"Just Leave Your Zip Code"

The ABCs of shifting your perspective and opening up your life!

Whether I’m being brought in to do a?keynote, workshop, or more consultative role?I’m often asked to help the teams and groups they serve to be more effective leaders. I accomplish this by fostering the tools of Emotional Intelligence, Communication, and Confidence, and a whole lot of playfulness! Because when you create a laugh-and-learn environment, growth is a natural occurrence.?

?I am Queen of the Snappy Soundbite so you can imagine how excited I got when I was watching? CBS Sunday Morning?my favorite News magazine and Taraji P. Henson star of the new movie version of The Color Purple, gave her sage advice?“Just get out of your Zip Code.”?

What a Gem!

?I noticed I had been in a slump the last several months very stressed out with the challenges in the world. I’m an empath so while I’m solution-focused, I still feel the impact of what’s going on in the world to a very profound level.?

I got an email about an upcoming bedazzling workshop where you bring your items to adorn with SPARKLE while volunteering to bedazzle a few lovely, donated hand-knitted and crochet items that will be gifted to a local rescue mission as holiday gifts.?

My sweetheart, Marty and I head out the following weekend. The weather conditions of incoming storms add a good hour on both ends, and we almost hit four deer on the way up. I watch my overcomplicating mind telling me that “maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all and I should have thought it through.”??

I show up at the Schweinfurth Art Center with a carry-on suitcase of things to adorn with all things that glitter. The instructor Melody (in the pix above) was so helpful and fun. I am surrounded by 10 participants; aged 11-late 70s. Yes, SPARKLE is an intergenerational passion for sure. Five hours later I adorned a hat, two tops, and two scarves. From there we venture out to?Harriet Tubman’s long-standing residence, hop over to the local bistro for live music, and the next day a holiday concert, and a mesmerizing Quilt show where I’m equally smitten with the works of art of quilters along with their artist notes giving me a bird's eye view of their creative process, and what speaks to them.

I come back inspired by Tubman's courage, the magic of art to transform, and delight in transforming basic ordinary objects into bling-bling wear! An important reminder that often when we “just leave our zip code,” our world and our perspective open up in ways we never expected.?

Looking for ways to “Just Get Out of Your Zip Code?” so you come back refueled and refreshed and can be more effective in your life, here’s my A, B, C’s of doing just that!

A: Acknowledge what gives you joy and speaks to your heart.

B: Be open to taking that step, big or small, without having to know?all the details.

C: Create a shift in expanding your perspective and your world!?

What does “just get out your zip code” mean to you right now in a way that would be empowering to you right now? What’s one small step that you can take RIGHT NOW???

Want some tips to develop more effective and engaged leaders,go to?www.loisbarth.com

#leadership #executivecoach #keynotespeakernyc #resiliencyspeaker #nyc #CBSSundayMorning