by Lara Land | Aug 25, 2019 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Sometimes though we have our best intentions we end up pushing friends away when they need us the most. When a friend is struggling or even just debating a next step, it is important to know how to be there for them. Being conscious and careful about how we respond is a kindness to a friend that will be appreciated and reciprocated when our time comes. It can be the determining factor between being pushed away or let in and make a real difference in how our friend procedes.
So how should we respond to a friend in need?
Listen.
It sounds simple but real active listening is a skill that requires practice. At the core, it means being present to hear without a planned response and without thinking about what to say next while listening. It means being fully with your friend and engaging all of your senses to understand them as completely and accurately as possible.
Ask Questions.
Especially when we know someone for awhile, it can be easy to assume we know all about them. This really gets in the way of an authentic relationship in which we allow the other to grow and change and to contradict. As you are with your friend listening, imagine you are with them for the first time. Get background information. Ask them to clarify. Look for what’s missing. Paraphrase back to them and check if you’re understanding correctly.
Trust & Believe.
Sometimes all we need is for another to trust and believe in us. Even if your friend has fallen short a thousand times on promise to themselves, let them know you trust and believe they can succeed. See it for them before they can. Tell them they can have their dream if they want it. Build their esteem.
Check In.
Follow up with your friend like you would with a lead or job referral. Don’t let it go too long. Let them know you are thinking of them and interested in updates. Ask a poignant question when checking in that lets them know you are really with them. Be specific and caring about what you ask. Let them know they can come to you and how best to reach out.
Love Unconditionally.
We all make mistakes. We all fall short. We all repeat patterns again and again before one day breaking them for real. You are not a boss or a teacher. You are a friend. Love your friend regardless and let them feel that love through their failures and successes equally strong.
Have you been showing up for your friends? In which of these ways or what other way? Comment here and share your experience.
by Lara Land | Jul 24, 2019 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND
One of the biggest obstacles to growth is the inability or unwillingness to partner. It’s a hindrance I really get. Finding the right business partner is like finding the right life partner, a rare thing that takes us on an extensive search both internally and outwardly. More often than not a heap of mistakes are made along the way resulting in heartbreak, loss of confidence, confusion and mistrust. So why keep trying? There is only one reason, and that is that the reward is so great it is worth all the trouble and failed attempts to get there.
So let’s chat about why partnership is great, who makes the perfect partner and how to find them.
Why Partnership is Great:
Partnership is great because we all have different strengths and weaknesses.
In order to reach our full potential we must at some point stop trying to be everything to everybody and acknowledge who we are and more importantly who we aren’t. By its nature, having a strength means we are lacking in its opposite. For instance, if you are a great listener, that is a skill that many wish they had, but it may mean you don’t speak up, assert yourself, tell your story. Another example is this. You may work fast (a fantastic ability) but it may mean you sometimes miss things or slip up. The right partner fills in those gaps.
Another reason for trudging through the hard times to find a good partner is the wealth of resources they bring to the table.
Each human is like a mini world. Connecting well with just one will open the door to their circles of many. Think of all the people you know and the people they know. It goes on and on. In finding one right partner, you inherit 100+ people and all their skill sets, knowledge and connections. Think of these folks as in-laws who want to come to the table and support the newest member of their family… you!
The third and perhaps the greatest reason for choosing partnership is the way it opens your vision. I’ll share my own story as an example. I founded a non-profit called Three and a Half Acres about five years ago. Before that my experience in business was running my yoga studio Land Yoga which I am the sole owner of. At Land Yoga I always made all the decisions on my own. Nonprofits don’t work that way. There is a board of directors who are involved in all the decision making. I had to learn to work a different way. It still happens that just about every time we meet there is a board member who makes a suggestion that I have the instinct to say no to just because it’s not what was in my vision. I’ve worked alone for so many years that it’s my habit to make quick decisions and give a definitive no when a suggestion comes my way that doesn’t match my very clear and singular vision. Now I’ve learned to hold that “no” back in my mouth. Instead I think about why I chose that board member, their expertise and experience. I try to see the vision they have in their head and when I do their suggestion makes total sense. Sometimes I realize that their vision is much more inline with where the organization should be going. Then I open up my view to align with theirs. A partner can see things which are hidden to us because of our programming and limitations. When we form in partnership we get to work through that and double our vision. Sometimes we even get triple vision: ours, theirs, and the one we create together.
