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“That’s a great golden nugget that’s going in my tactical toolbox.”  —  Joe Tati

Happy March!  It’s been a year since the very first Covid lockdown in the US, which makes this March very special.  It’s the first month that we’re really beginning to see the light at the end of the Covid tunnel.

This month I want to share three Golden Nuggets of Wisdom

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

My first Nugget:  The Platinum Rule.  Do you know the difference between the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule?

We all know the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  This implies the basic assumption that other people would like to be treated the same way you‘d like to be treated. But did you know there is also an alternative, which is known as the Platinum Rule?  It says: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.”

Everybody is different, and so we all have different needs and values.  Doesn’t it make sense to forgo the Golden Rule and instead, simply treat others the way they want to be treated?  I want you to think about this for a minute.  It’s an approach and a philosophy that can affect how you do many things.  Which rule do you typically follow?

The next Golden Nugget is about Women’ s History Month, and especially March 8^th.  It was International Women’s Day on Monday.  This was the day to celebrate the women in your life, to honor their achievements, both personally and professionally.  In 1987, Congress passed legislation to formalize the first Women’s History Month—giving us an opportunity each year to not only celebrate determined women in the past who fought for equity, but also the hardworking women of today who continuously battle for equal pay.

The final Golden Nugget I’d like to share is: Invest in Yourself. Let me give you an example of how I apply this Nugget in my own life:  I recently completed a 3-month Intensive Coaching program that met for close to 20 hours every week.  Yes, each week.  I am already a certified coach, so I was not doing this to gain any credentials,  but simply for self-improvement.

I believe in being the best that you can be, and this has paid off in spades for me.  Now, Medical Device Professionals who want to On-board, Transition, or Climb the Corporate Ladder are finding me via social media and on www.MedDevCoach.com.  If you haven’t visited my website lately, there are some new additions that I think will interest you: a PDF containing Interviews with Leaders on Climbing the Corporate Ladder, and also a Goal Setting Podcast from February.

When was the last time you invested in yourself?  Make it a priority this spring to do something for you.  Start your new season out right!  If you need my help, I am here to support you.

With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

“Where there is love there is life.” —Mahatma Gandhi

February is Love Month— a time to show the people you care about just how much you love and appreciate them.  We all need love, affection, and appreciation in our lives—whether that be love of a partner, a child, a parent, a sibling, a friend or even a pet.  Love can be shared in many ways.

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

Being in love puts a smile on your face.  It is a feeling that is indescribable.  As I said, Love takes many forms.  In addition to our love for the people in our lives, there’s also Love for organizations, jobs, clubs and even places of worship.

We all were made from love and are byproducts of love.

In honor of Love, I wanted to offer you (my faithful list) two FREE things:

First: A FREE Goal Setting Webinar, today, Wed., Feb 10th at 4:00 pm EST

Join the more than 50 people already registered for today’s event and be prepared to Set and Achieve Your Personal and Professional Goals.  The Webinar is called:

“Goal Setting for Success:  With Accountability, Balance and Gratitude”

For more information and to register use this link:  http://bit.ly/GoalSet2021

Do you know what percentage of people actually achieve their goals?
According to Inc Magazine, science says only 8 percent of people achieve their goals. Yes, that means that 92% of people who set New Year’s goals never actually achieve them.

Good Goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant & Time-Bound.  Even if you have done this exercise before, it is a good refresher to do it again.  Things certainly change from year to year.  Almost everybody’s goals have changed from those we set at the beginning of 2020!

I want you to be in the 8%!  I want to ensure that you make your 2021 goals, and I’m here to support you.  If you want to achieve your goals, you can do either of the following:

Come to my FREE Goal Setting Webinar Feb 10^th, – today: http://bit.ly/GoalSet2021

Second: my second act of LOVE is to invite you to sign up for a FREE 15-minute Mini-Consult, where we can privately discuss your goals and objectives for 2021: Please use this link to book time on my calendar: https://bookme.name/lisasasso

In case you’re wondering how much we can cover in 15 minutes, sign up; you’ll be amazed.  My secret?  Whatever I do, I always use the KISS Method:

Keep   It   Simple   Sweetheart

Remember that I Love You and I Love this Motivational List.  I am delighted to share daily motivational quotes and my Monthly Motivational Messages to you each month.

