Focus Focus Focus!

With so many things going on in life, we must stay focused on our tasks at hand in order to get things accomplished! Keeping our eyes secure on our goals and priorities is the key to success. The Holiday season brings with it, excitement and chaos and it is very important that we do not get side tracked.

In my business, this time of the year is a time to plan and gear up for what’s to come in the New Year. It’s a time, to clean house, to get organized and prepared for 2010! That being said, it has been so hard for me to focus on that plan because it seems as though there is so much to do, and it can be so overwhelming. Add to that, Christmas parties, gifts, and current work and responsibilities and all of the sudden I feel trapped and unable to accomplish anything.

Staying focused, with a sharp attention to our priorities is crucial. This may be a good time to make a list. Prioritize tasks, life, all of the things that are important and start tackling them one at a time. In the last few days I have heard many people say "I’m going to get everything taken care of next week before the holiday". This truly is a great time to get things done but it seems as though we are constantly putting things off until a later date because we feel that miraculously we are going to get "less busy". The truth is that we live busy lives, we have a lot going on, and there are a million and one distractions to take us away from the things most important. We must stay focused in order to successfully accomplish those priorities.

Now of course, in my life, it is always so easy to directly relate everything to my work and my job. But this focus is not only about our work or our career. This focus is important for all aspects of our lives including relationships, jobs, family, faith, health, etc. Don't "blow your diet" because it is the holidays or slack at work because you are thinking about what Santa will bring. The time is now to get focused and get things accomplished and taken care of. Finish this year on the right note to set the tempo for 2010!

-EC

Give Thanks!

So I was doing a little reading up on what Thanksgiving is all about. Of course we all know that it is about the Pilgrims and Indians coming together for a feast. I later read that the feast was actually organized to thank God for his favors (http://www.thanksgiving-day.org). Wikipedia says "Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general”. Dictionary.com defines it as “a day set apart for giving thanks to God.”

The Pilgrims had an incredible journey over to the Americas that lasted 66 days in super harsh conditions and thus, a lot to thank God about. We too, have a lot to give thanks for! We live in beautiful places, we have food to eat, water to drink, the ability to go and get a job or start a business. We also have great friends, great family, great abilities and talents, and soooooo much more!

Of course, everyone can think "well the place I live is not so nice" or "it's not really that easy to find a job these days", etc, etc, etc. But no matter what your situation is, there are things in your life that are Great, and there are things in your life that are worth being thankful for.

"We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants, or the special subject of our petitions."
-Albert Barnes

So in this wonderful Holiday season, Give Thanks! Invite your friends and family to be thankful with you. Share with the people around you that you are thankful and what you are thankful for! There are a million ways to give thanks and it doesn’t matter how you do it, just give thanks!

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.
-W.J. Cameron

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a safe and wonderful holiday

EC

Swine Attitude! Its Contagious

Your attitude is like the swine flu.......it’s contagious! Attitude affects many things, including the people around you. Your friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances will catch your bad attitude and spread it to others, just like the Swine Flu.

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching? ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering


Work on your attitude. Take a few moments each morning to think about your attitude. If you feel a bad attitude or thought coming on, have the discipline to catch yourself and push it away. Thinking positive will make you feel positive!

A positive attitude can only be a great thing! For those of you that believe that attitude does not affect the outcome, then this "attitude check" will at least make the time waiting for the outcome more pleasant for you and the people around you. For those of you that do think attitude affects outcome (which I do) then you will not only improve the experience leading to the outcome, but the outcome itself.

Today is a perfect day to start with a positive attitude. Start when you wake up. Think about how awesome it is to wake up early and get a head start on your week. Move on to that "perfect" breakfast and out the door for some peaceful traffic on the way to work! Greet your colleagues in the office with a smile and maybe a hand shake and then get cranking on whatever it is you have to do today. Every hour or so, stop what you are doing and remind yourself about the positive attitude you will be carrying today. It’s so simple and I promise will make a huge difference in how your day goes as well as the day of the people around you!

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

EC

Spread the love!

So I have been thinking lately about starting a blog to spread the love and bring a positive perspective to the people around me. It is my goal to contribute in any way I can to making your day, week, month, whatever a little better. So here it is!

Today's life can be tough and harsh and sometimes a little "love" can really make a big difference in how we live out our lives. Helping someone out is often the difference between a bad day and a good day! So if you are reading this, do yourself and everyone a favor and Spread the LOVE!

Spreading love can come in so many ways, shapes and forms and in fact there is no real, right or wrong way of doing it. It is simple, just Spread the Love! A good start would be to walk around with a smile on your face and really smile genuinely when you see people. Something so simple as a smile could have such an incredible impact on others. When someone smiles at you, it’s hard, if not impossible, to not smile back. Even if you don’t smile back, you definitely think about smiling back, and that my friends is Spreading the love!

Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. - Norman MacEwan

Monday is a perfect day to Spread the Love! I am definitely going to commit to Spreading the Love and could use your help!

EC