Have you ever had surgery? I hope not, but if you have, one of the bits of advice they give you is to not chase the pain. There is going to be pain. Don't let it get to the point where it is so high that it takes more time for the meds to work. That interferes with healing process and just seems silly. So, if we have figured this out for when a part of us has to be cut into, why haven't we figured this out for the emotional self. These are the types of things I think about on a daily basis. Don't you want to be in my head for a bit?  No?  Ok, fine, then I will share here sort of out loud. :)

Being stressed is the emotional equivalent to physical pain. It also leads to physical pain. When we are stressed our body is under incredible pressure. The stress creates a back pressure that builds up and builds up and eventually has to be released. Often this comes out in temper, tears or frustrating outbursts. Those are the healthy expressions. If not released it becomes organ issues, blood pressure problems, and all the diagnosis that include the word dis-ease.

What I have been wondering is why we let it get to that point? Why do we wait until we are going to explode to communicate what we would like and to make some changes? Why do we wait until the pain is so great that we can't even articulate the issue?

There is going to be pain. There is no way around that in this lifetime if you have loved anyone or anything, there is going to be pain. If you have worked your buns off but don't get the promotion, there is going to be pain. If you stub your toe, there is going to be pain. We spend so much time avoiding the conversations that are painful that we eventually end up having them in very ineffective ways that usually include yelling, crying or walking out in temper. The other way we handle it is to cover it up with numbing agents be it drugs, food, prescription meds etc.

Why not treat it proactively as in pain control? You don't have to take a narcotic, you can do deep breathing, you can use oils or any of the other ways to decrease pain. You don't have to numb out to handle pain but it would be great to be able to say, hey, I may have a little pain in this life. I may want to develop the skills to manage that pain so should it show up I am not dealing with the issue, in pain and looking for the skill to shift at the same time while posting to social media.

What if you added a few of these to your tool kit of pain management?

• Increased your communication skills so you can talk about what you are experiencing so you can ask for help if necessary. I am suggesting communication, not getting lost in your story!
• Developed the mechanism to recognize you are building up some steam and it would be a good idea to release it before your whistle goes off.
• Used techniques like breathing, Belief re-patterning, therapy, EFT, tapping or kick boxing.
• Evaluated how you felt so you would know if you were building up or maintaining.
• Were willing to admit you may not know it all, don't want to be it all or carry it all. Courage, it takes courage, but you have it. I know you do.
• Were willing to drop the drama (along with that will go a lot of pressure, trust me) and address whatever is going on from a calm and collected place.
• Were able to ask yourself "is this true or is this something I have embellished to create pain?".

There are as many different ways to handle pain as there are people in this world. We have to be willing to get in front of the issue and decrease the pressure so we can come to solutions that are supportive. I truly believe that someone who hurts another is one who is hurt themselves. It doesn't excuse hurting another, but if we could create an environment where expressing that hurt and being willing to release it was acceptable, more people would depressurize and we wouldn't have so much illness or conflict. How great would that be?

What can you do this week to recognize your own pain level and take steps to alleviate, without creating drama or sitting in it, that pain? What could you do to support your desire to be here and living a life that, while may have an occasional hiccup, is a pretty darn good ride?  You have to be willing to do your own work. Don't look for another to do it for you or both will end up hurt and the one willing to see the pain, will be the one walking away.

Be brave and be good to you!

Looking under my own hood,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

I have to be honest, I've never put much thought into bridges. I'm good with heights most of the time, I appreciate that they give us the ability to build up and connect islands but I didn't spend a lot of time contemplating what they mean until the other day.

I was explaining to someone how when we move from one place to another emotionally it can be challenging to make one big jump so if there is a bridge available, take it. Picture yourself at the edge of a ravine. This ravine may be the end of a relationship, the opportunity for new job or a decision to make an investment. To think of jumping the whole ravine at once could give one some significant heart palpitations whereas if there is a bridge available, the next step is not as terrifying.

