Life-Lab

You know when you buy a green car, then suddenly you start seeing green cars everywhere? Or when you’re pregnant, then suddenly you notice a pregnant person at every traffic light?

Well this week I felt like everywhere I looked, everything was through the lens of DISC profiles. If I wasn’t preparing a DISC workshop, I was delivering one, and by the time I drove back from regional Victoria this afternoon, the fictional audiobook I was listening to suddenly sounded like a deliberate description of different DISC types.

Earlier in the week Life-Lab and Ground Level came together for our third Member Collab, to present a “DISC Lite” workshop for small business owners in Melbourne’s inner west. It was a really successful day and I think we all agreed, it was both valuable and enjoyable! Thanks Andy Fithall and Athena Boss for all of the work behind the scenes to make this happen, and to Steve Mason, Christine Carley OMG, Stephanie Yeung, Jenna Chia and Brett Long for your willingness to explore and learn together.

Following that I had the opportunity to run another DISC session today on behalf of Just For Schools with some slightly weary Education Support Staff (last day of term 3 and feeling it!) who approached the PD with such genuine curiosity and good humour that we all agreed it was a fantastic way to finish the term. Thanks Cate Schreck for trusting me with your fabulous ‘The ESSentials Program’!

As I made my way home this afternoon on the two hour drive, listening to ‘Cat Lady’ on Audible, all I could hear was the characteristics of either Dominance, Influence, Steadiness or Compliance being spelt out in the behaviour of the main characters. I even had the talking cat as a particular profile in my mind, such was my hyper focus on all things DISC!

Do you know what your style is, and perhaps just as importantly, the style of the people you work with? It is such an effective took for developing self awareness, team success and Emotional Intelligence. Thanks Philip Macleod of Discover Profiles for your ongoing support and interest in the Leadership At Work team and our continuing implementation of DISC reports.

You know when you buy a green car, then suddenly you start seeing green cars everywhere? Or when you’re pregnant, then suddenly you notice a pregnant person at every traffic light? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well this week I felt like everywhere I looked, everything was through the lens of DISC profiles. If I wasn’t preparing a DISC workshop, I was delivering one, and by the time I drove back from regional Victoria this afternoon, the fictional audiobook I was listening to suddenly sounded like a deliberate description of different DISC types. 🤣

Earlier in the week Life-Lab and Ground Level came together for our third Member Collab, to present a “DISC Lite” workshop for small business owners in Melbourne’s inner west. It was a really successful day and I think we all agreed, it was both valuable and enjoyable! Thanks Andy Fithall and Athena Boss for all of the work behind the scenes to make this happen, and to Steve Mason, Christine Carley OMG, Stephanie Yeung, Jenna Chia and Brett Long for your willingness to explore and learn together.

Following that I had the opportunity to run another DISC session today on behalf of Just For Schools with some slightly weary Education Support Staff (last day of term 3 and feeling it!) who approached the PD with such genuine curiosity and good humour that we all agreed it was a fantastic way to finish the term. Thanks Cate Schreck for trusting me with your fabulous ‘The ESSentials Program’!

As I made my way home this afternoon on the two hour drive, listening to ‘Cat Lady’ on Audible, all I could hear was the characteristics of either Dominance, Influence, Steadiness or Compliance being spelt out in the behaviour of the main characters. I even had the talking cat as a particular profile in my mind, such was my hyper focus on all things DISC! 😹

Do you know what your style is, and perhaps just as importantly, the style of the people you work with? It is such an effective took for developing self awareness, team success and Emotional Intelligence. Thanks Philip Macleod of Discover Profiles for your ongoing support and interest in the Leadership At Work team and our continuing implementation of DISC reports.

Life Log 001: Prioritising Myself at 53 🎂

Doing exactly as I pleased for a whole 24 hours, reconnecting with friends, and quality time with the family ❤️

What are some ways (small or large) where you are busy “setting yourself on fire to keep everyone else warm”, as Em Rusciano so beautifully puts it?

Or, to approach it from the other angle, what are some ways (small or large) where you could prioritise yourself first? Small acts of taking care of yourself, filling your own cup, putting your own oxygen mask on first. Those oft-used sayings are there for a reason. It sounds simple enough but how many of us need reminding, or permission, even just from ourselves, to occassionally step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and look after ourselves first?

🎧 Currently consuming: Blood, Sweat and Glitter by Em Rusciano ✨

‘I was sick of setting myself on fire to keep everyone else warm.’ How much does that line get you right in the feels? Hard relate…

One of the reasons I love it is because she’s so messy, flawed and completely relatable. It felt like I was reading about myself in some ways.

Em is an Australian late diagnosed AuDHDer, singer and comedian and I absolutely loved her book. She’s really been getting to know herself and it’s amazing to be a part of the journey.

I found it really interesting listening to her second book ‘Try Hard’ because she’s describing some of the daily struggles she faces and it’s before she actually has the diagnosis of Autism and ADHD so it’s before she really understands why she finds those things so difficult.

It’s just that thing of being more comfortable in our own skin because understanding the way our brain works obviously is a hugely fundamental part of who we are and how we operate in the world.

With love,
Emily

I love how sometimes the littlest thing can make a big difference to your day. I wasn’t having a particularly bad day today, but I was definitely feeling a little flat and lacking in energy.

I headed out for a walk with my two dogs to get a coffee, and pretty quickly felt so much happier and more motivated! Fresh air, enjoying seeing the puppy frolic in the long grass rather than feeling annoyed about her biting my toes while I sat my desk earlier, and bumping into a couple of local people I haven’t chatted with for ages all gave me back a bounce in my step.

I ended up at The Chestnut Tree for my coffee, where I enjoyed a brief but lovely interaction with the friendly staff there. I also bumped into the cutest lady who I used to do gym classes with when I went to the 10am sessions with all the retired folk. She loved my dogs and was genuinely so excited to see me that it was impossible not to laugh. After that I crossed paths with someone I haven’t talked to in years, and she is one of those people who genuinely makes you feel good about yourself during the shortest of chats.

When I returned to my desk, I was SO much more focused and motivated, and the dogs slept soundly at my feet as an added bonus.

Sometimes the most obvious and simple act can make all the difference to the direction of our day.

What’s something you can do mid week to raise your energy levels and get you through a patch of feeling a bit blah?