Ahead of the game.

December 30th, 2011

This is the weekend of all weekends to feel good. A time to celebrate a Saturday night that will lead from one year to the next.  A time to look forward.  To think about how you want and expect things to be for you.  To think progress and sense accomplishment. And no matter how you choose to ring in the New Year,  the feelings of new beginnings do bubble up.

As you think about writing down the things you want to do in 2012, I hope you’ll includes also feelings and attitudes. Here are some suggestions* for your life-in-progress list:

1.  I will approve of myself, my characteristics, my abilities, my tendencies, and my likes and dislikes, realizing that these form my unique individuality. I have them for a reason.
2.  I will approve of and rejoice in my accomplishments, and I will be as vigorous in listing these – and as rigorous in remembering them – as I have ever been in remembering and enumerating my failures or lacks of accomplishment.
3.  I will remember the tremendous energy and potential that lies within me to create that which I can imagine for myself.
4.  I will realize that my professional future is a probability. In terms of everyday experiences, nothing exists there yet. It is virgin territory, planted by my feelings and thoughts in the present. Therefore I will plant accomplishments and successes, and I will do this by focusing on how I want and expect the future to be for me.

Whether it’s a new year, a new month, a new week, or a new day, you get to choose what you’ll be focused on. So, please, have some fun this weekend thinking, creating, growing, progressing, becoming more, succeeding.

Happy New Year!

 

*This list is adapted from one given to Jane Roberts and Robert Butts by Seth on New Year’s Day, 1979.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Ahead of the game.

More is more.

December 23rd, 2011

My nephew David flew in from Sydney last week for our annual Christmas cookie-decorating marathon. While I’m the producer of this illustrious event, David reigns supreme as creative director. We collaborate on the palette of eight icings, but when it comes to the application of colored sugars, shiny sprinkles, confectionary confetti and sparkly gels, David’s philosophy is always “More is more.” The results are fantastically fun.

So whether you’re celebrating Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or nothing in particular, my wish for you this season is a spirit of “more.” More in the best of emotions, that is. More thoughts that make you feel good when you think them. More joy, more happiness, more love. More focus on the positive aspects of others. More understanding, more acceptance, more kindness, more harmony, more peace.

All of that is in every cookie I bake, and the energy is delicious.

 

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

What is success?

December 16th, 2011

Many people assume success means financial gain or monetary riches. But truth is, success will be different for each of us. And riches do not always mean money.

Ask yourself this: what’s most important to you? Maybe it’s freedom and flexibility, improved workplace relationships, more time with your family, finding the right balance between your work and personal life, or simply peace of mind.

Here’s another question: How do you feel when you think about success? Ideally, you feel good, enthusiastic and eager. (I do love those “e” words.) Or, maybe you feel anxious, pressured or stressed. Well, if you’re not feeling good, chances are you’re focusing on some external measure of success versus what success means to you. It’s only what you think that matters. What anyone else is doing or getting or making or thinking just doesn’t matter.

What you want to achieve is your decision. You get to decide what’s important to you and how you’ll measure success. You get to choose what you want to create for yourself and set your own standards. It’s achieving what you want to achieve that will define your professional success.

As you go about creating your success, remember that success is a process. You’ll make mistakes along the way. To err is human, right? Trial and error is a method of learning. So a mistake is just an opportunity to learn. Temporary setbacks are not permanent failures. Just understanding that is an important mindset tool for achievement.

Success is about using your energy and being deliberate about it. It’s about creating more for yourself and feeling positive in the process. The thoughts you think are at the basis of your success. Trust yourself. Expect good things. Have some fun along the way!

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on What is success?

You are a born leader.

December 9th, 2011

“You’re a winner, Teddy knows.” – You’ve got what it takes.” – You’re on your way to the top.” – “You are a born leader.” – “There is nothing you can’t do.” – “You are one of a kind.”

Those were the motivational phrases of my talking Executive Teddy Bear. When faced with a difficult situation in my life as a marketing agency exec, I knew that just a few pulls of Teddy’s string would redirect me to concentrate on the outcome I wanted. It was with his reassurance that I knew I would meet the challenge of finding a solution. He reminded me to believe in myself, to focus on goals and expect results. There was nothing I couldn’t do.

The talking Teddy was a novelty toy that I can’t remember how I got. It might have been a gift, but chances are I bought it for myself. When I began my self-described “radical sabbatical” from the firm, I handed down Teddy to my successor. But there are times in conversation with clients and friends that I wish I had a closet full of them.

What is it that causes us at times to doubt our abilities? Or to believe us stuck? Or to beat up on ourselves?

I’m quite certain that what limits our ability to create what we want is our beliefs. It is our beliefs that shape our experience. Most of us hold one of two beliefs that are at the core of doubt, uncertainty and worry. We might believe ourselves powerless to bring about the things we want and care about. Or we might believe we’re unworthy or undeserving of having what we want.

Beliefs are key to our success in any endeavor. And because we are not limited in how we think, beliefs can be modified. It’s belief work; it’s energy work. And you do have what it takes.

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on You are a born leader.

Stressed out? Breathe in.

December 2nd, 2011

Breathing is automatic. We do it without thinking. And while no one can explain exactly how it is we do breathe, focusing on the act of breathing regularly may be the simplest way to handle stress, manage difficult situations, and enable us to be our most productive.

A recent study by researchers at the Toho University School of Medicine in Japan indicates we can boost our mood and capacity for high-level thinking by paying attention to our breathing.

Participants who were taught to breathe deeply into their abdomen and keep their awareness on breathing this way for 20 minutes, had more of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter serotonin in their blood and more oxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s area of executive function. The result: more positive feelings.

Mindful breathing is easy enough to try anytime, and getting the hang of it takes only a little practice. Below are a few simple steps. Try it just five minutes at first and work up to increasing your focused breathing time to 20 minutes.

  1. Find a quiet, private place where you can be undistracted for a few minutes — for instance, close your office door and mute your phone.
  2. Sit comfortably, with your back straight but relaxed.
  3. Focus your awareness on each breath. Feel the air come into your nose, move through your chest and into your abdomen.
  4. Stay attentive to the sensations of your inhale and exhale, and start again on the next breath.
  5. Do not judge your breathing or try to change it in any way.
  6. See anything else that comes to mind as a distraction — thoughts, sounds, whatever — let them go and return your attention to your breath.

It makes sense that the best way to stay calm and go with the flow is to breathe in. There is perhaps nothing that connects us more to the infinitesimal life force of the universe than the simple act of breathing.

Related Post: The bounce-back quality. (April 29, 2011)

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »