Archive for motivational
Happy For No Reason – A Book Review
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Being happy is the goal of most people yet if you take a good look at the individuals around you, you will observe that many of them are really unhappy. Money, a vacation, a fancy sports car – all material things – do not bring you lasting happiness..
In Happy for No Reason, Marci Shimoff, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul, says that they are seven steps to being happy from the inside out.
- Take Ownership of Your Happiness – The Foundation
- Don’t Believe Everything You Think – The Pillar of the Mind
- Let Love Lead – The Pillar of the Heart
- Make Your Cells Happy – The Pillar of the Body
- Plug Yourself in to Spirit – The Pillar of the Soul
- Live a Life Inspired by Purpose – The Roof
- Cultivate Nourishing Relationships – The Garden
YOU are responsible for your own happiness. If you happened to see the first episode of this season’s Apprentice, you can’t help but remember Gene, the Project Manager for the men’s team. He told his team to own their task and take it from start to finish. The men’s team won the first task! The same is true for happiness – you have to own it.
Change the way you think. The bad news is that we all have negative thoughts running through our heads. The good news is that our thoughts are not always true. Do not react to negative thoughts. Find positive experiences and savor them – FEEL them.
Your heart is your energy field. When your heart is heavy it is full of pain, however, when your heart is full it is full of joy. Find ways to be greatful so your heart will be filled with joy.
Did you know that there were happiness foods? Happiness foods are fresh foods. They contain little or no sugar and they generally do not come in a box or a can. Happiness foods fuel our body.
Appreciate the miracles in your life. Whether you belong to a formal religion or you just believe in a higher power, people who are the happiest are connected to an energy source that is bigger than life.
What is your purpose in life? Contrary to popular belief, your purpose in life is not your job or your career. Your purpose in life is that which gives your life meaning . Find your passion and you will find your purpose for life.
Do you cultivate your social relationships? Good social relationships are a strong predictor of happiness. If you are feeling down you can “catch” positive emotions from someone close to you. Make healthy connections with people and boost your energy.
Learn how to be happy from the inside out.
Share your stories of happiness and achievement with me by leaving a reply below.
Business Book Review – What Should I Do With The Rest Of My Life?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat Should I Do With The Rest Of My Life?
Have you ever asked THAT question? Po Bronson, author of What Should I Do with the Rest of My Life?: True Stories of Finding Success, Passion, and New Meaning in the Second Half of Life,faced this dilemma himself. Although he was a critically acclaimed bestselling author, he was curious about people who had reached deep inside themselves to find their true calling.
Bronson interviewed over nine hundred individuals who were looking for answers to this question. His book present thirty five stories from his interviews.
Noah Goldfader had lived in six cities and had wored at sixteen jobs over an eight year period. Bronson helped him dig deep and find his passion. What was it? Helping people. But not JUST helping people – he wanted tp help people play better golf. All throughout his life Noah had a passion for playing golf but everyone dismissed his enthusiasm. After meeting with Bronson, Noah became a merchandise manager at Sportsmart, reinvented his grip prototype, and discovered the secret of the golf swing – something that had eluded him his whole life.
There are more stories just like this:
- Claudi Sidi, a marine biologist, who awakened each day to the smell of the ocean, but discovered he was isolated and lonely. He moved to a large city and became a dentist so he could be around people.
- Rick Olsen, a corporate lawyer, who gave up a lucrative career to became a long-haul trucker so he could spend more time with his son.
- Jennifer Scott who worked in politics in Washington, D.C. but left to pursue a career in the wine industry.
- Nancy and Ross Latham gave up their jobs in the telecom industry to buy a nursery.
Bronson says that “We all have passions if we choose to see them.” Have you found your passion? Dare to be honest with yourself.
International People Skills Month
Posted by: | CommentsSeptember is International People Skills Month.
Are you interested in getting a better job, improving your office atmosphere, or increasing rapport with your family and friends? How do you accomplish this? By refining your people skills and learning how how to “de-puzzle” human behavior.
If you’ve ever been to Seattle, Washington, you have probably visited or at least heard about Pike Place Fish Market. The market is famous, not only for fish, but for it’s customer service as well! John Christensen of ChartHouse immortalized the outstanding customer service in a film called Fish. The film spawned (pardon my humor) a book called Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results, followed by Fish! Tales: Real-Life Stories to Help You Transform Your Workplace and Your LifeFresh, Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Freshand Fish! For Life: A Remarkable Way to Achieve Your Dreams. Clearly, Pike Place Fish Market is doing something right.
