To all the inspiringly brilliant,
knock-your-socks-off-creative
girls out there...
This one's for you!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Innovating Sustainability
If you like cars, are intrigued by the evolution of potentially disruptive technologies, or are always looking for ways to be more ecologically aware (or all three!), this article from Popular Mechanics about the first 3D printed car, the Urbee 2, is worth a read.
It's a great story of collaboration, dedication, passionate pursuits and innovation. Interesting gems are littered throughout, like this quote from Jim Kor, founder of Kor Ecologic:
It's a great story of collaboration, dedication, passionate pursuits and innovation. Interesting gems are littered throughout, like this quote from Jim Kor, founder of Kor Ecologic:
"...designing for sustainability can arguably be stated to be humanity’s biggest and most important challenge of the coming century. It’s something we absolutely need to get right.”
Innovating with sustainability at the core. Well, that pretty much sums it up. And since every little bit counts - from recycling daily to producing an entirely new automobile - the possibilities are endless.
Where will you start?
Where will you start?
Friday, October 11, 2013
Passionate Pursuits
Just read Tim Brown's post on LinkedIn about SuperJam.
It's a great story, and Mr. Brown's closing thought that "simple ideas, pursued with passion, can result in sweetly successful businesses" is super-inspiring food for thought.
What took my thinking to the next level, however, is the comment from Christopher Fun (yes, sometimes those comments do produce a gem).
Mr. Fun writes, " 'Simple ideas pursued with passion, can result in sweetly successful business'... Question is how many pursue their work with passion v only be passionate about its results[?]"
Hmmm...Passionate Pursuit for the Pure Pursuit of Passion. Now that is food for thought (incredibly unoriginal pun intended).
Thursday, March 21, 2013
On Dolphins and Dreams
REPOSTED FROM Utah Women and Eduction Initiative Blog
When I was 10, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I wanted to study whales and swim with dolphins. I knew it would require getting a college degree, and while I did not fully understand what that meant (no one in my family had gone to college), the idea was cemented that college was the path to the work I wanted to do.
My marine biology dream was put on the shelf a couple years later because, at the ripe old age of 12, I decided that since I did not live by the ocean, being a marine biologist was not a realistic possibility. And while my logic for not pursuing that dream was flawed, looking back I realize my commitment to going to college was secure. What I could not have anticipated at the time though, was just how much I would gain from my college education. It was so much more than a necessary step down a career path.
A college education is not simply a means to an end. It is part of our individual evolution, and what we get out of it is personal and unique to us. Consider this:
In college:
• We choose, often for the first time, what we will study.
• We are introduced to new ideas, different perspectives, and challenging situations that require us to analyze how we feel about certain issues, and why.
• We get to practice integrating new concepts and unfamiliar approaches with familiar ideals in a safe environment where learning is what is expected of us.
• We develop tools to cope with these challenges, and to continue to grow into them as time goes on.
This daily practice of integrating what we learn - from professors in class, from new friends with diverse backgrounds, and from the extracurricular activities we choose to be a part of - into our personal and professional choices, impacts our future decision-making capability in immeasurable ways.
Like so many others, I approached college as the first step to building a career. Thankfully, though, I also embraced my college education as more than a means to an end. The critical thinking, concept integration and decision making skills I put to the test in college have helped me every day since in my quest to be my best self: as a woman, a mother, a partner, a successful professional, and a life-long learner.
Unlike that naive 12-year-old girl who put her dream of swimming with the dolphins on the shelf for what, at the time seemed an insurmountable obstacle, I now know how to consider, analyze, and make the best choices for myself and those I care about. And I have my college education to thank for it.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Define Your SASI - REGISTER TODAY!
Hello Inspiring Girls and Guys!
I am thrilled to announce that Q3's first event is scheduled, the amazing venue is booked, and registration is open!
Define Your SASI - A Women's Leadership Retreat will take place at the Cable Mountain Lodge in Springdale, Utah, on April 26-27, 2013.
