De-stress with Plants

Nature relieves your Stress and Bringing the Outdoors in Also Helps

Fired Up! bamboo

Many of us know that nature
soothes the soul. Spending time
outside by trees, listening to
the wind, perhaps water
trickling nearby. All of that is restful and
calming in a stressed-out world.

But what you may not realize is
that having plants in your
workspace can make a huge
difference in your stress levels.

Benefits of being around plants
include:

• improved memory

• better concentration
• more patience
• better relationships

The bamboo plant I have in my office is thriving, along with my jade tree and pathos. I highly recomment you use plants indoors and remember that you must take a break from all that technology!

Here’s the full article:

http://www.kare11.com/story/life/home-garden/2014/01/22/green-plants-in-the-workplace-and-home/4780935/

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Aromatherapy: How Scent Can Help

Believe it or not, the scent of lemon in the workplace cuts keyboard
mistakes by 50%! And while keyboard mistakes are not a huge source
of stress, they can lead to major problems when the wrong data is
put into a contract, or the wrong digit is typed into a mortgage agreement.

Fragrance is powerful. It can make a huge difference in
how you deal with stress.

Peppermint, cinnamon, orange or rose fragrance revitalize you while lavender, marjoram and sandalwood relax you.
Peppermint extract on your forehead or temples can help relieve pain immediately. It’s also great for concentration. A University of Cincinnati study found that people who breathe in peppermint oil are immediatelymore alert and better able to focus. Children who eat a peppermint before tests score better. Athletes who inhale peppermint scent
have more energy. Try it the next time you work out.

Vanilla oil is a refreshing way to soothe restless children. It has a positive impact on the limbic center of the brain, which controls emotion, according to a study done at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY. A few drops on the wrists of a child can transform a cranky, whiny child into one who is happy and laughing. Try this on your next road trip.

So the next time you’re stressed out, try reaching for a fragrant oil and see what a difference it makes.

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The Ideal Jobs for Low Stress

What Job is Right for You?

Do you thrive on uncertainty, love a challenge, and like the unexpected?
Or do you prefer consistency, even keel projects, predictable outcomes?
Your answer will determine which job style is right for you.

CareerCast.com has recently done a study on the jobs with the lowest stress levels. Those include audiologists, dieticians, medical records technicians, hair stylists, university professors with tenure, multi-media artists, librarians and jewelers.

The ones with the most stress include jobs with unexpected and unpredictable conditions, like police, firefighters, airline pilots, military, newspaper reporter and taxi drivers.

For a complete look at the article, and expected growth in job categories,
go here: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/stressful-jobs/story?id=21441041#

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Start the Year Out Right

Acknowledge Your Achievements of 2013

It’s easy this time of year to begin planning resolutions, which 70% of people will not keep, and start thinking about what you would do
differently.

But before you even go down that path, it’s really
important to give yourself credit for all you have
achieved in the past year.

Take a few minutes alone or with a close friend and make a list of all that you accomplished in 2013.

Include:

• personal goals or milestones: relationships healed, new friendships, forgiveness,
family growth and development, improvements with your partner or spouse

• health and fitness, better eating choices, more exercise, getting off medications, handling that surgery that you needed, more flossing

• professional goals around your career, job, money, awareness and growth, seminars and trainings you have taken

• spiritual growth and personal development– books you have read, webinars and courses you have taken, participation in your church, inner work, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, etc.

• any other area that is important to you– like play, joy, fun, relaxation, happiness, stress reduction, etc.

Review the list. See how much you did. Pat yourself on the back- you did a great job. Let that really sink in. It’s very important to acknowledge all the parts of ourselves that worked hard and achieved before you set new goal and make new plans. It’s part of the circle of completion, and it gives you new energy for your next steps. Good work! On to 2014!

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Are You Sabotaging Yourself?

Stressed Out man is overwhelmed and burntout

Do not let unconscious habits or negative self-talk determine the direction of your life.

Many capable, talented people find themselves stuck, not because they lack ability, but because they are operating from old patterns. These patterns often come from early experiences, limiting beliefs, or repeated messages about what is possible or appropriate.

