Do this!
Take a jar, and every time something good happens to you next year, write it on a small piece of paper, and put it in the jar.
At the end of the year, on New Years Eve, open the jar, and reminisce on all of the good times you had.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
quite jarring...
Do this!
Take a jar, and every time something good happens to you next year, write it on a small piece of paper, and put it in the jar.
At the end of the year, on New Years Eve, open the jar, and reminisce on all of the good times you had.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
it's all in your _______
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”
― Albert Einstein
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
this means you...
for everyone going back to school, the parents of everyone going back to school, and everyone going back into the world...
Thursday, August 29, 2013
bacon on vacation...
We all need a break from time to time. Be sure to unplug, relax, and recharge something other than your cellphone and tablet...
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
things you are not...
(Inspired by the interns of the 2013 Kaiser Permanente Summer Youth Employment Program in Modesto, CA)
You are not your name. You are not your past.
You are not constrained by your emotions, your experiences, your culture, your thoughts, your body, or your mind. Your “permanent record” isn’t permanent; and your “life sentence” doesn’t have to be.
You are not your personality, your persona, or your act. Who you are being at any given moment doesn’t have to define who you are; it’s just one possible way of being. And when you recognize that the way you are being right now – however that way of being is – is not only one possible way of being, but a way of being that is separate and distinct from what’s happening (and how the world is occurring for you in that moment), you give yourself the power to choose to be another way. If you have that power, if you have that choice, why not choose something that enlivens you, that gives you strength, that creates a future based on the unwritten future – not the “almost certain” future given to you by your past?
You are not your job, your department, your successes, your failures, your checkbook balance, or your wages. You are not condemned to a life given to you by your ancestors, their sins, or those thoughtless, stupid things you once did as a kid. You are not what your brother did to you when you were young, or what you discovered about your parents, or the people you have called “friends” who turned out to be anything but. You are not your mistakes.
You are also not your go-to winning strategy of being funny, or smart, or distant, or assertive, or perfect, or any of those other ways you’ve compensated for feeling inadequate or “less than” at some earlier time in your life. Those, too, are but ONE possible way of being, and if it’s “automatic” – if it’s running you instead of you running it – it’s not authentically who you are either.
Who you are – should you choose to be so bold – is who you say you are. Your future lives in your word – the language you speak into the world, accompanied by the powerful, committed actions you then take to turn your word into reality.
Be confident, kind, determined, capable, inspiring, outrageous, compassionate, creative, beautiful, spontaneous, loving, connected, hopeful, happy, peaceful, courageous, charismatic, and unstoppable. You can choose to be any and all of these, and more.
So remember that, especially during those dark times what will inevitably come, when you allow yourself to listen to that little voice in your head that tells you otherwise. Remember that even pity, self-doubt, anger, and disappointment are possible ways of being, but please know, they’re just another few items on that long list of “Things You Are Not.”
And finally, remember that Love, true love, is accepting yourself and each other exactly how you/they are, and exactly how you/they are not. Got it?
So, I ask you, who are you being?
You are not constrained by your emotions, your experiences, your culture, your thoughts, your body, or your mind. Your “permanent record” isn’t permanent; and your “life sentence” doesn’t have to be.
You are not your personality, your persona, or your act. Who you are being at any given moment doesn’t have to define who you are; it’s just one possible way of being. And when you recognize that the way you are being right now – however that way of being is – is not only one possible way of being, but a way of being that is separate and distinct from what’s happening (and how the world is occurring for you in that moment), you give yourself the power to choose to be another way. If you have that power, if you have that choice, why not choose something that enlivens you, that gives you strength, that creates a future based on the unwritten future – not the “almost certain” future given to you by your past?
You are not your job, your department, your successes, your failures, your checkbook balance, or your wages. You are not condemned to a life given to you by your ancestors, their sins, or those thoughtless, stupid things you once did as a kid. You are not what your brother did to you when you were young, or what you discovered about your parents, or the people you have called “friends” who turned out to be anything but. You are not your mistakes.
You are also not your go-to winning strategy of being funny, or smart, or distant, or assertive, or perfect, or any of those other ways you’ve compensated for feeling inadequate or “less than” at some earlier time in your life. Those, too, are but ONE possible way of being, and if it’s “automatic” – if it’s running you instead of you running it – it’s not authentically who you are either.
Who you are – should you choose to be so bold – is who you say you are. Your future lives in your word – the language you speak into the world, accompanied by the powerful, committed actions you then take to turn your word into reality.