Have a great February and make this Feb 14^th a day you’ll always remember.  I am excited to share that I was just featured as a Goal Setting expert on Erik K. Johnson’s Podcast “Talent Coach”.  It is so appropriate that the podcast will air on Sun., Feb. 14^th www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/podcasts. It is going to be a great day.

Try to do something nice for someone you love.  Just wait and see the ripple effects of your good deed.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” —Napoleon Hill

I am thinking of you and your family, and sending love and best wishes as we begin the new year.

Despite the challenges in the US and the world right now, I am feeling a lot of hope and optimism as we begin this brand-new year! There truly is light at the end of the tunnel, so it’s got to be a better year than 2020.

Our New Year’s Eve was celebrated with dinner and desserts together with our neighbors, the McCanns. Their two sons, Ryan and David, are John Robert’s best friends.  John (my husband) and I are also good friends with the boys’ parents.  It was nice to celebrate the new year with them.  We all stayed up until midnight, although the ball-dropping in Times Square was anticlimactic: it was different, and with the streets in NYC so bare it just didn’t feel like New Year’s.

I hope that you were able to celebrate New Year’s with your family and maybe some close friends.  It was truly a goodbye to 2020 and a warm welcome to 2021.

So, did you set your goals for 2021?  If not, it’s still not too late. Every January, I offer to help with this.  First, I help you to take a closer look at yourself and your values.  Then, I help you to write your personal, professional and gratitude goals.  Together, we can achieve all that in just one hour.

This year is no different:  I will be running a Free Webinar, “SMART Start for Goal Setting,” for Westford Job Seekers (WJS) on Jan 20^th at 3:00 pm. 

If you’d like me to send you the link for the Zoom call for this webinar, just reply to this email.  In the subject line of the email, write  “Goals,” and in the body of the email just provide me with your name and phone number.   You will then receive the meeting link either from me or the organizers directly.

January is my birthday month.  It feels good to share my gifts and talent with you.  My present to you each year is for you to have clear goals for the new year.  Statistics show that 80% of the people who make New Year’s Resolutions forget them by February—and by year-end, only 9% have actually achieved their goals.

This year, I want you to be in the 9%!  By attending this webinar, you set yourself up for success.  You’ll learn how to set goals, and will leave with them being firmly in place.

I’m looking forward to seeing you on the webinar on Jan. 20^th.

NOTE:  If you can’t make it to this event, I will be running another Goal Setting Seminar on Feb. 10^th.  To register for the Feb 10th seminar, visit the registration page at http://bit.ly/GoalSet2021. It is important to set your goals early in the year so that you have plenty of time to execute them.

Here’s wishing you happiness, success and prosperity in 2021.

With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

We just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas!   2020 was a year that none of us will ever forget.

First, there was COVID-19, the lockdown, and the never-ending 2020 election. Finally, the passing of my beautiful mom (sweet Camille) was something we will never forget.  We miss her greatly.

The family:

 

John is finishing his fourth year at Nextegic R&D.  His office moved from Cambridge to Wilmington, and he is now less than 10 minutes away from our house.  However, he still works from home most of the time.

John Robert is in 8^th grade at Learning Prep School.  He is active in Drama, Chorus, Hip Hop, and Jazz Classes.  In the play Mary Poppins, John Robert performed the part of Bert (the leading man), and in Mamma Mia!, he played the role of Harry (one of the Dads).  He even choreographed the dance numbers for the musical, Descendants.  This performance was for the younger drama students. Most recently he played the role of Rapunzel’s Prince in Into the Woods.

I am finishing my 14^th year as an Executive Coach and a Motivational Speaker.  I will be running a Complimentary Goal Setting Seminar on Wed., January 20^th at 3:30pm.  If you are interested in attending this event, please email me at Lsasso@MedDevCoach.com.

