Posts by Vicky Dearing, MCC, M. Ed.
The Positive Psychology of Peter Pan
In my quest to connect the lightness of children’s stories with our current reality, I had to finish with a few bits of wisdom from Peter Pan. Peter knew how to fly, even in adversity. He also knew the importance of thinking of happy things. The same idea goes for us. Here are three points…
Read MoreClimbing High, Just Like Jack
This month, in the midst of a pandemic, my intent is to mix a little lightness with our current reality. “Jack and the Beanstalk” is an old, old story about how a young boy engages in actions with the desire to be of service to his mother and himself – both living in a current…
Read MoreWhat Does Alice in Wonderland Have to Do with Our Current Reality?
Hello Friends! We are all in a very unusual place right now – far beyond just working from our homes. We didn’t ask for or necessarily want to be where we are – and yet here we are. Perhaps we are somewhat like Alice in Wonderland – we just fell into this space. And, while…
Read MoreDoable Ways to Strengthen Mindfulness
This month we’ve focused on ways to awaken or strengthen a stronger sense of mindfulness as we move through each day. We’ve looked at benefits of mindfulness over disadvantages of mindlessness. We’ve reviewed important points about resilience and mindfulness. For this article, we will look at ways to increase our mindfulness resulting in a more…
Read MoreResilience and Mindfulness Go Hand-in-Hand for Successful Leadership!
This month, our three articles focus on mindfulness. I intentionally picked this topic because I want to elevate my own mindfulness. I will admit that at times I find myself operating without a great deal of thought. When I do that, I’m not working at my best. As a professional certified coach (PCC), I take…
Read MoreMindful or Mindless – It’s a Choice
How mindful are you of your own mindfulness? Sounds like a silly question and yet the research supports the impact of positive mindfulness and shows it can even turn back the clock. For example, Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University, and researcher who has spent over 40 years researching mindfulness, conducted the “counter-clockwise”…
Read MoreThree Important Points about Strengthening Empathy
People sometimes ask us, “Why do you place such a strong emphasis on paraphrasing in your work? We do it for multiple reasons and one important one is to connect to the emotions expressed by the speaker. In order to connect to the emotions, you must first feel those emotions. For without those feelings, you…
Read MoreListen to the Children
Recently I came across this brief video of young children sharing ways in which they deal with stressful times when anger comes to the surface of their feelings. Seems like we have an opportunity to learn from the youth. Check it out at https://youtu.be/RVA2N6tX2cg. There is a connection here to the power of listening with…
Read MoreThe Importance of Empathy
As leaders, we know that offering the gift of empathy to another can make a big difference in building a trusting relationship and, in turn, elevating results. Brené Brown offers a clear explanation of what empathy means. Go to https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw to see for yourself. In the past, some leaders may have looked upon empathy as…
Read MoreThree Ways to Create New Possibilities with Your Client
In coaching, there is typically a gap between where the client currently is and where she or he desires to be. Our role, as coach, is to support the client in closing the gap, either partially or completely. We have this saying in our Level II seminar: “Think what you’ve never thought, write what you’ve…
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