Be confident, kind, determined, capable, inspiring, outrageous, compassionate, creative, beautiful, spontaneous, loving, connected, hopeful, happy, peaceful, courageous, charismatic, and unstoppable. You can choose to be any and all of these, and more.
So remember that, especially during those dark times what will inevitably come, when you allow yourself to listen to that little voice in your head that tells you otherwise. Remember that even pity, self-doubt, anger, and disappointment are possible ways of being, but please know, they’re just another few items on that long list of “Things You Are Not.”
And finally, remember that Love, true love, is accepting yourself and each other exactly how you/they are, and exactly how you/they are not. Got it?
So, I ask you, who are you being?
Saturday, July 27, 2013
SYEP in the 209
When I started my new position at Kaiser Permanente as Senior Unit-Based Team consultant a year ago, I stood (both literally and figuratively) before a large group of labor and management team leaders and promised them that my performance in my new role would be a tribute to my father, James A. Gamble, Jr., for all that he taught me and so that his legacy would live on through the lives I touched...
Yesterday, as we ended an 8-week student intern project known as the Summer Youth Employment Program, I found myself experiencing the proudest moment of my professional career: 20 extraordinary young people that I had the privilege of mentoring completed their UBT project work and presented it for KP leadership... and during the program, they had also completed many of the incidents and issues from their past, ending -- for many -- years of drama and regret that could have kept a stranglehold on the possibilities of their futures...
I watched as some of Dad's "Jim-isms" became "Jeff-isms," like: "Don't carry a lazy man's load;" "How do you eat a mountain? (One bite at a time);" and "If you ever need anything, just look stupid. Someone will come help you."
Along the way, I added a few of my own:
I never really understood the church-taught concept that God was everywhere, not until Dad died. But now I get it, and I see both Him and his argumentative angel known as James Arthur Gamble, Jr., everywhere I look.
Thank you, Taylor, Tayla, Alfredo, Michaela, Juliza, Sarah L., Ian, Giovanna, Cambria, Cassie, Johanna, Lizzy Sarah, Shanan, Gurprince, Roman, Sara, Marissa, Esteban, Nate, and Sothary -- the SYEP of 2013. Your blessings have only just begun, and I am humbled to have played a small part in your new, incredible futures.
BE extraordinary. And know that I love you.
Yesterday, as we ended an 8-week student intern project known as the Summer Youth Employment Program, I found myself experiencing the proudest moment of my professional career: 20 extraordinary young people that I had the privilege of mentoring completed their UBT project work and presented it for KP leadership... and during the program, they had also completed many of the incidents and issues from their past, ending -- for many -- years of drama and regret that could have kept a stranglehold on the possibilities of their futures...
I watched as some of Dad's "Jim-isms" became "Jeff-isms," like: "Don't carry a lazy man's load;" "How do you eat a mountain? (One bite at a time);" and "If you ever need anything, just look stupid. Someone will come help you."
Along the way, I added a few of my own:
- A good idea will die of loneliness if you don't share it.
- Give up asking, "What's wrong?" It makes it too easy to blame someone else. Instead, ask "What's missing?"
- "Hope" is not a business strategy. Kill hope.
- If there's no action, it's just a wish.
- Always give 100%... unless you're giving blood.
- Sometimes you have to burn a bridge so that the crazy people don't follow you.
- Don't sweat the petty things. Pet the sweaty things. :)
I never really understood the church-taught concept that God was everywhere, not until Dad died. But now I get it, and I see both Him and his argumentative angel known as James Arthur Gamble, Jr., everywhere I look.
Thank you, Taylor, Tayla, Alfredo, Michaela, Juliza, Sarah L., Ian, Giovanna, Cambria, Cassie, Johanna, Lizzy Sarah, Shanan, Gurprince, Roman, Sara, Marissa, Esteban, Nate, and Sothary -- the SYEP of 2013. Your blessings have only just begun, and I am humbled to have played a small part in your new, incredible futures.
BE extraordinary. And know that I love you.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
truth with a capital "T"...
The most important 25 minutes that you will spend today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhhC_N6Bm_s&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Friday, June 14, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
make your weekend productive...
Use this weekend to reconnect with your life and whatever or whoever is most important to you.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
cred
Who is Geoffrey Gamble, you ask? And just who the %#@* does he think he is?
With more than 25 years of experience in performance improvement and transformational methodologies (as well as a number of other accomplishments that continue to confound my resume writers), I'm now lending my expertise to individuals and organizations who seek to create new possibilities and outcomes for themselves and those they influence.
