One of the biggest disappointments I get when I take a consulting job working with an organization is all the political work-arounds I have to deal with.  It just drives me crazy.  I usually get around it by telling myself that I am there short-term, I was hired to do a job, and that I will make a difference in the end.

This past week I observed a situation that, after reflecting on many frustrating incidences in the corporate world, made me realize that there are some ways to rise above all the game-playing and mind-numbing banalities.  Ready?

The truly competent individual can be free of politics in an organization if he or she chooses. When you’re really good at what you do, you can rise above politics, and I’ve noticed that this is what the more successful people within a company have done.  Be careful when engaging in water-cooler talk and “making plays.”  It might be back-firing more than you think.  Brain Tracy says, “It’s the mediocrities at work who have to play games and every study shows that although they sometimes succeed in the short-term, they invariably fail when everyone figures them out.”  Looking back on previous situations I’ve been in, I’ll have to agree.  But then I suppose “studies” prove themselves, don’t they?

So how can you become the competent, mediocre-less, on-the-way-up type that you want to be?  Here are two things you can do to assure that you are in the right position.

1. Do What You Love To Do
   Select your work carefully and if you don’t love what you’re doing enough to want to be the best at it, get out!  It is rare to be successful at a job you don’t like.  Enjoying your work and being good at it go hand-in-hand.  More importantly, your work should excite you and cause you to jump out of bed in the morning.  If it doesn’t, that’s a tip from your inner being that you’re not on the right path.  Flee from the boring or unsatisfying job as you would from a burning building. Working at something you don’t care about is the very best way to waste your life. Remember, this life is not a rehearsal for something else.  Love it; enjoy it – it’s what you came here to do!  If you need help with finding your passion, try reading How to Decide What to Do with the Rest of Your Life.

1. Work for the Right Company
   One key to getting onto the fast-track is for you to work for the right company and the right boss. The right company is one that respects its people and practices pay for performance. Our employees are on a bonus system that makes them partners in the practice.  (Not from a liability standpoint, just from a profit-sharing perspective.)  The right company is dynamic, growing, open to new ideas, and full of opportunities for people with ambition and initiative.  If you’re happy with your work, but feel stuck in your career, maybe it’s time to steer or jump overboard.  Listen to that voice that’s telling you to have faith and make a change; never listen to the voice of fear, and don’t make decisions based on fear either.

   If necessary, find a new company, possibly one that is just starting up, that would appreciate your expertise.  Be sure that there are lots of opportunities for you to grow, develop and advance in the company. Your future is too valuable to waste where there is no future for you.

Finally, it doesn’t take long of being in a corporate environment to make me want to throw up!  Personally I prefer having my own business, making my own decisions, and the freedom to turn down business when I feel it is morally more right to do so.  I believe America would be a much better place to work in general if we went back to the small, family-owned businesses of yester-year.  Sure, family-owned businesses have their problems, too, but they are much easier overcome and our values were more in line with the well-being of all back then.  I’ll be blogging about this more in the weeks to come.  For today, your assignment is to think about the business you’re in and make some hard decisions if necessary.  Do you love what you do and for whom you’re doing it?  Or are you struggling to play the game?  If you’re playing politics, you’re missing out on so much bliss!

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Get Inspired! What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams.  You can read their stories here. If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.”

Get Organized! Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book.  This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life.  Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.

***Please Note:  All transactions are processed through PayPal, but you can use Visa, MC, AMEX, or Discover.

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Personal Development, Conscious Creation, Coach, Success, Quit Smoking, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Organize, Law of Attraction, Dental Practice Management, Consultant, Motivational Book, Self Help

Posted under Dental Practice Management, Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

When I was a computer instructor, one of my favorite things to do was to give my students lots of “tips and tricks.”  Short, simple techniques that were just “cool,” as we said back in those days.

On this website, a blog post lends itself really well to tips and tricks since the articles need to be relatively short, grab the reader’s attention quickly, and definitely offer something of value.

My favorite post and tip that I’ve given here over the past two years is The Motivational Trick that Works - Every Time.  But today, I want to offer something that I’ve learned from the opening of our new dental office.  The concept is what I call “long-term perspective.”

After more than 50 years of research, Doctor Edward Banfield of Harvard University, concluded that “long-time perspective” is the most accurate single predictor of upward social and economic mobility in America. Having a long-term perspective turns out to be more important than family background, education, race, intelligence, connections or virtually any other single factor in determining one’s success in life or at work.

