Cynthia D’Amour on Leadership and Life

Ah-ha!
Yesterday I shared my year in photos.

Today want to look at lessons learned.
I’ve done a lot of growing.
Want to keep it going.

First lesson: Don’t think so much.

As a consultant, my thinking skills make me valuable.
On a fitness journey, they can get in the way.
Big time.

I drove Mollie crazy this year with my theories.

Why my weight [...]

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Lots of change!
I started 2011 in Las Vegas.

Attending PCMA.
With James.
Had a great time learning.

The downside of Vegas = all the walking.

Everything seemed miles apart.
It was hard for me to do.
Even with new walking shoes.

In February our family grew.

We adopted GiGi.
Another Chihuahua/pug
Her job: to pep Raindrop up.

GiGi gives all of us a run for our money!

Her [...]

Filed under: Cynthia's Fitness Adventure, Strategic Thinking | 7 Comments »

GiGi’s current motto.
The dogs raked it in over Christmas.

Both got nice toys.
Lots of squeak.
And miscellaneous pieces to chew off.

GiGi, our young dog, is a toy hoarder.

She put all the toys into a pile.
Raindrop’s toys.
And hers.

No one is allowed to touch the toys.

She plays with each one through a rotation of sorts.
Raindrop is not welcome.
(However sometimes [...]

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In unexpected ways.
James had surgery a week ago.

Our normal holiday plans got vetoed by the doctor.
No travel.
Holiday at home with just us and the dogs.

I decided to lean into it.

Not my first choice.
But happy to help James heal.
(Maybe a little down time wouldn’t be a bad thing?)

Christmas Eve morning I got a text from a [...]

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Unbelievable.

GiGi loves to walk.

She walks very fast.
And pulls hard - in spite of being small.
It’s not fun to walk her this way.

For months I’ve tried to break the pulling habit.

Commanding “No pull!”
In my best alpha dog voice.
Combined with a yank on the lead.

Improvement was slow.

James didn’t reinforce my way this fall.
Progress disappeared.
Now with his [...]

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Lucky us.
My first round of graduate work focused on teaching.

Had a stiff teacher who droned about being life-touchers.
The content was good.
But she was not believable.

My friends in class were creative yet rebellious people.

We had trouble buying what the teacher was saying.
So we manipulated her content a bit.
Came up with a little ditty about being a [...]

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GiGi is 15 months old today.
Last winter, we brought GiGi home.

She was a bundle of high-energy puppy.
No “off button” in sight.
James and I regularly debated our sanity in rescuing her.

We quickly set up systems to keep our house safe.

We kept GiGi in certain rooms.
Chaperoned her in others.
Less destruction was our goal.

Over time our new ways [...]

Filed under: Adventures of GiGi, Keeping members | 2 Comments »

Ahhh memories…
My dad worked for Ford Tractor for more than 30 years.

In the marketing department.
Doing international marketing.
(My source for marketing in my blood!)

For a while, Ford did a massive show with their tractors each year.

Almost like Broadway.
Dancing girls and dancing tractors.
And a catchy musical score about the tractors.

I grew up watching Mom and Dad dancing [...]

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