March 2020 Newsletter : Preparing for Fun

Preparing for Fun

Take a moment and enjoy the
calm before the blooms of Spring

A faint scent of spring is in the air! Evidence of it approaching is everywhere: the days are getting warmer, the crocuses are beginning to sprout, and cherry blossoms are pregnant with buds getting ready to burst. On walks in my neighbourhood, I notice the fat buds on rhododendrons preparing to flower.

Out there is the energy of potential. There is so much effort happening underneath the soil, beneath petals, and inside the minds of the people I meet who are thinking forward to spring and summer. Now is the inhale before the blossom. It reminds me that we need to take this time to rest and conserve energy, because we will be expending it soon, when the sun comes out. There is joy in the anticipation of good things to come, and we should enjoy the quiet and compression of winter for a few more weeks.

We have exciting projects on the go at Green & Green, including a major business announcement and an exciting talk at the Vancouver Executive Association. However, I am trying to enjoy the calm before the blooms of spring! These are precious moments of planning - I am grateful for the quiet time because I know there is much work and play to come.

SNACK HEROS

Fear not. Your friendly neighbourhood SNACK HEROS is here!

We are so excited to launch our new company SNACK HEROS. For 27 years, We have been dedicated to filling our gifts with quality edible products. Now we have figured out a way to deliver incredible snack items to your office at any time! We will ensure your snack pantry is well stocked at the office, dormitory, job site or anywhere else in the known universe. Just give us a call, and we will fly in with fantastic office snacks that will save the day!

Snacking Tips

At Green & Green, we are all expert snackers. We always ensure that our snacks help to achieve an edible, delicious, satisfying energy boost. Here are some snacking tips we have picked up from years of office nibbling:

1. Make healthy snack choices with low sugar content. This way you won't have an energy spike and subsequent crash. Make sure you include protein in your snack, to keep you satisfied until your next meal.
2. Don’t overlook chocolate! Chocolate is a healthy snack in moderation - and the darker the better. Always choose over 70 percent (85 percent is the optimal). It is an antioxidant and can even reduce the chance of heart attack and stroke. We like to mix our chocolate with nuts or dried fruits, to help control the amount we are eating.
3. Make sure you always have a healthy option on hand. It will help you to stay away from junk foods when there is something nutritious within reach.
   
   

Mastering Workplace Happiness

I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to speak at the Terminal City Club on Wednesday March 4th with Vancouver Executive Association about Mastering Workplace Happiness and sharing practical tips and tools for garnering workplace happiness.

There's nothing more important than showing your appreciation for the ones you work with. Benefits of a happier workplace is not only limited to productiveness. As a employer, I feel strongly about the well-being of whom I work with. And sometimes, all it takes is a simple "Thank You".

Some of the key takeaways were:

"A Reminder to be more self aware with those around me"
"Acknowledgement is a key"
"Personal approach of 'Thank you' is important"

Following the launch of SNACK HEROS, and my talk at the Vancouver Executive Association, I will dedicate the week to rest. It’s still wet and wintery outside, which I will consider permission to relax in anticipation of the explosion of sound and colour that is coming around the corner. I encourage you to nestle in for a little longer. Enjoy your downtime as you dream of exciting things to come.

Oh - and one last thing. Learning to Learn with Barbara Oakley teaches us to take a step back from the work, to assess the way we approach work. Barbara is an incredible writer and speaker who teaches us that neuroscience can inform the way we approach new topics or problems.

This moment before spring is the perfect time to do an internal audit of our learning strategies, and to open our minds to new skills that will come in handy when the peace and stillness of winter comes to an end and spring blossoms into beauty and brilliant colours.

Happy learning and here's to fun!

All my very best,

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