Much like when you were learning to walk as a toddler, each small step adds up to the momentum that can carry you across the room. I came to realize this in my coaching practice and the Belief Re-patterning really drove it home that it is not necessary to make huge changes. Small and consistent are the key. When I am working with someone who may have a lot of clutter, I always suggest the fifteen minute solution. Get yourself a timer, (Hint: all phones come with them built in, as do stoves!) set it for fifteen minutes and begin the ravine jumping, I mean, clutter clearing. When the timer goes off you are done for that commitment. You may reset the timer and go for fifteen more, that is your choice, but knowing you are complete will help that gremlin that wants to say, "Don't do it unless you can get it all done." "What's the point, it will only get messy again." or my personal favorite "I'm not good at this so why bother." All of these are indications that you WOULD benefit from a fifteen minute rule as after you complete just one; you will feel great and hopefully proud of yourself. I encourage all my coaching clients to then do a happy dance to celebrate after each increment.

The fifteen minutes can be translated into, have that one conversation or apply for the position, go for it!  Do one more sit up than you did last time.  Walk around the property rather than sitting on your tushy all day. Drink one glass of water more or contact that school adviser for information.

You see, it isn't really the jumping the ravine that is the issue, it is not believing in yourself that is. I see so many people paralyzed from the idea of huge change when it so rarely happens that way. Often it is the small incremental changes that lead to what we perceive as big ones. For instance, you feel your relationship is over and it was sudden but it wasn't really if you are willing to be honest and look at the ravine in front of you. It started some time ago, you may not have been able to see it, but it did. Your not believing in yourself didn't start over night either. You came into this world naked with no teeth or way to feed yourself, if that isn't belief in the process, I don't know what is.

So if a bridge can help you to believe in you, wouldn't you utilize it? I would hope so. Look around you this week and see where your bridges are. Do you have a support network of people who truly care, not the ones that love the drama and you in pain, but the ones that will say "how is that working for you?" and help with a solution. The ones that help you see you really are awesome and deserve a happy life. Do you have the ability to see when you are not being a friend to yourself and shift out of that by going for a walk, journaling (to release, not to sit in that sh*t), call a real friend or laugh at how cute you are?  Bridges don't have to be skyscrapers.  Some of the ones I have been most grateful for have been pretty rudimentary at best. The log over a stream so my feet don't get wet when I'm hiking is translated as my willingness to see what could shift and get on it!

This week, be honest with yourself and take one thing you have been making into a huge ravine and look at it differently.  Look at it like you will take one step at a time, not look down, and don't look behind you until you have taken a few action steps to move forward. Remember to high five yourself for being willing and then for actually taking a step. You rock!

My bridge this weekend will be Quickbooks for last year.  Yup, I have been making that one a Grand Canyon.  Aren't I cute?  Yes, I thought so too. :)

Happy bridge building,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

I love analogies and if I do say so myself, I came up with a brilliant one today. Everyone who is a one is sensitive. It goes with being a soul and a human. We all have feelings, emotions and this amazing ability to feel energy. In fact, our feeling of situations is often where we get the most information even if we do explain it away as logic. Some people feel more than others due to their wiring and souls path. While it is fantastic and a gift, I believe, some don't handle it well. I didn't until I learned  a bit about how to balance energy and create a supportive field.

You see, we are all a bunch of energy walking around as humans. We have a field around us made of many, many bodies called an aura. In this aura are a ton of sensors much like satellite dishes that send information through our system. When someone is really sensitive, crowds, arguments or pressurized situations can be incredibly taxing. Is this you?  Have you noticed this about yourself?  Congratulations!

This field picks up all kinds of debris, so it is important to keep it clean and supported. One way I do this is each day, sometimes a few times a day, I ask to be surrounded by white light and if I am feeling a bit stressed, I ask for gold. I ask Archangel Michael but you can ask whomever, of the angelic or higher realms.  So, you could ask the Archangels, Buddha, Jesus, Source, God or whomever you feel to be your high connection. The surrounding light creates a high vibration that is supportive because it is YOUR energy enhanced. Some may suggest you do this for protection. I don't agree with this as if you are asking for protection, you are lining up with a fearful energy. Why go there? Go to the supportive place always.

One of the things that can happen when someone isn't using the supportive light is an overload of the emotional system. This is usually evident in very reactive people. Those that find a reason to complain and whine about everything. Also those who argue without knowing what the heck they are talking about. Arguing just to argue. Reacting rather than responding. System overload.