Inspiring women will come together against the inspiring backdrop of Zion Canyon to explore what is absolutely most important for each of us to live a full, soulful life. And we will use what we learn - about ourselves and from each other - to define a very personal version of "SASI."
Learn more about "SASI" and the retreat at q3international.com. And please, share the event info with every woman you know. The more amazing females with diverse interests, backgrounds, professions and experiences who join us, the better! Several of the original inspiring girls are already committed and we can't wait to welcome you as well!
If you would like to receive the PDF flyer to share with your family, friends, and professional network, please leave a comment here or email me at shirlayne@q3international.com.
Register today and we'll see you in Springdale in April!
I am thrilled to announce that Q3's first event is scheduled, the amazing venue is booked, and registration is open!
Define Your SASI - A Women's Leadership Retreat will take place at the Cable Mountain Lodge in Springdale, Utah, on April 26-27, 2013.
Inspiring women will come together against the inspiring backdrop of Zion Canyon to explore what is absolutely most important for each of us to live a full, soulful life. And we will use what we learn - about ourselves and from each other - to define a very personal version of "SASI."
Learn more about "SASI" and the retreat at q3international.com. And please, share the event info with every woman you know. The more amazing females with diverse interests, backgrounds, professions and experiences who join us, the better! Several of the original inspiring girls are already committed and we can't wait to welcome you as well!
If you would like to receive the PDF flyer to share with your family, friends, and professional network, please leave a comment here or email me at shirlayne@q3international.com.
Register today and we'll see you in Springdale in April!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Family Day 2013!
Last year at this time, I posted Threads of Family in tribute to our amazing family and the friends who have become family over the years.
Today marks our Sixth Family Day, and that insightful, attentive 8 1/2 month old little girl is a bustling, book-loving, violin-playing kindergartner. It's hard to believe we have been "3 Quayles" for five years already. Amazing!
While our family grew officially by one on that February day in Nanchang five years ago, Luji's spirit and wise old soul have brought us so much more. So many have come together all because of this this one little girl! Our family has grown in ways we could not have possibly imagined before, and we are so glad you are each a beautiful part of it.
Thank you for sharing this extraordinary adventure - and Family Day - with us!
Love,
3 Quayles
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Dare Greatly
Happy Sunday, Inspiring Girls and Guys.
There is a new book in my life. I learned about it at the International Leadership Association annual conference in Denver last fall when I heard Dr. Brene Brown speak. I came home, bought her book, and have "finished" it more times than I can count over the last few months. It's called Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. I'm reading a couple of books right now but this is the one I keep coming back to because each time I pick it up, I absorb some new insight about a current situation, future plan, or recent action/reaction that sheds light on my personal path to living a soulful life.
It's a book perfectly timed for me. Perhaps it is for you, too. If you have a chance to read it - and I hope you do! - please share the pieces that inspire you with all of us. On the highest level, Daring Greatly has driven home for me the bare naked fact that having the courage to pursue my dreams really just comes down to being, and believing, in me. And sometimes that is the most intense kind of vulnerability.
The quote by Theodore Roosevelt that inspired the book's title is worth sharing. It's written on our chalkboard at home with some of my other favorite quotes, and has become the theme for the way I wish to approach the million and one cool things on my radar - for 2013 and beyond. I hope the quote, and the book if you read it, inspires you, too, to dare greatly!
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
- Theodore Roosevelt
There is a new book in my life. I learned about it at the International Leadership Association annual conference in Denver last fall when I heard Dr. Brene Brown speak. I came home, bought her book, and have "finished" it more times than I can count over the last few months. It's called Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. I'm reading a couple of books right now but this is the one I keep coming back to because each time I pick it up, I absorb some new insight about a current situation, future plan, or recent action/reaction that sheds light on my personal path to living a soulful life.
It's a book perfectly timed for me. Perhaps it is for you, too. If you have a chance to read it - and I hope you do! - please share the pieces that inspire you with all of us. On the highest level, Daring Greatly has driven home for me the bare naked fact that having the courage to pursue my dreams really just comes down to being, and believing, in me. And sometimes that is the most intense kind of vulnerability.