Who Makes the Perfect Partner:
The first thing to remember is that there is no perfect partner, only the perfect partner for YOU. Find someone who can compliment your strengths with their opposite strengths, who sees a different perspective but one you respect, who can open circles, bring resources and most importantly who you can lean on trust and communicate well with. You are going to need excellent communication skills when things get tough and they will get tough. If you’ve chosen well, you’ve chosen someone different from you. That means disagreements will happen maybe a lot of them, major ones. You’ll need a deep respect for your partner and a clear process for decision making. Sound familiar? Partnering in business is very much like partnering in love.
To identify the qualities you are seeking in a partner, do a self assessment first. Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Write your answers down so you can see them on paper and gain greater clarity.
- What is my biggest strength?
- What are some of my blind spots?
- What kind of energy would balance mine best?
- What skills am I lacking that I could use in a partner?
- What cultural awareness could I use strengthening in?
Journal extensively on this question:
- Where do I see myself going and who is the person I need in my life that will help me get there?
How I Can Find My Perfect Partner:
Finding the right person or persons to partner with for a project or to grow your business doesn’t have to be stressful.
Start by answering the questions above and putting out there that you are “in the market”.
Talk to people about your perfect match. Wherever you are, keep an open ear for the right find. Don’t go exclusive right away. Date around. Try out different partnerships gently in low risk, low commitment projects before jumping in to a long term, legally binding situation.
We’ve all had that love at first sight situation which turned out to be more lust than love and ended up blowing up in our face. That can happen with business partnerships as well. Go slowly and build trust and communication grounding your relationship for a healthy fruitful future.
Resist the urge to pick a partner because others think they are important or of a certain status.
I speak from experience when it comes to going down this road. Choosing a partner because you think they have clout or because other people seem to like them on Instagram will not end you in a happy situation. Remember that no one is as they appear online and that there is no perfect partner, only the perfect partner for you.
Finally, remember that however careful you are with your picker, mistakes in partnership happen. Be ready to exit if and when the time calls for it and always get into any partnership with a plan for how to get out of it.
Are you working on partnership in your life? Share your experience and if any of these tips helped you in the comments below or send the blog to someone else who is!
by Lara Land | Jun 24, 2019 | COACHING, COMMUNITY, LARA LAND, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, SPIRITUALITY, Yoga
If there is one secret I know about life it’s to show up for it. Even if you are not ready, unsure, and frightened as hell, you will always prosper in some way from showing up even if it’s to learn your lesson for next time. Growth will never come from hiding.
My commitment to showing up was the beginning of a major shift in my life, one which has continued to reveal ongoing benefits. One great thing about learning to show up is it gets easier and easier each time until you don’t have to think about it at all.
One day you realize that you are just naturally in the muddy mix of your life and you can’t believe there was a time you chose to stand on the sidelines.
Here are 3 simple ways to start showing up more in your life and gaining the immediate benefits of engagement:
- Say “yes”. Shonda Rhimes Book Year of Yes is a great one to read if you have a tendency to say no to things and want to make a shift. Forcing yourself to attend parties, meetings, and events is a real necessary and level one part of showing up. Start saying “yes” to invitations (even the challenging ones) or they’ll stop arriving. Risk being uncomfortable for the reward of being present.
- Quit the snarkiness. Snarkiness, sarcasm and judgement are ways of disengaging. They keep you outside the story. Drop them and get inside where the mess of life happens. That’s next level showing up. You’ll never be fully in your life if you’re always judging how others are living theirs. You will never understand the tough choices people make until you are busy making your own.
- Dissent. Showing up means bringing all of yourself, even if that means towing unpopular opinions. Share them and let yourself be known for all that you are. This is the highest level of showing up. It involves bringing all of yourself, even the dark, quirky, and strange parts into the room. When you can show up in this way and be accepted you know you are in the right circles. You’ve found your people and you’ve found you.
Which level of showing up are you and how could you level up your ability to show up this summer? What do you find the most difficult and most rewarding aspects of showing up? Take the time to reflect on how you are showing up in all aspects of your life and relationships. Share your stories in the comments below!
by Lara Land | May 15, 2019 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, POSTON BLOG, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, SPIRITUALITY, TRAIN YOUR BRAIN, Yoga
Who wouldn’t want to reduce stress? Stress is the leading cause for heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, headaches, weight gain, and premature aging. It can lead to anxiety, depression, and completely dismantle our lives and yet we are largely lost as to how to combat it and often even how to see and acknowledge it.
