Dec

6

Practicing Safe Stress for the Holidays & Any Day: 25 Tips to Good Moods

Filed Under Energize Your Life, Energized Entrepreneur, Energized Environment, Health, Well-Being, Workplace | Leave a Comment

Some people, it seems, are just born with a more optimistic attitude and outlook, while others focus on the gloom and doom. The research on optimism fills volumes and I wanted to give you some quick tips on practicins safe stress, being more happy and how to be in a better mood for the holidays and every day. It may take more effort during the blustery gray, rainy/snowy days of winter amidst the holiday bustle; but well worth it for your own well-being and for the sake of others in your path. Our energy is contagious – just ask Ceasar Milan – the Dog Whisperer – our energy is everything to a dog…and to your neighbors, co-workers and your spouse and friends.

Since your time is short, I’ll make this snappy:

  1. Get moving – I prefer to think of it as “activity” vs. “exercise” – it just seems more palatable to people to releve stress and release endorphins. It can be a full-blown cardio/strength/flexibility workout or a brisk walk in the park or even mall walking (before the stores open and before the crowds arrive). If you haven’t tried Zumba or hip hop classes – the music alone will put you in a good mood, even if you’re out of breath.
  2. Eat breakfast and include protein – some research says eating 60% more protein if you’re lifting weights – donutes don’t count.
  3. Be smart about your diet, less white stuff, more color, more water-content food/drink, variety and healthy. Enjoy some of your favorite good mood foods in moderation – whatever that may be, cookies, mac and cheese, eggnog, dark chocolate…. think comfy food.
  4. Hug it out – physical affection and the power of touch helps with happiness – petting a puppy or kitten can help lower blood presure and calm your nerves.
  5. Get outside – breathe in fresh air, get out in the woods and catch the negative ions from the pine trees -leave your cell and texting activities in your pocket – this is about nature and you communing and not about you tweeting that you’re in the woods.
  6. Be in the moment, experience it fully and decide what types of moments you want to have. Don’t like crowds – then avoid the mall, aggitated in line – change the time of day for this activity. Stressed over the big holiday feast – suggest a nice restaurant or change it up. Financially stressed about all the gifts you need to get – let everybody know you’re opting out of unfettered consumerism this year and want a pot-luck social gathering instead – don’t fret about the future. Choose wisely where your brain is and focus on the here and now.
  7. Be grateful – fear goes out the back door when gratitude walks in the front door. Decide to be in a state of grace and gratitude and you will be granted more things to be grateful for.
  8. Say nice things to others – compliments share positive energy and that’s contageious. Help make the holiday bright with sincere positive praise.
  9. Focus on making happy memories – invest in experiences and bring others along for the ride. Shared experiences amp up the positive vibe.
  10. Listen to upbeat music, dance, sing.
  11. Play with your pet or visit a dog park and delight in their bouncing energy.
  12. Smile more and stand/sit up straight – good posture promotes elevated spirits. Smiling stimulates the thymus gland, which produces T-cells, which means people who are smiling get sick less often and feel better than those who don’t smile. Smiling is also contageous. At least a hundred studies on how smiling can actually lift your mood – it fakes out your body into thinking it’s happier.
  13. Wear comfortable shoes – comfy clothes too. Comfy doesn’t equal sloppy or baggy – when you feel better about your looks and your looks feel better, everybody is happier. A recent survey found 41% of women felt happier when they felt prettier. I’m guessing the men felt happier too.
  14. Cashmere, cashmere, cashmere – who couldn’t be in a better mood when you slip on some cashmere?
  15. Friends, friends, friends – in any way shape or form of personal contact and socialization elevates our energy. Choose positive friends and be a positive friend – nobody likes being around negative people.
  16. Avoid over-obligations and over-scheduling, especially during the holidays. If you need a holiday from the holidays, you missed the point.
  17. Laught out loud – cultivate your sense of humor. As a Certified Laughter Leader who studied how laughter and fun affect us in positive ways; it actually changes your brain chemicals and changes the chemical make-up in your blood. They’ve found markers in your blood which change even when you anticipate a good time or a funny movie or fun activity – even days before the activity.
  18. Be kind – kindness also changes your blood chemistry and raises serotonin, which counter-acts depression. Whether you are the giver, receiver or witnessing by-stander, kindness works.
  19. Positive self talk – its a tried and true tip to blast yourself with positive self talk and avoid beating yourself up through your self talk. Our mindset is EVERYTHING. Our behavior starts with our thoughts – choose wisely to change your outcomes.
  20. Try something new – enjoy beginner’s brain again and experience some wonder and awe in your life – discover something new you didn’t know how to do before: cooking, weaving, skiing, dog-sledding, volunteering, wearing red lipstick, painting, riding a unicycle or Zumba.
  21. Upbeat live entertainment: comedy clubs, kareoke, theatre, ballet, concerts, coffee shop guitarists and children’s plays.
  22. DECIDING to be in a good mood – just change your mind to change your energy and you can change your life and also change the energy of those around you. Your collegues and friends will thank you.
  23. Get plenty of sleep, or take naps. Most Americans get far too little sleep – no wonder we’re a nation of tired and cranky people. It’s hard to be in a good mood if you’re completely exhausted. Can you get help, delete some of your chores, set boundaries, close the door, do not disturb.
  24. Keep a check on what you watch on TV or view on your computer or listen to over the airwaves – we’re bombarded with negativity.
  25. Outsource the things you don’t enjoy or are not comfortable doing, barter or negotiate something different. Hire somebody to do whatever is not in your zone of excellence or genius and pay them for their skills to make both of you happier.
  26. Volunteer to help out your community, a favorite cause or favorite place – being of service serves all involved and puts you in a better mood to feel needed and worthy and that what you’re doing matters.

