A Stress-Buster! Good Ole' Gratitude

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." --Melody Beattie

Melody's thought has always been one of my favorite quotes about giving thanks. Today, begins a VERY special week...it is time to get things in perspective. Yes, I see all the stats - unemployment, stock prices, the lines for food, the homeless - I see and hear the pain. I have heard it from people like never before, YET, I know that for me to keep my consciousness high, I re-gain my perspective from gratitude, and it gives me a new look.

I think about about the wonderful experiences I have had in my life that support me - my family upbringing - my parents and how much freedom to learn and explore that I was given. I know my teachers were all perfect - all along the way - grade school and high school - but all the others. My workplaces, my friends, the people who hurt me, those who love me, my dogs, my homes, my vacations, those who come to my classes and teach me....the people I am blessed with in my life today - my partner, Sandy...there is sooooo much and it is what I remind myself this week...

What do I need (vs. want)? I need to know that I am alright, right now...with who I am, what I have, and where I believe I serve this world the best. It is my best live. I am grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all of your blessings today! Look at them all with your heart and feel it - your heart knows that you are ok.

Turning Toward the Sun

"Turn your face to the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you."--unknown

As the clocks get turned back for the season...and daylight hours wane, it might become easy to not see the light that is always around us, surrounding us, in us, in others, and in our life.

Yet, in the infinite world in which we live, the sun is always here, there, and everywhere, if we are open enough to see it. It does mean that we have to take back our focus from the "dark", and re-focus on the light in our lives. It means deattaching ourselves from the hypnosis of the dark thing to looking at "what's right". Yes, lift off from the velco thing that seems to have a hold on us, and re-attach our attention to the light.

The good news is that when we do that, we re-energize from something that is draining us of our energy to focus on the life enhancing goodness we can experience from what's right. Chronic stress occurs when we cannot detach what our worries...regardless of their logic or possibility. But when we can have the mental resilience to pull away from those things, face the sun, those dark things will no longer control our energy, our life, our perceptions, and our world....and the shadows will fall behind us....just like when we moved the clocks back.

One Thing at a Time....Less Stress

Focus - Choose One, Master It, Move On

In his book, "Getting Things Done," David Allen suggests you create a list of "Areas of Focus." Start by looking at the areas you manage in your your personal life or business life. In business you may have these areas: marketing, customer contact, product/service development, operations/administration, strategic planning, IT development, etc. What are the areas in your personal life? Relationships, home, community activities, political causes, etc.

Next, list all your possible projects in your personal and your business life. Be sure to list them all.

Once you have your full projects list, look them over and ask yourself (these are from passionforbusiness.com):

1. Which project will most likely lead me towards my large business goals?

2. Which project will lead me in the direction I want to take for my business?

3. Which project am I ready to tackle now?

4. Which project inspires me? (cool--this is a big clue)

5. Which project scares me? (reflect on why)

Then choose one project that will have the biggest impact for your success. Picking only one reduces any stress you might have about being overwhelmed.

Remember, you don't have to focus on one thing for an entire year. Try it for one week, three months or six months. That is more manageable... and don't throw away the list - you will still do them, just not now. Then, see what results you are getting...see how it feels.

Then, once you complete a project, then you can joyfully move on to the next one on your list. In this way, you can have BOTH things in your life: a successful personal and business life...and develop your system of getting multiple things done in a deliberately effective way.

First, choose one project. Finish it. Then move on to the next.