Bruce Lee said “To hell with circumstances, I create opportunities.”

Deliberate creation is the arch enemy of excuse making.  If we are intentionally and directly creating good things in our lives, we have no time or use for making excuses.  People overcome enormous odds to accomplish magnificent things every single day.  People who view creation this way simply get more done.  They know that there will always be challenges and valid reasons why a thing can’t be done; they simply ignore that fact and push through it.

In business, it’s important that leaders communicate a clear vision for deliberate creation.  Allowing excuse making and negativity to permeate your team will quickly lead to the demise of your plan for action.  Be a leader that encourages mistakes, acknowledging the fact that they are a necessary part of creativity.

Deliberate creation requires an innate ability for imagining the impossible future you want to create.  Collaborative communication from key team players will enhance your company’s ability to build phenomenal success.

Coach Charrise

Again today, I’m reminded of how critical it is in a business to hire, train, and develop the right people.  When all is said and done, you can spend millions of dollars on equipment, technology, marketing, office overhead, and a multitude of other worthy things.  The simple fact is that if you don’t have the right people, you will fail.

When selecting your team, it is apparent to me that there is no more important factor than attitude and mindset.  Everything else can be trained.  Having a positive attitude is a choice, and yet it’s one of the most difficult transitions for a person to make if they consistently sort to the negative.  Negativity is contagious, and when a team makes that turn from positive to negative, the destruction can be devastating to your business.

One negative person has the power to significantly impact your business.  It’s like a virus infecting your team one by one; one at a time, the negative thoughts become more prevalent.  Small things become big things.  Time is wasted not just by the negative person, but also by the number of people he/she has contact with.  It’s a swirl of energy going the wrong direction.

There is a significant cost for tolerating negativity.  Organizations might choose to ignore the problem, burying their heads in the sand in swift denial that a problem exists.  Negativity does not go away until the person chooses to change their attitude, or the organization decides to change the person.

If you can’t change the people, change the people.  Your business success depends upon it.

Coach Charrise

Many studies have been done to measure stress as it relates to our work.  According to a survey by Northwestern Mutual Life, 40% of workers reported that their job is “very or extremely stressful.”  In the same survey, 1/4 of the people claimed that their work is their number one stressor.  Problems at work were linked with more health issues than either family or financial problems.  This level of stress seems to increase with each generation.

Job stress is not to be confused with job challenge; the two are distinctly different.  Being challenged at work is productive and rewarding, energizing us psychologically and physically.  When we meet the challenge and overcome it, we emerge rejuvenated and rewarded.  Our sense of well being increases, which in the end improves our health.

Stress of any kind sets off an alarm in the brain, preparing the body for defensive action.  Unresolved stress keeps the brain on high alert – a perpetual “fight or flight” response.  Constant attacks cause our biological systems to become worn down, causing our immune system to weaken.  This, of course, allows illness to enter our bodies.

What can we do to prevent this from happening?  Here are several suggestions:

1.  Know that your thinking is the cause of much of your stress.  We build stories around incidents, naturally drawn to drama.  We make bad assumptions about the way people view us, perpetually worrying about things that are not real.  Change the story so that it works better for you.

2.  In critical moments of stress, breathe deeply, in and out for several breaths.  This brings oxygen to the brain and causes you to calm down.

3.  Have clearly defined work expectations.

4.  Openly communicate with others, seeking solutions to problems.

5.  See a counselor or hire a coach.

Job stress affects your health, whether you notice it or not.  Take steps to live a healthy, abundant life by being aware of your body and by intentionally taking care of it.

Coach Charrise