There are four principles (Fish Philosophy) that contribute to a great workplace and business success:
- Play
- Make Their Day
- Be There
- Choose Your Attitude
You can choose to do serious tasks with a bit of levity. Play stimulates creativity and allows us to look at something in a new and imaginative way.
Engage one person at a time and create a memorable experience for them. Connect with a customer, co-worker or family member and make their day.
You can multitask for a lot of things but don’t multitask when it comes to people. Choose to be present every day.
Choose the right attitude – you wear it all day.
Have a great day and go FISH!
Be Kind To Humankind Week
Posted by: | CommentsAugust 25 to 31 is Be Kind To Humankind Week.
All of the negative news that you read and hear about in the media is disheartening. The truth is the positive stories outweigh the negative stories but we just don’t hear about them that often. Take heart – most people are caring individuals . Show that you care and decide to be kind.
Here are some suggestions for making a difference this week:
- Motorist Consideration Monday
- Touch a Heart Tuesday
- Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday
- Thoughtful Thursday
- Forgive Your Foe Friday
- Speak Kind Words Saturday
- Sacrifice Our Wants for Other’s Needs Sunday
Be An Angel Day
Posted by: | CommentsToday is Be An Angel Day.
It’s a day to do one small act of service for someone. Be a blessing in someone’s life.
Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval’s The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness is a small yet powerful book that demonstrates why being nice may be the only four letter word that creates a positive impression.
If you can master the six power of nice principles, you will improve everything in your life.
Six Power of Nice Principles
- Positive impressions are like seeds. The smile or the thank you that you give to the UPS driver throws off positive energy. Nice is contagious and seems to have a multiplier effect.
- You never know. Treat everyone you meet as if they are the most important person in the world. You never know who these strangers might turn out to be.
- People change. Be nice to everybody – your boss, your peers, the receptionist, the janitor . . .
- Nice must be automatic. Become skilled at the art of being nice. Do it all the time and make it a part of your daily life.
- Negative impressions are like germs. Rude gestures and remarks create a negative impression. A bad impression can affect everything you do.
- You will know. Value niceness in yourself and others. When you understand the power of the true power of nice, nice you treat people with respect and they repay you with respect.
Nice people really do finish first.
The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness
Relax – It’s National Relaxation Day
Posted by: | CommentsToday is National Relaxation Day. Hold the phones, call in sick, or just take a nap.
Today is the perfect excuse to reduce stress and improve your lifestyle by relaxing. Spend a few minutes learning or sharing the art of relaxation with family, friends, and co-workers.
I am sitting on my patio reading Relaxation by Alice Muir. Topics in this Teach Yourself series include:
- Benefits of relaxation
- Causes of tension
- Alternative and complementary therapies
- Relaxing mind and body together
Relaxation can reduce stress and tension. When you are calm you can deal more effectively with almost any situation. Your ability to stay calm and summon your inner strength can positively affect any outcome.
Do you find yourself driving too fast, talking too fast, rushing to work to get there on time, rushing through lunch so you can run some errands, and then rushing home to fix dinner? We pack so many activities into our daily lives that we are operating at warp speed. We have lost sight of what a normal pace of life or work actually is.
If your life is filled with stress, here are some ideas that may help you.
Did you know that smiling is a great way to reduce stress? Smiling reduces stress hormones and lowers blood pressure. Have you had a good laugh today? It’s a great stress reliever. Rent a funny movie and sit back and laugh.
Animals have a great calming effect on humans. Petting a dog, cat, rabbit, or even a hamster significantly reduces stress.
Your goal for today is to relax. Read a good ook, listen to music, work in you garden, walk the dog, take a nap, or watch a good movie.
Teach Yourself Relaxation (Book + Audio CD) (Teach Yourself: Relationships & Self-Help)
Celebrate National Resurrect Romance Week
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The week of August 8th to the 14th is National Resurrect Romance Week. This observance encourages men and women to find ways to be romantic every day this week by using their hearts.
Remember when you first started dating. You were so excited to see each other. You didn’t even need to spend money to have fun. Just being together and having fun was enough.