So my analogy? Oh yeah, so I explained being absorbent of energy and how important it was to release that energy effectively as a comparison to gasoline and the fumes that come off the gas. Now, bear with me as I am not a chemistry major, but how I explained it was the gas (being sensitive to situations) wasn't the issue, it was the fumes (absorbing way too much without using light or releasing built up energy) that could cause a blow when the match of overload gets struck. BOOM!

What does this mean to you?  Well, it means if you are proactive by asking for that light, daily or more often, and learning what your combustion level is, you can work to dispel that energy through healthy ways rather than through stress or explosion!  Think of how much calmer people would be if they just realized they were in charge of their own sensitivities.

So, do you recognize yourself in these descriptions? Could you help out the universe by accepting you are sensitive and being responsible for where you are leaking energy?  What if you watched your fumes level and didn't let it get to the combustion place?  Not only would you feel more content but you would contribute to an amazing process called balance. That would be lovely and I thank you in advance!

Always traveling the light,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

Today's blog will be simple; appreciate what you have. I woke up this morning to a view that had me wondering if I had been placed in a snow globe over night, really, really cold temperatures and a dog who is used to a longgggg walk on Sunday's. Don't ask me how he knows what day it is, but he does and he is not happy with the turn of events. I heard myself say to him, "dude, you have to learn to accept and appreciate this situation. You don't have to like it, but being upset isn't going to help you any." Now, some would say I was talking to myself and to some level, I agree, but he knows what days are daycare days, long walk days and how to tell us he'd like a frozen bone to chew on by sticking his nose on the freezer, I figured he could handle this concept. He pouted for a bit, then found his favorite ball and played catch by himself for a bit then laid down for a nap.

I wonder how many of us humans could be as accepting. There is an opportunity to learn in any situation if we are open to seeing it. Supposedly humans are adaptable and I guess our society would show that but lately we've gotten wimpy. The whining and pouting is at amazing levels as if Mother Nature owes us something and should only create weather we would like to see. To me adapting requires our participation. We must be willing to look at what we are offered; bone chilling temperatures and no walk, and adapt to the news; grab a book, write a letter, clean your closet, dance in the living room, whatever your adaptation looks like, do it!

In order to adapt, it would help if we appreciated what we have. Sure, it is cold here in the Northeast, but if you have a roof over your head, sweatshirts to put on, food in your belly or a favorite ball to play with, you have it pretty good. Even if the situation is trying at the moment: a diagnosis, a bill that is overdue, a relationship that is ending, you have the ability to appreciate and adapt. Step back and see it without the poor me view finder and please, I beg you, lose the drama.

One could see all the snowfall we have had as an abundance that is available in the universe and use it to inspire. Each day we have really is a gift and the ones wasted in whining and complaining do not get recycled so you can do them again in a higher vibration. They have passed. Sure, there will be another lifetime but do you really want to waste this one banking on that the next one will be one of joy? It won't if you don't learn to have it here, I promise you. Part of the adaptation of the soul is to work in progression, so if you don't learn to appreciate now, I guarantee you will get to attempt it again.

• What could you appreciate about today in your life?
• What is one thing you have been whining about, be honest at least to yourself, that really isn't a big deal but you are making it one?
• What if today really was your last day, would you want to go out whining and complaining? Some will, leave them to it. Be brave enough to take your own path.
• If being joyful for self is a challenge, how could you bring this to others while you learn how to do it for self?

It can be an easy path to go the way of griping and being annoyed but easy isn't always the best way. What if you gave yourself permission to appreciate how powerful this universe is and therefore how powerful you are? You have the power to influence how your life goes and to teach a way of being that is grounded in appreciation. Amazing isn't it?

I appreciate you reading this and wish you a wonderful day and life of observation, appreciation and adaptation. Love the snow globe you are in. Like all shaken globes, the wonder is in what the shaking creates. A whole new view. A way of choosing how you would like to be. Hmmmm, you had that all along, didn't you?

In amazement of the size of the snowbanks in our globe,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

February 14th, to some a wonderful day full of candy, to others a declaration of love, to some a day to tie the knot (thanks Mom and Dad or I wouldn't be here today) and to some a day to whine and complain they don't have anyone to share the day with. Ahhh, Valentine's Day, you are so diverse.

