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Barbara Brooks created Flamingo Strategies LLC to help clients stand up and stand out, through telling and sharing their stories of impact and purpose.
Hacking Away at Happiness is her blog. 

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FLAMINGO STRATEGIES, LLC
On the right course
Jun 23

Jun 23 On the right course

Barbara Brooks
Wellness, Family

If you study the market and know your stuff, you can choose the best time and place to try that big thing for which you aren’t quite prepared. As the kids say: you can “send it.”

Grasping at glimmers
May 16

May 16 Grasping at glimmers

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Storytelling

Whether we aim to jumpstart our writing—or to make sense of our lives—isn’t everything we need to know located in the glimmers we experience or observe? 

Quitting is committing
Apr 29

Apr 29 Quitting is committing

Barbara Brooks
Work ethic, Entrepreneurship

There can be huge return on quitting (ROQ). But only if we actively commit to something that is of greater value to us.

Aging without a recipe
Apr 18

Apr 18 Aging without a recipe

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Entrepreneurship

With aging—as with cooking or any other creative pursuit—we need to master the basics before we can play around. Hooray for us. At 40 and 50+, we are masters!

Flywheels vs. rabbit holes
Mar 30

Mar 30 Flywheels vs. rabbit holes

Barbara Brooks
Business, Work ethic

My podcast habit begs the question: When is listening—or, for that matter, writing this blog—a valid use of time, vs. a trip down a rabbit hole?

Cross words
Mar 11

Mar 11 Cross words

Barbara Brooks
Mindfulness, Wellness, Business

On average, Americans know 42,000 words. And yet, in business and in life, we use the same ones over and over again. So people are likely to tune us out.

Truth be told
Feb 17

Feb 17 Truth be told

Barbara Brooks
Mindfulness, Wellness

Liars are everywhere and consequences are nil. But by telling the truth we distance ourselves from the bad guys. And we experience real personal gain.

Decision science
Jan 31

Jan 31 Decision science

Barbara Brooks
Business, Mindfulness

Life choices aren’t just about what we want to do; they’re about who we want to be. So, it helps to know what matters to us most.

 The fresh-start effect
Jan 12

Jan 12  The fresh-start effect

Barbara Brooks
Business, Work ethic

Reset the same goal over and over. Try new ones. Take breaks. We’re playing the ultimate long game. And with any luck, it won’t be over anytime soon.

Amateurs making music
Dec 22

Dec 22 Amateurs making music

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Storytelling, Education

If we keep singing or writing about something—and hoping for the truth in our words—then we can make them true. Love is the seventh wave, I say love.

Enjoy the company (of your company)
Dec 7

Dec 7 Enjoy the company (of your company)

Barbara Brooks
Business, Work ethic

Jim said it best: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

The ukulele effect
Nov 30

Nov 30 The ukulele effect

Barbara Brooks
Creativity

When learning new tricks, remember this: The simpler the task, the bigger the R.O.I. And there are few things more timeless or cool than the ukulele.

The five-second rule
Nov 19

Nov 19 The five-second rule

Barbara Brooks
Business, Creativity, Mindfulness, Entrepreneurship

Our rush to respond—to be answer-ready at all times—is habitual. And we don’t even know we are doing it.

Eyes wide open
Oct 29

Oct 29 Eyes wide open

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Storytelling, Mindfulness

Whether we make art, or simply notice how light lands on surface, what matters most is where we place our frame.

Sight “privilege”
Oct 23

Oct 23 Sight “privilege”

Barbara Brooks
Business, Romance, Mindfulness

Visual cues—combined with our overdeveloped sense of certainty—may cause us to miss what’s most important.

Stories are history
Sep 22

Sep 22 Stories are history

Barbara Brooks
Education, Storytelling, Creativity

Every nonprofit should have a sustainable strategy for capturing stories of generosity and impact.

These Days of Awe
Sep 10

Sep 10 These Days of Awe

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Philosophy, Religion

These days ahead are known as the Days of Awe. Because it’s awesome to do the right thing. Maybe even all year long.

My labor of love
Sep 3

Sep 3 My labor of love

Barbara Brooks
Work ethic, Creativity, Entrepreneurship

I thought I was a solopreneur, but that’s not true. I think I’m a peoplepreneur.

Source vs. site energy
Aug 5

Aug 5 Source vs. site energy

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Business, Travel

We go about our lives completely unaware of our moment-to-moment absorption of nature's power.

Telling stories on purpose
Jul 1

Jul 1 Telling stories on purpose

Barbara Brooks
Creativity, Storytelling, Business, Family

As a professional teller of stories of generosity and impact, my only job is to empathize with the teller's emotions.

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