Author Archives: Kathleen Guthrie Woods

Nudging: Get to know one great female artist

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Backstory: I don’t recall what originally inspired this nudge. Maybe it had to do with wanting to look outside my comfort zone for creative inspiration. Now that I think about it, I recently encouraged a client, who was experiencing some burnout, to take a break from writing writing writing! He had fallen into a rut of forcing himself to churn out pages or a set word count, so I suggested he go to a museum and take in some visual art for a change. Or just get outside and take in some natural beauty. He reported back that he returned to his desk with renewed energy and ideas for his work. Huzzah!

So maybe this week I’ll wander a local museum and stop whenever I’m attracted to something. Or maybe I’ll check out some books about an artist or school of artists from the library.

I do need to acknowledge this nudge is not about revisiting my favorites (Monet, pretty much all the Impressionists) and focusing on female artists. As I think on this, I’m leaning toward getting to know a new-to-me visual artist, but for you it could be a musician, actor, or other entertainer. Or a poet, essayist, or novelist.

Have fun with this!

Nudged: Memorize a poem

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Backstory: I almost used one of my passes on this one. Just not feelin’ it. Then I reminded myself that one of the goals of this 52Nudges program is to push myself a bit when I feel uncomfortable.

When I did this nudge in round one, I memorized my favorite Shakespearean sonnet, #29:

“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes….”

It was actually pretty fun to re-stretch my memorization and presentation muscles. So here we go again.

Meanwhile, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that you don’t have to do exactly what I do. Make your own list of nudges and draw one at random each week to do in tandem with me. Or just read along, be impressed when I slay a big nudge (or laugh with me when I “fail”),  and take in inspiration whenever it strikes.

What Happened: My first instinct was to memorize a poem in French. HA! An online review of the most famous French poems quickly put that idea to bed. Waaaaaay too ambitious and beyond my linguistic skills (for now)!

Then I remembered one of the other inspirations I had for this nudge. Last year, on a whim, I checked out Where the Sidewalk Ends from the local library. This collection of truly whimsical poems by Shel Silverstein delighted me as a child, and I was eager to revisit it.

It did not disappoint.

Quite the opposite. It engaged, delighted, tickled, amused, and delighted me some more. I got in the habit of reading a few poems at bedtime, which allowed me to briefly forget the cares of the day and fall asleep with a smile on my face.

So for this nudge, I chose one of my favorites:

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,

Listen to the DON’TS.

Listen to the SHOULDN’TS,

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS.

Listen to the NEVER HAVES,

Then listen close to me–

Anything can happen, child,

ANYTHING can be.

The Ah-Hahs: As I practiced the poem every day this week, I found that it was becoming my new mantra. A reminder as I do creative work that it is my job, my purpose, my responsibility to think beyond the shoulds, musts, and nevers.

That, and I noticed I smiled a lot this week. 🙂

Nudging: Memorize a poem

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Backstory: I almost used one of my passes on this one. Just not feelin’ it. Then I reminded myself that one of the goals of this 52Nudges program is to push myself a bit when I feel uncomfortable.

When I did this nudge in round one, I memorized my favorite Shakespearean sonnet, #29:

“When, in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes….”

It was actually pretty fun to re-stretch my memorization and presentation muscles. So here we go again.

Meanwhile, this is a good opportunity to remind everyone that you don’t have to do exactly what I do. Make your own list of nudges and draw one at random each week to do in tandem with me. Or just read along, be impressed when I slay a big nudge (or laugh with me when I “fail”),  and take in inspiration whenever it strikes.

52+: “Putting on the Gloves” by Chris Green

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As soon as I heard Chris’s story about how she stepped out of (or into?) her comfort zone, I asked if I could share it with the 52Nudges community. Read on for some “powerful” inspiration. — Kathleen

I am not a risk-taker. Nope nope nope. I stay in my lane, do what I’m told (well, mostly), and am definitely not breaking any laws. But when I was laid-off last fall from my job of 28 years, I decided it was time to light up my inner badass and try some new things. After all, if I was going to have to find a new job, I’d better get used to things that were new, different, and scary.

So I signed up for boxing lessons.

