Blog Archives - Yolande Robinson

Book of the Week: Instinct

4/30/2019

When you’re living by instinct, then you will naturally enhance everything and everyone around you. In other words, success will come naturally! When both your intellect and instincts are aligned, then producing the fruits of your labors brings satisfaction beyond measure.”

The concept of following one’s instinct and finding a balance between instinct and intellect has always been an interest of mine. Like many entrepreneurs, I often get a feeling or an idea in my gut that I know I need to run with and then try and find the concrete ideas that back up why I should follow through on my instinct. This motivated me to take my first read of T.D. Jakes Instinct – The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive a few years ago. It is a book that I like to revisit every now and then to remind me that "Our instincts are the treasure map for our soul’s satisfaction.”

This is phenomenal read that encourages, you not only move from the mundane to the magical, but unlock your most productive, satisfying and joyful times.

ACL: Promoting Writing at Home

4/24/2019

Writing is an essential skill that every child needs to learn. Learning to write is a monumental task. When a child first enters school there is sometimes more emphasis put on reading than on writing. However, it is best that the skills are learned together. At home it is quite common for parents to read with, or encourage their children to read, however it is important not to forget to put emphasis on writing as well. Reading and writing go hand in hand. For this episode of a child’s life we are going to look at how to promote writing at home and how you can help your child develop their writing skills.

Book of the Week: Wolfpack

4/20/2019

There is a wolf inside of every woman. Her wolf is who she was made to be before the world told her who to be. Her wolf is her talent, her power, her dreams, her voice, her curiosity, her courage, her dignity, her choices – her truest identity”

This week's book of the week has been all over my social media feeds. It was popping up in so many places, that I decided I had to give it a read. Not being a soccer fan, I knew very little about Abby Wambach. I have been a great fan of her partner, Glennon Doyle for years, and I guess it should have been no surprise to me that she falls right in-line with Glennon's truth telling.

'Wolfpack' clearly outlines old rules of leadership that do not serve today's woman, and suggests new rules. She speaks candidly about her retirement, and having to define who 'Abby' was after soccer, and how to move away from old leadership rules, step into new ones, and support each other along the way.

Happy Reading!

ACL: The Benefits of Nursery Rhymes

4/17/2019

Most children and adults can rattle off a few nursery rhymes. In fact, if you asked most adults, they probably have many of them stored deep in their memory banks from when they were a child. Why is it these nursery rhymes stick?

Children have been having fun learning nursery rhymes for many generations. Beyond the fact that nursery rhymes bring laughter and enjoyment to many children, there are numerous benefits when it comes to their development.

Join me in this week's episode of A Child's Life where we will explore many of these benefits.

For the BUsy Reader

4/16/2019

I absolutely love to recommend books! For this reason a few weeks ago I decided to start sharing ‘Book of the Week’ on my blog and social media accounts. The goal of this new feature is to expose followers to a variety of books to educate, empower, and entertain!

I love a good blog post, article or snippet of information. The thing is that there are great advantages to reading books. In a post a few months ago about making Reading Part of Your Growth Strategy, I outlined what I saw as the 5 top benefits to reading more books. Read the post here.

I have been so excited to receive pictures and messages of people that have jumped onto the book of a the week challenge! Others have also shared how much they would like to read more, but just don’t have the time. I understand! I ‘overstand!’

It has always amazed me that some of the most avid readers are some of the busiest people I know. Why is this? Is it the same reasoning behind if you really want something done you should give it to a busy person to do?

According to Jim Kwik, a leading brain coach, the average CEO reads 4 – 5 books a month and the average person reads 2 to 3 books a year. This is a staggering difference. What this highlights for me though, is that if you want to be more of a ‘reader’ you need to make an intentional decision to be so.

A few months ago I set some reading goals that seemed a little far fetched given my daily schedule. With a one year old, a four year old, an eight year old and a business to run, I was quite ambitious in the setting of my reading goals, but I was determined to see if I could really turn my reading behaviors around. By scheduling in my reading time at the same time every day, it has made a world of difference for me. I also have my Kindle with me at just about all times, and use it to ‘pass time’ as opposed to swiping away on social media. I also have slowed down on my Netflix watching. These three habits have made a world of difference in my ability to read as a ‘busy’ person.

