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Articles from Valencia Ray | Selfgrowth.com
- 7 Reasons Why Worry is Bad for Your Health - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2010 from Valencia RayStaying healthy is the goal of most people. As I look at our healthcare system, it has never been as important as it is today to be proactive in staying healthy. Between the expense healthcare and medication, the threat to your financial stability and the questionable "scientific" data that ...
Views: 5273 - Innovation Requires Courage to Confront Reality - by Submitted on May 08, 2012 from Valencia Ray“Innovation,” “Collaborative Leadership,” and “Trust” are three terms I’m seeing tossed around quite a bit in the articles and books I’m coming across. I agree that we are in need of change—in fact, transformation—but what I’m not seeing much of is how to confront reality. What does it take to ...
Views: 2984(1 vote) - Fear of Conflict in Team-Building — What’s So Scary? - by Submitted on Sep 18, 2012 from Valencia RayTeam dysfunction is at the heart of much organizational dysfunction. After all, people comprise teams and teams create organizations. Or, let’s work backwards: if we want to improve organizations, we need to develop individual people. Notice I said, “develop,” not “fix” or “improve.” Our view of ...
Views: 2865(1 vote) - Emotional Intelligence: I Feel, Therefore I Am - by Submitted on Aug 27, 2012 from Valencia RayEmotional intelligence is beginning to be recognized as a powerful contributor to business intelligence—“soft” skill or not. I’m all for respecting the intellect, and I’m all for respecting our intuitive feeling mind, as well. I have a book on order called “Descartes Error,” by Antonio R. ...
Views: 1791 - 3 Key Questions To Determine If Your Opinions Are Harmful To Your Health - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2010 from Valencia RayStaying healthy is more important than ever considering the rising rates of cancer and chronic disease in our world - not to mention the expense of healthcare and the emotional fallout. While I personally have healthy nutrition habits and exercise regularly, I do very little specific teaching on ...
Views: 1729(2 votes) - The Optimism Bias: Is it Bad for You? - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2012 from Valencia RayOptimism and happiness are interconnected. With the world around us changing as rapidly as it is in our business environment these days, being optimistic can make a very significant difference. Yet, I sometimes hear online and offline comments that being optimistic is not realistic, or even ...
Views: 1621(1 vote) - Personal Development: What's the 'Self' in Self-Actualization? - by Submitted on May 29, 2013 from Valencia RayI was listening to a video by an author where he defined 'self-actualization' in terms of ego or selfish individualism - a type of narcissism. This goes to show the limitations of language and how meaning can be confused. The 'self' in self-actualization, in my mind, is just the opposite. It is ...
Views: 1611(1 vote) - Collaborative Leadership: Obama Tech Team Lessons in Adaptability - by Submitted on Dec 27, 2012 from Valencia RayA brilliant example of collaborative leadership in action is illustrated in an article I read in yesterday’s Sunday Business Section of the newspaper entitled “Obama Tech Team Ventures Forward”: Collaborative Leadership Structure is an innovation to the traditional hierarchical structure. It ...
Views: 1594(4 votes) - Self-Awareness: Life Is a Hero’s Journey - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2013 from Valencia RayWe human beings love stories. One of the all-time favorite themes is ‘The Hero’s Journey’. Adventure stories and lessons from fairy tales were, and still are, at the top of my list of favorite movies, books, and conversations. This is why movies like “The Hobbit,” “Lord of the Rings,” and even ...
Views: 1549(1 vote) - Diversity and Inclusion Begins at the CORE - by Submitted on May 21, 2012 from Valencia RayDiversity as a consulting arena was not something I was attracted to historically—until now. I notice that it too often seems to be only representation, which is better than nothing, or somewhat anyway. Just to have physical bodies in a room is really not creating a culture of inclusion and ...
Views: 1526 - Team Building: Meaning Motivates - by Submitted on May 01, 2012 from Valencia RayTeam building is too often looked upon as “some things” to do instead of “some ones” to become. Teams are composed of people, not parts like a machine. In fact, it is time to stop treating your body and life as parts, somehow separated into bits and pieces. If we only use our left-brain mental ...
Views: 1457 - Releasing your Creativity May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2011 from Valencia RayCreativity and intuition are both right brain hemisphere qualities that have been ignored and disrespected for generations now. Finally, thanks to neuroscience research the importance of respecting the contributions of both of our brain hemispheres is coming into vogue. I have advocated trusting ...
