Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2004 1

Life is such a mixed bag! Andwhile we, as teachers and train-ers, struggle with our personaljourneys, we also bear immenseresponsibilities in our profes-sional lives for those we teach,train, instruct and inspire.

So sometimes we need a gentlereminder to take better care ofourselves, because we can’t giveaway what has been depleted in-side us. With that in mind, I’mreprinting a chapter from GoingLightly to remind us all (myselfincluded) to be gentle with our-selves as we serve our family,friends, co-workers, colleagues,students, and learners.

People Who Go Lightly RefillTheir Own Pitcher.

You’ve heard the story manytimes and many versions:

“It had been a long, hot day andworkers were tired and thirsty.The boss took a pitcher of waterand began filling the workers’water glasses. Soon the pitcherwas empty but the boss continuedto pour nothing into emptyglasses. Finally, a worker spokeup: ‘Excuse me, but your pitcheris empty. You need to refill it firstbefore you fill our glasses.’ Theboss looked at him and smiled.‘You're absolutely right.’ Shethen left to refill her pitcher.”

You know that, in order to serveothers, you must first serveyourself.

In order to have the health, time,and energy to help your co-

Refilling Your Own Pitcher.Terrific Tip #12 from Going Lightly!

Terrific Tips to Lighten Your Daily Load.

By Sharon L. Bowman, MA

Sharon L. Bowman, Professional Speaker and Corporate TrainerDirector, The Lake Tahoe Trainers Group

P.O. Box 564, Glenbrook, NV 89413Phone: 775-749-5247 Fax: 775-749-1891

E-Mail: SBowperson@aol.com Web-Site: www.Bowperson.com

Refilling Your Own Pitcher. From: Going Lightly!

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2004 2

workers, family, and friends,you must first take care of yourown physical, mental, and emo-tional needs.

So what refills your pitcher?What are the small daily thingsthat give you a lift, that replen-ish your energy when it’s low,that make you smile and feellighter? What keeps your energymoving and flowing so that youcan fill the water glasses of yourfamily, friends, co-workers andcustomers without depletingyour own? What do you do torenew and re-energize yourself?

Maybe a walk, a nap, or somehot tub time is in order. A changeof pace or escape into a novel ora movie. Maybe something assimple as listening to your favor-ite music, dinner with friends orfamily, playing with kids (yoursor the neighbors), or dancing.Perhaps a quiet chat with yoursignificant other or a close friend,or a few moments of solitudewhile you listen to the sounds ofsilence (a luxury in our noise-filled culture).

If the truth be told, it’s ofteneasier to take care of others –your family, friends, co-workers, clients – than it is totake care of yourself. And in allthe hustle and bustle of yourdaily work, it's often the norm toforget to nurture your own body

and mind. You convince your-self that your crazy schedule isokay, you have to do it this way,and that you’ll take a vacationafter all the work gets done andwhen you have some spare time.

So, because you really matter,promise yourself that you’ll go alittle more lightly - and takebetter care of yourself (and I’llmake the same promise to my-self). It’s only when we refillour own pitchers that we canthen serve our families, friends,co-workers, and learners in theways we wish to help them.

The last time I saw him,he was walking down

Lover’s Laneholding his own hand.

Fred Allen

___________________________

Refilling Your Own Pitcher. From: Going Lightly!

Sharon Bowman 775-749-5247 SBowperson@aol.com www.Bowperson.com © 2004 3

Author and traveling teacher SharonBowman helps educators and businesspeople “teach it quick and make itstick,” - fine-tuning their information-delivery skills and turning their passivelisteners into active learners.

Over 40,000 copies of Sharon’s 6popular teaching, training, and moti-vation books are now in print. Titlesinclude: “Preventing Death by Lec-ture,” “Presenting with Pizzazz,”“How To Give It So They Get It,” and“Shake, Rattle, and Roll.”

For more information about SharonBowman and her books and training,log onto www.Bowperson.com, oremail her at SBowperson@aol.com.

For book orders, go towww.trainerswarehouse.com,www.amazon.com, or call BowpersonPublishing at 775-749-5247.