This certainly seems to be true of my husband.  Building a new dental facility in a small town that both meets the needs of the community and provides the state-of-the-art quality of care that my husband insists on seemed almost impossible to us 8 years ago when we got married.  But we kept our “eyes on the prize,” set our goals, managed intermediate steps, and voila – 8 years later, mission accomplished.  (Now our goal is to make it profitable – which will be a later post!)

Brian Tracy says, “Your attitude toward time, your “time horizon,” has an enormous impact on your behavior and your choices. People who take the long view of their lives and careers always seem to make much better decisions about their time and activities than people who give very little thought to the future.”

If you stop to think about it for a moment, that statement makes sense, but it’s not common sense.  Most people go through their life thinking that they just have to take whatever “life dishes out,” or whatever is “in the cards” for them.  While I’m a huge believer and teacher of “one day at a time,” I also know the value of having an overall strategic plan.  Here are 5 ways to develop a future focus.

1. Think and Write About Your Future
   Successful people have a clear future orientation, and they have their vision of their future written down where they can review it periodically. They think five, ten and twenty years out into the future and develop a plan of action.  Then, they analyze their choices and behaviors in the present to make sure that they are consistent with the long-term future that they desire.  Thinking about your future is an important first step, but you’ve got to write it down as well, so that you have guidance from day-to-day as to what to do next.

1. Determine the Consequences
   By definition, something that is important has long-term potential consequences. Something that is unimportant has few or no long-term potential consequences. Before starting on anything, you should always ask yourself, “What are the potential consequences of doing or not doing this task?”  The clearer you are about your future intentions, the greater influence that clarity will have on what you do in the moment. With a clear long-term vision, you are much more capable of evaluating an activity in the present and to assure that it is consistent with where you truly want to end up.

1. Make Success a Top Priority
   If there is a task or activity with large potential positive consequences, make it a top priority and get started on it immediately. If there is something that can have large potential negative consequences if it is not done quickly and well, that becomes a top priority as well.  Whether it’s going back to school, continuing your education in your current field, learning marketing techniques, whatever your frog is, resolve to gulp it down first thing.  Resolve to do at least one thing every day toward your number one goal.

1. Stay Motivated
   Motivation requires motive. Whatever your goal is, it must excite you.  The greater the positive potential impact that an action or behavior of yours can have on your life, once you define it clearly, the more motivated you will be to overcome procrastination and get it done quickly.  Thinking continually about the potential consequences of your choices, decisions and behaviors is one of the very best ways to determine you true priorities in your work and personal life.  If something doesn’t excite you, your choice is not motivating you and you need to choose something else.

1. Visualize It Coming True
   I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I talked and dreamed about what this new dental office would look like.  It really is a dream come true and my husband said just last week, “Even though we’ve been in the new building for several weeks now, it just occurred to me that I’m not going to have to leave at some point.  It’s just now starting to feel like it’s mine.”  Is that a “dream come true” or what?

Your Assignment

Review your list of tasks, activities and projects regularly. Continually ask yourself, “Which one project or activity, if I did it in an excellent and timely fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my life?”

Whatever it is that can help you the most, set it as a goal, make a plan to achieve it and go to work on your plan immediately. Remember the wonderful words of Goethe, “Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!”

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Get Inspired! What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams.  You can read their stories here. If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.”

Get Organized! Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book.  This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life.  Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.

***Please Note:  All transactions are processed through PayPal, but you can use Visa, MC, AMEX, or Discover.

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Personal Development, Conscious Creation, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker,   Motivation, Organize, Law of Attraction, Dental Practice Management, Consultant, Motivational Book, Self Help

Posted under Dental Practice Management, Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss

Do you ever feel like there will never be enough time to do everything you want to do?  Well, guess what – you’re right!  We are constantly growing and expanding, which means we’re always wanting more, even if it’s more peace, serenity, time off, etc.  The future is always more and we will always want it.

Brian Tracy teaches “The Law of Forced Efficiency,” which says that, “There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.”  I recently found this to be absolutely true and that’s what I want to discuss today.

Most of you are probably aware that I haven’t been posting as many articles on this site as I had been for the past two years.  You’re also probably aware that my husband and I opened a new dental facility two months ago.  Yes, these two facts are related. 