The quote by Theodore Roosevelt that inspired the book's title is worth sharing. It's written on our chalkboard at home with some of my other favorite quotes, and has become the theme for the way I wish to approach the million and one cool things on my radar - for 2013 and beyond. I hope the quote, and the book if you read it, inspires you, too, to dare greatly!
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
- Theodore Roosevelt
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Brilliance
Around the world people are celebrating the arrival of a new year (except, of course, in China where the year of the snake rings in on February 10!) with hope, enthusiasm, a renewed sense of love and wishes for peace. What is it about reaching milestones like this that allow a collective "ah" to wash away all that was not accomplished in the past, celebrate what was, and move into the future with vigor and joy? Every year it's the same, over and over for millennia, collectively.
Powerful stuff.
Billions of engines create that power. Those very wishes for something better that we each launch at the birth of a year matter. The energy they create matters. We start full of energy to see through our new hopes and plans. True, our energetic intentions may fade a bit as the year progresses - the type of fuel required may change - but the boost we receive from that initial thrust of high-powered change makes its mark.
At the beginning of 2012, as we settled into our new desert home, my engine was going strong. But my world was changing. I traded in my revered yoga studio for an inspiring desert landscape, and added a new fuel to my commitment to live a soulful life. The brilliant resolution? Complete 12 runs in 2012. Looking back, I am proud of setting this goal, even though I realize its brilliance was more in line with the shining light at the end of a long tunnel than a disruptively intelligent idea.
This is how it went:
By June, we were boating a lot, and it was hot. Realizing I needed to I make a fuel change, I put my running resolution to bed. Jeff found a little workout online that could be done almost anywhere, including in the small space of our air-conditioned living room and on the beach at Lake Powell. So we started doing this little ditty three times each week, and to my surprise, it filled my soulful needs on levels I didn't even realize needed filling! The exercise was great. But the togetherness made it fun! It was fun watching Luji doing her version of the moves right there with us. It was inspiring hearing Jeff cheer me on when my legs were ready to give out. And it was fun watching my hot hubby working hard along with me. We now aim to do this little ditty five days per week, together as much as possible. Brilliant.
And now I find myself coming full circle...ready to make some soulful decisions about how to harness this profound, new year energy bubbling inside me. Interestingly, I find pieces of it pulling me back to my roots: to one of the original feeders of my soul. Yoga. This year of transition and growth brought a lapse in my practice. I'm ready to bring it back, to welcome a renewed commitment and embrace its powerful flow. To experience the deeply rewarding "ahhh" that accompanies the soul-filling hard word and discipline it requires. Yes. I can almost feel it now.
I wonder what your resolutions at this natural time of transition might be? What brilliance does your soul desire? What might this powerful energy mean for you in the year to come?
Whatever it is, embrace it. Allow it to flow.
Let time reveal its brilliance.
Powerful stuff.
Billions of engines create that power. Those very wishes for something better that we each launch at the birth of a year matter. The energy they create matters. We start full of energy to see through our new hopes and plans. True, our energetic intentions may fade a bit as the year progresses - the type of fuel required may change - but the boost we receive from that initial thrust of high-powered change makes its mark.
At the beginning of 2012, as we settled into our new desert home, my engine was going strong. But my world was changing. I traded in my revered yoga studio for an inspiring desert landscape, and added a new fuel to my commitment to live a soulful life. The brilliant resolution? Complete 12 runs in 2012. Looking back, I am proud of setting this goal, even though I realize its brilliance was more in line with the shining light at the end of a long tunnel than a disruptively intelligent idea.
This is how it went:
February: two runs. March: one run. April: one run. May: one run. June-December: zero runs.
Zero runs. Where is the brilliance in that? The most honest answer I can offer is that, after completing not quite half of my planned goal, I had to admit to myself that running is simply not a soulful experience for me. It does not bring me joy and peace. It was not how I wished to spend my time.
