Blog | Get inspiration to persevere!

Mar 1, 2018
3 min

4 Steps for Recovering with Grace After Getting Rejected + 5 BONUS Reflection Questions!

Some people seem to have a penchant for putting themselves out there. They can go from phone call to phone call, meeting to meeting, without ever seeming to tire. They can receive a constant stream of rejections without being the least bit phased. They just churn and churn, go and go, nothing seems to derail their determination to make a sale. I am not one of those people. I feel like I’ve had a relatively low threshold for putting myself out there… Maybe it’s because I thriv

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Stones of Remembrance – Try These 4 Steps for Reviewing Your Journal

Ariana Friedlander

Jan 31, 2018
3 min

Stones of Remembrance – Try These 4 Steps for Reviewing Your Journal

One of the joys in journaling happens when you go back and re-read what you wrote months or years later. It’s amazing the perspective you gain over time and the things you forget that felt so visceral, so painful, so consuming in the moment. I’ve found that routinely taking the time to review my journals has been a great practice for elevating my personal growth and development. Re-reading old journals was one of the many benefits I enjoyed from writing my book. Looking back

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Four Reflection Questions for Managing Disruption

Ariana Friedlander

Nov 30, 2017
3 min

Four Reflection Questions for Managing Disruption

This week I had the pleasure of attending a Thought Leader Speaker event featuring Peter Sheahan. He was a feisty speaker, calling out executives for bad decision making and cracking jokes at his own expense. His message was thought provoking, in large part because he encouraged those of us in the audience to reflect on and discuss our own experiences that might be limiting our abilities to effectively navigate change. I always enjoy more interactive talks, it’s easier to pay

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Journaling Prompts for Moving From Judgment to Compassion

Ariana Friedlander

Oct 19, 2017
3 min

Journaling Prompts for Moving From Judgment to Compassion

It’s been over a month since I’ve published a blog on my website…therefore I have failed at my goal to consistently market my business this year, or have I? As I’ve geared up to get back in the game of blogging I found myself struggling with feelings of judgment and shame. Such failures have often been triggers for me to fall into patterns of harsh judgment and criticism of myself. And while I dabbled in that realm for brief moments again, I’ve rebounded more quickly and with

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4 Reflection Questions to Navigate Living Authentically

Ariana Friedlander

Sep 15, 2017
3 min

4 Reflection Questions to Navigate Living Authentically

Brené Brown is one of my favorite teachers of our time. Her ground breaking research on shame, vulnerability and living whole heartedly has transformed lives around the world. Brown’s authentic delivery of the material is as relatable as it is refreshing. She’s constantly digging deeper into the subject matter both as a researcher and as a lifelong learner. No matter which of her books you decide to explore first, you will be both challenged and encouraged to step into your o

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5 Reflection Questions for Uncovering Your Passions

Ariana Friedlander

Aug 31, 2017
2 min

5 Reflection Questions for Uncovering Your Passions

It’s back to school time and in honor of the season, I’ll be posting a series of blogs that share insights from some of my favorite teachers! As I say in my book, the first practice in the entrepreneur’s journey of mastery is understanding yourself. This is a crucial and ongoing process of deepening self-awareness. Tasha Eurich, author of Insight, defines self-awareness as, “the ability to see ourselves clearly – to understand who we are, how others see us, and how we fit int

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4 Reflection Questions to Begin Re-writing Negative Conversational Patterns

Ariana Friedlander

Aug 8, 2017
3 min

4 Reflection Questions to Begin Re-writing Negative Conversational Patterns

Our bodies make some pretty powerful chemicals! I recently wiped out on my bike and despite being hurt I got up and went on. Right after my wreck I felt fine. Granted, I was a little banged up, but compared to how I would feel just hours, days and even weeks later…I felt like a million bucks. I was pumped up on adrenaline. I’ve heard other stories where people have far worse injuries than my own and have a similar reaction. Sometimes, it’s cool to have a go, go, go response l

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Try This One Simple Trick for Reframing Fear

Ariana Friedlander

Jul 25, 2017
2 min

Try This One Simple Trick for Reframing Fear

Do you ever have those weeks where the same conversation keeps coming up with a bunch of different people? That’s been happening to me lately. It’s like there’s this collective struggle we are all dealing with and it’s nice to know you’re not alone. One moment of profound awakening I had years back was when I realized that the entire notion of being fearless is BS. Fear is always there. It’s hardwired into our DNA and for very good reason. The problem is that all too often we

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Reflection Questions to Help Your Draw Better Boundaries

Ariana Friedlander

Jul 4, 2017
3 min

Reflection Questions to Help Your Draw Better Boundaries

Lately I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people about feeling overwhelmed and stressed. The pervasive sense is that there’s too much that has to get done and not enough time to do it all. With our penchant for keeping busy as a society and the possibility to always do more, these feelings can persist. Compound all that with the desire to be a good person by helping others out, and saying no comes with a heap of guilt that is easiest to avoid by just agreeing. The r

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Tired of the Emotional Roller Coaster Ride from Putting Yourself Out There? Checkout These 4 Reflect

Ariana Friedlander

Jun 27, 2017
3 min

Tired of the Emotional Roller Coaster Ride from Putting Yourself Out There? Checkout These 4 Reflect

We went around the park, with camcorder in hand. And we now have a home video of bears being super cute and my brother asking every other second, “Did you get that?” Followed by my Dad responding, “Yeah, I got it!” As I reached a new level of putting myself out there with the release of my first book last fall, I felt like my brother in that video. I would send an email, then constantly check to see if I’d gotten a response. Or I’d post a video on social and continually check

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4 Reflection Questions to Help You Prepare for Difficult Conversations