With all of the preparation and planning that I did before the big move, there were things that happened that I just could not have anticipated.  Don’t get me wrong, it was all mostly good stuff, or things that were easy enough to deal with, but everything coming in at once simply took more time than I had allowed.  Combine that with my own business projects and trying to keep up with acquiring new business, and the blog writing just went on the back burner for a few weeks.

I felt guilty for a long time, but then decided that I really didn’t owe any explanation to anyone.  However, at the open house for the new office, I told an avid reader that my blog writing was suffering because I’d been so busy with the details of the practice and her response was, “I could tell.”  OUCH!

After reflecting on that though, I came to realize that all that simply meant was that I really put a lot of myself “out there” on this website, and that was my original intent; to blog about the trials and tribulations of my life and the lives of my clients (who always remain anonymous) in the hope that it will help others, and it does.

So what does a personal strategic planner and time management “guru” do when a major event in her life throws her out of kilter?

Drop back and punt.  Take it one step at a time.  Ask, “What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?”

The main problem was that no matter how well I planned or how much I worked, the jobs and responsibilities just kept piling up.  (I know what a lot of you are thinking right now – “Welcome to my world.”  I know, I know.)  Add to that the deadline of wanting everything to look perfect for the open house, and what would normally be a task that could be put off suddenly became a top priority – like cleaning all of the scuff marks off the baseboards.

The other big issue for me was that normally, even if I’ve had a busy day, I can write a really good post late at night and still meet my personal goal of 3 articles per week.  While there were days when I finally sat down at 9 or 10 PM, I was so much more physically exhausted than a normal work day that I couldn’t even muster the energy to type!  I spent a lot of time on the office landscaping and taking care of it even after the moving and cleaning was over, to the point that my body doesn’t feel that it has returned to “normal” yet – and it sometimes feels like it will never be normal again!  But I do seem physically stronger and I’m sleeping better than ever, so the positive aspects outweigh my whining by far.  But that’s another post!

The biggest lesson I learned from all of this was that I can be a highly productive person. Every hour of every day I had to stop and re-prioritize my growing list of tasks.  I found myself constantly asking that question, “What is the best use of my time right now?”  My time management principles were reinforced and I feel stronger mentally than ever before. 

I also feel more relaxed every day, which was worth going through this experience.  I had to learn to let some things go, like blog post writing, that I really wanted to do, because other things were more important.  As Goethe said, “The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least.”

I tend to make things important that aren’t, which makes me rush around a lot.  This project has helped me realize what is truly important to me, and that it’s okay to let things slide every once in a while.  As much as I love my business and everything I do, my husband comes first.  He is my top priority.  Why? Because he’s a good man who works very hard and he deserves my best.  I knew what I was “getting into” when I married him; I made that choice consciously, and when push comes to shove, like it did this Spring, he will always come first, by my choice.

Your Assignment

Take a few seconds at the end of a major project or task each day and sit quietly where you cannot be disturbed. During this time, let your mind relax and just think about your work and activities.  Ask yourself, “What is the best use of my time, right now?”

The more you implement this process, the easier it will be for you to set clear priorities, to overcome procrastination and to get started on that one activity that represents the most valuable use of your time.

In almost every case, during this time of solitude, even if it’s just a couple of minutes, you will receive wonderful insights and ideas that will save you enormous amounts of time when you apply them back on the job. Often you will experience breakthroughs that will change the direction of your life and work.  When you do, please come back here and share it with the rest of us!

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Get Inspired!  What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams.  You can read their stories here.  If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.”

Get Organized!  Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book.  This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life.  Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.

***Please Note:  All transactions are processed through PayPal, but you can use Visa, MC, AMEX, or Discover.

Technorati Tags: Time Management, Personal Development, Conscious Creation, Coach, Success, Quit Smoking, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Organize, Law of Attraction, Dental Practice Management, Consultant, Motivational Book, Self Help

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

The longer I live the more I appreciate the basics of life:  a good, clean home; a stable job and husband; a reliable car; and systems that work.

I used to spend thousands of dollars per year investing in the latest self-help book.  And don’t get me wrong, those authors have made me the person I am today and I am eternally grateful.

But one system I’ve been using for almost two years now is that every month, I allow myself one new book, but also review one “old” one.  Lately I’ve struggled with finding anything new and have mostly been reviewing my favorites.