I share this to say, it can be done! Whether it is a book a month or four books a month, the first step is to make an intentional decision. Each week I will post a book selection to help you on your journey. Here are my top 5 ways for busy people to introduce reading into their daily routines.

Schedule. Choose a time for your reading to occur. Whether you get up 20 minutes earlier, or turn off the television 20 minutes earlier, find a time to schedule your reading in.
Track your progress. Whether you track the books you are reading on a list created by you or through an online community like Good Reads, track your progress. It will motivate you.
Substitute Reading For… Choose what in your life reading can substitute. Whether it’s Facebook swiping or binge watching on Netflix, devote some of that time to reading.
Variety. Read a few books at a time. This allows you to read based on the mood you are in. A professional development book may work well at lunchtime, but before bed you may want light fiction.
Try electronic. I know we all love paper books. For those of us living on islands where we can’t always get the books we want when we want, you may find that going electronic and syncing your devices provides an easy way for you to get the books you want and to read them anywhere you want. Some devices also facilitate you syncing 'audio' versions of the book you are reading, which is a great tool if you have long commutes.

Happy Reading!

Book of the Week: Who Moved My CHeese?

4/14/2019

This week's book of the week is a quick read. It's a shorts story about two mice, 'Sniff' and 'Scurry,' and two little humans "Hem' and Haw.'

Spencer Johnson's, "Who Moved My Cheese?" is a simple parable that reveals some profound truths. “Cheese” is used as a metaphor for whatever you want in life...whether it be related to your job, your relationships, your development, your health, love, money etc.

“It is safer to search in the maze than to remain in a cheeseless situation.”
“The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.”

Happy Reading!

ACL: THe Teenage Reader

4/10/2019

In an age of 5 minute blog posts, live feeds, and YouTube videos, it is very easy to get by with only the type of functional reading that you need to get through your day. The things is, reading books is so important in order for your teens to reach their potential.

I love reading Young Adult Literature. As my students will tell you, I often read the same books they are reading to ensure that we can have good book chats about them. It is very easy when children enter high school to be so focused on content work that we forget the need for them to read for pleasure. Cutting out daily pleasure reading will not increase your child’s grades. In fact, daily pleasure reading will likely help your child’s grades improve.

For this week's episode of A Child's Life, I explore 'The Teenage Reader.'

Book of the Week: The Gifts of Imperfection:

4/7/2019

I am so excited about this week's book! I was first introduced to Brené Brown about 7 years ago. Her work was the fuel that shifted my work and helped me truly bring who I am to all I do. It has shaped the way I function as a wife, mother, friend, educator and coach. I knew that I wanted to share one of her books this week, but had trouble deciding which one! I absolutely love them all! After an impactful re-read this week, I settled on one of her first books.

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are is a short read, or listen for the audiobook lovers. This book is powerful. It is inspiring. It will make you laugh. It will make you think. It will make you uncomfortable. It will give you 'ah-ha' moments. It will make you shift. It explores how to cultivate the courage, compassion and connection to embrace yourself as you are and thrive.

One of my favorite parts of this book is that it provides guideposts to wholehearted living. These guideposts are printed and front and center in my office as daily reminders. Happy Reading!

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.”
― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

ACL: Preparing for A New Sibling

4/3/2019

When a baby is added to a family, there is always a shift. Some of the dynamics are positive and some of the dynamics are sometimes less desirable. Although we cannot predict exactly how our children will act when they get a new sibling, what we can do is try our best to prepare for the arrival of a new sibling.
For this week’s episode I have some tips for you on how to introduce the change that will come with a new sibling in the household.

Podcast

Shifting Perspectives is a weekly conversation with Yolande. Yolande, a Canadian of Caribbean descent, now calls the Turks and Caicos Islands home and in this podcast challenges Caribbean woman worldwide to fuel themselves with diversity in the way they think, the way they work, the way they parent and the way they live.

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