Now, I am not a particularly aggressive person. As the only girl in a family of four boys, I spent much of my childhood watching my brothers pile on each other (thank you, Three Stooges) while I just kept to the side, trying not to get hurt. But as I found through years of playing softball, I realized that I enjoyed the physical feeling of power – throwing the ball in from the outfield, crushing that ball for an extra-base hit. Seeing my body able to do what my personality didn’t always allow gave me a special kind of confidence that I have missed as an adult.

My gym is not a boxing-only gym, where Burgess Meredith would be simultaneously smoking and yelling at me from the corner. Instead it is cozy, well lit, and smells pretty good as far as gyms go. And the class is mostly women! This was a huge relief for me, as I am self-conscious trying new things. Most of the time women welcome and support each other and, sure enough, gym rat Julie welcomed me and helped me feel comfortable and ready to hit.

Photo by walking photographer

The actual boxing is fun! While I work on my technique and footwork, I hit the heavy bag and imagine my frustrations and anxieties crumbling under my gloves – my fear of finding the right job (or, honestly, any job), that annoying thing my husband or kids said the night before, my inability to keep to my diet and lose some of that weight. As Coach Vince gently corrects my feet or my weight distribution, I remind myself that since I can do this, I can tackle other hard things too, and deliver a solid combination that can knock out those things I’m scared of.

It is one helluva workout, and I emerge sweaty, invigorated, and ready to charge into whatever the day puts in front of me.

Turns out that the power doesn’t come from the gloves, it comes from what I put behind it. That knockout punch comes from ME.

 

Nudged: Make a list of cities I want to visit, pick 1 to explore

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Backstory: Back in my single gal days, for years I dreamed about going to Italy. Every time the new Backroads‘ catalogue arrived in the mail, I ripped out the pages describing the walking tour of Tuscany and pinned it to my wall. One day I decided I had wasted too much time dreaming and was ready to do something to make it happen. Almost a full year in advance, I booked the tour and put down a sizeable deposit. Then every spare dollar went into a savings account so, by the time I boarded the plane, everything was covered.

This nudge is in part inspired by the success of that planning and adventuring. Today I can’t kid myself about swinging a big deposit (if you can–go for it!), but I can start visualizing my next trip and motivating myself to make it happen.

Once I’ve made my short list of cities, I might go to the library and pick up history and cook books. I might check out cultural music online. I might add a language app to my phone and start practicing the words and phrases I’ll need to be a respectful traveler (please…excuse me…thank you). Or maybe I’ll put together a list of movies set in that city and begin “seeing” myself there.

What I know for sure is I’ve been bitten by the travel bug and I’m starting to itch. I’m looking forward to exploring where I might go.

What Happened: I started by looking up the “best cities in Portugal to visit” and discovered Lisbon, called the “postcard-picture capital”. OMG, gorgeous! A “sea power”, Portugal is known for its temperate climate, beautiful beaches, fishing industry, and port and madeira wines. Sign me up!

But first I needed to look into Buenos Aires, Argentina. Friends who have visited describe it as the “Paris of South America”, featuring spectacular architecture, delicious foods, and world-class culture. I researched online and discovered it is home to a diverse immigrant population with a multitude of languages and has the largest Jewish population in Latin America. This “sexy” city hosts more than 300 plays every weekend and all sorts of cultural and music festivals (the International Jazz Festival that includes dance classes caught my eye). It also has so many libraries and bookstores (734 bookstores, “more per person than any other city in the world”), it is called the “City of Books”. Sounds like my kind of town!

Buenos Aires is also known for it’s beautiful gardens, including its Japanese Garden, which…wait…. Oh, wow….

The Ah-Hahs: For those of you who have been following 52Nudges for a while, you may recall my trip to Portland, Oregon, a little over a year ago. While there, at the recommendations of friends and family, my husband and I explored the fabulous Japanese Gardens. We were blown away by it. Then at one point we looked at each other and asked, “Don’t we have one of these at home?” Yes. Yes we do, just 15 minutes from our house. (Read the Nudged post here.)

I still have not been there.

So I kind of kicked myself as I worked through and processed this week’s nudge. Right here, right now, I have access to great architecture, world-class museums, food from just about every culture, language schools, cafés set up for sipping while people-watching, gardens and paths for walking, and just about everything else I’m hoping to find through travels beyond my own city’s borders. Why is it that I feel the need to search for things I already have here?