This week, the book that is up for review is Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anna Klauser.  I’ve blogged about Ms. Klauser’s wonderful book before in Creatively Combine Your Tasks, and 18 Reasons to Love Lists.  But today I want to share a new reason to love this book.

I’ve been inundated with tasks and projects lately.  My regular readers know that my husband moved into a new dental office one month ago.  We really believed we’d be all moved in in about a week.  Fools!  Oh, well.  Things are going well, and we’re having the time of our lives doing all of it – it really is a dream come true for both of us.  But at the end of the day, I am much more tired than usual.  Okay, enough of trying to rally up a pity party from my online friends, I’ll get to my point now.

I love using Outlook to organize all my lists.  I adore Excel for strategic planning, but there is something about putting real pen to real paper that just gets things done.  I love it.  I love the act of making a list.  I love the feeling of planning a project out loud, and on paper – writing it out.

As I’ve read this book many times over now, I have several pages ear-marked.  As I write this post, the book falls open to the first page of Chapter 11, Becoming Committed. 

I’ve made a note at the top of the page that reads, “This is my favorite page in the whole book.”  So I’m going to share it with you now:

In an oft-quoted passage from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, W.H. Murray speaks to the significance of commitment.  Once you walk forward in faith and a conscious effort, all manner of support and tangible backing will be available to you.

 

Until one is committed, there is hesitance . . . The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too.  All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events raising in one’s favor . . . unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

It is up to you to trust the possibility enough to be willing to put your dream in writing, and to take the first step, even with no evidence that it will actually happen.

What I’ve learned over the past several weeks is that Providence doesn’t just come for big dreams, He will come for your overwhelming projects and to-do items as well.  I’ve relied more heavily on my old-fashioned Franklin planner and it’s the only way I’ve accomplished what I have while basically trying to work 2 jobs and keep the house in order.  My advice to anyone gearing up to go through a move or any other type of major project is write it down, write it down, write it down.

Henriette shares more stories of her own and discusses the psychology behind why writing things down works.  This book is so fundamentally powerful I believe everyone should own a copy.

In the meantime, here are a couple of tools to help you get on the path to lasting peace and happiness:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Technorati Tags: Peace, Happiness, Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

No, that title is not a misprint.  Although, it could be the daily grind that causes the need for the daily ground!  What I’m talking about today is spiritual grounding.  Everyone has bad days sometimes, and we all get burnt out.  When you find yourself irritable, hostile, nervous, short-tempered, or just in a bad mood, it’s a sign that you need to get grounded.

Paying attention to and protecting your psychic and spiritual energy is a valuable part of leading a more peaceful and fulfilling life.  Here are my seven favorite ways to get grounded.  Try these methods whenever you feel your energy or vibration is over stimulated or out of balance, or when you feel you are being negatively influenced by energy- whether someone else’s — or your own.

1. Getting outside – literally.  Just the very act of standing on the ground will help neutralize your negativity.  Visualize all of your problems flowing from your brain, down through your body, out your feet, and into the ground.  If possible, sit on the ground and relax for a few minutes.
2. Deep Breathing.  Okay, just don’t do this one as you start a phone call!  I do this one when I’m in the car or can’t step away from a project.  If my husband catches me doing this, he’ll say, “Well, that was a heap big sigh!”  “Just getting some air,” I’ll reply.  Since I occasionally have trouble with asthma, I know that my response is probably almost as physical as it is spiritual, but I figure either way, it feels great!
3. Exercising.  This method naturally follows next since you breathe more deeply when you exercise, but there is something about getting physical that adds to the clearing of the mind.  Whether it’s a 5-minute walk or anything more vigorous, (whatever you like to do), exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit.
4. Cooking.  Sometimes the way I cook is like exercise!  But there’s also the creativity component, getting something accomplished, and getting my mind off my problems that helps me get grounded.  And my husband gets to enjoy the results of this one as well!
5. Gardening.  I can remember that as a child, my mother would always know when something was bothering me because I would “play in the dirt.”  What can I say, old habits die hard!  I love gardening just for the purpose of it, but just like cooking, gardening gets my mind off things.  Cooking can sometimes be too complicated for true grounding, and pulling weeds is sometimes just what I need.
6. De-cluttering.  My regular readers already know how I feel about clutter.  If my bad mood stems from a sense of “overwhelm-ment,” I know it’s time to de-clutter.  I told my time management class just yesterday that it seems counter-intuitive; you think you should be getting stuff done instead of de-cluttering, but trust me, you really will think more clearly with everything in its place.  Which brings me to my final favorite grounding method -
7. Organizing.  I’m not speaking here of organizing your desk; that’s de-cluttering (more than likely.)  What I’m talking about here is creating a Work Breakdown Structure for a project, or organizing your day or week, or whatever it’s going to take to make you feel better.  Instead of plowing in on a project, if you’ll take the time to get organized first, your mood will lift and you’ll accomplish more in the end.  You might even think of ways to avoid unnecessary work and find people to delegate parts of the project to.