Most of us don’t notice our stress until it has debilitated us, taking out our backs, locking up our necks, or giving us a horrible stomach ache. Once we have let the stress go that far, it is hard to bring down. A great help to managing our stress and reducing our chances of chronic illness would be to notice it sooner.
You can learn to notice the first signs of stress in your body by checking in with yourself throughout the day. Ask yourself, “how is my breathing?” If it seems shallow, short, locked up in any way, that could be a sign the body is under some stress. Quickened breath is also a clue. Look for breath position. Is it high in the chest (stress sign) or low in the belly? If breath quality/location is hard for you to access, you can check in with your vocal tone. A stressed body will often produce a high, airy voice and a calm one a full round sound.
Go ahead and check your breathing rate and position and vocal quality now! What do you notice?
Observing your breath is the quickest way to reduce your stress instantaneously. Choose a spot you feel your breath the most, like your nose, chest or belly and just watch as it comes and goes. You don’t have to do a thing. Simply observing is an art which has enormous impact. Many will tell you to deepen or lengthen your breathing. I would say to just watch. We are so quick to make adjustments but our systems know what to do to run most calmly and efficiently if we only get out of their way. Learn to be with what is and your body will thank you.
Get in the habit of observing your breathing multiple times throughout the day. You should see an immediate reduction in your stress level each time and a cumulative decrease in your stress level over time. If it helps you can even set an alarm for checking in with your breath every hour until it becomes second nature. This simple act will have a profound impact on the quality of your life and could even save it. Nothing should be stopping you from starting today.
You will find in time that you don’t even have to remind yourself to observe your breath. You will do so regularly and naturally as needed, re-regulating your system and finding peace in the moments of being one with this most subtle of human acts.
by Lara Land | Mar 31, 2019 | LAND BLOG, LARA LAND, SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Have you noticed, or is it just me, that people are always saying they are value driven? Family values, American values, the word ‘values’ comes up more and more and yet few know what their true values are let alone what to do once they pinpoint them. What if you could clarify your values? You can. It will simplify all your decision making and release you of inner conflict as you made steps forward.
Many struggle not just with defining their values, but also with having too many different values. Though it’s possible to identify with a variety of values, ultimately our brains can only focus on one thing at a time. One value is the driver and the other values fall behind. In order to give our lives clarity and truly understand who we are, it’s important to know which one or two values trump all. When it comes down to it, is it independance, or loyalty that drives your life, accountability or courage and so on. You have to know what you value to know exactly who you are.
Once you’ve discovered your top values it’s up to you to make sure you are paying more than just lip service to them and that you start to live them. This is the true meaning of authenticity. A choice to live in authenticy is a choice to live by your values and show up by honoring them in every single decision you make.
In fact, this way of living makes otherwise complicated decision making extremely easy. It’s not always easy to make the choice that aligns with our values. fact, it is often the hard choice. It is, however easy to see what the right choice which aligns with your highest values is. Then you face yourself and decide with each decision that passes to be a person who lives their values and practices them in action.
Here’s your assignment guaranteed to help you live in total harmony with who you believe yourself to be
To help you I’ve compiled a list of values below. Circle your top 10 and then narrow down to your top 2. Comment on this blog and let me know what your top TWO values are.
- Do a value assessment.
- Decide two greatest values.
- Weigh EVERY decision you make on these.
- Face yourself when you are acting in contradiction with your values.
- Pivot when necessary.
Independence
Status
Challenge
Being involved in community
Feeling Competent and Capable
Simplicity
Peace and Tranquility
Busy lifestyle
Creative Expression
Friendships
Physical Activity
Learning new things
Time Freedom
Accomplishment
Recognition
Having a spiritual way of life
Adventure
Balanced lifestyle
Excitement, Stimulation
Rest and relaxation
High Moral Standards
Intimacy & closeness
Social contact
Having fun, leisure activities
Contributing to society
Stability and security
Time with family
Time alone
Pursuit of a hobby
Healthy lifestyle
Mental stimulation
Psychological awareness
Growth as a person
Financial Freedom
Successful management of money
Taking on new projects
Time in nature
Accountability
Adaptability
Faith
Diversity
Creativity
Vulnerability
Courage
Cooperation
Order
Fairness
Authenticity
Security
Being the best
Power
Self-Discipline
Including everyone
Grace
Giving back
Kindness
Uniqueness
Openness
Usefulness
Strong Vision
Efficiency
Perseverance
Or write your own __________________
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