January 2015 – Be Well Consulting Group

Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans: Stewardship at its Best

Balancing conservation, stewardship, and economic development
is no easy task; Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans make it look easy.

As I sit warm and cozy working in my living room with blizzard conditions outside my window, it’s hard to believe I had to trade in my snowshoes for crampons a mere four days ago because of a lack of snow. Yes, people, be careful what you wish for!

The view from Bald Pate was a pretty one even with limited visibility. Falling snowflakes made for a winter wonderland. — Even with limited visibility, the view from Bald Pate was beautiful. Snowflakes added to the fun.

Saturday a group of nine joined Jon Evans, Loon Echo Land Trust’s (LELT)
Stewardship Manager, for a hike to the summit at Bald Pate. With an elevation of 300 feet, Evans chose a hike to encourage newcomers to join the ranks of skilled hikers. The first bonus for all of us joining Evans was the history and land use knowledge that Evans shared with us. We learned about prior use of land; how LELT came to protect certain pieces of land; why connected pieces of land are so important to the community (wildlife) in the protected land; the services LELT helps provide to area residents; visitors and visitors; and so much more. Evans’ knowledge of the area was surpassed only by his enthusiasm to protect the land and provide opportunities for all of us to enjoy the properties LELT protects.

The second bonus was having Leigh Hayes join us. Hayes is Education Director for Greater Lovell Land Trust and a Board Member of Lakes Environmental Association. Hayes got down on her hands and knees to examine sample after sample of scat. Who knew that much data was in poop! Hayes was the perfect complement to Evans – their combined knowledge of the great outdoors is quite impressive.

This was my first experience with LELT; I’m looking forward to learning more about this land trust and participating in more of the organization’s hikes and programs. Give them a like on Facebook. If you’re living in or visiting the State of Maine, check them out and let me know if you agree that this organization has a handle on its stewardship role.

Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans: Stewardship at its Best was last modified: January 27th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Lessons Learned From Accepting A Challenge

Winnie Kao dropped the gauntlet. She asked anyone and everyone to join her in blogging every day for a week. Many, including me, accepted her challenge.

Making the commitment to blogging every day for seven days forced me to adjust my work schedule to write every day – weekends included. Yesterday I posted my blog less than 20 minutes before midnight. I could have written two posts today, but that wasn’t the agreement I made with Winnie. So . . . after getting home from my husband’s company party, I wrote a blog post. Not my best work, but a post nonetheless.

Taking the challenge to participate in the Your Turn Challenge helped me see a few things more clearly. Here are some of the lessons I learned from this challenge:

Shipping is better than perfect.
Your word matters.
Habits can be set or broken in a week.
Powerful communities can be formed in a week.
Taking a risk can produce some wild results.

I’ve met some wonderful people this week, and I’ve read some powerful blog posts. Participating in this challenge has been the best decision I’ve made in 2015. Thanks, Winnie, and all of my colleagues who jumped on this challenge.

Lessons Learned From Accepting A Challenge was last modified: January 25th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Want to Tell a Great Story? Try Reading a Few.

Reading is one of the best ways you can learn to be a better writer. Grab a book – fiction, nonfiction – whatever suits your fancy, and see what you learn.

My love of reading and fascination with books dates back to my childhood. Olaf Reads is a favorite from my childhood, and my current library includes a copy of Harold and the Purple Crayon. I’ve got shelves of books that relate to current interests, and am weeding out a few books that have been gathering dust.

My favorite road trips include a visit to a bookstore. I’ll plan a day or weekend’s activities around the bookstores in the area. I love roaming the aisles and reading the names of books and looking at the design of the covers of books – children’s books, business, art, medical.

These books have provided inspiration for me to write and share stories. When I need a new perspective about a topic or if I’m not sure how to write a story, I’ll have conversations with people, research online, and head to a bookstore. Bookstores continue to change as the publishing industry evolves; one constant that remains, however, is the variety of genres at our disposal. Drink in the creativity of these authors and watch your writing and storytelling improve.

Want to Tell a Great Story? Try Reading a Few. was last modified: January 24th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

January’s Clean Slate: Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Recharge, Restart, and Reboot

Thanks to the Your Turn Blog Challenge, I’m on a roll. This is day four of the seven-day challenge. I’ve completed four blog posts, joined two blogging communities, and put an end to my drought in the blog-o-sphere.

Like many people, I’m using the start of the new year as an opportunity to set some goals, reassess what’s important to me, and get down to work. How lucky am I that Winnie Kao and Seth Godin are using the new year to motivate bloggers to put their thoughts in print. Brilliant for them; inspiring for me.

