Rule 32: Live One Life
Christine Kittinger loves boys Will and Joey, and husband Steve - a fantastic dad who can fix anything. She is Vice President of a human resources consulting firm, Assets Unlimited.
Popular opinion in the area of work-life balance seems to hold that the best way to excel at work and at home is to keep the two lives separate. Focus only on work at work, and only on the family at home. Do you really need two lives? Not me. One is quite enough, thank you!
My boys and my work are sources of great joy (more often than not) and fulfillment in my life. Over the years, I have found that incorporating my home and work lives have brought me greater happiness and success.
Enter my office, and you see photos of my boys gracing the bookcase, and their smiling faces pop into view whenever the screensaver kicks in on my computer. I know the work environment may sometimes dictate otherwise. Some offices truly are not family friendly, but I find that the charm of a toothless baby smile or my older son’s cocky grin will warm the heart of even my most “cool” clients. They look, they smile, a short conversation that is more personal than professional follows, and we are suddenly both more human and sometimes even feel an instant bond.
Thoughts of my boys also help lighten my mood on the toughest of workdays. One morning when my son Will was three years old, I was walking him to his preschool class. As we neared his classroom, he gave me a once over and asked why I was wearing my “fancy suit clothes.” I told him I had an important meeting. He looked up at me and asked, “are you going to dance there?” I laughed and said, “No, I don’t think so.” He got very serious, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Well, you should, Mommy.” I told him he was right, we really should dance at the meeting. I managed to contain my laughter until he was inside the room. The vision of the Board of Directors dancing around the conference room practically had me rolling on the floor.
His comment kept me smiling through that meeting, and mentioning it to a few of my mom (and even dad) clients has actually resulted in a few quick waltz steps and one great “John Travolta Saturday Night Fever” moment.
Of course, you have to know your audience. In many cases, children create a common bond. But there are also those professionals who do adhere to the “work is work and home is home”, philosophy. I don’t start conversations with new clients by talking about my children. I usually follow their cues: family photos in their office, or Little League trophies on the desk. Sometimes the family talk comes out further down the line. Sometimes it never comes up at all. Yes, I do have clients who I work with regularly that don’t know much about my boys. If they’ve been with me for a while, they definitely know they exist, but I can sense that they want to focus on the job at hand, and I will not try to convert them.
Just as my boys bring joy to my work days, feeling free to talk about work at home, and even letting them see me work during the evening when necessary, is already having a great influence on the boys. I am not sure they understand exactly what a client is, but they must think a client is something good and nice. The boys regularly pick pretty flowers and leaves in the morning and ask me to give them to my clients. Sometimes I do!
A small sign near my desk says, “Mothers of little boys work from son up to son down.” True. And it can be great fun if you don’t divide your time, and truly live one, wonderful life.
As excerpted from “42 Rules ™ for Working Moms” Super Star Press, 2008.
Author Bio: Laura Lowell is the executive editor and author of “42 Rules for Working Moms.” She has gathered practical advice and information from working moms all over the world to share with others. She lives and works in Silicon Valley with her husband and two girls. http://www.42rules.com/working_moms/index
Category: Self Help
Keywords: 42 rules, working moms, Laura Lowell
Desperate to Lose Weight Quickly: I Am Desperate to Lose Weight
If you have gained a lot of weight or have been overweight your whole life, the desire to get rid of those excess pounds is very strong and can even make you feel kind of desperate. Just know that you are not alone - there are millions of people thinking to themselves right now . . .
I’m so desperate. How do I lose weight successfully?
This is a good question and unfortunately, there are way too many opportunistic companies willing to take advantage of your current state of mind. You are at a very vulnerable point right now and you may be tempted to try one of the many fad diets circulating around the weight loss community.
I hope that you can hang on a little bit longer without giving in to the many false promises of quick fix weight loss plans and products. These will only lead you to experience more disappointment (and I’m sure you’ve had a lot of that already). Most successful diet plans will include good food nutrition and weight loss goals that are realistic and doable.
Now I’m not going to lie to you and say it will be easy. The first week or so of any diet plan is going to be the hardest, because you are changing your eating habits. And your eating habits must change because that’s what is keeping you fat and miserable.