Any one of the exercises will help, but when necessary, I’ve been known to do them all before proceeding into my day!  Getting into alignment with your higher self in whatever you have to do is way more important than the action itself.  Try it; you’ll be glad you did!

GET CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE NOW When you’re ready to create the life you want, you’ll want to purchase my latest e-book to help you get started and on the right path.  I share my latest success tips and how I’ve applied 20 years of solid business principles and the law of attraction to acquiring the life of my dreams.  Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment is helping many others do the same.  It comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.”  Both are downloadable, so you get them immediately, pay no shipping, and the cost is only $27.

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Success

Whew – what a weekend!  I’ll give you an update in a few minutes, but first, I’m taking care of business.  (That’s on old one, huh?)

This Saturday, May 10, 2008, I will be hosting the Carnival of Healing.  If you’ve written a post or an article about holistic health, wellness, spirituality, or self empowerment, and you’re willing to share it, please use the Carnival Submission Form and I’ll check it out.  I include everything that’s positive and helpful.  The current carnival, Facing Adversity with Strength, is at A-Ha! – Daily Blog for A-Ha! TV.com; check it out for some great articles – you’ll be glad you did!

As for my weekend experience at SOBCon08, what can I say except that it was a fantastic weekend!  I could inundate you with links to people I met and now absolutely love, but I’ve decided to introduce you to them in more palatable spurts instead. 

The highlight for me was getting to finally meet Scot Herrick in person.  Isn’t it wonderful when you meet someone you’ve been corresponding with for a while and discover that they are exactly as you imagined them?  Sincere, honest, and walking his talk – that’s Scot.  If you work in a “cube,” (and if you’re not sure, you don’t), check out Scot’s Cube Rules.

I met lots of new people, too.  My table partner was a gentleman by the name of Derek Semmler.  Derek is a sweet, devoted family man, who has a sincere desire to help others:    From helping people get out of debt and achieve financial freedom, to parenting solutions for dads, to helping people make money with their blog, links to all of  Derek’s websites can be found at RedStapleMedia.com. 

Okay, I don’t want to sound like a sales pitch, but trust me, these people are worth your time. 

As for what I personally learned:  Enough to start making serious changes to this site, changes you’re going to love!  So stay tuned . . .   (Over 650 of you are regularly tuning in every day – thank you – I deeply appreciate you!)

Join me at my Personal Development Retreat on May 30.

Get control of your stuff and your life with:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

Technorati Tags: SOBCon08, Peace, Happiness, Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

One of my pet peeves is when I hear the phrase, “He started with nothing and made something of himself.” 

While I love to celebrate the success of others, that statement could not be further from the truth.  No one starts with nothing, and everyone makes something of themselves. 

Think about it.  We all start with life.  Without life there would be nothing to make in the first place.

We all start with a brain.  I’ve never heard of a body being born without a brain, but I doubt it would live long enough to “make something of” itself.

Beyond that, we start to have our differences, but what exactly quantifies “nothing?” 

Really, what does that phrase mean:  “He started with nothing?”  Does it mean he had poor parents?  Lived in a bad neighborhood?  Had no education?  Indulged a bad attitude?  No friends?  No political connections? 

And what does it mean to “make something” of yourself?  What exactly quantifies “something?”  Money?  Spirituality?  Status?  Education?  Good or bad, you’re creating yourself right now, through your thoughts, words, and actions.

Wherever you end up in life, you always start right where you are.  (Which is always something.)

“I think, therefore I am,” said Rene Descartes. 

If you can think, you have everything. 

Now, go make something good of yourself.