This Christmas I decided to gift you with a FREE Mini-consult.  If you have 15 minutes and want some help with an issue or getting ready for the New Year, I am here to help you!  You can find a time on my calendar https://bookme.name/lisasasso and we can have a little chat.

Here is hoping that 2021 will be a better year for all of us.  It will be a new year that is filled with joy, family, friends, and social gatherings.  We all need a new semblance of normal.  It will be great seeing everyone again.
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude and give thanks for everything that happens to your, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” ~Brian Tracy

We all have the same 24 hours in a day – 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds.

But it is what we do with our time that makes a difference.  You will get a lot more out of your days if you approach each day in gratitude and if you make gratitude a part of your daily routine.

Live in gratitude.  Be thankful and live by being grateful to others. The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching.  It is one of my very favorite holidays. Close family and friends gather around a good meal with lots of tasty appetizers and decadent desserts. It is not a commercial holiday.  It is a special day that takes us back to the first Turkey dinner with the pilgrims and the Indians.

No matter what you do on Thanksgiving, make sure that you enjoy the people. Thanksgiving is a special day celebrated around the country. I am sure that the number of people that come to gather this year will probably be smaller because of Covid-19.  But, it is about quality and not the number of people.  Please consider going around the table before eating and let each person take a turn answering what they are most thankful for this year? Take a moment for reflection.

Remember loved ones that are not at the table this year. This Thanksgiving is the first big holiday without my mom.  I am sure it will be difficult, but her presence will always be with us.  I also want to recognize the people that lost their lives this year due to Covid-19.  Everyone should be thankful that they did not get Covid-19, and if they got it, I hope they made a full recovery.

Everyone has multiple reasons to be thankful this year.  I write in a daily gratitude journal called the “5-Minute Journal.”  It is a great way to keep track of what three things you are grateful for and what amazing things you accomplished.  It also asks you to share what would make today great, daily affirmations, and finally, how could I have made today even better?

The benefits of practicing gratitude are many.  People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice & reflect upon things:

• Are thankful
• Experience more positive emotions
• Feel more alive
• Sleep better
• Express more compassion & kindness
• Even have stronger immune systems

Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving Day Holiday!
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

Passion can be thought of as an overpowering emotion or feeling.

What is your passion? To identify your passion, ask yourself questions that will lead to your growth. If you need help, try to find it.

I have helped many people discover their purpose and passions. Maybe I’m able to do that because I feel passionate about the work that I do and that I have immediate family examples of purpose and passion – my son, John Robert, and my mom, Camille Tosi.

I want to share the stories of these two people whom I love dearly and who are important to me.

John Robert has a passion for theater. He has a natural talent for acting, singing, and dancing and he has worked hard to develop it. Since he was 4 years old, he was been taking classes in acting, singing, and dancing. He has the “whole package”. Over the years, he has played Donkey, originally played by Eddie Murphy, in Shrek Jr.; he played Harry in Mama Mia Jr.; and he played the Cat in the Hat in Seussical Jr. and Michael in Peter Pan Jr..

At the end of August, he played his biggest role ever. He was Burt in Mary Poppins. Burt was the leading man who sang about eight songs, danced, and acted. My husband and I listened to John Robert practicing every night. We could not get the catchy show tunes out of our heads. In the original Mary Poppins movie, Dick Van Dyke played Burt. However, I must confess John Robert did an amazing job with the role. 

The New England School of Performing Arts was committed to producing the play, despite Covid-19. The fathers of the drama students worked together over the summer to construct the stage and erect a tent in a student’s backyard. The school, serious about bringing people together safely to watch the performance, required each person to bring his or her own chair and to wear a mask. All the kids did an incredible job! John Robert is such a wonderful example of passion with purpose and skill, even though he is still learning, working in a state of passion and flow.

My mom, Camille Tosi, had a passion for people — helping them and being there for them. She really cared about people and was always there to listen to an issue or a problem. She loved to write cards and always included personal messages and special photos. These were some of her activities of passion.