Views: 1451 - 3 Clear Steps to Radically Change Your Life for the Better Today - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2012 from Valencia RayCollaborative leadership, networking, team building and communication skills are all considered valuable and vital to business success in the evolving workplace. Typically, when a person decides that he or she wants to learn skill sets related to these areas, they proceed to learn techniques. ...
Views: 1429 - Neuroscience: Closing the Gap Between Intellect and Heart - by Submitted on Jan 01, 2013 from Valencia RayHaving a neuroscience background and having owned and operated a surgical and medical practice for many years prepared me for the new next level expression of my life purpose – to restore vision. It’s obvious how an eye surgeon restores vision. Then there’s expanding the vision for one’s life – ...
Views: 1420(3 votes) - How to Create More Time - On Purpose - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2013 from Valencia RayCreating time, at first, sounds ridiculous - until you understand how we co-create our "reality." Of course, when speaking of linear time there are only 24 hours to a day, and everyone receives equal amounts. Yet, if you keep talking about how fast 'time flies' and do not realize that you are ...
Views: 1379 - Change Management: From Survival to Thrival - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2013 from Valencia RayManaging change effectively involves managing mindset. Where your mind is set determines if change is scary and 'hard' or exciting and 'easier'. I don't want to imply that change will be without discomfort, but it doesn't have to be downright painful. How you see it - perception - matters. ...
Views: 1377 - A Fragile Self-Image Makes Happiness Elusive - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2012 from Valencia RayHappiness will be elusive as long as a man or woman builds their self-image or worth based on what they do and how much money they make. I read an article this weekend in The New York Times Magazine bemoaning the fact that many men are losing their self-worth because their “macho” jobs are going ...
Views: 1331 - Mindfulness Meditation: Live in Peace, Not Pieces - by Submitted on Mar 19, 2013 from Valencia RayInner peace is closer than you realize. You don't have to do any thing. In fact, it is your tendency to need to do something that is driving peace of mind out of reach. We have been taught to separate our self into pieces. Be one way at home and one way at office. One way at church or temple and ...
Views: 1300(1 vote) - Engaging Employees Begins with an Engaged Leader - by Submitted on Aug 21, 2012 from Valencia RayEmployee engagement evolves organically from a leader’s engaging behavior and an engaging organizational culture. It is really not a “formula.” It boils down to leading and creating organizational culture in ways that stimulate trust, show interest in the individual’s wellbeing, and stimulate ...
Views: 1288(1 vote) - Collaborative Leadership: Are You a Mindful Leader? - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2012 from Valencia RayMindful leadership is an idea whose time is here… now. Now is the present moment, and unless you can be self-aware enough to listen to what is present to you, here, now, you are not showing up as a mindful leader. Mindfulness takes practice, particularly in our hyperactive culture, which is full ...
Views: 1270(1 vote) - Is It Truly Visionary Leadership, or Are We Just Waking Up? - by Submitted on Jun 12, 2012 from Valencia RayLeadership and vision are things I’ve been dealing with all of my life on different levels: from student government and asking questions that irritated those around me and questioned the status quo, to literally growing up and becoming an entrepreneur and eye surgeon before selling my practice. ...
Views: 1257(1 vote) - Mirror, Mirror On The Wall-Why Compare Myself At All? - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2010 from Valencia RayIf confidence and self-esteem does not come from the inside out, we are bound to seek it from outside in. This is a never-ending bottomless pit. Who cares, you may ask. Why even concern yourself with confidence or self-esteem issues? Well, for one thing, what the French author Anais Nin said ...
Views: 1257 - The Eye of Leadership Performance - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership, as do people, evolves. Seeing through the eye of the leader has taken on a whole new level of meaning in light of recent advances in cognitive neuroscience. When a leader realizes that how she or he perceives their self, their team members, and the organization powerfully matters to ...
Views: 1256(1 vote) - Leadership is an Affair of the Heart and Mind - by Submitted on Apr 17, 2012 from Valencia RayCollaborative Leadership is a partnership between the head and the heart, or the mind and the heart. It begins at this level before you can collaborate with other people. Gone are the days when people were willing to be dominated and controlled. I’m not saying that fear can no longer be used ...
Views: 1255(1 vote) - Innovation: Two Brains are Better than One - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2013 from Valencia RayInnovation and creativity optimization requires mental agility. When we can flexibly move between and integrate our two hemispheres, we can tap our 'two brains'. They work best together, collaboratively. We have a right and left-brain for good reason… good reasoning. When we are too far on ...
