Genuine Insights

Patience + Persistence = Whole Equation

As a child I remember my mom always telling me, “Sweetie pie, you have to be patient. Things don’t happen over night.” And still, to this day, I battle with this notion on a regular basis. What is it about patience that is so difficult for us to exercise? Is it the caffeine? Is it technology? Is it Gen X’s fault? Or Gen Y’s? Is it the tweeners? Or the Twitters? I have to admit that, as I ‘m writing this, I am actually feeling a bit impatient myself! Funny, but true.

Contemplating the question of impatience, and thinking about why it matters, I recently discovered that my mom’s advice on the power of patience is profoundly true. It may have taken me 37 years to realize it, but patience is the secret variable in the formula for success. There it is. In one word. The answer to the proverbial question on what does it take to be successful.

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Posted May 14, 2009 Tagged under: entrepreneurship, goals and goal setting, self-awareness

Let the creative revolution begin

Close your eyes. Yes you read this sentence correctly, stop reading for 20 seconds and visualize your future and the future of the world. What does it look like? What does it taste like? What are you doing in the future? Are you playing, creating, laughing, designing, singing, dancing or innovating?

Now, what if I told you the future is already here and that you have the choice and freedom to decide what your future – your today looks like. Our destinies are completely framed by our actions today and I think many of us are so stressed out we don’t realize that we must stop obsessing over tomorrow and realize that tomorrow is actually today. In fact, your future is happening to you right now, this very second.

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Posted Apr 8, 2009 Tagged under: art and music, business, creativity, goals and goal setting, personal branding

Today I go solo

Two weeks ago I resigned from my day job to start the job of my dreams. Today is the day I go solo. I am scared, excited and feel outrageously purposeful. I have decided to listen to my instincts for a change and take the biggest risk of my life by launching my very own venture, genuineinsights.com, which is a personal brand coaching, training and marketing practice. I am leaving 15 years of corporate citizenship and am joining the tribe of the entrepreneur and because the creative innovative freedom not only feels right – I know it is right.

My passion has always been advising, coaching and helping creative visionaries actualize their dreams. My second passion has always been writing. Rather than do both on the side – in evenings, on the weekends and after hours – I have decided to dedicate my every waking hour to working for myself and on projects which I deem interesting and provocative. Like many other right brainers, I am leaving my comfy corporate gig to quench my thirst to create, inspire and make change. What is inspiring is that I am not alone; there are countless numbers of us leaving cubicle nations all over the world.

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Posted Jan 15, 2009 Tagged under: authenticity, business, goals and goal setting, ideas and innovation, motivation

Live your life plan

My last post on finding a word and or phrase which describes your true life goal triggered a great deal of conversation amongst my readers. In fact, I received over 100 emails around the topic. Some readers discovered and shared their words (Joy, Balance, Fun, Excitement and Innovation). And others struggled finding a descriptor, realizing they needed a “mind pause” to evaluate the true meaning of the activities which fill their days. One reader shared her word with her husband and realized they both had very different life priorities and goals which was another kind of reality check and a interesting topic for another article. My favorite comment was: “ok Gina, I figured out what my word is, now what?”

The answer to this is: begin to live your life plan daily. Begin to hold yourself accountable to staying on your path towards meaningful living by committing to doing at least one activity a day which celebrates your life plan. Action, results, discipline and reorganizing your day may be required and it also may require you to start new behaviors. For example, my word is freedom and sometimes i find it almost impossible to find the time to be truly free during the day. So I actually started scheduling my freedom time. It’s 1 hour a day and its the sweetest moment of my day where i turn off to the world and do something for myself and by myself. Some days I head to the beach and write the word in the sand with my toes; other days I spend an hour reading in my hammock or I head out for a solo lunch date at a great restaurant. These are simple pleasures that break up my day and celebrate my greatest luxury which is time and the meaningful use of it. Lesson of the story = Put YOU first and start actualizing your word on a daily basis. I look forward to hearing some of the new rituals created and encourage you to start now.

Posted Jul 25, 2008 Tagged under: goals and goal setting, self-awareness

Do you really know what it takes to reach your full potential?

Just as I am always trying to reach my full potential,I know many of my readers (high achievers) obsess over the same theme. We obsess over actualizing dreams, switching careers, making more money and launching our own businesses. But do we really know what it takes to reach our full potentials or do we expect to stumble upon greatness? This week I spent a great deal of time thinking, discussing, planning and working towards moving a few dreams into reality. What i learned during this journey of goal setting and planning is that working towards one’s full potential must start with the heart and a life plan. Big master picture of the destination has to come first and the road map and how to get there is secondary. Many may read this and think, “Gina, this is common sense.” But as my mother used to love to say, “common sense is an uncommon gift.”

The goal should never be about getting to the top, becoming a millionaire or getting a guest appearance on Oprah( last one being a Gina issue). The goal should always be about your personal life plan and what your heart really wants. For example for me its FREEDOM…My greatest life-plan and goal is to have absolute freedom. I asked this question of my husband and for him its to live the life of a National Geographic episode..adventurous and filled with eclectic experiences. For others it’s balance or a life filled with multi sensory experiences.

Take a moment right now as you are reading this to select a word and or phrase that captures what your heart desires. Once you have that word and or phrase in mind tattoo it symbolically everywhere. This word should act as as your motto and should be the end destination for your journey towards greatness.

Posted Jul 2, 2008 Tagged under: goals and goal setting, overcoming obstacles, reflection