If you are not sure how to resurrect romance, check out Fun & Creative Dates for Married Couples. It’s a great read with some unique ideas to celebrate creative romance. Here are 5 ideas that really got my attention because they won’t cost you anything:
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Picnicking under the stars. Put stars in your eyes as you gaze at the harvest moon and make wishes on shooting stars.
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Backyard camping. Get out you grill and put on some hot dogs and/or hamburgers. Remember how much fun it was to roast marshmallow over a campfire? You can do this on your grill.
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Test-drive your dream car. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a minivan or a shiny red sports car – it’s your dream. Test it out.
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Window-shopping. If there is an upscale mall in your area you can browse for electronics or get decorating tips for your home.
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Shall we dance? When was the last time you danced with your spouse? You don’t have to go anyplace special to dance. If you feel like you have two left feet you can check out some dance instruction DVD’s at you local library. You can even find some great music CD’s at the library. Now, there are no excuses!
Here are two more great ideas that I just couldn’t resist including:
Trip Down Memory Lane – Recreate the day you met or your first date.
The Great Cookie Hunt – This could get dangerous and expensive! Sample cookie from around town and decide which one (or more) is your favorite. If you wait for a holiday there will be lots of cookies to choose from.
Go ahead – celebrate creative romance and bring back the magic.
Fun & Creative Dates for Married Couples: 52 Ways to Enjoy Life Together
S.K.I.R.T.S in the Boardroom: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Success in Business and Life
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You don’t have to be an executive to appreciate the advice offered in S.K.I.R.T.S in the Boardroom: A Woman’s Survival Guide to Success in Business and Life. The book offers practical, motivational, and inspirational advice and strategies for the new generation of women.
In many ways, the corporate world continues to be a man’s world. Women today have more income, more education, more opportunity, and more entrepreneurial drive than ever before, however, the glass ceiling still exists.
S.K.I.R.T.S. is an acronym for Sisterhood, Knowledge, Integrity, Respect, Tenacity, and Substance. These are the often-overlooked qualities that extraordinary women require to maximize their potential in business and in life. Evans will show you how to develop these qualities and unbeatable business savvy using personal stories, exercises and real-life examples.
You will learn:
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How your attitude sets the tone for your relationships
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How those relationships determine your ability to influence those around you
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Turn your dreams into reality
- Combine confidence and compassion
- Target your talents
This book is a must read for for any woman who wants to maximize her professional potential. It will definitely help you navigate the male-dominated corporate world and keep you inspired when you’re unmotivated and unsatisfied with your career.
Celebrate Single Working Women’s Week
Posted by: | CommentsAugust 1-7 is Single Working Women’s Week. Single working women today do it all. They bring home the bacon, they cook it, and then they clean up the kitchen! Single working women earn the money, buy the groceries, and take out the garbage. Thry feed nurture, and clean up after both children and pets.
This week take the time to celebrate all the single working women you know who make the modern world a better place and who find the money, time and energy to lovingly support others.
Review of The Myth of Multitasking
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Are you a multitasker? I am and I used to be really proud that I could juggle multiple projects at once but after reading Dave Crenshaw’s The Myth of Multitasking I am ready to turn in my Queen of Multitasking crown.
The first sign of multitasking is a desk with piles of paper on it. I like to call it organized chaos. I’m guessing that you know exactly what my desk looks like.
Multitasking is not efficient. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Department of Information and Computer Science at the University of California Irvine campus concluded that an employee can only devote 11 minutes to a task before they are interrupted. Once you are interrupted you are more likely to continue to be interrupted and more often than not the task will go unfinished until another day.Clearly, multitasking is not cost effective.
You might think that you are multitasking if you are checking your e-mail and answering a quick question from someone. Actually, what you are doing is called switchtasking. You are not actually doing two things at one time but rather you are switching back and forth between two tasks. The process happens so fast that you are not even aware that you are dong it.
Multitaksing should not be confused with background tasking. When you are walking and listening to music you are background tasking. You are performing two or more tasks but only one of those tasks requires mental effort.
When you multitask while talking to someone, you are not completely listening to the other person. If you are not completely listening you are not making the other person feel important.
What steps can you take to stop multitasking?
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Recognize that multitasking is a lie
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Understand the difference between backgrund tasking and switchtasking
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Become aware of the truth about how you have been using your time on a weekly basis
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Create a new and realistic budget for how you will use yout time on a weekly basis
The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
