Recently, Angela Stassi, BKA’s Marketing Director, shared a story with me that I thought was interesting, so I asked her to guest blog. Enjoy!  -Jeff

“Hitting the Pause Button”

I got myself back to a much needed yoga class and as is often the case, I left the studio feeling balanced both physically and mentally.

This was due to the very interesting analogy that Mindy, our instructor, put forth.

She tasked us with pausing.

She spoke about a Hindu goddess named Bagalamukhi. This morning I did some research and there are different interpretations about this goddess, but the overall gist Mindy gave us about her was correct and more importantly, the point she made that we could transfer to our everyday lives is impactful.

Mindy started by saying that Bagalamukhi is known as the “crane faced” goddess with a long neck. The long neck symbolizes the time it takes for when your heart sets an intention to the time that it is realized in your actions and words. It was such an interesting analogy and it made a lot of sense… to me. I actually think it also works in the reverse… where as sometimes you say that you are going to do something (like get back to yoga) but until your heart is really in it you’re stuck in the same place… on your sofa, watching “Glee.”

But, here comes the practical part. She asked us to pause. To take a moment to pause before we speak, move, act until we do so with our heart’s intention. She spoke about the fact that there are times where she’s walked away from a conversation saying “I wish I hadn’t said that/ done that, “ Or, “that got me nowhere.”

It’s a simple concept. To pause. But not always easy to do.

We rush to get replies back to clients, to request items from our vendors, and even when communicating with our colleagues. As a result, we may have to send additional emails, or make additional phone calls to clarify what we really meant/ needed. If we paused. For a moment. We would find that taking a little more time to think before we hit the “reply” button ultimately benefits everyone.

Life is a series of events, and you gain a little clarity when you pause “Glee” and watch it after your yoga class.

I love making lists. As an event person, having the complete TO DO list is an essential part of planning a great event.

New Year’s is typically the time of year for another kind of list…the list of TO DON’TS…the list of resolutions…

Stop eating bagels and cream cheese for breakfast

Stop finding excuses to avoid the gym

Stop going to Amy’s Bread for Monkey Cake

The list is endless of all the resolutions I could make going into the New Year and quite frankly, it’s not a particularly inspiring list. Instead, some years back, on New Year’s Eve, I’ve started to create a list of all the places I want TO GO.

I know that with work, if I don’t write it down on my list, it won’t get done. And I feel the same way about all the things I want to accomplish in my life…. especially all the places I want to go. If I list them on paper, I feel that I have made a commitment to doing them.

I’ve got about 20 places on my travel list that I am eager to see. I’ll update it again tonight, crossing off places I got to visit this year, adding some new destinations to the list. And I will carry the updated list with me all year round in my briefcase, every day. Periodically, I’ll take a look at the list and I will make sure that I have some sort of plan to get to that destination and have that experience.

I’ve applied this TO GO list theory to other areas of my life and business that I have wanted to improve. And for me, it works. I guess it’s my version of creative visualization. Some years back, I wrote down what I wanted my life to look like — especially the parts of my life that I spent at the office. I carried that list around as well, periodically checking to see if I was doing the things I had committed to and over time, I’ve been able to get there.

So as I go into this New Year, I’m thinking less about resolutions and more about continuing to add to the experiences I want to have in my life and business — the series of events I want to be a part of. And, I’ll make sure I update them from time to time — sometimes over a piece of that delicious Monkey cake from Amy’s.

Happy New Year!

It’s US Open Time in New York — my favorite sporting event. I got to the Open last week — Blackberry in hand — and enjoyed watching the incredible tennis in between responding to email. It was the true mix of business and tennis.

I’ve had many great tennis instructors — my Dad was my first teacher — and he always said that tennis would be good for my business career. Today’s blog features tennis tips I’ve learned from my great coaches (Berj Kalpak, Tim Mayotte, Olivier Morel, Elena Jirnova and Nick Sousanis) and how they apply to business.

TENNIS TIP:  Follow through on your strokes.

BUSINESS TIP:  Follow through on everything you say you are going to do.

TENNIS TIP:  Keep your eye on the ball.

BUSINESS TIP:  Stay focused.

TENNIS TIP:  Don’t change your mind mid-shot.

BUSINESS TIP:  Be decisive.

TENNIS TIP:  Make good use of the change over to rest and refocus.

BUSINESS TIP:  Make good use of any down time to recharge from work.

TENNIS TIP:  When in doubt, call it “in”.

BUSINESS TIP:  Always give people the benefit of the doubt.

TENNIS TIP:  If you can’t make the shot in practice, chances are you can’t in a match.

BUSINESS TIP:  Learn how to do what you need to before you have to do it.

TENNIS TIP:  Consistent players win more matches.

BUSINESS TIP:  Consistent delivery of service wins more business.

TENNIS TIP:   To improve, play with players better than yourself.

BUSINESS TIP:  Learn from the experts by meeting and talking to them.

TENNIS TIP:  If your strategy isn’t working, change it.

BUSINESS TIP:  If your strategy isn’t working, change it.

TENNIS TIP:  Develop an arsenal of different shots.

BUSINESS TIP:  Develop many skills so you can offer full service to your clients.

TENNIS TIP:  Never stop training and drilling.

BUSINESS TIP:  Never stop learning.

TENNIS TIP:  Read your opponents strengths and weaknesses.

BUSINESS TIP:  Understand your competition.

TENNIS TIP:  Don’t tighten up on your strokes.

BUSINESS TIP:  Stay calm under pressure.

TENNIS TIP:  After you hit a great shot, get ready for the ball to come back.

BUSINESS TIP:  You are only as good as your last event.

TENNIS TIP:  Always practice good sportsmanship.

BUSINESS TIP:  Always practice good sportsmanship.

Life is a series of events, and it’s all a matter of what you do when the ball is in your court.