I believe that love doesn't need a specific day to show up and to be told what day it falls on seems a little bossy to me. I like to choose when I express my love on my own thanks but I am grateful it helps some get through the winter bump of February and others a reason to be crafty and create valentines. I am also grateful that it helps those that may be looking for love in their life to dream a bit, perhaps put wonder in their life and a dash of hope. What I would love is for people to realize this is available without a holiday.

While creating the love in life does not come from stickers or one day a year, the theme does give us the opportunity to look at our habits and how we have attracted the love we have currently. We are big ole magnets walking around so if you have someone in your life, you attracted them there. This is true of your bosses, your partners, your friends and those people that annoy you. Congratulations, you are a powerful magnet.

Knowing you are this magnet can help when doing inventory in your life. Accepting that you have attracted even the partners or loved ones that are challenging can take courage but it is very freeing when you do it. Why is it freeing? Well, you can change anything that isn't feeling great or in alignment with your own beliefs as they are today. Giving yourself the permission and acceptance that change happens and that is a good thing will help you to realize any relationship this is no longer lining up and needs to be released is an indication of growth.

It takes a lot of courage to release those relationships especially if you are talking about a partner and a lack mentality exists. "If I let them go, I will be all alone." "If I speak my truth they will leave." "I don't do single well." "They wouldn't know what to do without me." All of these are excuses to keep yourself trapped in a situation that may not feel well to begin with. If you felt compelled to hit yourself on the finger with a hammer and after realizing it hurt, kept doing it, you would be in a similar situation.

We have to be willing to release what does not work in order to attract what will.

My husband and I have been together 27 years. 27 years! If you don't think you would get on each others nerves or be in a state of annoyance in all that time, you are delusional. We are not the same people who got together all those years ago. We have both changed and at times been willing to release the relationship because it wasn't lining up with whomever we were/are at the time. Many people have been amazed we are still together and honestly, sometimes I am too! One of the reasons we are is we both know we put the time into the friendship that is there as well as partnership. The drive-thru mentality of relationships does not exist in our house. If something is not working, we shift it. Granted, I like change more than he does so sometimes it isn't pretty, but it's honest and if you can't look at a partner and say, I can live without you, you have some work to do because a partner does not complete you nor is it their job to make you happy. That is a solo job and until you are willing to see that, relationships will be very trying because eventually people get tired of carrying another and have to release them.

So, if you are in a relationship or single and it is not feeling great, you have to look at self and assess what needs to be released in order to let in a little bit more light and love.

• Do you hold anger about something that happened years ago?
• Are you resentful the person isn't more like you? Doesn't read your mind or won't change to be who you want them to be?
• Do you expect someone else to make sure you are happy and content with your life?
• Do you have a perception of love that is all Valentines day and there is no place for disappointment, sadness and desire for more?
• Do you love you? This one is important because if you don't, why would someone else? If you don't, perhaps seeking some help to learn to love you would be a good Valentine's gift. :)

Please take each day to be honest with self and those around you about what could be more fulfilling and in alignment with whom you are today. Get yourself to a place of loving who you are and what is so that you can line up with those that are doing the same. Refreshing isn't it when everyone is solid in who they are and aren't taking energetically from another? Amazing. I know you have that ability as I know we all do.

I wish you the best of love days...every day and send great big hugs your way,

Vicki

p.s. The candy part of the holiday is pretty cool too. I love the cinnamon hearts!

www.vickibaird.com

I have heard some self help educators refer to humans as onions. We learn and then there is another layer or depth to the lesson in which we must learn some more. Oh good grief. Onions make me cry, why would I want to be compared to an onion? Why, when there are so many good vegetables out there, would I pick one, that admittedly I love to eat, as the metaphor to inspire me to grow? It doesn't. They smell. I don't want to smell.  I feel this is another way to make sure we feel crappy about self awareness and to take the joy out of discovery of what makes us complex, amazing human beings.

What if we go with the pomegranate instead? Have you had them? They are amazing little fruits. A beautiful color, fascinating design and producer of so many delicious seeds. I like that they are a little complex themselves. Without a YouTube video or culinary school training, how the heck do you get to those seeds? Well, you have to want to first of all. If you don't want to do the work to get the seeds out, you will probably leave them in the bin and go for the ready to eat apple. This is more like life than the onion, I believe. If one doesn't want to know what they have inside, they will continue to take the seemingly easier road until such time that they become bored or have an experience that knocks them on the head to pay attention. Hello....Sir Isaac Newton is a great example of this!