That’s enough to get you stared on the right path to save yourelf this holiday and every day you want a little mood lifter. A happy life is just a bunch of happy moments and good moods all strung together. I invite you to create your own list or maybe cut your list into strips and put in a jar. Whenever you’re feeling low, grab a piece of paper with one of your activities or ideas on it and do it right then.

Here’s to happier holidays by praticing some safe stress and being purposeful about putting yourself in a good mood. Everybody else wants you there as well. Cheers!

Oct

17

The Happiness Factor at Work

Filed Under Energize Your Biz, Energize Your Life, Energized Entrepreneur, Energized Environment, Well-Being, Workplace | Leave a Comment

There’s a lot of talk these days about happiness. Are you happy, are your kids or partner happy? Do you work in a happy environment, even the folks who are employed at the happiest place on Earth are not immune to the question of “Am I happy here?” And “here” can mean here in your life, here in your job, here in your business, here in your marriage, here in a geographic location or here in any specific situation.

Lots and lots of studies, books and blogs about happiness have cropped up over the years. It’s a sign that we’ve moved up the food chain on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Once a need is met, it’s no longer a need and we go out seeking something else. Our motivations come from needs, so once a need is met, we no longer have tha motivation. So I’m guessing that most of us have our food, clothing and shelter taken care of and now we’re in search of the self actualization and happiness penthouse level.

One of the aspects of happiness is to find something you love to do, make it your life’s work and focus your energy and attention towards it. It gives you meaning, gives you joy and gives you something you do well to serve the world and create a better place. Having that type of purposeful project fans the flames of your inner potential. When our work is a natural express of who we are and what we do well, that intersection of our talents and the world’s needs is ripe for success. Ultimately, our work on Earth is to shine our light joyfully and give our greatest strengths to the world and if we combine that with our vocation, it’s brilliantly blissful. Need help figuring out your gifts, talents and purpose? We can point you in the right direction at YourRealPurpose.com.

Happiness is a decision of the mind. Deciding you are going to take action to make changes towards what makes you happy is the first step. Of course EVERYTHING starts with the mindset, deciding, then doing. Our thoughts, ideas and desires are what drives us forward and helps our soul to evolve and happiness is a pleasant side affect. So many of us seem to be in the busy-ness of being too busy to do X, Y or Z. I’d say being too busy to slow down and figure out what makes you happy is like being too busy driving to stap for gas. Slowing down to figure out what feeds your soul in how your serve and how you move through the world is refilling your tank. Once you know what feeds you, then you can put it on your t0-do list and fit it into your busy schedule.

