Happy holidays! And welcome to ClearMind Leadership, monthly ezine edicated to helping business leaders like you live your life and lead your company from a clear, resilient, and creative state of mind. It’s been a while since our last issue and it feels good to be back!

With the holidays upon us, I'll bet you may be feeling overwhelmed, just like one of my clients. She's an advisor to the president of an $100 million company based in the eastern US. She spends much of her time traveling when she’s not negotiating multi-million dollar contracts, all on top of being a super mom and wife and home schooling her children.

On top of it all, she spent much of yesterday helping a friend in crisis. It occurs to me that everyone in her sphere of influence is getting well served but her!

I wasn’t surprised when she admitted having migraine headaches recently. When we try to do too much for too long, eventually something starts to break.

Look, we’re all the same in this regard. When we push too hard for too long, everything starts to suffer. Our health suffers, as do our relationships and our ability to perform at a high level. It happens to all of us occasionally, including me.

The danger comes when doing 'too much' becomes a habit. Ironically, when you get caught up in this overwhelm, you become convinced that everything you are doing is urgent. You can’t see the way out because you have lost your perspective. You no longer have clarity about what’s important or what to do next.

Sound familiar?

Yes, I know, you already know how to manage your time, set priorities, and get things done. But here’s the rub. No matter how smart you are, no matter how good you are at what you do, you get caught up in the blind spots of your own thinking just like everyone else. When that happens, things can get out of balance.

Sometimes reading an article about it can help. Too often, however, we can’t see what’s not working because we are so wrapped up in what we are doing. If we could see them, they wouldn’t be blind spots!

So I’ve decided to do something that I’ve never done before to help some of you get a fresh start in 2008. I’m going to offer a “2008 Vision Breakthrough Coaching Session”, a value of $250, at absolutely no cost to you.

If you’d like some personal help from me to make sure you get off on the right foot in 2008, to reset your thinking, to clarify your priorities and to get your work/life back into proper balance, be sure to check out my special offer to you at the end of the main article. I’ve made it easy and there’s no cost to you. What have you got to lose?

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"Rolf, I love our conversations. I typically have a lot on my plate and sometimes I wonder if I can afford the luxury of talking with you. But I always feel better when we do. More relaxed, confident and clear about what to do next. And you help me see my blind spots. To me that's priceless."

-Walt Freese, CEO
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream
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If you’re short on time and want to check the offer right now, you can click here: What are your blind spots?

Here’s today’s main article. I hope you find it helpful!

Sometimes Life Leaves Us Speechless:
What would you say to a friend that is facing his death?

What would you say to a friend who is facing the possibility of his own death?

This question haunted me the other day as I drove to Denver visit my good friend who had just received some very bad news. Not welcome new just before Christmas!

When I arrived, we hugged and then sat down for a long talk. As I listened to him, I could feel his anger, sadness and fear. Finally, I knew what to say.

Taking his hand in mine and looking directly into his eyes, I said, “I love you, and there’s no place on earth I would rather be right now, than here with you.”

Our connection was instant, profound, unforgettable.

The universe has a way of reminding us what is truly important in life. As the song says, “love is the answer,” and without question, our connection with the people in our lives lies at the heart of what makes life meaningful.

The universe also has a way of giving us opportunities to make important choices. For example, when I sat across from my good friend, I faced a critical choice point.

You see, when my moment of inspiration arrived, it had company. It arrived with some conflicting thoughts. There was another voice in my head that was anxious to point out that it wasn’t our habit to cry together or to say that we loved each other. It certainly wasn’t our habit to ‘hold hands’!

I remember distinctly the moment of choice; I could give in to my reservations and play it safe, or I could trust my instincts and tell the truth. I am so thankful that in that moment, I chose to trust my instincts rather than playing it safe. (Sadly, I don’t always do that!)

My wish for all of you during this holiday season, is that you ask yourself what is truly most important to you and focus on that. And while you’re at it, remember that trusting your deepest inklings, gut instincts and intuition opens the door to breakthrough ideas and deeper connections with people.

Be on the look out for those little choice points as they come along. Notice them. Act on them. They are your windows into a deeper connection with people and a more meaningful life!


What are your blind spots?
Are they getting in your way?

Well, you wouldn’t know of course. None of us do! That is why I’ve decided to offer a special "2008 Vision Breakthrough Coaching Session", a value of $250, at absolutely no cost to you - to help you uncover your blind spots.

I want to help as many of you as possible, but my time is limited. So I will provide these 2008 Breakthrough Sessions to the first ten people that respond to this offer.

Those ten people will get a personal one-on-one session with me where we will work together to…

     • Clarify your vision for what you want 2008 (Your focus can be professional, personal or both – your call)
     • Identify key leverage points that will have the greatest
impact on your personal well being and business success
     • Uncover hidden challenges and blind spots that may be
sabotaging your success or your sanity
     • Create a ‘next-step’ action plan
     • Leave this session feeling renewed, inspired and
re-energized about your work and your life and how it can bring you everything your heart desires

If you would like to be one of the few business leaders to have one of these private sessions with me, please click on the rolf@clearmindleadership.com link below and answer the following questions:

1. How would you characterize your leadership position right
now?
     a. I am a business owner
     b. I am a leader in a small to medium sized company
     c. I am a leader in a large company
     d. Other ___________________

2. Which of the following areas do you most want help with
right now?
     a. Clarifying your vision, strategic planning
     b. Dealing with ‘difficult people’
     c. Getting people/teams on the same page
     d. Innovation, staying competetive
     e. Conflict resolution
     f. Organizational morale problems
     g. Overwhelm and stress
     h. Life balance
     i. Personal/professional relationships
     j. Other _________________

3. Your name and phone number: ___________________

That’s it! After you click rolf@clearmindleadership.com and send me your answers to these questions, I will contact the first ten people to respond by the end of this week to set up your “2008 Vision Breakthrough” session.

Remember, only the first ten people to respond will receive this opportunity. Start your year with greater clarity than you have now. Take three minutes and click rolf@clearmindleadership.com now and answer the three questions above.

If you have any questions about this, or if there’s anything I can do to serve you or support you in any way, please let me know.

With warmest regards to you and yours during this holiday season,

Rolf Evenson
President, ClearMind Leadership, Inc.
303-499-5735
rolf@clearmindleadership.com
http://www.clearmindleadership.com



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'Are you the leader of growing company that is paying too high a personal price for your success? Rolf Evenson, the founder and President of ClearMind Leadership, Inc., specializes in helping leaders bring greater simplicity, resilience and effectiveness to the human dimension of business. Visit www.clearmindleadership.com for more articles and f'ree monthly ClearMind Leadership ezine.

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