I just got an email from a dear old friend (well, he's not 'old', but you know what I mean...) that re-surfaced an email I shared with some friends a little over a year ago. It struck me that this great treasure I shared with those friends was something I coulda-shoulda shared with readers of this blog - why didn't I think of it? Well, better late than never, since it's a timeless concept. So here's my email from last year:

"Over the last few years I have really been interested in research on what makes people happy and fulfilled. One of the key researchers in the 'Positive Psychology' field is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced 'cheek-sent-me-high-ee'), director of the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University, who has written about the concept of "Flow". He coined this term to describe the mental state of operation in which you are fully immersed in what you are doing and feeling energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.
 
I imagine we all want more of that feeling, and helping others get more of it would be a great bonus! :)
So today, when I came across a wonderful, 20-minutes-short talk (at TED) by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi overviewing his research on Flow and creativity, I immediately wanted to share it with you in the hope that it provides you with some food for thought, or maybe if you are already familiar with it, a tool to pass along to others who could benefit.
 
Please enjoy!!"
 

As the holiday season is upon us, and as we set our gaze on the shiny New Year, I wish you lots of 'Flow' moments in your life. May you have many opportunities to 'grow your talent'. Cheers! ~Halelly

As readers of this blog may know, I have two professional roles: One, as a business-owner and entrepreneur with my company, TalentGrow; the other, as a volunteer on the Board of Directors of my professional association, the Metro DC chapter of ASTD (the American Society for Training and Development).

As 2009 President, I am very proud of the work we've done and the tremendous efforts of the talented volunteers all around me who made it all possible. Just last week, we held our annual Volunteer Recognition dinner celebration during which we thanked all those who have volunteered in some capacity to help our chapter operate - we do it on 100% volunteer fuel!

I think 2009 has been a very successful year for Metro DC ASTD. In a tight market and a contracting economy we've managed to keep our membership steady (actually, it grew) and continued to provide quality programs to our constituents to achieve our mission of enriching their knowledge and skills and increasing their impact in their workplace. We added a lot of new virtual ways to do that via social media, webinars, and podcasts, which garnered us an award from the National ASTD. And we've continued to keep over 6,000 workplace learning and performance professionals informed about events in our area that can help them grow professionally - help their talent grow!

The Volunteer Recognition event featured a panel of experts who discussed the value of volunteering to enhancing one's career, a subject I've previously discussed here and here. One of the attendees, Andrew Welch, who volunteers with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, summarized some of their key points nicely on his blog. 

How have your volunteer experiences enriched your career this year? What new opportunities are you going to seize to grow your own talent in 2010? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Bottom Photo credit: Ali Green

In my professional and volunteer roles I encounter many interesting people who are doing great work. One of them is Kitty Wooley, a Human Capital Strategist for the US Department of Education.

Last year Kitty launched a blog called Senior Fellows and Friends for members of a seven-year-old "evolving multisector network .... [of people] who want to participate in improving government by engaging in constructive conversation." Kitty writes, "No matter what one does for a living, it's very easy to become insulated and isolated. However, I think we'll get a better result for the public if we consciously do the opposite, stretching to connect with those who are unlike us along many dimensions."

Kitty has asked me to guest-post for the Senior Fellow and Friends blog, so I wrote about the common obstacles I see in managing performance in the public sector and some ideas about overcoming them. You can read it on her blog, here. I'd love to know what you think.

I just received my hot-off-the-press copy of the 2010 Pfeiffer Annualon Training. This hefty tome, edited by the prolific training guru Elaine Biech, is a handy collection of articles, tools, and ideas for people in the Training and Workplace Learning business. I'm pleased to be one of the contributing authors (find me in the "Editor's Choice" section). I was also featured in the 2009 Consulting edition. If you want a useful reference book to check when you're designing a course, creating a team building session, or just planning for a meeting, this could be a great one to have.

Wow, sorry for not blogging for over a month. As Kermit the Frog once said, "Time's fun when you're having flies!"

Photo by monkeyc from Flickr.comBut seriously, as readers of this blog probably know, I'm really interested in goal-setting and goal-directed behavior. I'm also keen on understanding what helps build success. So when I saw this latest post from Gretchen Rubin on her Happiness Project blog about how long it actually takes to form new habits, I was naturally intrigued.

Gretchen sheds light on an oft-quoted 'truism': Habits are NOT formed in 21 days for most of us. Recent research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology that shows that it takes an average of 66 days until we actually form a solid habit.

When I work with clients on establishing new skills and habits in the workplace to improve leadership, communication, or teamwork, I often talk to them about the challenges they'll likely face when trying to make changes take root. We can become discouraged when we try to cultivate new habits within the environment that sustained our previous habits. There will be hurdles and push-back. It won't be easy. But if we stick at it, and understand it is natural to face these obstacles, and that it can take a while until the new habit stops feeling awkward and starts feeling 'normal', we'll be more likely to succeed.

It's when we have unrealistic expectations of overnight success or short-term miracles that we get discouraged and give up on the new practices and just go back to 'business-as-usual'. And the old '21 days to form a new habit' cliché was not helping at all - it contributed to that feeling of despair and disappointment when we got to day 22 and we were still struggling. So, I hope this new research helps break through some blocks and re-energize you to practice and keep at it. What has been your experience with forming new habits? I'd love to hear about it - please use the comments below. Thanks!