife was as professional and nice as him. She also volunteered at the school and was considered to be one of the best looking spouses that ever graced the halls of the school.

So, Mr. Smiths words rang very true that day in science class. The student in question had a hangdog look on his face and repeated several times, Yes Sir. Understood Sir. Okay Sir. Mr. Smith never raised his voice to make his point.  His words where well crafted, delivered with respect and he dealt with the student with dignity.

Thank you Mr. Smith for a First Class example of how to handle a behaviour issue with dignity and respect.  Plus he made certain both genders in the room knew that we should actually talk to each other. Connect with each other. Not objectify each other. I can remember it like yesterday. What a positive impact great communications makes.

So until next time, Imagine Yourself with more Resiliency for Life.

Michael

Michael Ballard specializes in helping people, schools, organizations and communities learn how to become more resilient.

Hiring and Contacting Michael

To interview Michael, book him for your 

next event or to contact him you can do that at:

Inquiry@MichaelHBallard.com

www.MichaelHBallard.com

You can purchase Michael's programming on:

Udemy.com video programs at:

https://www.udemy.com/u/michaelhballard/

 iTunes.com audio programs at:

https://itunes.apple.com/album/id997763796?ls=1&app=itunes

Michael’s Social Media includes:

https://twitter.com/ResilientMichae

https://about.me/resilientmichael

https://www.linkedin.com/company/resiliency-for-life/

https://soundcloud.com/michael-h-ballard

http://www.resiliencyforlife.com