The pomegranate can be peeled, sectioned or cut and placed in a bowl of water to get to those seeds of yumminess. It isn't a one size fits all fruit, just like people. We all have a different experience that helps us be who we are today so one way of looking at a situation is not going to work for everyone. Who knew fruit was so smart?

Do you ever feel like you are constantly working on yourself but don't feel like you get anywhere? Peeling back those layers that the onion metaphor refers to? There have been times where I will become aware of a discord in my system and feel it to be familiar, like something I have worked on over and over and over again. I want to smack myself in the head when this happens, I don't, but I want to. Seeing it show up when you thought you learned whatever it was can be frustrating or it can be liberating. It can be painful and make you cry sad tears or it can be so beautiful and full of wonder, it has you crying happy, relief filled tears. I believe if we are willing to look inside the shell of our own fruit filled selves, we would be amazed at what a beautiful pattern is there.

As part of my certification with Belief Re-patterning, I have to use the technique in my own life and when necessary connect with those that are qualified as well to do additional sessions. It is important to know how it feels to do re-patterning and it is important to me to keep growing. Plus, this stuff works!

This week I ran into a familiar block and I was ready to thump myself on the head! Luckily, I had a session scheduled with the woman who created the technique and she, with humor, helped me realize I could continue to feel the old way or I could shift it and feel free of old patterns and create a new one. Guess which one I chose? Correct! Let's live life from the supportive side of the line shall we?

I could have lamented about how I was seeing this pattern again in my life or I could choose to be complete and not be interested in creating yet another story around how it must be part of my journey to suffer this again in Onion world. I don't know about you but I would rather onions adorn my burger than my psyche!

My point in all of this is if you would like to change the patterns in your life and reduce the thumping of yourself on the head, there are ways to do it if you are willing. If you are open to reducing the struggle,you can give yourself permission to take the fruit that may require a bit of work upfront and yield the largest benefit.

I will be doing a complimentary Belief Re-patterning event on Wednesday, February 18th at my office if you are interested in seeing it in action.

Whatever you choose to help you get off the treadmill of repetitive patterns is great. You deserve to feel like you have a supportive self that can plant the seeds of growth. You deserve it because you are a soul that came here to learn through love and support. How cool is that? Let's leave the layers of suffering to the past and move through this year with courage, fun and new patterns, shall we?

Off to get some seeds of my own,

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

There is a great saying in coaching; when you fail to plan, you plan to fail, originally credited to Benjamin Franklin, that smart dude. While I don't believe we fail if we have learned from the experience, I do agree that a plan is very important. I know for years I was in survival mode and very often didn't have the energy to plan. This last year has helped me to realize that living that way was adding stress to my life rather than giving me the special go with the flow feeling I was looking for! 

So, this year I have created a business plan, an exercise plan, a prosperity plan and a joy plan. That is a lot of planning but what it really comes to is that I now have guidelines to help me thrive in life rather than being in survival mode. I don't know about you but I am about done with that survival thing. I mean, really, we aren't in the bush trying to make our way any longer, unless of course you choose that way of life, so why are we so focused on the surviving and not the thriving? 

Now, when I do a plan it is not written in stone. I like to be flexible and be open to brilliance. I can do this, I believe, because I have done the ground work of showing up for the other goals I have had in life. I have paid my bills every month so I know I have a good grasp on what goes into a prosperity plan. I work out on my own because I stuck in there when I didn't want to work out at all and now it is a way of life. So, the exercise plan is applicable. I have been in business for thirteen years, eight of that full-time employed without a structured plan so just imagine what could happen if I had one! 

The plans may not be in stone, but they are written down. Have you done this for 2015 yet? We are in the second month already. Whatcha waiting for? A magic planning fairy to come along? You may say you don't need a plan because you don't have your own business and that's fine but if you aren't planning in any way you are going to do extra work because you won't recognize a great idea or strategy when you see it. It is about being clear about what you would like in life and articulating it so it can start to manifest. See where I am going here? How about some examples of how you may be planning to fail without realizing it? 

• You hand everything over to the universe or a higher power or you say things like God willing or if the force is with me. That is handing over power of your own ability to create. How about having a little faith that when you decide to plan, there will be a force providing an equal amount of support to help you move forward into happiness and success?

