by Julie Ostrow | July, 2019 | Humour, Julie Ostrow
Being part of an organization can be exciting. It’s a place to share ideas, collaborate, and feel as though you are making a difference. And, sometimes it can be stressful. Personality conflicts and miscommunication can contribute to stress in the workplace. In some organizations, leaders often mistakenly believe there is no room for humor at work. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Humor, laughter, and improv skills help employees: · Practice and perfect their listening skills · Remove the walls of judgment · Learn to accept each other’s differences · Create a more understanding and cohesive environment What a lighthearted and playful atmosphere can do for an organization: Improve Communication While technology allows teams to stay connected, it is also often the cause of disconnection. Teams use tools like instant messaging, WebEx meetings, and email to stay in touch others across the office or around the globe. But, fewer face-to-face interactions can have a significantly negative impact on a team. Improv skills can lead to reconnection. When conducting workshops with teams, improv is an easy way to demonstrate effective communication and the ramifications of miscommunication. Improv is also a fun way to practice the new skills. Build Up Staff Morale and Increases Confidence The general rules around improve include agreeing with one another, saying YES AND, and that there are NO mistakes only OPPORTUNITIES. These rules can have a positive impact on morale and employee confidence when used in the workplace. Improvisation teaches participants to be vulnerable, open, and real. Because there is no plan or script in improv, players rely on their own imagination and the trust...
by Julie Ostrow | May, 2019 | Gratitude, Julie Ostrow
As I am writing this, I feel tired but content. As I wonder about what to write, I am thinking about how I would rather be in bed on this chilly—yet sunny—day here in the Chicago suburbs. (When it is chilly outside, I love being inside with my cozy socks on while snuggled in a favourite blanket.) Then, I thought about how I am wishing I was somewhere else. And, that is the topic of this blog post: Why wish to be somewhere else? After all, when you get there, you’ll wish you were someone else yet again. How can I re-train myself to want to be where I am right now? I learned and absorbed the concept of being in the present moment in improv training at The Second City in Chicago in the 1990s. The object of an improv scene is not to control the scene and direct others to exactly where you want the scene to go. But, rather, you must allow the scene to unfold. One of my favourite improv teachers and a Second City legend, Martin deMaat, would say that improv is “very zen.” When I find myself wishing and worrying, I can recalibrate and re-centre myself by: · Expressing gratitude for this very moment. AND… · Accepting and enjoying this very moment Where in your day do you find yourself worrying and wondering…about what was or what will be? Monitor when you are feeling anxious. Are you worried about a mistake you made in the past or concerned about what will happen tomorrow? Doing this will take away from your joy in this...
by Julie Ostrow | March, 2019 | Julie Ostrow, self-development
Doing what you don’t want to do is a travesty. OK. Maybe that sounds just a little dramatic. But, I have recently been presented with the “opportunity” to assess if and when I am committing to others or other projects that are not in line with what I need to be doing for myself, my family, or for my business. I recently heard a speaker ask the question: “Are you taking time for yourself or are you focusing more on committing to others?” This is how I answered in my head: “It is a real shame when others give so much to others and don’t make time for themselves or for what is important to them.” Saying no Fast forward this morning when I was faced with a challenge of having to say, “No” to something. I used to think I had to quit something if it was really, really bad, painful, or harmful. Well, I am learning that saying, “No” to something doesn’t mean that it is bad or harmful. All it can mean is that it is not exactly right for me at this very moment. Here is an example: Volunteering for an organisation that is truly in line with your beliefs and it makes you happy to be able to give of yourself and your time to that group. When you look at your calendar, assess where you are putting your time and energy, you find that you haven’t made time for what is truly important to you and your goals. What I have found is that when I am doing all of these great things,...
by Julie Ostrow | February, 2019 | Julie Ostrow, self-development
It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. I believe that. When I look into someone’s eyes, I can sometimes feel their soul and I can sense how they are feeling. I am not claiming to be a psychic or a mind reader. I believe that the eyes send messages of the moods we are in. And, I believe that we, as compassionate humans, have the ability to sense someone else’s emotions without a word ever being said. Eyes can make you smile My husband gave me the idea for this blog post. I love how excited he was when he was suggesting this idea for the post. You should have seen the excitement in his eyes as he was telling me this. He said, “You know how when you make eye contact with someone and it can make you smile?” Well, you should write about how, even when we are wrapped up in warm weather gear and the only thing that can be seen is ours eyes, you can still say, “Hello” to people…through your eyes. (Then he added a side note: I don’t wear my glasses when I’m bundled up like that…because they’ll fog up.) Even when someone you pass on the street is bundled up and all that you can see of them is their eyes, you can still make a connection with them.” As he was saying this, I started to smile then he smiled and said, “See! This makes you smile! See! And I can tell from your eyes that you’re smiling.” Chicagoland As he was telling me this...
by Julie Ostrow | January, 2019 | Change, Julie Ostrow
What does a new year mean to you? Does it mean a new start? It has been a long-standing tradition to make resolutions to change our habits from the previous year. It can feel like we are being forced to change who we are at the start of each new year. Because we are led to believe we have to change the core of who we are, I have always felt that making and keeping resolutions is such a daunting and overwhelming task. By definition, a resolution means, “A firm decision to do or not to do something.” As I am writing this, I realise that the more I talk about and worry about a goal or task, the larger and more arduous it becomes. Simply re-reading the definition of resolution makes it seem quite simple: Just make a decision to make a different choice. Choose one word As author Gretchen Rubin suggests in her podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” choose one word for the coming year that you would like to have as your overarching theme for that year. Examples that she shared in podcast # 201, “Choose a One-Word Theme for the Year” included upgrade, bigger, lighten up, repurpose and delegate. I really like the idea of choosing one word or term as an overarching theme for the year because, as it becomes planted in my subconscious, it will become what drives my decisions in all aspects of my life. Good health For 2019, I choose “Good Health.” I want every choice I make to have a positive impact on my health. And this means good health...
by Julie Ostrow | December, 2018 | Emotions, Julie Ostrow
I was raised to be strong and to not show emotions…especially the “negative” or “bad” emotions such as sadness or anger. I have developed a strong sense of myself and I have figured out what works for me and what doesn’t. What does become challenging for me at times is listening to and paying attention to that voice that tells me something isn’t right for me and setting boundaries. The inner battle It is an inner battle that I fight quite often. Knowing what is right for me can mean saying, “No” to someone else or to their opinion. Saying that I disagree with them or that I am not ready to talk about that issue at that very moment does not mean that I don’t want to talk about that issue—or them—ever again. Setting boundaries and not being upset if someone else does not like it can be extremely challenging. What is it about setting a boundary that makes me feel like I have alienated that person or a particular group of people? For me, it comes from my upbringing. I recall so clearly having a differing opinion is “wrong” and it disrupts the “norm.” And, we can’t have that! Healthy boundaries Making the move to set healthy boundaries and to take care of myself was neither admired nor respected. But, rather, the result would be alienation and rejection. I was labeled as someone who just wanted to cause problems. Setting boundaries leads to happiness. (Even if it feels a bit painful or challenging at first). If someone wants you to volunteer and you can’t or you don’t...