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

I’ll be teaching the methods I’ve learned about recreating your life in my Conscious Creation Retreat; I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are a couple of tools to help you get on the path to “making something of” yourself:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Technorati Tags: Peace, Happiness, Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Success

I love motivational quotes.  So much so, that I am in the process of instigating a “Quote of the Day” service on this website.  

Why do I love quotes so much?  Perhaps because they’re inspired, but also because I love the elegance quotes possess.  A few words that come together in such a way that they motivate, educate, or inspire us to think more effectively, feel more deeply, or act more swiftly.  What could be more elegant than that?

Today, I’d thought I’d share with you my favorite 10 quotes.

1. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities.  Seize common occasions and make them great.”

–Orison Swett Marden

3. “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities.  Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”

–Gloria Steinem

4. “Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” 

–Napoleon Hill

5. “How you act is who you become.”

–Steve Chandler

6. “I will build my castle one brick at a time, for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.”

–Og Mandino

7. “One of the virtues of being very young is that you don’t let the facts get in the way of your imagination.”

–Sam Levenson

8. “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

–Eleanor Roosevelt

9. “It’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.”

–Jackie Joyner-Kersee

10. “High expectations are the key to everything.”

–Sam Walton

We will discuss these quotes at my Life Skills Retreat; I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are a couple of tools to help you get on the path to empowerment, peace and happiness:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Technorati Tags: Quotes, Empowerment, Life Skills, Peace, Happiness, Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

Laughter and the ability to remain light-hearted have been proven in many studies to be more successful at maintaining a healthy heart than mere diet and exercise.  Why?  Perhaps because maintaining a sense of humor frees us from stress and anxiety.  After all, you can’t be anxious about something and laughing at yourself at the same time. 

Here, then, are 5 ways to develop a more light-hearted attitude toward life.

1. Smile.  The physical act of smiling releases endorphins into your body and instantly improves your mood, making it easier to laugh at whatever situation has come along.  Try it.  If you don’t believe me, try this; Smile as big and wide as you can, and try to maintain a negative thought.  I’ll bet you can’t do it!  Go ahead; laugh at how simple this is!

2. Laugh at yourself.  We’re all human.  And so are you!  (Some people need to be reminded of that.)  Taking yourself too seriously puts undue pressure on your subconscious mind and keeps you further from whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.  I’m guilty of this at times and I suppose everyone is.  Your most important relationship is the one you have with you.  Learn to forgive yourself and laugh at your mistakes, even the clumsiest of them.

3. Practice this mantra:  “This too shall pass.”  Isn’t that true?  You know that you can overcome any adversity.  Consider all the challenges you’ve already faced and have lived to tell about it.  Whatever the situation is, you’ll get past it.  Take a deep breath, say, “this too shall pass,” and face the crisis head-on.

4. Keep busy.  Remember, your thoughts control your feelings.  Og Mandino wrote, “Never will I labor to be happy; rather I will remain too busy to be sad.”  Engage your mind with positive thoughts and when you feel yourself veering to the negative, find something to do. Perhaps this is why gardeners tend to be very happy people; there’s always something to do when you have a garden.

5. Make someone else smile.  The best way to create something for yourself is to give it to someone else first.  Tell a joke to a friend. Tell a stranger she looks nice.   Surprise your spouse with a gift of some sort. 

Finally, strengthen your sense of humor by conditioning your mind to look for the bright side of every situation you encounter each day.  Before long, this will be your usual way of thinking, and happiness and success will be just around the corner.

We will talk more about the importance of developing a sense of humor at my Life Skills Retreat; I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are a couple of tools to help you get on the path to lasting peace and happiness:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Technorati Tags: Humor, Peace, Happiness, Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

I attended a regional dental meeting with my husband a few weeks ago and made some curious observations I’d like to share with you today.

As a Dental Practice Management Consultant, it is important to me to stay on top of the very latest techniques in my field.  Since I was not speaking at this event, but am very well-versed in the topics offered, I attended a few courses with a different objective than usual; pure observer.  I usually sit in the front, eagerly taking in everything the speaker has to say.  Since I’ve heard it all at this point, I chose to sit in the back, and observe the dentists and their teams, in an attempt to see how I might meet the needs of my audiences in the future.  What a different perspective!

You see, as you might suspect, I’m one of those people who believes that everything and anything is possible.  I believe that failure is to be expected and is merely a stepping stone to greatness.  I live very little of my life in fear, which tends to terrify my mother.  (How ironic is that?)