Postcard by RetroMail available on Zazzle.com

And then…and here’s where things get goosebumpy…

Why is it I feel the need to search for things outside of myself when maybe, just maybe, everything I need to feel fulfilled is already within me?

Why do I feel the need to do more, do differently, try, achieve? What if…what if for a while I am just still and allow myself to be fully me?

Like with every nudge, I never know where it’s going to take me. This one really surprised me, and I’m grateful for it. Maybe this was the ultimate nudge I’ve needed all along.

I’m still processing this, and don’t know how it will play out. I’m calm and excited at the same time.

Meanwhile, if this week’s nudge led you to plan the Trip of a Lifetime, I hope you’ll send me a postcard. 🙂

 

 

Nudging: Make a list of cities I want to visit, pick 1 to explore

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Backstory: Back in my single gal days, for years I dreamed about going to Italy. Every time the new Backroads‘ catalogue arrived in the mail, I ripped out the pages describing the walking tour of Tuscany and pinned it to my wall. One day I decided I had wasted too much time dreaming and was ready to do something to make it happen. Almost a full year in advance, I booked the tour and put down a sizeable deposit. Then every spare dollar went into a savings account so, by the time I boarded the plane, everything was covered.

This nudge is in part inspired by the success of that planning and adventuring. Today I can’t kid myself about swinging a big deposit (if you can, go for it!), but I can start visualizing my next trip and motivating myself to make it happen.

Once I’ve made my short list of cities, I might go to the library and pick up history and cook books. I might check out cultural music online. I might add a language app to my phone and start practicing the words and phrases I’ll need to be a respectful traveler (please…excuse me…thank you). Or maybe I’ll put together a list of movies set in that city and begin “seeing” myself there.

What I know for sure is I’ve been bitten by the travel bug and I’m starting to itch. I’m looking forward to exploring where I might go.

Nudged: Learn something from a YouTube video

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Backstory: This nudge is inspired by part from when I taught myself how to whistle through my fingers by watching YouTube videos. My main inspiration, however, came from our friend, who we’ll call “Mr. Fab.” A few years ago, in his late 50s, Mr. Fab decided to learn how to cook. His wife is an excellent cook, so he had no need to add this to his skills set, he just wanted to try something new. And not just “How to scramble eggs.” The first meal we had with him was a roasted suckling pig. Bam! He learned how select his protein, prep and cook it, and carve it, all from watching videos online.

When I drew this nudge early this morning, I didn’t have to think long and hard about what I might like to do. I want to learn how to make pretty patterns in our coffees, like those cool people do at cool coffeehouses. So here’s this morning’s cup, as a baseline (i.e., just a mocha).

Tomorrow I’ll set aside time to search for and watch instructional videos. Fun!

What might you learn this week?

What Happened: OMG THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN I LEARNED A LOT CAFFEINE IS MY NEW BEST FRIEND!!!

…deep breath…I had a lot of espresso this week. 😉

After watching and studying different videos about the basics, tips, super fancy creations, and very intricate and beautiful designs, I felt I was ready to dive in. Tuesday morning, I created my first latte art heart:

I laughed so hard, if I’d taken a sip, it would have come out my nose. I texted the photo to a friend. “Check out my first-ever latte art heart!” She replied, “Maybe you should tell people you were going for ‘lungs’.” HA! 🙂

I swallowed my pride (and a very yummy beverage) and tried again Wednesday morning, this time attempting a hibiscus flower:

Okay, not horrible. More practice followed.

This morning I tried the hibiscus flower yet again:

I wasn’t happy with how it looked, so added some swirls and decided to call this a “swirling snowflake”. I think it’s very pretty.

The Ah-Hahs: This affirmed something I’ve always known about my self: I am a wordsmith, not a visual artist. Still, it was fun to stretch my creative muscles and try something totally outside my wheelhouse.

I also learned than when you concentrate and take your time and try to do latte art right, the one thing you’re guaranteed to get is cold coffee. So when I’m making coffee drinks at home, I’m just going to blend everything together and enjoy the warm goodness. And the next time I am handed a beautifully decorated coffee drink in a coffeehouse–that’s still hot!–I’m giving that barista a huge tip!

52+: “Every day is a great day.”

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It’s true that I created the 52Nudges as a way to push myself into new adventures and experiences. So it’s especially gratifying when I learn that someone else has had success with one of the nudges.

