Episode 012: Why I want a divorce…from perfection

Girl punching guy in the face

Hello, my name is Mark, and welcome the Perfection Support Group. I am married to Perfection. I’ve been married to Perfection for over 30 years, but I’ve come to realize that I have a problem. Perfection has not been the spouse that I thought she would be.

Episode 011: Why we really need a holiday from our screens

Girl on Mobile Device

If you look around any waiting room nowadays, you notice people doing one of several things, but mainly one: they are using some kind of screen (phone, tablet, computer, TV) to pass the time. While our electronic devices have become necessary for work, communication, connection, and re-creation, at what cost does it come? I believe we sacrifice something of ourselves on the altar of “keeping busy”. Here is what I think we gain when we turn off the screens in our life…

13 ways that you know it’s time to move on from your job

Exit Sign - Sometimes we need to exxit our jobs, but how do we know when it's the right time?

While I am an advocate for giving an employer a reasonable tenure (the standard is at least 2 years), I feel there are times when a situation can be so bad that we have no other option but to leave. I’ve seen this many times in my own career, and in other’s as well. How do you know when it’s time? Let’s explore some of the reasons why the “grass may actually be greener” somewhere else in the organization, or somewhere else entirely.

Episode 008: Letting go of power, opinion, and control

Man opening accordion

The self-actualized person is no longer worried about basic needs, but rather they are driven by their personal need to evolve and fulfill their life’s purpose or mission. Someone asked Abraham Maslow (The author of the “Hierarchy of Needs” theory / concept), “How do you if know if you are self-actualized?” Maslow responded with the following…

Episode 007: Would you invest in you?

Stock price movement shown on computer

It takes complex calculation on Wall Street to determine how much a piece of a company is worth. I would venture to say that we could probably apply some of the same logic to determine how valuable we are to the organizations we own, run, or belong to.

Episode 006: How to know if you are present, right here, right now

Kid Jumping

One of the most challenging things for someone like me is the ability to be in the present moment on a consistent basis. Often I focus on the mistakes of the past or terrorize ourselves over every future scenario. I blow through my to-do list at the expense of the things that matter most in my life – time and intentional engagement with my family, connecting with colleagues and teammates, and my own personal re-creation.

It is very challenging for me to “stop and smell the roses” because I derive such pleasure from getting things done. The problem with this is, at the end of my life, the thing I will regret most is not enjoying life more. So I stopped to think about those moments where I was actually present, and here are some of the common characteristics.

Episode 005: Email Common Sense 102 – Managing Our Time

Woman relaxing in hammock while facing water fall

https://markabotros.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/E005_Email-Common-Sense-101_Time-Management-2.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSSFor some of us, writing good email may come easily, however, where we may struggle is in managing time where email is concerned. Often, we get into the office and the first thing we do is jump into email and allow numerous non-priority items to suck the day […]

Episode 004: Email Common Sense 101, Writing the Perfect Email

Man at Computer with Book entitled, "An Old Captivity"

Most grown adults today think they know how to use email, yet how many times have you received an email that was too long, too short, too rude, didn’t get to the point, didn’t manage expectations, or didn’t make sense? To write an email that not only communicates well but makes you look smart and sophisticated, in this episode I recommend the following etiquette…

Episode 003: How I learned to like people…I didn’t like

Gift - Sometimes we are given difficult people as "gifts" to us, to show us where we need to grow

The Universe gives us unexpected gifts and they often come in the form of people we don’t like. Often those people show up in our lives to teach us or reveal something in ourselves.

Episode 002: January is the worst month for goals

Girl Pressing Barbell

Several years ago I had an important insight. January is the worst month for setting goals.

It was November 2012 when I decided to try a different approach to New Years Resolutions. Like all of us at one time or another, each year I would fall victim to the New Year’s Resolution trap. This podcast discusses how I escaped from that trap.