Team building, life coaching, a new perspective on anything you're committed to... it all starts with a simple question, "Are you happy" with the way things are right now?
I've supported the work of Kaiser Permanente (first as an Employee/Labor Relations Consultant, then Senior HR Consultant, and now -- and still -- as Senior Consultant for Unit-Based Teams, Employee Engagement, and Culture Change), labor unions including Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and the California Nurses Association (CNA). I've also cut my teeth through work with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS).
I hold an honors degree in Communications Studies (Film, Video, and Popular Culture) and Sociology from Virginia Tech.
My unique perspective incorporates a sense of realism, determination, and humor that can cut through the barriers you've experienced in life and give you a sense of purpose and concrete action to face whatever's next for you.
Comic novelist ("Breakfast with a Cereal Killer"), sociopolitical activist, and sometimes smartass... I might be just what you need to help you see what you can't see yourself, to uncover and explore a potential hiding in what you don't know that you don't know.
For now, while I establish this consulting thing, it's all FREE.
What have you got to lose? Your unhappiness, perhaps?
With more than 25 years of experience in performance improvement and transformational methodologies (as well as a number of other accomplishments that continue to confound my resume writers), I'm now lending my expertise to individuals and organizations who seek to create new possibilities and outcomes for themselves and those they influence.
Team building, life coaching, a new perspective on anything you're committed to... it all starts with a simple question, "Are you happy" with the way things are right now?
I've supported the work of Kaiser Permanente (first as an Employee/Labor Relations Consultant, then Senior HR Consultant, and now -- and still -- as Senior Consultant for Unit-Based Teams, Employee Engagement, and Culture Change), labor unions including Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and the California Nurses Association (CNA). I've also cut my teeth through work with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS).
I hold an honors degree in Communications Studies (Film, Video, and Popular Culture) and Sociology from Virginia Tech.
My unique perspective incorporates a sense of realism, determination, and humor that can cut through the barriers you've experienced in life and give you a sense of purpose and concrete action to face whatever's next for you.
Comic novelist ("Breakfast with a Cereal Killer"), sociopolitical activist, and sometimes smartass... I might be just what you need to help you see what you can't see yourself, to uncover and explore a potential hiding in what you don't know that you don't know.
For now, while I establish this consulting thing, it's all FREE.
What have you got to lose? Your unhappiness, perhaps?
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
what do you want to be when you grow up?
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
― John Lennon
Saturday, May 25, 2013
make "one day" today...
One day I’ll find relief
I’ll be arrived
And I’ll be friend to my friends who know how to be friends
One day I’ll be at peace
I’ll be enlightened and I’ll be married with children and maybe adopt
One day I will be healed
I will gather my wounds forge the end of tragic comedy
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
One day my mind will retreat
And I’ll know God
And I’ll be constantly one with her night dusk and day
One day I’ll be secure
Like the women I see on their thirtieth anniversaries
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
Ever unfolding
Ever expanding
Ever adventurous
And torturous
And never done
One day I will speak freely
I’ll be less afraid
And measured outside of my poems and lyrics and art
One day I will be faith-filled
I’ll be trusting and spacious authentic and grounded and home
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
I’ll be arrived
And I’ll be friend to my friends who know how to be friends
One day I’ll be at peace
I’ll be enlightened and I’ll be married with children and maybe adopt
One day I will be healed
I will gather my wounds forge the end of tragic comedy
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
One day my mind will retreat
And I’ll know God
And I’ll be constantly one with her night dusk and day
One day I’ll be secure
Like the women I see on their thirtieth anniversaries
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
Ever unfolding
Ever expanding
Ever adventurous
And torturous
And never done
One day I will speak freely
I’ll be less afraid
And measured outside of my poems and lyrics and art
One day I will be faith-filled
I’ll be trusting and spacious authentic and grounded and home
I have been running so sweaty my whole life
Urgent for a finish line
And I have been missing the rapture this whole time of being forever incomplete
"Incomplete" (c) by Alanis Morissette
Friday, May 24, 2013
an interesting way to start things off...
"I was a peripheral visionary. I could see the future, but only way off to the side."
-- Steven Wright, comedian
"Create your future from your future, not your past."
-- Werner Erhard, critical thinker
Let's try something.
I'll pick your brain, then you can pick mine.
Together, we'll explore what's important to you, and after we've sorted a few things out, we'll design a new, (and until now) unimagined future for any aspect of your life that you say you've always wanted: your career, your business, your relationships, your finances, your legacy.
You promise to be honest and do what you know is necessary to get there, and I promise to make the journey exciting, enlightening, and fun.
Deal?
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