Mom had a smile that lit up a room. She was one of the kindest, sweetest, and loving people I have ever known. Mom loved flowers, Elvis, and Patti Page. On August 24 of this year, my mom died peacefully in her sleep. She lost a battle with Alzheimer’s but gave us another angel in heaven. Mom lived 83 amazing years and was married for 54 blissful years. She had three kids, four grandkids, and six Godchildren. My mom really loved people and people really loved her. She is greatly missed, but she is in a much better place.

I have had the good fortune to be surrounded by passionate people. I consider myself a passionate person. I know that my mother’s legacy will live on in me, and I know that my passionate son has many more years of performances.

Again, what are you passionate about? Don’t forget to find and follow your passion.

And if you want some help identifying your passions and working to achieve them, contact me and we can talk (https://bookme.name/lisasasso).

Upcoming Events

On Wed., Oct. 14, 2020, the MedDev Group (MDG) (www.MDGBoston.org) is presenting a program of short personal medical stories. The overall topic is Expand your Network in MedTech: Professional Development Virtual Networking Event. I will present a summary of my Follow Your Heart address. The event is FREE and lasts from 5:30 – 6:30 PM (Networking before and after event)

On Fri, Nov. 13, 2020, 10:30am to 12pm, Lisa will be presenting her Goal Setting for Success Seminar to the KLM Networking Group.  More information to follow.
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

The right for women to vote in the U.S. culminated in the month of August 100 years ago. The fight for voting rights was finally ratified on August 18, 1920, in Tennessee, U.S.A. Women now can vote, but the struggle for women’s pay equity and equal rights continues. Even in the midst of this topsy-turvy world, we can continue the effort to achieve those rights. We must increase our efforts to achieve jobs and lives that satisfy our well-being. One of the ways to do this is to seek help in finding and achieving the jobs/work of our dreams.

Interview with Jennifer Feltri-George!

Recently, Jennifer Feltri-George interviewed Lisa about how to pursue those goals. What follows is the interview, which occurred on July 20, 2020.

1.     Jennifer Feltri-George (JFG): If you were talking to a group of job seekers in today’s economic climate, what would be your top three or four pieces of advice on how to become more marketable to future employers?

Lisa Sasso (LS): Have an outstanding LinkedIn (LI) profile. A stunning “current” photo, a compelling headline, and a well-crafted summary. I would advise, if appropriate, have the job seeker include some examples of their craft. Example: A motivational speaker with a clip on her LI profile or some video testimonials. Companies like to see a track record of accomplishment and investment in personal improvement, professional development, or other educational experiences.

Job seekers need to remain organized. My advice is to follow a to-do list that is prioritized. Job seekers should constantly be networking. Even with the corona virus, they can still network on-line. They can go to multiple meetings that they might not have been able to previously attend in person. In particular, they should look for organized networking opportunities in their field. Make sure that they have well-crafted elevator pitches and, most importantly, remember to smile.

People see faces with video conferencing. Job seekers should always make sure that they dress appropriately; that their hair and makeup are neat and professional. As the sages say, there is only one chance to make a first impression.

2.    JFG: Do you have any tips or processes you would recommend job seekers use to prioritize and balance their varied responsibilities, for example, career, family, mental health, budget/income loss, and physical health?

LS: Before one can prioritize and balance varied responsibilities, it is important to assess where they are in each of those areas. There is a coaching tool called the “Wheel of Life” that can assist individuals to do just that. I call it a Personal Assessment in my practice. This tool can be used by a job seeker to measure status in eight different areas of their lives. At that point, coaching can then help visualize where they would like to be. That then leads to prioritizing those areas that might be lacking, leading to a plan for improvement. https://meddevpartners.com/personal-assessment/

3.     JFG: How can job seekers overcome obstacles and set “reachable” goals in career planning and personal lives in an economic downturn?

LS: I would recommend performing the steps I mentioned above and complete a personal assessment. Defining a plan for improvement often involves setting goals that then support specific objectives. These goals should align with their values and priorities. The goal setting process itself requires discipline and a structured approach, which in my experience, then leads to “reachable” goals.

I use a method of goals setting called SMART goals on Steroids. It is SMART with the additional ART Goals. These must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound, while also being Accountable, Resonant, and Thrilling. Using this methodology requires one to flush out obstacles early in the process and allows for more targeted action plans to accomplish the goals.