Research shows that life’s most gratifying experiences and happy moments  come from really living and being present at what you’re doing, who you’re being and where you are and NOT in all the trappings of the usual suspects of success. Studies show that the little things add up to a happier life such as walking to the store from home instead of driving, great neighbors, friendship, sharing conversation, socializing, notice daily joys, music, smells, dogs/cats, tending your garden, fresh flowers, home-baked treats, spending time with family disconnected from technology.

So many of us are experiencing a life deficit disorder in our rush to the bus/metro/carpool, the rush through lunch, the rush home and rushing to get everything done. Your challenge this week is to slow down, make time to make your list of your happiness factors that affect you personally. What’s on your list? Once you make your happiness factor list, do a gap analysis to discover where you can close the gaps and just how far out of whack you may be, or celebrate how on track you are and rejoice in your alignment with life/work/happiness. Make it a priority to create happiness at home, in your workplace, in your life. Once you have your list, challenge yourself to put more of those things from your list into your daily life and into the workplace.

Here are some ideas to get you started for  a happy workplace:

  1. SAS corporation supplies M&M’s and coffee in the break areas, they have on-site childcare so employees can visit their kids at lunch, dry cleaner drop-off service, on-site doctors, lovely landscaped grounds.
  2. Northwestern Mutual offers boxed dinners from the cafeteria so dinner is easy to fix after a long day, music groups/bands so employees can enjoy their hobby with others and give concerts to colleagues.
  3. Car detailing or seated massages while at work, bosses serve breakfast to workers, Office Olympics or friendly competition – chili cookoff or bake-off.
  4. Colors affect our mood – paint the walls what makes you happy, fresh flowers, music, flextime, ability to express how you work through your work, listening, respect, caring for others.
  5. Disney entertains you while you wait in looooong lines, Vail and Copper Mountain ski resorts through out candy to skiers in lift lines and ask trivia questions to make the time in lines go faster.
  6. My dentist recently replaced their waiting room furnishings with very comfy, luxurious yet whimsical furnishings, a new plasma TV, fireplace and fountain and a fresh supply of current magazines.

What is your workplace doing or what can you contribute to your business/workplace to up the ante for happiness for yourself, your colleagues and your customers? It will go a long way in improving the happiness factor in your life since you spend about a third of your life at work.

 

Oct

7

Opportunity Costs: Choosing Your Time & Energy Wisely

Filed Under Energize Your Biz, Energize Your Life, Energized Entrepreneur | Leave a Comment

Our time is our life energy. We trade our life energy for moments in time. Are you trading your time and energy for something that matters most to you or are you squandering it away. I see it all too often when consulting with corporations and public agencies that so many are racking up promotions, possessions and personal bests at the expense of soemthing that matters even more such as enjoying a life well-lived.

What is the opportunity cost of your choices. What is the benefit or value you must sacrifice when you choose to invest in one opportunity and by default, walk away from another?  We’re bombarded by opportunities and requests for our time daily. Where are your boundaries and what do you choose? How do you choose? By what standard do you measure the parameters on your time and therefore your life energy?

When you’re on the edge of making a decision to move ahead with something that’s going to demand your time, focus, commitment and energy; it may serve you well to consider some of the opportunity costs of your decision. Some questions to ask may be:

  1. What impact will this have on my family or future?
  2. How does it affect my most valued resource, my time?
  3. In what ways does it support my life purpose and in alignment with my goals?
  4. Is it moving me towards or away from my ideal life?
  5. Is this something that I want to do or that somebody else or society wants me to do?
  6. Does it reflect my values?

Of course the foundation of this is really knowing your goals, desires, dreams and purpose by which to measure if you’re off course or not. Dont’ know your purpose? Then go here to YourRealPurpose.com to learn how your life purpose is revealed in your fingerprints. We can now crack the code to your calling and it’s all in your hands. There’s a free teleclass on the site, or contact me at Gail@GailHahn.com to ask about the Fall-iday Special Consult to reveal your true purpose so you have a baseline. Once you know what you’re supposed to be doing, the universe conspires in your favor to make it happen. But you’ve got to take action in the right direction first and make good choices by evaluating your opportunity costs of those choices.

