Karin Pinter's Blog, page 14

There is No Substitute for Excellence

I test drove an Audi Q5 this past weekend. Again. I wanted to test the sport package version with all the drive control options. I’m pretty set on which model I want now, all I need to decide is the colour.However…

Onmy way home yesterday, I passed the Porsche dealership…

“Why don’t I test drive the 911?” I thought.

I mean, that wasthecar I wanted growing up, yet I had neverconsidered driving it until now. Bizarre, right?

Stay with me, this will make sense in a moment…

You might be driving a...

Who’s Your Number One?

I was in conversation with a dear friend and colleague, who suggested I write about being “your number one client.” Thistopic has been on my mind for a while, so I took this as a sign to finally write about it, because it goes beyond business.

I really appreciate this friend because he is so curious about life. Those are the kinds of conversations I love to have, “What would make your life extraordinary? What makes you YOU? How do you see yourself in this world?”

For a time in my life, I thou...

Is Today Your Day?

I started playing classicalguitar in 1994, about a year before Niki Owl was “born”. I played diligently every afternoon, gaining new appreciation for music and my abilities to transform those little “fly shits on paper” (as my Dad calls them) into beautiful sounds. My guitar teacher would give me concert pieces one sheet at a time, to fuel my desire to master each page before moving onto the next. Genius.

It taught me a lot about focus and consistent action.

I was recently in conversation wit...

The House that Genius Built

I was about 4 feet tall. My Dad had built us a red and white chipboard house that would sit on the patio for us to play in. It was basically a small-scale prefab house with clips and magnets that held the walls and roof together, so he could easily store it away.Pure genius.

Of course I had “tea parties” in there. We even hooked up Hot Wheels tracks to zip cars through the window. The cat would hang out too, when it didn’t get chased by Hot Wheels cars.It was all fun and games. Then we outgre...

“I haven’t felt this happy in 5 years…”

I was in conversation with a family who was about to sell their business.Theyalso happen to be very dear friends of mine.

The parents and son couldn’t find agreement on whether to overcome their differences and keep growing this successful venture together, or part ways because they couldn’t see eye to eye on certain details.They had lost sight of the beautiful vision they’d set out with.

They had also grown apart as a family, because they had been unable to communicate openly about what they...

Which is the REAL one?

This is a barn owl…

And thisis a barn owl…

Which is the REAL barn owl?

I’d like to share a personal story with you about how wecreate and believe ourreality.

I used to spend a lot of time with my friends at our local “Cheers” – a quaint little bistro on the outskirts of Old Town Marbella,where everyone knew our names, andwerarely had to call each other to see if we’d be there after work, because weusually were. The bistro was co-owned by a lovely couple, whom we’ll call Abby and Claire.

Aro...

From Little to Great

I’d like to share a story aboutwhat we’re capable of creating when we’re truly inspired. And, how GREAT things can happen FAST.

The largest Niki Owl came to life on July 1st, 2012. I had spent the morning with my friends watching Spain’s soccer team win their second UEFA European Championship in a row. It was also Canada Day, and Canada is very dear to me because that’s where I wrote my first book. And it wasa week before my birthday, so I was feeling fully inspired by life.

I had adopted a l...

What’s Your Happy Place?

Hello Genius,

You may have heard people talk about their “Happy Place” and I’d like to you think about what yours is for a moment. This is important as it affects everything you do.

By this, I mean yourinternal Happy Place, that special place where you give attention to the things that feel good to you. The things that makeyourworld meaningful and empower you to live fully.

Your Happy Place is where you feel absolutely free and at home within.It typically involves some activity you do by yoursel...

Thanksgiving – is it Gratitude or Appreciation?

The festivities this week in the US are all about gratitude, and of course you know I’m a huge proponent of this in our everyday lives. Why? Because I give hoot that we all feel good!

I’ve also come to understand the difference between gratitude and appreciation, and we’ve touched on this before but what better time than this to revisit?

Gratitude typically focuses on giving thanks for the things we have now that we didn’t have before.

Appreciation focuses on everything & everyone that surrounds...

Why?

In the business world we’re often asked to deliver our elevator pitch on what we do, what service we provide. To the point it becomes automatic, and we even build networking meetings around this to inform our loyal sales force of colleagues.

But, WHY do you do what you do?

One of my coaching clients recently did a ten minute presentation for her business networking group. She is experiencing a powerful transformation in how she shows up in her personal life and in business, fuelled by a burning...