4.    JFG: In your opinion, how can job seekers remain resilient?

LS: Job Seekers can remain resilient by exercising their body and their mind. By exercising daily and taking a daily walk one can really increase endorphins. In additional to physical exercise, exercise your mind by meditating and journal writing. These activities can provide your mind with the quiet time it needs to improve focus.

5.     JFG: How can coaching help to aid job seekers and anyone else planning their career?

LS: The methodology I described above to assess one’s life, prioritize areas of improvement, and set and achieve goals is a coaching process that can be helpful to both job seekers and those looking to plan out (advance) their career. In addition to the up-front work of assessment and planning, coaches hold their clients accountable throughout this process and help to ensure they achieve their goals (by following through on their action plans). In addition, coaches can help job seekers are various stages in the job search process, including defining the right job, identifying skill sets, preparing for interviews, and even on-boarding.

6.     JFG: Is it possible to coach anyone in any career trajectory?

LS: Yes, it is possible to coach virtually anyone in any career trajectory, but the person has to want to be coached and the family needs to be supportive of the coaching. A certified coach is trained to give assessments, ask probing questions, and to track accountability. I happen to specialize in the Medical Device Field because I have 25 years of experience in the field, https://meddevpartners.com

These are my suggestions about how to continue the effort to achieve equitable rights. We can increase our efforts to achieve jobs and lives that satisfy our well-being. One of the ways to do this is to seek help in finding and achieving the jobs/work of our dreams.

Clients looking to land or stay in the Medical Device Field find my experiences are relevant to their situations, and it gives me the insight to ask the right questions. As an Executive/Career Coach, I can help you achieve those goals.

Contact me and we can talk (https://bookme.name/lisasasso).
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.

Summertime and the Livin’ used to be easy. Now, it’s I scream, You scream, We all scream for ice cream. NOW! We are so tired of being locked down. But there are some places we can go safely – to the Ice Cream Shop and to accomplish some of our goals.

On Sunday, July 19, it was 96 degrees, and me and my besties (Laura and Elizabeth) and John Robert and his best friend David all enjoyed a relaxing day at Crane’s Beach. Every couple of hours, we were motivated to beat the heat and jump in the cold but very refreshing water.

We were also motivated to walk along the beautiful beach and our two 13-year-old teenagers had us enjoying a fun game of Marco Polo. We ended a perfect day with some homemade ice cream before heading home. It was a special day!

Tuesday, July 21, was my husband John and my 36-year dating anniversary. Yes, this is the infamous story of the 18-year-old boy who wore a black leather jacket and drove a car and the 15-year-old girl who just finished her freshman year of high school.

We went to the movies, saw Karate Kid (part 1), and then went out for ice cream sundaes at Brigham’s… Long story short, my parents knew that I was going out with friends from work. John was a friend from work, but they were expecting girls and not a boy that was going off to college.

Thank goodness, John came into the house with me to meet my parents. We rang the doorbell and waited for them to let us in. They had the interrogation chair ready in the middle of the living room. My younger brother had seen me sneak out and had reported the news hours before. They were happy to hear that he was Italian, Catholic, and an Eagle Scout. He also graduated third in his class from AHS and he was going to Tufts on a full scholarship.

I was still grounded for two weeks. However, my parents really liked him and allowed me to date him. The moral of the story is that I took a chance, and it was worth it because 36 years later we are still happily together. We make sure that we always have an ice cream sundae on July 21 to celebrate our special day.

So, in these times, what can you find to take a chance on? You know it’s important.  Are you ready to find a coach to help you focus on the activities and skills that require risk-taking and that can bring you happiness, a sense of well-being, and success?

Contact me and we can talk (https://bookme.name/lisasasso).
With gratitude and best wishes!
Lisa Sasso, Executive Coach & Motivational Speaker
www.MedDevCoach.com    (781) 872-1045

As your trusted advisor, Lisa empowers you to use passion to live your best life and achieve your goals with confidence, accountability, gratitude and balance.