• You do have a plan but you also have a plan B, C, D and E. The very idea of having a back up plan means you are planning to fail at plan A. Congratulations for having one, now believe in it and you!

• Hanging out with those that are not supportive of your plan. Even if your plan is to orbit the sun without a spaceship, as long as it's not going to hurt another person, I support you.  I may suggest flying lessons, but I support you.  The people you hang out with can either infuse you with energy for life, or they can suck it out of you like a psychic vampire. Be selective about who you plan to be with. Plan to be happy so that it can happen!

• Believing someone else or some opportunity is going to make you happy. They aren't. Plain and simple. What you want or who you want isn't going to make you happy. That is your job. The having of something isn't where the happy is or people would want one thing, get happy and never want another thing again. Happy is in internal process, not one to be filled by external circumstances. For example: When I get that job, I will be happy. When my tax return comes in, I will be gleeful.When she/he notices I like them, all my issues will go away. Um, no they won't but hey, don't listen to me, plan on that working long term...and then call me when it doesn't and we will create a plan for you that is complete with you realizing you are enough and what you would really like in your life. 

I believe with all my being that people do the best with what they have at the time. I know you are doing the same. I'm simply encouraging you to not settle within yourself with what you have at this time. Want more... be brave...be silly....be you. 

I happen to be fantastic at helping others create manageable plans that are in alignment with themselves, so if you need help, come see me. Until then I will be getting my papers, highlighters and fantastic ideas out to plan my next super brave move for me. I wonder what it will be.   :)

Learning to fly, 

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com

I originally had another blog planned for today but when I was out with the dog today I had a thought and loved it so I asked my guides to let me remember it when I got home! A lot of times I will have an idea and it will go in one chakra and out the other. Have you ever had this happen? A brilliant idea pops in and then, whoop, it's gone! You aren't losing your memory, you are tapping into thought forms and your guides. Until it is landed in this realm it can be very challenging to retain. I either write it down or send myself a voice note. That's not the great idea but I thought you may want to know you aren't losing your marbles.

The idea that came in was when we were rounding mile three and even though it was only fifteen degrees outside, I was sweating in my four layer outfit. The sun was out! In February! In the Berkshires! I actually said out loud to Tank (because he never judges my thought process) "I am so looking forward to running without all these layers." Immediately I had a comment back to myself (Yes, it is sane to talk to oneself. If sanity were to be questioned it would be the comment about looking forward to running! ) that the clothes aren't the only layers that will be shed.

Now, I get very excited when I hear back that more change is happening but what really made me want to remember it was the idea of how many layers we have in our lives. You can layer your hair. You can order a layer cake. You can layer degrees on top of degrees in search of professional satisfaction and many people layer relationships in a bid to never be alone. We are fascinating, aren't we?

Do you feel like the little kid with so many layers on they can't even play in the snow? What layers are you carrying around and are they even your layers?

• Are you hanging on to other people's beliefs about life? (Think parents, teachers, bosses, friends, network news, etc.)
• Do you spend a lot of time wondering what others think of you? (Pssst, it's none of your business.)
• Is a good part of your day spent worrying about things out of your control? (psst, it's all out of your control. Get good with that and life is a lot of fun.)
• Are you depressed about the past and anxious about the future? (Staying in the present can solve that little dilemma.)
• Is the critic in your head louder than the coach? (Spend some time with the coach and that will happen less.)
• Do you layer up on commitments so you aren't spending time alone? (You are really pretty cool. Imagine if you learned to spend time with you and liked it?)
• Are you not moving forward because you are waiting for someone else to even be aware they have layers? (Putting your life on hold for someone else never works....never!)

You get the point. We are multifaceted beings and are always going to have layers. How you layer yourself will determine how much you enjoy this life process. When applying layers be sure they are supportive. That they make you stronger, much like sedimentary rock. The more supportive layers you put on, the stronger you get. 

Be choosy about your layers. Be willing to pass on the layers that may make you overheat or be willing to strip those puppies off while in route to your amazing life! 

As for me, I am still looking forward to the running without two pairs of pants on, but am so grateful for the analogy that had me looking at my layers today! I wish you the same fun process. 

Promoting the loving layers, 

Vicki

www.vickibaird.com