Ariana Friedlander

Jun 20, 2017
2 min

4 Reflection Questions to Help You Prepare for Difficult Conversations

Have you ever procrastinated on having a difficult conversation with your boss or colleague or a loved one? I know I have! It’s a common scenario really. The anticipation of the conversation weighs you down. Some of us fear what the other person will say. While other’s fear how we might show up in the conversation. Either way, the fear creates dread, the anticipation creates anxiety and we experience cortisol pumping through our bodies that tells us this conversation posses a

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Journaling Prompts for Staying Focused to Finish on Projects

Ariana Friedlander

May 31, 2017
2 min

Journaling Prompts for Staying Focused to Finish on Projects

I’ve had a few coaching sessions recently with clients that felt overwhelmed by everything that they have going on. For some, the seasonal nature of their work is ratcheting up. For others, the pace of work is not slowing down and the need to better manage their productivity is clear. I will go to a blank page in my journal and write Current Projects at the top. Then I will list out all of my projects, leaving room between each to write out more specific ideas, like my next s

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Annual Staff Retreat Builds Trust and Improves Collaboration at Water for People

Ariana Friedlander

May 24, 2017
3 min

Annual Staff Retreat Builds Trust and Improves Collaboration at Water for People

When we were brought in, Water for People was in the midst of many changes. They had new leadership and the organization had been going through tremendous growth, hiring many new staff members. They were preparing to host their Annual Reflection retreat for the second year, and they were rolling out a new 5 year strategic plan. One of the changes that the new CEO brought to Water For People was implementing a Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The BSC is a tool that sets organizationa

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We All Feel Lonely Sometimes, Here are Four Reflection Questions to Help You Deal

Ariana Friedlander

May 22, 2017
3 min

We All Feel Lonely Sometimes, Here are Four Reflection Questions to Help You Deal

Today I want to explore a topic nobody ever talks about, but all of us feel…loneliness. A few months ago at church there was a sermon where we explored reconciling. During the service we were instructed to text (I know how very 21st century) the things we felt ashamed about in our lives. Then our stories were anonymously woven into the sermon. There were a lot of really heavy and traumatic things shared. But one thing that a number of people wrote stood out to me, they were a

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4 Reflection Questions for Dealing with Frustrating Situations at Work or Home

Ariana Friedlander

Apr 25, 2017
2 min

4 Reflection Questions for Dealing with Frustrating Situations at Work or Home

The corollaries between parenting and being a leader never cease to amaze me. Here I was processing my own emotions as a parent and feeling a new sense of understanding for a struggle my clients are dealing with…when anger about a situation builds so much momentum within that your emotions are like a run away train; reason, logic and compassion for others vanishes as the stark difference between reality and expectations set in. Here’s the thing, Karla McLaren shows us that em

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Four Steps for Redirecting Negative Self-Talk

Ariana Friedlander

Apr 18, 2017
2 min

Four Steps for Redirecting Negative Self-Talk

I learned the hard way that even after you experience success, you still have to deal with rejection and feelings of self-doubt. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, rejection hurts. Even very accomplished individuals experience imposter syndrome. The only difference is, the truly successful professional has routines and rituals for rebounding! Here are four steps for redirecting your negative self-talk so you can maintain forward momentum on your efforts. Step 1: What T

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My Journaling Habit Turned 21 Last Week! Here’s What I Learned Looking at My First Journal

Ariana Friedlander

Apr 3, 2017
2 min

My Journaling Habit Turned 21 Last Week! Here’s What I Learned Looking at My First Journal

Last week my journaling habit turned 21 years old…its hard to believe that this habit has persisted for the vast majority of my life. There were many times over those 21 years where I didn’t write for months. And yet here I am, journaling up a storm – writing regularly, using my journal to keep myself organized, well planned and sane. It’s not perfect, my journal doesn’t resemble the meticulously groomed images of bullet journals adorning many Pinterest boards! My handwriting

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4 Reflection Questions to Help You Get Started with Your Startup

Ariana Friedlander

Feb 28, 2017
2 min

4 Reflection Questions to Help You Get Started with Your Startup

Ariana presenting on the Business Model Canvas at Fort Collins Startup Week! For the first time since I started publishing weekly journaling prompts on my blog, I’m late! My apologies, this is Fort Collins Startup Week, so naturally I have scheduled all my speaking engagements for Q1 this week…and only two of them are at Startup Week! Anyway, in the spirit of Startup Week, I wanted to share 4 reflection questions to help you get started with your startup. Although, these are

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Try This One Simple Journaling Prompt & Improve Your Mindfulness

Ariana Friedlander

Feb 20, 2017
2 min

Try This One Simple Journaling Prompt & Improve Your Mindfulness

One of the things that I have noticed about how my stream of consciousness journaling has changed over the last few years is that I’ve taken on a new habit. I’ve been writing two words almost daily: “Deep Breath.” Only it’s not just the words, as I write I will inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Sometimes I will breathe in and out deeply and slowly multiple times as I write, “Breathe Deep. Deep Breath. Deep Breath. Deep Breath.” I do this whenever I feel tension rising in my bo

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Four Reflection Questions to Stop Your Inner Critic From Sabotaging Your Efforts

Ariana Friedlander

Feb 13, 2017
2 min

Four Reflection Questions to Stop Your Inner Critic From Sabotaging Your Efforts

I have come to accept that we all struggle with letting your inner critic sabotage your efforts. It sneaks in at the most inopportune time; when you’re already feeling bad, when you realize you’ve made a mistake, when you feel scared or uncertain. And it pulls the thread of that tension exacerbating your negative feelings… I just spoke with a client about this very problem the other day. He was feeling pretty down and out. He recently became aware of some pretty serious blund

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