Tired of the negative news? Downside got you upside down?

Well, I for one am tired of hearing the word "economy" partnered up with the word "down" and in the vocabulary of almost everyone I meet. Leadership is about influence and the only thing that negative news can do is lead you down the path to more negative where you increase your self-doubt and start sabotaging all that is good around you.

And, with all of the negativity these days, it's bound to cause stress. Speaking from past experience, there's no upside to stress.

Without belaboring the subject because you already know what it does to you and your health, I'd like to share 9 ways to destress on your way to amazing success.

Imagine shooting a laser beam straight at the targeted area and launching!

1. Get Out! Exercise dampens stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, stimulating "feel-good" neurotransmitters called endorphins. Over time, it can produce a natural high in which your body is at peace and your internal dialogue is quiet. Sweet!

2. Head to the Spa! Besides the benefits of taking time to relax, recharge and renew yourself, massage relaxes stress-contracted muscles, increasing blood flow to the heart, helping it to beat more slowly. Not that you needed an excuse to pamper yourself!

3. Go Ohm! Sign up for a yoga class to understand the reason why people in India have done it since 5,000 BC. Yoga uses postures, breath control and meditation to bring together the energy of body, mind, and spirit. The controlled breathing and meditation reduce stress. And, that's a fact!

4. Laugh It Up! A hearty chuckle aids your digestion, stimulates your circulation, increases your "feel-good" endorphins, and awakens your immune system. No joke!

5. Turn Up the Tunes! Research shows that music changes us. Rocking out with a stronger beat stimulates the brain and promotes alertness. Slip into slower melodies to create a calmer, meditative state in the body. Try Dr. Emoto's CD if you want your whole body to be warm and fuzzy. Mmm!

6. Practice Presence! Meditation used to just be for the new-age movement but now it's gone mainstream. Why? Because meditation fights stress by giving us the benefits of being fully engaged in the present moment which means no worries about the future or the past. While there are techniques to help you slow down, like deep breathing or repeating a mantra, nothing beats lighting a candle, putting on some quiet music and clearing your mind. So, slow down!

7. Find a Friend! Stress + Connection = Stressed Out Connection? No silly! Stress + Connection = Support. Friendship keeps you from feeling isolated and alone. Sharing your feelings with someone helps to move forward. We're not talking about dumping but if you lend a shoulder and bend an ear, all of your stress will disappear!

8. Jump into Action! Distract your psyche with a whole host of activities. Scrapbook. Dance. Stamp it up. Play tennis. Swim. Bust out the Sudoko puzzle. Go fishing. Go bowling. Ride a motorcycle. Knit. Learn Spanish. Do ceramics. Draw. Plant a garden. Golf. Now, get going!

9. Ride the Upside! Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that runs through your head each and every day. Pay attention to what yours say. It's easy to slip into negative self-talk, making assumptions and finding fault in what you're doing or not doing. Recognize when you start to spiral downward and replace those thought with more upside ones.

Posted by LMP at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Before the video era existed, my sister and I would spend countless hours playing board games. I loved them all - Monopoly, Battleship, Connect 4 and the list goes on and on. The one that sticks out as being incredibly relevant to life is Chutes and Ladders. It was a game where players try to land on ladders so they can move steps ahead while avoiding chutes which send you back a number of squares.

It was an exciting game of Ups and Downs. As you spin the spinner and move your pawn the number of spaces shown, if you land on a good deed, you move up. But, if you land on a naughty deed, down the chute you go.

As we climb the success ladder in life, it's inevitable that we'll stumble on a loose rung now and then. And, sometimes we're even the cause of the loose rung because of our naughty deeds on our rise to fame and fortune. Our upside attitude will determine whether we lose our footing or find our center and remain balanced despite the outcome. Additionally, these daily challenges strengthen our character so that it is through adversity that we may recognize the power within us to succeed.

Upside Thinking is about unlimited possibilities in and around us. It isn't about challenges not happening or avoiding them either. Regardless of what happens to us or around us, we are where we choose to be. Always choosing to live upside guarantees that good things will continue to happen in our lives. Looking on the bright side of life and expecting incredible, wonderful happenings in our life condition us to seek out more of that. Remember, thoughts become things.

Is your pattern of thinking "upside"? When we make the decision to choose upsde over and over again, it becomes a habit. The process of designing our destiny has begun, whether we know it or not.

Posted by LMP at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour. - Anonymous

Posted by LMP at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I ventured out into the world of entrepreneurialism, I knew little about the technicalities of business. However, I knew three things: 1) I like people (and most people like me because I am honest and integrous), 2) I knew that no matter how good I was or my product was, unless I sold something, I wouldn't stay in business, and 3) I knew leadership.

Interestingly, my career path was vastly different — banking and law enforcement— than most of my peers.

Liking people and getting them to trust you is step one in getting business. And, all professions depend largely upon sales, because we're all selling something, whether it's our great idea, or a methodology, a product or a service. Everyone is looking for best practices.

Just because someone knows and likes you doesn't mean they're sold on your great idea, product, or service. There is a bit more to it than that. And, most sales people will tell you that you have to be tough enough to go through lots of "no's" before getting to the "yes's".

The piece that I believe ties it all together neatly is leadership. Leadership. Ah, yes...leadership is a word with some fuzziness around it. But simply put, leadership is about influence and influencing people to make decisions to say "yes" to your great idea no just because they like you but because it is a great idea.

So, why is this important to an entrepreneur?

When most entrepreneurs start a bursiness, they only want to do what brings them money right now. The actions that will bring them long-term success seem like a waste of time. So they print business cards, tell all of their friends, join a networking group or two, maybe advertise a little, and off they go. No business plan, no developmental plan, and no idea where they're going. If perchance that actually works, when they're interested in growing the business, they fall short and don't know what to do.

Increasing your likeability factor, your product knowledge and ability to make a sale, and your leadership ability, you'll be in the know and on the grow.

Posted by LMP at 05:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)