So when demands are put on your time, or you demand something of yourself, whether it be training for a triathalon, learning to paint, aiming for the corner cubicle or taking your company public; think of the opportunity cost of doing such a thing and take a gander how it measures up to your bigger picture goals, desires, dreams and values. There’s always a cost to do what we do. That is, as they say, the cost of doing business. Is that cost affordable or not? Are you willing to pay the price and to put the time in? Are you willing to live another day not knowing what it is you’re supposed to do with your life?

Aug

31

Unplug & Disconnect to Reconnect, Recharge & Reboot

Filed Under Energize Your Biz, Energize Your Life, Energized Entrepreneur, Well-Being | Leave a Comment

Sometime’s you gotta just unplug and disconnect in order to reconnect with yourself, your loved ones, your world, your purpose and your goals. I’ve been on a several-month “self-battical” to get reconnected to friends, celebrate a life mile-stone, get re-centered and renewed so I can come back refreshed and recharged. When you give out lots and lots of energy, there’s a time when you need to give that energy back to yourself. That’s why I haven’t blogged in a while, I was staying out of touch so I could get back in touch with myself.

Sometimes it takes a power outtage to get us back in touch with our friends, family, community – we lose touch to easily in this connected world. When I lived in blizzard country and now moving back to it;  you would see lines upon lines of people in the video stores – just in case they were snowed in with loved ones and wouldn’t have to talk or deal with them. Hmmmm. Now I’ve heard some parts of the country before the hurricane had lines and lines in the liquor stores… a bigger hmmmmm. Blessings to those who have been affected by recent storms, but I’m talking about personal turbulance here and having your peace and personal retreat on your terms and not a forced situation such as unemployment, although you could use that time to take stock….

We can’t serve others well if we don’t first serve ourselves. If we don’t have enough energy for ourself, there’s not enough left over to give to others. We really do need to serve from our overflow rather than our cup. Our cup need to runneth over before we have extra to give, or else we run dry. I see it in so many people, more women than men. I’m thinking maybe the men hide it better. I see so many professional women serving everybody else and there isn’t anything left over for them or maybe their partner. That’s when we need to practice radical self care, which is not the same as being selfish, mind you.

I believe that’s precisely why the book and subsequent movie Eat, Pray, Love was a runaway best-seller and hit in theatres. I think it touched on the heartstrings of so many women (who make up 80% of the buying population) who just want to chuck it all for a short time to regroup and reboot so they can come back even better than ever.

So I did my own version of the popular story and travelled to faraway islands and driving across the country reconnecting with friends and my fun side. I’ve offered up some posts and pictures along the way as requested by my tribe. I didn’t carry a computer (oh horrors of horrors some of you may be thinking – a whole several months without a computer … egads!)  I did have my iphone so I could infrequently check email – I do have a few businesses to run and still needed to coordinate a cross-country move. But oh the jubilation of living a lifestyle produced by being your own boss and having a network marketing business to support me while I danced across land and sea. Danced, sailed, scuba dived, kayaked, flew,  snorkeled, zip-lined, hiked, swam, cruised, ate and drank my way from sea to shining sea.  With Send Out Cards, I was able to stay in touch and still earn income while I was out of the office because my office was in my phone. Be my guest and send some free cards on me at BizBuilderCards.com.

It takes courage to unplug, hit the pause button and tell your circle of people you won’t be available. Some will support you, other won’t understand and think you’re shirking your responsibilities, some still want to stay connected and keep contacting yu, and still others want to join you. The bottom line is that it’s not their path – it’s yours. And if you have no energy to walk your path, what good are you to anybody else?

My friend Jean Ann rents a villa in Mexico for 6 weeks each year and then invites friends down for a weeken or a week so she gets to reconnect with her tribe in a lovely setting. She hires a cook and housekeeper so she can also enjoy her time down there. Another friend rents villas around Europe and invites her coaching clients to have their session on site – it’s all a business write-off.  Wonderfully creative ways to disconnect and reconnect at the same time.