As I listened to the conversations going on all around me, I discovered that everything I’ve ever learned, and have taught to others myself, about the significance of a positive, can-do attitude, is absolutely TRUE!

Isn’t it funny how you can believe in something, but not really know it until you have the proof displayed right in front of your face?  But I guess that what faith is, isn’t it?  However, seeing evidence, first hand, is really an eye opener.  Let me explain.

I observed two key characteristics among the successful dentists, versus the ones who are struggling.  The first will not surprise you, it was attitude.  The dentists who were saying positive things about their life, their work, their practices, their teams, and just making positive statements in general, appeared to be happy, calm, at peace, enjoying their journey, and successful.  They eagerly shared their earnings, their goals, and interestingly, their tips and what they’ve learned.  Yes, they even talked about the things that they’d tried that didn’t work for them.  Like certain marketing strategies, consulting companies that made big promises but didn’t deliver, but the wording they used to describe these “negative” experiences was upbeat which reflected the general outlook of the person speaking.  For example, instead of saying, “Oh, stay away from that company.  They are bad news!  They took me for x amount of dollars and when I asked for my money back, they disappeared.”  I heard things more along the lines of, “Well, we tried that approach, but it didn’t work for us.  And I think it was probably because . . .”  The person went on to explain more or less that it was no one’s fault, it just didn’t work.  They learned from it, and moved on.

The second significant trait that I noticed among the successful entrepreneurs is that they were willing to invest in themselves and their businesses.  I know a lot of struggling dentists who believe that everything should be handed to them on a silver platter the instant they graduate from dental school.  The successful dentists I know realize that it doesn’t work that way.  You have to continue to educate yourself, upgrade your knowledge beyond what is required, and consistently put a significant amount of your earnings back into your business.  It doesn’t matter how long they’ve been in practice, successful dentists are constantly upgrading their equipment and skills.

The third and most shocking observation I made was that many of the participants where not dentists, but dental team employees who had come to the meeting on their own.  Not only were the not being paid to be there, but they had paid for their entire trip themselves.

I had a client tell me not to long ago that she had purchased my collections system with her own money.  In fact, her dentist even told her that my system would not work.  But she believed it would, bought it herself, put it into practice, and was telling me how much success she had had with it.  To be honest, it really upset me at first.  I felt sorry for this woman at having to spend her own money on something her employer should have gladly purchased for her, and then to find out that he had such a negative attitude.  But it didn’t seem to be bothering her, so I didn’t say anything.  Now I realize that she’s one of those people – like me – and many of you – who believes in doing things for themselves.  I can certainly see how many people would think, “But it was his business she was investing in.”  Yes, but she was also investing in herself.  This woman paid $400 so that she could feel better about herself and have more confidence in herself while at work. (Abraham-Hicks fans, think “downstream.”)  She can now take the knowledge, practical experience, and huge success she had implementing that system and market herself very successfully to other dental practices.  Trust me, she’d be snapped up in no time flat.  Think of the leverage that gives her.  When you invest in yourself, even if it seems like it’s in the best interest of your employer, it will also ultimately benefit you.  Investing in yourself always pays huge dividends.

In summary, here are two essential traits for success:

1. Believe that anything is possible.
2. Be willing to invest in yourself and your business, regardless of whether you are the business owner, or “just” an employee.

I guess I’ve really always had faith that a positive attitude was key to success.  I believed all the motivational speakers when they said this was so.  It certainly seems to have worked for me over the past 40 years.  (Yes – I turned the big 4-0 last Friday, April 11, 2008.)  And although I haven’t been too stingy with money, I haven’t invested as much in myself as I should have over the past three years of developing my business.  That’s going to change, starting today.

My challenge to you for today is to find a way to invest in your future.  Whether it’s going back to school, taking a continuing education course, or attending a success retreat to help you get it all sorted out, make a decision today and commit to it.  You’ll be glad you did.

I’ll be teaching other personal and business success methods I’ve learned in my Conscious Creation Retreat; I hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are a couple of tools to help you get on the road to success:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want:  A Guide to Self-Empowerment

Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Technorati Tags: Attitude, Conscious Creation, Retreat, Coach, Success, Motivational Speaker, Retreat Leader, Motivation, Law of Attraction

Posted under Dental Practice Management, Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success