Bummer. And in the end, brilliant.
By June, we were boating a lot, and it was hot. Realizing I needed to I make a fuel change, I put my running resolution to bed. Jeff found a little workout online that could be done almost anywhere, including in the small space of our air-conditioned living room and on the beach at Lake Powell. So we started doing this little ditty three times each week, and to my surprise, it filled my soulful needs on levels I didn't even realize needed filling! The exercise was great. But the togetherness made it fun! It was fun watching Luji doing her version of the moves right there with us. It was inspiring hearing Jeff cheer me on when my legs were ready to give out. And it was fun watching my hot hubby working hard along with me. We now aim to do this little ditty five days per week, together as much as possible. Brilliant.
And now I find myself coming full circle...ready to make some soulful decisions about how to harness this profound, new year energy bubbling inside me. Interestingly, I find pieces of it pulling me back to my roots: to one of the original feeders of my soul. Yoga. This year of transition and growth brought a lapse in my practice. I'm ready to bring it back, to welcome a renewed commitment and embrace its powerful flow. To experience the deeply rewarding "ahhh" that accompanies the soul-filling hard word and discipline it requires. Yes. I can almost feel it now.
I wonder what your resolutions at this natural time of transition might be? What brilliance does your soul desire? What might this powerful energy mean for you in the year to come?
Whatever it is, embrace it. Allow it to flow.
Let time reveal its brilliance.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Little Packages
Leadership opportunities sometimes come in the smallest packages. And those packages are often not wrapped up nice and neat.
Perhaps that little box with no bow is the way we respond to our child when faced with an issue we just don't want to deal with at that moment. Maybe it's a must-have discussion with our spouse, or a work situation or encounter with a friend that feels awkward or off for some reason. Or maybe there is no box: the issue seems too small to need one at all... until you consider it closer and realize the opportunity this little issue presents is massive.
Sometimes, the package is a creative thought or inspiring quote - something that, at the time it hits you, is simply too powerful to fit inside any box.
Sometimes, the package is a creative thought or inspiring quote - something that, at the time it hits you, is simply too powerful to fit inside any box.
With a new year upon us, and wishes for health, happiness and prosperity coming to our family from friends around the world, a quote by Seth Godin struck me, and stuck with me, after I read it last night. Perhaps it stuck because the last year for us was all about embracing discomfort (leaving an institution I love and selling a business that have clothed and fed our family for 18 years, moving to a new town, helping open a new school, writing a bit more, following my passion and launching Q3 (!), sending Luji off to kindergarten)...and the opportunities that have and are developing as a result. It's been an uncomfortable journey on many levels, but the leadership lessons - at home, in work and in my relationships - make it absolutely worth it.
In his book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, Godin writes, "Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. This scarcity makes leadership valuable...It's uncomfortable to stand up in front of strangers. It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail. It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo. It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle. When you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed. If you're not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it's almost certain you're not reaching your potential as a leader."
Absorbing this message made me wonder: why do some of us choose to embrace the discomfort of leadership every day, while others choose to avoid it all together? Do some intentionally (though perhaps unconsciously) seek out uncomfortable situations for their inherent leadership potential as we proceed down our personal leadership paths? If we do, why? For the hope of making things better and the rush we get when we do? Is it always healthy to embrace discomfort? Does opportunity and growth follow the majority of the time? Why do those who choose to embark on journeys of personal growth and change embrace the discomfort of doing so? Why is 'resisting the urge to settle' such a 'comfortable' thing for some to do?
What are the implications of the answers to these questions for our families, communities, schools? What about global economies, our environment and health?
A new year is all about hope, and change, and growth. It is my hope that leadership will become a bit less scarce. That more of us will be willing to actively embrace the discomfort of challenging the status quo and resisting the urge to settle. That we will each continue our work towards reaching our fullest potential as inspiring leaders and forge a path to making things better.
It's true that this will require vulnerability and risk, but they are two little packages absolutely worth opening.
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