Over time, these internal scripts can quietly undermine confidence, clarity, and momentum. Self-doubt creeps in. Comparison takes over. Progress slows, even when the desire for change is strong.

How Self-Sabotage Shows Up

Self-sabotage rarely looks dramatic. More often, it appears as hesitation, overthinking, perfectionism, or postponing action. It can sound like a familiar inner voice saying:

You are not ready yet.
You should wait until things are clearer.
Others are more qualified than you.
This is risky. Stay where it is safe.

These thoughts feel protective, but they often keep people stuck in situations that no longer fit who they are becoming.

Awareness Creates Choice

The first step out of self-sabotage is awareness. When you notice your internal dialogue without judgment, you create space. In that space, you gain the ability to choose a different response.

Instead of reacting automatically, you can pause and ask:

Is this belief actually true?
Is it helping or limiting me?
What would a more grounded, resilient response look like?

Small Shifts Create Momentum

Lasting change does not require dramatic overhauls. It starts with small, intentional shifts. Choosing one aligned action. Reframing one limiting thought. Following through on one commitment.

Over time, these small choices rebuild trust in yourself. Confidence grows. Energy returns. What once felt overwhelming begins to feel manageable.

Resilience Is a Practice

Moving beyond self-sabotage is not about eliminating doubt forever. It is about learning how to respond to doubt with steadiness and intention. That capacity sits at the heart of leadership resilience, especially in moments of uncertainty or pressure.

When you strengthen your ability to notice patterns, regulate emotion, and act with purpose, you create a foundation that supports both personal fulfillment and sustained performance.

You are not broken. You are learning. And you have far more choice than you may realize.

You deserve a life built on clarity, confidence, and aligned action.

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Can Entrepreneurs Save the World?

They are Changing the World and You Can Too

In this month’s issue of Forbes magazine, there are some compelling articles about how entrepreneurs are making a huge difference in the world. I encourage you to pick up the issue and read it, because it is one of the most hopeful and encouraging news I have read in a long time.

An unlikely alliance, Bill Gates and Bono, have made huge strides in tackling HIV/AIDS as well as reducing severe illness around the world. Today, there are 9 million people on AIDS medication, according to Bono, where in 2003, there were only 50,000. Infant mortality worldwide is down substantially from 9.4 million to 7.2, in large part to the work of entrepreneurs pooling with charitable donors.

Paul Tudor Jones, Wall Street wizard, is making huge changes to education, starting in Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY and expanding throughout NY. His Robin Hood Foundation is making huge strides. It’s built 62 libraries in public schools, provided relief after 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, and contributes to after-school, pre-school and postnatal care.

As an entrepreneur, you can adopt a local or international charity and make it the center of your company’s giving efforts. Or you can give your folks time off to donate hours to the non-profit of their choosing. You can match their donations. And you can contribute your ingenuity and time to a board, sharing your innovative concepts. We can all make a huge difference in the world- one entrepreneur at a time. This kind of purpose-driven impact is central to inspirational leadership speaking that challenges entrepreneurs to use their influence for meaningful change.

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Embrace Your Blessings

This is a sad week for my family. We lost a nephew at 18 and our sister is having major surgery on Monday. But in the midst of the pain of loss, I am reminded how fortunate we are- to have each other, to have homes and food, to have the freedoms that this great country of America provides.

There are so many who don’t have that much. We were fortunate to participate in a drive for Community Connections, a terrific non-profit here in Jacksonville Fl that prevents poverty and homelessness. The Thanksgiving drive provides holiday food and fixings for hundreds of families, and brighten what might otherwise be a very sad and hungry time. Choosing gratitude during difficult moments helps people stay grounded and emotionally steady, reinforcing leadership resilience in times of loss, stress, and uncertainty.

So this season, truly embrace your blessings. I count my friends, my kitties, my work, my wonderful husband, my garden and God as great gifts. Notice how not one of those was materially based. We have so much when we have each other. I am grateful forall of you and wish you joy, love and peace this season.

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Are Entrepreneurs Optimists?

Loving What You Do Makes
All the Difference

A new report from Gallup shows that entrepreneurs are more optimistic
about the future than regular workers. They also have somewhat more stress and worry than non self-employed people.

