Greetings! July 2004 For those who wait until the last minute to get things done, well, this is the newsletter for you!! But more importantly, it's about how shifting a perspective can make all the difference in the world. I wish you all the best "marinating" throughout the rest of the summer and enjoying the warm bright sun! We still have over a month and a half of summer left!! If, at any time, you would like to unsubscribe, simply go to the end of the newsletter. Enjoy! Jean M. DiGiovanna, President, ThinkPeople Monthly Theme Monthly Workout Monthly Poem Upcoming Workshops/ Events I'm not Procrastinating...I'm Marinating! For many years, I found myself meeting deadlines at the very last minute. It started from when I was in high school, through college and in the workplace. I always got what I needed to get done, and was very successful, but I was a procrastinator. And, it always seemed that each time I would wait until the last minute to complete something, I would tell myself "Never again! I am not going to wait until the last minute anymore!" So, then what happened? The very same thing again and again. I made myself wrong for many years. Sound familiar? For a while I changed my ways. I started planning early on. But, it always turned out if I started something early, I would just have more information to work from which was overwhelming, or spend more money or time in the end because I would switch a lot of things at the last minute. I attended time management courses, heard speakers on the topic but nothing was going to change my behavior. I eventually realized I actually enjoy waiting until the last minute! I loved the thrill of the challenge of completing something on a deadline. It's almost like my subconscious mind was saying "Hey, this is fine, I don't know what you are beating yourself up about?!". When I looked back at what I was doing, I was actually preparing, but in my mind. I just didn't write it down or take action on it right away. So, from the outside world, I was a procrastinator. But, thoughts, ideas and plans brew in my mind up to the time I actually take on the task at hand. Then, I realized...I am not procrastinating, I'm "marinating"! And, from that point on, when I stood from this new perspective, I acknowledged that nothing was in fact wrong. It's just how I operate and it's what works for me. I ask you, if you "procrastinate", take a look at what you really do. How could you honor the process you take without judgement? What if you don't procrastinate, but you actually "marinate"? What ideas are you soaking up and what thoughts are you brewing? Sounds funny, but it's amazing what happens when we shift how we relate to something. It can free us up and allow us to stop beating ourselves up about how we are and how we do things. I did not change, but my perspective did. And, suddenly, I felt great! So often, we make ourselves wrong about how we operate in work or life, yet we don't step back and look to see what is it that really works for us. What do you really know for sure? Only you know what is best for you. When we can truly acknowledge and accept how we are, we can move freely in life and accept others with ease and joy. So, now you know why my newsletters usually come at the very end of every month! I'm just "marinating"!! :-) Cheers! Jean M. DiGiovanna Monthly Workout: I'm not procrastinating...I'm marinating! Explore the following process and questions below for this month's workout: Think of a way that you operate that you are not happy with or that frustrates you. What's the perspective you hold about it? What do you make it mean to you? What is it that you really know about yourself regarding this area? What is there to accept in you? What's it feel like to accept that part of you? What's a new perspective that would empower you around this area? Take on this new perspective for a week and see what happens. I look forward to hearing what you experience! (please e-mail me at jdigi@thinkpeople.com) Poem of the Month: MARINATE Men and women alike Are creatures of habit. Repeating our behaviors, unconscious to quit. Inside, all is well, Nothing wrong that it can tell. And then, one day, you take a perspective shift. To accept is the task, to allow is the gift. Embrace all that you are and all that you can be, for life is worth living and so are we.                          ~ by Jean M. DiGiovanna Upcoming Workshops, Events, Announcements THINKPEOPLE WORKSHOPS I will be taking the summer off from running Business & Life Strategy Workshops, but if you are interested in taking a workshop and can recruit up to 4 participants total, I'd be happy to set something up. For more info, go to http://www.thinkpeople.com/workshops.html EVENTS Celebrate Your BEAUTY! Accessorize and Energize Your Look with Jewels, Skin Care, Makeup & Madness! Thursday evening, August 26th 6:30 - 9:30pm in Watertown, MA. Join Laura Greer, Arbonne Independent Consultant and Jean DiGiovanna, Jewelry Designer for a fun-packed evening of mystery, games, networking, pampering and accessorizing the look you want to have from sultry and seductive to au natural and everything in between! To RSVP, email Laura Greer OTHER WORKSHOPS delivered by Colleagues Weight Loss Hypnosis Seminar: Paul Gustafson RN of HealthyHypnosis.com has been featured on Boston TV and Radio. His weight loss seminar is a must for anyone frustrated with dieting. $45. Aug, 12, 2004 7-9:30pm Courtyard Marriott Woburn, MA. Pre-Register at http://www.HealthyHypnosis.com or 781-750-8666. Free CD. At long last there is a workshop for 14-19 year old girls August 21st 10am - 4pm in West Roxbury! GIRLS LIVING WITH POWER AND PURPOSE is a great course and a great opportunity for girls to bond around issues they share with one another!!! Email or call Renee Rakowski for more details and/or to register. Details at http://www.YouthVision.us. Curious about ThinkPeople's other services? Check out Facilitation/Training/ Consulting" I hope you've enjoyed ThinkPeople's Monthly Workout and found value out of it! Feel free to forward to your friends, family and colleagues. To read past editions of ThinkPeople's Newsletters and to learn more about our services and products, visit us at http://www.thinkpeople.com/resources.html If you wish to unsubscribe, please e-mail unsubscribe@thinkpeople.com Copyright Info: ThinkPeople's Monthly Workout for the mind, heart and soul is ©2004 Jean M. DiGiovanna. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be reproduced without express written permission from the publisher. Jean M. DiGiovanna, Publisher Amy Rewakowski, Editor ThinkPeople ~ Playground for Shifting Reality jdigi@thinkpeople.com http://www.thinkpeople.com/ 617.489.7494