Views: 1254(3 votes) - Set your Mindset for Success Instead of Sabotage - by Submitted on May 15, 2012 from Valencia RayThe mindset “not good enough” or “not enough” is blamed on our brain as if it is the brain’s fault. There’s a great reason why you want to take responsibility for this and not once again blame it on something you think you cannot control. The reason is you are not likely to change what you ...
Views: 1250(3 votes) - Feminine Power: What Is It and Is It Female? - by Submitted on Mar 22, 2011 from Valencia RayI’ve read several articles on feminine power recently and I’ve seen groups formed online with feminine power as the title. I even participate in one on Facebook. The Dalai Lama has been quoted as saying, “the western woman will save the world”. So, is feminine power limited to women? I don’t ...
Views: 1221 - Productivity and Performance: The Myth of Hard Work - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2013 from Valencia RayDoes success require stress and hard work as a means to reach your goal? I say no, and there is even objective neuroscience to support my belief and experience. "Hard work and stress" is a type of paradigm or mindset. I have had conversations with several people over time regarding whether ...
Views: 1219 - Not Enough Time? Change Your Focus - by Submitted on Apr 03, 2012 from Valencia RayProductivity needs to be defined as accomplishing goals and dreams, not simply being ‘so busy’. In fact, if you keep talking about how busy and time-poor you are, you will likely waste time and energy. Why? Because talking about it is revealing that you are focused on lack of time instead of ...
Views: 1215 - Leadership Beyond Gender - by Submitted on Feb 26, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership development is another area of personal and professional growth that is, not surprisingly, undergoing change. What we historically attribute to leadership style is no longer working as we move further and further away from a one-size-fits-all workplace to a more collaborative culture ...
Views: 1211(1 vote) - Is Your MindSET for Productivity with Greater Ease? - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2012 from Valencia RayProductivity does not need to be hard. Hard work does not define success, nor real productivity. Success as we tend to define it does not often equal happiness, either. Perhaps if we stop implying that hard work and success are required before we can be happy, we can be happy as we work and ...
Views: 1204 - Creativity: The Creative Force of Words - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2013 from Valencia RayThe creative process is advanced in the direction we desire - or not - by the power of our words. Words energize our thoughts. Words are our thoughts spoken out loud; they set the trajectory for our thoughts. They are one step closer to determining the actions we take. Guard your thoughts; they ...
Views: 1180(1 vote) - Own Your Magnificence and Stop Playing Small - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2011 from Valencia RayGreatness, magnificence, and brilliance – do you realize that these are words that really refer to your unique “Self”? Then why do we tend to feel so uncomfortable applying these words to our self? For that matter, we tend to only apply them to other people, after they have died. Van Gogh, ...
Views: 1178 - 5 Tips to Boost Brain Power and Productivity - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2012 from Valencia RayAchieving business success requires more than collecting advanced degrees and learning sales and marketing strategies. These things are useful, but we are so ‘dis-integrated’ in our thinking these days that we miss the forest (the big picture) because we are so busy trying to cut down trees ...
Views: 1164 - Innovation: Why We Need It, Want It, and Fear It - by Submitted on Dec 01, 2011 from Valencia RayInnovation is a hot topic right now. The search is on for the next new thing, the new business frontier. We certainly do need to innovate, as our infrastructure appears to be falling apart. We need to make changes in how we “think life is,” for one thing. Survival of the fittest is only a ...
Views: 1164 - Mindset Matters: Is the Heart Always Right? - by Submitted on Dec 19, 2012 from Valencia RayMindset is like a thermostat. Where your mind is set, like a thermostat. The setting holds the temperature—temperament, as in mindset—in place. Mindset settings have two basic ingredients: thoughts and feelings. Belief is formed from emotionalized thought that has an assigned meaning. Brain ...
Views: 1152(2 votes) - Leadership, Personal Growth and Maslow – Beyond Theory - by Submitted on Nov 27, 2012 from Valencia RayI’ve noticed leadership and personal development being associated with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework in online and offline conversations these days. Maslow was obviously a thought leader, especially ahead of his time. I see an interesting twist, however, that deviates from the ...
Views: 1149(1 vote) - Innovation: Do You “In-Joy” Your Work? - by Submitted on May 29, 2012 from Valencia RayToday, let's talk about an innovative idea: "in-joy" your work by bringing joy to your work instead of seeking to extract joy from your work. Stop looking for joy and happiness in all the wrong places. What is a "wrong place"? Anything that is outside of yourself. Creativity is already within ...