But unquestionably, their optimism wins out. 30% of those inthe study imagine they will enjoy “their best possible life” in 5 years. Only 25% of workers felt that way.

Part of the reason for entrepreneurial optimism and positive expectancy is that they love what they do, this practice also builds resilience in the face of pressure. Going to work every day to do some.thing they are excited about makes all the difference. Also entrepreneurs are constantly learning and growing, key components for happiness.

Optimists also sell 56% more than pessimists and live 7 years longer, according to a Yale University study.

Isn’t time you started thinking more positively? Optimism is a 75% learned trait, so in every situation, start looking at the bright side. What can you learn from the situation? What good connections, contacts, opportunities arose?

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What If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

What Would You Do?

Too often in our world, we limit ourselves, we stop ourselves from going for our dreams. But daydreaming about success and big dreams is powerful- it’s how some of our greatest inventions came about, and how software we use everyday was created.

Ask yourself this question: What would I do if I knew I could not fail? Really seriously consider it and allow yourself to visualize all the things you would do. Over time, effective leaders develop resilient leadership practices that allow them to stay clear-headed understand the opportunities of overcoming personal obstacles. Maybe you would start a foundation to help children, maybe you would create the next cure for cancer, maybe you would develop a new strategy for world peace. You will never know until you try.

Be aware that these things can limit your thinking:

• our own negative beliefs: I can’t because (I don’t have a degree, I don’t have enough money, etc etc.- all myths)
• our circle of friends is too small and too negative- whiners and complainers
• quitting on ourselves because we have made mistakes int he past

All truly successful people have failed, and failed often. That’s why they succeed.
They learn from each failure and translate it into an opportunity. They never
give up and neither should you.

Did you know?

Sandra Day O’Connor could not get a job as a lawyer when she graduated from law school in 1952. Instead, she chose to enter public service, and served as county deputy attorney before opening her own law firm. In 1981 she became the first woman Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

When Henry Ford wanted to create the V-8 engine, he was told repeatedly that it was impossible. He sent his staff back to work and told them to stay on the job until they did what he asked. After a year, there was no success. He told them to keep at it. He knew persistence would pay off. Eventually they did it and the V-8 became a huge success. It helped Ford and his motor company outstrip the competition and take the lead in the automotive market. He refused to believe “It’s impossible.”

It’s now your turn. Spend some time dreaming and visualizing what you would do. You could make a huge difference in the world!

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How To Protect Your Website

From Access to Hackers, there are dangers to your site

1. Get ftp access & admin access to your website

Nowadays, most websites are created in WordPress, although there are some sites in other formats. Whatever format your site is designed in, be sure you have full access to all content from your web designer. That means you need ftp name, user name and password and for WordPress, get admin name and password. NEVER use the word admin as your user name… that’s how many hackers access your site.

2. Always register your domaine on a separate website than where your site is hosted- again for security. So if you bought your domaine at godaddy, use a different hosting company. And make sure if you hire someone to do your site that YOU own your site name and that it is registered to you, not them. This is a problem that happens often and if you have a falling out with your web designer, you are in trouble.

3. Copyright your content and make sure others don’t use it as theirs. If you are frequent blogger, it is entirely possible someone else is using your information without giving you credit. Use copyscape.com to check and see if your blog is being used by others. I did this and found out an entire section of one of my email newsletters was lifted by a reader and used word for word in her blog- without giving me credit.

4. Same goes for webinars. If you give out worksheets or powerpoints, be sure to let others know this is copyrighted material and they do not have the right to use it without your permission.

5. Back up your site weekly, even if your hosting company does it, too. You never know when hackers may hit you or your hosting company, and you can never be too careful.

6. If you do a great deal of ecommerce and the web is a major source of income for you, hire a security specialist. Regina Smola of WP Security Lock is a good source. Check her at www.wpsecuritylock.com

For a free report on how to get and stay Fired Up!, go here http://firedupnow.com/top20tips/

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Acknowledge Your Achievements of 2013

How Self-Sabotage Shows Up

Awareness Creates Choice

Small Shifts Create Momentum

Resilience Is a Practice

Loving What You Do MakesAll the Difference

What Would You Do?

From Access to Hackers, there are dangers to your site

Loving What You Do Makes
All the Difference