For years, I held a belief around responsibility being a burden – mostly, because I perceived I was being held accountable for behaviours I had no way of controlling. I thought being a responsible person or employee was an obligation to be in charge, manage the actions of others and/or direct a series of events. I mistakenly believed I was …
Archiving My Museum Experience
What does that mean? In my world, it means putting the various tasks and records that encapsulated my 16-year term of employment at the Royal Alberta Museum into virtual long-term storage. The Association of Canadian Archivists defines an archive as “…a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people.” There are many …
Head Space vs Holding Space…
In a conversation yesterday, I inadvertently blurted out the phrase “head space” instead of “holding space”. It was humourous at the time and I laughed it off; however, on reflection, I realized there was some truth in my blunder. At the time, I was talking about “holding space” for myself and really, the gist of what was happening was that …
Arms Open Wide!
As much as you might think coaching is an exclusive service only accessible to the lofty executive and management sector – it is not. Coaching is for anyone who has a desire, a dream or seeks direction. It is an open-ended support system that can serve in so many ways beyond the boardroom. Coaching deserves to be more visible, more …
Agile Goal Setting?
I sat staring in disbelief over my bowl of steaming pho. My son, a computer programmer, and I were having lunch in a quiet down-town restaurant. (There is not much more I love in life than having one of my special people all to myself over a meal!) Amazing topics of conversation usually surface and this day was no exception. …
What’s in a Peanut Butter Jar?
Grandad kept an immaculate peanut butter jar – the sides were neatly scraped down and the top layer of paste was nice and smooth. He played with this condiment. He cared for it; he had fun keeping this little container of his morning feast neat and tidy. As kids, we took great glee in driving a knife straight into his …
Head Over Heels Women’s Retreat
Head Over Heels Every once in awhile life just brings together the most serendipitous set of circumstances; so it is with this upcoming retreat! What a thrill to collaborate with Sherri-Lyn Shaw and Kristin Panylyk in creating a one-day retreat for women in Edmonton. This retreat emerged from a series of shared conversations around the issues of self-confidence and body …
“Should” is an Opinion
Recently I have been on both sides of these kinds of statements: “You should do this…” “You should have asked me.” “It should have looked like this…” “You know what you should do?” “You should do it over…” This 6-letter word was on auto-repeat in my head and in my conversations. It felt so blatantly shaming, demanding, and self-centered that I …
What’s in a Name?
A new name. My name. Classic Life Coaching As a sole-proprietorship, my company is legally one-and-the-same entity as ME. However, there is a very different perspective when it comes to everyday living. Let me explain. For nearly a year I operated my company under my personal name – Janet Waldon – and recently I realized I was struggling to hold …
Plumb-Simple
My Dad has a tool in his workshop that has been in my mind’s-eye all week. A plumb-bob. This simple device is basically a symmetrical lead weight suspended on a long string and it is used to determine vertical accuracy in carpentry or masonry work. It is a simple instrument that can confirm basic geometry as structures are built or …