Views: 1139(1 vote) - How Do You Feel About Joy, Meaning, and Worth? - by Submitted on Jul 17, 2012 from Valencia RayTrue potential is a challenge to uncover if you are out of touch with what is the most misrepresented and misunderstood aspects of being human – feelings. Research findings indicate that feelings (heart) are 5,000 more magnetic energy than that of thought (brain). When the mind and heart are ...
Views: 1138(1 vote) - Optimism Optimizes Your Performance - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2013 from Valencia RayUnderstanding optimism is important to elevating your performance. Finally, the power of feelings and emotions are beginning to be openly discussed within the context of science, business, and leadership. Historically, the term "touchy feely" has been used to dismiss important aspects of ...
Views: 1126(1 vote) - Leadership: The Courage to Actually Lead - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2013 from Valencia RayReal leadership is about having the courage to inspire change and engage the heart of others to take action. Not just action for the sake of action; there also needs to be clarity of ‘why’ you are choosing a given course of action. What are you as a leader doing that is different than you did ...
Views: 1125(1 vote) - Slow Down to Accelerate Your Results - by Submitted on Sep 17, 2013 from Valencia RayProductivity is not simply activity. Without a clear vision, a heartfelt why, and a clear strategy, you will waste your resources - time, energy and money. You will also increase the likelihood that you will create dis-ease in your body from overworking and stress. On the surface, these ...
Views: 1125 - If You’re Not Afraid… - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2011 from Valencia RayYou are not growing. Growth will take you into the unknown. Why is growth so scary? The most likely reason for many, many people is that they are conditioned unconsciously to fear change. This is rooted in perception. It is not a universal law that human beings must function this way. You ...
Views: 1121 - Making Innovation Easier by Retraining Your Brain - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2012 from Valencia RayInnovation has become more respected as a concept within the scope of business. “Business as usual” is no longer supporting competitive advantage. We are now looking for ways to change the status quo. This is quite a change from the recent past—at least on the surface. We say we want innovation ...
Views: 1119(1 vote) - Storytelling: Directing Your Life on Purpose, with Purpose - by Submitted on Aug 14, 2013 from Valencia RayWe love storytelling; this love affair begins in childhood and we never outgrow it. Our brain is a "storytelling" organ, made perfectly for creating storyline. Life is not as objective as it appears on the surface. Via our perceptions of how we interpret the facts and experiences of our lives, ...
Views: 1115(1 vote) - Emotional Intelligence: The Heart of Great Leadership - by Submitted on Jul 24, 2013 from Valencia RayEmotion and feeling have been given a bum rap. Emotion and feeling powerfully impact our behavior, decision-making, health, quality of relationships and life experience. To ignore them is to attempt to ignore half of our human nature. Navigating them intelligently has a definite leadership and ...
Views: 1112(1 vote) - Personal Development: The Value of Meaning and Passion - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2012 from Valencia RayKnowing your life purpose makes life more meaningful and fulfilling. It gives you the “why” to look forward to in your day, in your work, and in your life overall. Knowing your true values can point you in the direction of your purpose; they underpin meaning. Otherwise, you may find yourself in ...
Views: 1112 - Are You Really ‘Fixing’ Yourself, or Are You Simply ‘Learning’? - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2013 from Valencia RayLeadership and developing emotional intelligence is really personal growth and development. It is important to distinguish this. If leaders want to become more empathetic, engaging and inspiring, we must recognize that we need to change our self first. One reason why this feels so threatening ...
Views: 1111(1 vote) - Be YOU, Magnificently – Is that Arrogant? - by Submitted on Jan 15, 2013 from Valencia RayLeaders, and people in general, are searching for new answers. New answers – innovation – require an open mind. I hear and read much about innovation. Much is being said about ‘cutting edge’ and ‘embracing change’ and leaders leading. Still, many people cling to what they know. How do you ...
Views: 1111(1 vote) - Women in Business: Secrets Revealed from the Soul of Money - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2011 from Valencia RayWomen-owned businesses have been the fastest growing segment of new start-up entrepreneurial endeavors. I’m glad to see this, as I’ve been a professional and an entrepreneur for many (yes, many) years now. I have found being an entrepreneur takes a special kind of courage, and it can be an ...
Views: 1111