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  • Are You Building Your Own Prison?

    Mon, 04/02/2012 - 9:34am — bob
    Berlin Wall Art

    I’ve been thinking a lot about judgments lately.  Judging is a natural part of our existence.  We begin judging others even as very small children.  We do this instinctively in part out of survival by relying on the reptilian and emotional parts of brain.  We do this long before the higher functioning parts of our brain are developed. You may have heard about the fantastic brain cells call mirror-neurons that play a key role in this regard. They are taking in everything and helping us model behavior or identify behavior we unconsciously judge as something we should or should not do. Of course as we mature, we start to be able to consider our feelings, actions and judgments in a more complex manner, and begin to articulate how things “should” be.

  • Another View of the 1%

    Mon, 03/05/2012 - 10:00am — bob
    Old Pennies

    Living near Oakland, California we've experienced some of the most intense Occupy protests in the country. A little more than a week ago, there was yet again a fairly violent clash with the Oakland police.  Of course there were interviews with the protesters and after listening to one particular interview, I was struck by the fact that the movement here seems to have morphed from a focus on the wealthiest 1% to a more general dislike of capitalism as a whole. 

    Is capitalism bad?  Do the 1% (whoever they are – there doesn’t seem to be an agreed upon definition on the web - I’ll assume it’s a belief that 1% of our country has the majority of the wealth) really care nothing about the rest of us or our country or the world for that matter?

  • UniversalGiving: An Opportunity to Do Good

    Mon, 08/15/2011 - 9:57am — bob
    Overcoming Adversity

    My motto “Feel Good. Do Good.” is about creating balance in our lives. One of the important ways we can do this is by exploring our life’s purpose and playing a bigger game. This can show up in a lot of different ways, as a parent or family member, with our colleagues at work, through volunteering our time, or contributing to a cause we believe in.

    Want to feel and do something good?

  • A Shining Spark : Microsoft Doing Good

    Mon, 07/25/2011 - 9:42am — bob

    There’s a shining spot amidst the negative news about our country’s economic situation. Microsoft has a global program – Bizspark – to help small business startups by giving them access to software development tools. The software giant also provides a forum to connect fledgling businesses to connect with industry players and create marketing visibility. What a great example of big business lending a helping hand to start-ups striving to build something new.

     

  • If You're Not Authentic, You're Scaring People...

    Tue, 07/05/2011 - 1:29pm — bob

    After watching “Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part I,” my partner asked me “who do you think was the scariest character in the movie?” Answering almost in unison, we said “Dolores Umbridge!” Disclaimer: we’re not Harry Potter fanatics, so our character knowledge is limited to what we’ve seen in films. In my opinion, Delores’ motto “dissent will not be tolerated” would be even more hideous in print.

  • A Nonprofit Doing Good: Dog Bless America

    Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:55am — bob
    Dog Walking Horizon

    One of my clients is Explore, a multi-media organization that documents leaders around the world who have devoted their lives to extraordinary causes. Through July 4th 100 companion and service dogs will be paired up with veterans who are living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as part of their “Dog Bless America” challenge grant. To see how Explore is doing good in the community, check out explore.org. True to their educational and inspiration mission, they also have some great photos and films showing K-9 rescue teams in action.

     

  • What’s In Your Bag?

    Mon, 06/20/2011 - 10:48am — bob
    Tightrope Walker

    A good friend and I were having lunch one day and we were discussing how we view our lives and if there was any truth to the idea of work life balance (or the new and improved corporate phrase – life integration)? We talked about all of the things that we were doing, our work issues, travel plans, our mutual love for Aikido, the training commitments we’ve made, and of course, keeping our love lives in good shape. It seemed that we both had a pretty great list of things that we were doing and an even bigger list of things we wanted to do, places to see, and adventures to have. However, I was struck by the range of emotions that I experienced during this conversation.

  • When Attacks Come From All Sides

    Tue, 05/04/2010 - 6:06pm — bob
    multipleattackthumbnail.jpg

    Wouldn't it be great if we only had to work on one problem at a time?  What if all of our friends, family, co-workers, bosses and partners just knew how to stand in line and wait their turn?  Nice idea huh?  Of course our lives aren't like that at all.  The good news is that when we're centered or at least know how to get back to center, we can deal with all sorts of issues more calmly, productively and sometimes, even with grace.  I've found that my Aikido practice and the work of Conscious Embodiment has had a profound effect on my ability to deal with these "multiple life attacks" in the best way possible.

  • An Introduction to the Kolbe Method

    Tue, 05/04/2010 - 4:20pm — bob
    emvideo-youtube-wCa0Pc6bcfw_0.jpg

    Here is a brief introduction to the Kolbe method of full engagement. I use this assessment with my clients with great results. If you've ever been frustrated by bumping up against the same obstacles over and over in reaching your goals, this video is for you. There is also a fun "live" demo of the Kolbe in action. Part 2 of the video shows you the "product" the team came up with. I make a brief cameo in this segment - my "5 seconds of fame".  Find out more about the Kolbe Wisdom and How to Love Your work.

  • Samurai Emotional Intelligence

    Mon, 04/19/2010 - 4:18pm — bob
    Morihei Ueshiba

    A good friend of mine sent me the link to this clip a few months ago.  It is a very inspiring story told by Ram Dass as told to him by Terry Dobson. Terry Dobson was one of the first and only Americans to train directly with the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba.  This is a true example of Aikido in Action.  No, this is not a video of anyone getting thrown around.  I'll post those another time.  Instead, this is an example of real emotional intelligence and how the power of kindness is just as effective as any martial art.  

  • Working with Bob Bates

    Mon, 04/19/2010 - 3:00pm — bob

    Here is a short video that describes my approach to coaching my clients.  You'll also get a brief history of our Resolve Today came about and what we hoped to achieve with our programs.  Thanks for watching!!