Budda In Your Back PocketWritten by Deirdre Maigread McEachern
The other day I was late for something. Not very late. In fact, I was actually on time but an angry voice berated me anyway, saying, "You are late! There will be no seats left. You wouldn't run late if you were more organized!" It was a terrible feeling, especially because voice was partially right.Who was this voice yelling at me? It was my nemesis – Shrew who lives in my head. We all get annoyed at ourselves from time to time; it is only natural. But for some of us, it can become an unrelenting bother. There can be no contentment when Shrew is on scene! Some call it a gremlin, others an inner critic, others negative self-talk. I call her Shrew. No matter what you call yours, you know who I mean. She's fierce, she's damning and she's quick to pounce on every mistake you make, turning them into capital offenses. The Shrew exaggerates our flaws, smashes our self-esteem, ruins our confidence, distracts us from what we are doing and makes us miserable. I am choosing not to live with it anymore! I invite you to do same. There is a force which can tame Shrew: The Buddha in Your Back Pocket*. Think of a time when you witnessed a stranger being scolded and felt badly for them. Perhaps it was a worker being accused by an angry boss of "screwing things up" for something you knew wasn't their fault. Did you wish you could go up to that worker and say, "Don't pay any attention to them. I saw what happened and I know you are a doing a good job!" This softer side of you is anti-Shrew. It is empathy and compassion. The Shrew is afraid of it because she fears you might offer it to yourself. It is a skill to learn to apply this loving, tender, supportive side of ourselves to ourselves. Many of us, me included, are not in habit of it. The morning I was late, Ms. Shrew was in full force. But, before she could ruin my day, I was able to ward her off by pulling out Buddha in My Back Pocket. It felt a bit like Luke Skywalker yielding a light saber against Darth Vader. "Luke, use force!"
| | Keeping your business event entertainment clean, not obscene: Amusing Without AbusingWritten by Adam Christing
When John Hakel decided to hire a comedian for one of his company's events, he knew that hiring right comic would be no laughing matter. As Director of Association of General Contractors of California, Hakel plans dozens of events each year and he had heard of other planners who got blindsided when hired comic's jokes quickly went from funny to filthy. "My job security depends on making our association members happy at these events," says Hakel, "not upsetting them with crude, racially insensitive or sexually explicit humor."With issues like workplace sexual harassment and political correctness so prevalent these days, HR directors, event planners, office managers, and other program coordinators are anxious to ensure that hired talent for a business or social event will entertain without offending. Hakel avoided that embarrassment and kept his job by working with a company like CleanComedians.com. In fact, since original booking, Hakel has hired performers from "Clean Comedians" for more than 30 separate events. "Every time I have hired a Clean Comedians performer, my audience has loved it. It's great to get hilarious comedy -- and never having to worry about offending any guests." CleanComedians.com is an entertainment production company that represents
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