I recently received a blog post from McClairie Group, in which executive coach Charmaine McClairie wrote:

After a holiday visit to Paris, my favorite of all cities, I am renewed and refreshed, and I’ve made an important decision. I’ve decided that every day in 2020 is a great day. Any day that I’m on this side of the earth? Yes, it’s a great day.

It’s a decision prompted by Kathleen Guthrie Woods and her 52Nudges, a wonderful initiative that encourages us to challenge ourselves weekly.

This Nudge in particular resonated with me – a Nudge to reserve time to just be. Be still, be quiet and do nothing. It reminded me of the hours and hours I spent in Rodin’s Garden when I lived in Paris earlier in my career. I would stop there on my way home from work, sit on one of the many park benches and soak in this incredible city. The art. The culture. The people. To sit and just be in one of the most beautiful spots in the world was truly transformational for me.

Thank you, Kathleen, for reminding me of the importance of sitting quietly and doing nothing – even in Paris.

Charmaine McClairie enjoying Rodin’s Garden in Paris.

I have a huge smile on my face as I read this, and I am inspired to greet each new day as a great day. Thank you, Charmaine!

P.S. If you’re ready to nudge your career to the next level (or up several levels), check out McClairie Group’s website for insights, solutions, and upcoming events.

Nudging: Learn something from a YouTube video

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Backstory: This nudge is inspired by part from when I taught myself how to whistle through my fingers by watching YouTube videos. My main inspiration, however, came from our friend, who we’ll call “Mr. Fab.” A few years ago, in his late 50s, Mr. Fab decided to learn how to cook. His wife is an excellent cook, so he had no need to add this to his skills set, he just wanted to try something new. And not just “How to scramble eggs.” The first meal we had with him was a roasted suckling pig. Bam! He learned how select his protein, prep and cook it, and carve it, all from watching videos online.

When I drew this nudge early this morning, I didn’t have to think long and hard about what I might like to do. I want to learn how to make pretty patterns in our coffees, like those cool people do at cool coffeehouses. So here’s this morning’s cup, as a baseline (i.e., just a mocha).

Tomorrow I’ll set aside time to search for and watch instructional videos. Fun!

What might you learn this week?

 

Nudged: Go to the beach

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Backstory: When I was compiling The List for nudges, I thought about skills I want to learn, activities I loved doing as a kid and might enjoy doing again, and all sorts of things that have fed my soul in the past and might still work their magic on me today. This week’s nudge falls into that last category.

I grew up on the beaches of Southern California. I body-surfed, explored tide pools, cooked meals over fire pits, and sometimes just sat and watched and listened. The beach is where I went when I needed to clear my head, rest my body (or sometimes reboot it with a strenuous workout), and refuel my spirit.

I’ve now lived in Northern California for over a decade and I have yet to walk on the beach closest to my home. It’s cold here! It’s windy! It’s not the same!

Lately I’ve felt a longing to get back to the beach. I’m so glad I pulled this nudge this week. It’s time.

What Happened: The moment I stepped off the pavement, I wanted to take off my shoes and scrunch my toes in the sand. Oh, how I have missed that sensation! Sadly, it was too dang cold! I should mention that I was dressed in two layers of thermal shirts, a down parka, scarf, and gloves. In part to stay warm, I kept moving. And I walked and walked, looked and listened, and took in “my” beach for 90 minutes.

It was wonderful.

Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California

I breathed more deeply than I have in ages, and noticed when I got home that my sinuses were clear after fighting a tenacious head cold for weeks. I noticed my mind was quiet and focused, my body relaxed, my legs fatigued, but in a satisfying way. I felt like I’d had a complete re-set.

The Ah-Hahs: Is it the briny air? The ions? The crunch of the sand under my feet? The “white” noise of the surf that works its magic on me? Probably all of the above in concert.

Sure, I miss the beaches of my youth, but I’m learning to appreciate the beauty of the beach in my present.

My inaugural walk happened over a lunch break. Totally doable, especially because that beach is just two miles from home. The next morning, I felt a longing to return, but it had to wait due to conference calls and other obligations. But tomorrow, Saturday, Louie the dog and I have a date to go to the nearby dog-friendly beach. I look forward to running around with him in the sand and surf, both of us barefoot. I’ll pack some warm socks for after. 🙂