Creating quite a buzz online, this group of hundreds is burning up the interwebs with thoughts that otherwise would not have been shared. I’ve read some amazing posts; take a look at this post by Heather Parady. It by far my favorite: Intense. Real. Thought-Provoking. Head on over to twitter and search #YourTurnChallenge. Set your timer; this is a seemingly endless rabbit hole – all good stuff that will keep you here past your bedtime.

Now take a look at your plans for 2015. Use this challenge to move the needle on your goals. What small steps can you take today to move forward? And then tomorrow? Remember, you’ve got that clean slate. No labels. No negative self-talk. No excuses.

2015 appears to be the year for shipping. I’d love to know what you’re shipping.

January’s Clean Slate: Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Recharge, Restart, and Reboot was last modified: January 22nd, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Get Your Social On: Keeping the Social in Social Media

Are you being social or have you slipped into the habit of constant selling, rather than engaging, on social media channels? If you’re constantly asking, selling, telling, are you engaging with your audience? Or have you alienated your tribe? If you’re not engaging, you might just be transferring traditional media tactics to social settings. You might be lonely.

Give the L E A R N theory of being social a try:

Listen. Put your ear to the social scene and listen to your audience. Where are they spending their time? What do they expect to get from social media? What are they asking questions about? What are their pain points? How can you solve their problems?

Earn. You need to earn the trust of your audience. Show up: be present, be consistent, be thoughtful.

Answer. Now that you know the questions your audience is asking, offer up some answers. Be a superhero and share your knowledge.

Respect. There are lots of differing opinions being served up on social media. Respect those opinions; and while you’re at it, don’t engage with the trolls

Nurture. Developing relations is a process. Nurture these relationships: share posts, comment on posts, be an all-around nice person.

We all love a good conversation. Go out and be social. Let me know how
the L E A R N theory works for you.

Get Your Social On: Keeping the Social in Social Media was last modified: January 21st, 2015 by Deb Nelson

The Road to Success is Paved with a Strong Team

You can benefit from the input of others whether you work alone, in a small organization, or a large company. The best of teams, however, will do you little good unless you take the time to know each member of the team.

Sports teams – professional and amateur – underscore the importance of knowing team members every time they set foot on the field, ice, court, etc. Teammates practice together, train together, travel together, and socialize together. They learn a lot about the reaction, recovery, and pivot capabilities. For sports, success depends on how well team members work together.

Hockey players shoot the puck to the area their teammate is supposed to be covering; a basketball player makes a bounce pass to the spot his or her teammate can reach. Seeing achievements of teammates at practice spurs others to reach a little deeper. Athletes communicate during competition with words when possible, gestures when necessary, and screams when appropriate. Your business might not be so different from a sports team.

If you’re successful in your profession, chances are you’ve got a good team behind you. If you’re not as successful as you’d like to be, chances are you need to shore up your team. Here are a few tips to get your team lined up to support you.

Identify your teammates. Coworkers, colleagues, committee members, volunteers, supervisors, trusted friends and advisors, mentors. You might be surprised how many people are committed to your success.
Clarify the roles of every member of your team. Clear expectations are key to having a successful outcome. You’ll make the most of your team’s talents when everyone knows what’s expected of them, and what they can expect from you in return.
Provide and receive feedback. Things didn’t work out the way you expected? Find out why – while a conversation or two might result in identifying the need for a major overhaul to your plans, you might also unearth minor changes that will result in the results you seek.
Ask for input. When you’re stuck and are sitting in the funky chair of analysis paralysis, check in with someone on your team and ask for some help. Sometimes hashing an idea out with someone can save hours of hemming and hawing on your part.
Say thank you. No two words are more appreciated than thank you. Make the time to thank all of those who lend a hand to you on your path to success.

Lace up your skates (or laptop), get in the game, and give it your all. Let me know how you and your team meet and beat the challenges you face.

The Road to Success is Paved with a Strong Team was last modified: January 20th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Have You Skipped Today?

Spend a day with a kid, and you’ll undoubtedly learn a thing or two.
You know what else will happen? You just might find yourself skipping.

What kind of question is that? Have you skipped today? Maybe a better question is: Why do we stop skipping? Is it because we reach a certain age? Or attain a certain social status?

Spend a day with young kids and you’ll find yourself giggling and skipping along with a big grin on your face. Pressure melts away, perspective changes, new insight is realized. Young kids haven’t been taught not to laugh or not to skip. Without limitations or restrictions having been imposed, kids are unstoppable. They do what comes naturally, and happiness prevails.

Do something that makes you skip every day. You’ll change your story. And you just might change the world.

Let me know how you’re changing the world – comment below, or connect with me directly.

Have You Skipped Today? was last modified: January 19th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

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