So you may not be able to take off weeks or months, but at least a weekend jusat for you at a local B and B – the point is to get out of the house and leave electronica at  home. Eat well, drink well (and responsibly), surround yourself by beauty and good company or be alone and do some introspection to get to know yourself again.

I highly, highly support the self-sabbatical approach to energizing yourself, your life, your relationships and your business.  There’s no need to go to Italy or an ashram or take a vow of silence to do it – do whatever you darn well feel like doing to support whoever it is or whatever it is you want to be, do or have. Give yourself permission to unplug and go with the natural flow.

Here are some pics of how it flowed….. what are you waiting for??? You deserve a break today, so get out and get away… to find yourself…..

Apr

10

10 Tips to Create a Caring Culture at Work

Filed Under Energize Your Biz, Energized Entrepreneur, Workplace | Leave a Comment

You know the old Zig Ziglar quote about people not caring how much you know until they know how much you care. Taking that to heart in the workplace can pay dividends on many levels.  While most people join organizations because of the general workplace, many leave because of co-workers. Our teams can be technically proficient but socially deficient, and that can cause more than just friction. It creates a workplace of chaos rather than calm.

Below are 10 tips to create a culture of caring and form a workplace by design and not default by focusing on the people before the productivity. These are gleaned from over 25 years of working with corporations, private companies and public agencies around the world.

1. Show your concern and notice when team members aren’t their normal selves. Take note if they’ve been out of sorts, or doing above and beyond and anything out of the ordinary. When we know others notice what we do and who we are, it makes a difference in the trust, loyalty and commitment.

2. Send Thank You notes, birthday cards, anniversary cards for time at your organization. Dropping a card on their desk is nice, sending one to their home is even more special. It says you took the time to say something personal. They mattered to you to spend some extra time on them. Appreciation and acknowledgement wins over self promotion every single time. Communicate that you care about the whole person, not just what they contribute as part of their job duties.

3.  Send a card home addressed to their family member or partner explaining what a great job they’re doing, how they are an appreciated team member. Perhaps thanking the family for the overtime that was worked since when the family member is at work, they are not with their family.
4.  Some organizations offer perks such as free lunches, boxed dinner options to pick up before leaving work, dry cleaner pick-up, car detailing service, seated massages, Fed-ex pick up at work, or social clubs and activities such as a band, softball league or other hobby and interest groups.

5. Offer some volunteer days to help build goodwill in the community as well as camraderie among your ranks. Host a day of service for a local charity, building a home for the needy, cleaning up the community, reading to the elderly or the young. Provide a list of different ways to volunteer during the year or have each department choose to champion a charity.

6. Ask each team member what they want out of the relationship with their job and the people in it. This will give you a clue as to how you can best serve them and help them get what they want out of their job and improve their quality of life.

7. Offer a little extra time off during the holidays – even 59 minutes early to take care of life and the stresses that come about during the holidays. Depending upon your organization, some offer holiday parties, bonuses or other acknowledgement for a good year of business.

8. Offer to cook breakfast or buy lunch for your team to celebrate milestones and share appreciation. Supervisors do the cooking or host a pot-luck to share different types of food.  Some organizations have hosted car washes for supervisors to wash the cars of those who made a significant contribution, hit sales goals or achieved a milestone of success. Depending on the size of your group, invite them to your home for dinner or take them out for dinner or an event.

9. During the gardening season, ask team members to bring in their extra veggies and fruits to make a community salad or have a grab bag of fresh food to share the extra harvest bounty with those who don’t have a garden.

10. Start your meetings with some good news from participants to set the tone. Bring some surprises to some meetings to shake things up and make it more interesting.

11. Over-deliver and pay attention to the needs of your team. Make as big a deal when a new member arrives as when they leave the organization. Go out of your way to show them around and introduce them and ensure they have what they need to do their best. Serve them well and they will serve the organization well.

Creating a culture of calm and caring can be accomplished in hundreds of little ways to show you care. In this time of budget constraints, many of the things you can do won’t cost you much at all. With an authentic attitude of concern and caring, you can do wonders to create a great culture in your workplace.

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