Decide right now that you are going to make a commitment to yourself (you can’t lose weight for anybody but you), and do whatever it takes to stick to a healthy eating plan and include some moderate exercise in your life (like walking) in order to permanently drop those pounds for good.
No matter what anybody tells you (or tries to sell you), there is simply no substitute for eating healthier and getting up off the couch and moving your body around. When it comes to burning the fat and calories, you keep hearing it because it works!
Keep in mind that you may experience some ups and downs on the diet plan that you choose. Many great diet plans allow you to have some cheat days, where you can eat whatever you want, but you may still find yourself cheating a bit too often. If this should happen, don’t get down on yourself. You’re only human, just get back on the plan and take it day by day.
Reward yourself: Pay yourself a dollar for each day you stay on track, then buy yourself something nice after you’ve reached your goal weight.
Some people struggle with the exercise part of dieting. If you should reach a point when you’re scratching your head and asking yourself . . .
Why can’t I lose weight when I exercise everyday?
Exercising can get monotonous. If you’re doing the exact same type of exercise, then you need to change it up a bit. One day you go walking, the next day you’re on the recumbent bike, the next day you lift weights, the next day you do a yoga workout, etc.
Your body can be a fat-burning machine, but it needs variety to stay that way. The fact is, you don’t even have to exercise everyday to get results. Three times a week for 30 minutes is good enough.
So now that you are committed to losing weight permanently, all you need to do is choose which diet plan is going to work for you the best. It’s okay that you’re feeling desperate right now. You can use your desperation to create a mindset that will keep you motivated, while you sculpt your body into the slim person you know you can be.
Author Bio: Discover the truth about top diet plans online
3 Absolutely Fabulous Be Slimmer Weight Loss Tips That Burn Fat Fast
No matter what you think about your body right this very minute, realize that you can be suddenly slimmer within a mere 30 to 90 days if you decide that you’re gonna choose a healthy lifestyle and eating plan, and stick to it no matter what.
First, let’s get your mind in the right place. The next time you look at yourself in the mirror, I want you to say out loud to yourself: “I’m fabulous. In 30 to 90 days I’m gonna look and feel fabulous.”
Okay, once your head is in the right place, you can move on to the nitty gritty of changing your eating and lifestyle habits. Make up your mind right now that you are going to have a new body and you are committed to following through with whatever it is you have to do look fabulous.
Here are three things that will absolutely help you to burn fat off quicker (simple yes, but they work)
Go on a Calorie Rotation Diet for 30
Learn Black Ops Hypnosis From the Underground Hypnosis
Have you always have the childhood dream of hypnotizing someone when you watch TV? You watch as they swing the pendulum over a person’s eyes and watch as if their eyes close or turn into a different color (in a cartoon) and they literally step forward to do your bidding.
Is it the same in real life? Yes and no actually. Yes because it is possible to hypnotize someone and no because it doesn’t employ cheesy methods that are used on the TV.
Here is a brief history of Hypnosis. According to Wikipedia, Hypnosis is known as the technique is sometimes used for medical purposes. It is used to relieve anxiety, and improve or alter the behaviour of people. Wikipedia claims that its effectiveness has been clinically demonstrated in many areas, most notably in the area of acute pain relief. But there are other usages as well. It is also used in popular stage acts in which subjects are persuaded to perform bizarre feats. So this covers the background on what hypnosis is actually all about in general.
Black ops hypnosis a little different from general hypnosis. It is a very popular method out there that is used to hypnotize someone successfully. Have you ever wondered why certain individuals you meet literally mesmerize you and they are able to convince you into believing what they say or accept the way they are thinking?
Sometimes, these very people seem to have a compelling kind of power attracts you. They will talk to you and you will do their bidding! In actual fact, this secret is revealed before and it is called black ops hypnosis. You see, Black ops hypnosis can really tap into the subconscious mind and you can easily learn it and get people to do your bidding fast!
This technique is not weird nor is it some magic trick. If you study the methods carefully, Black Ops hypnosis is a technique that combines neural linguistic programming or NLP, seduction methods and regular hypnosis to create a potent effect. First, you need to have a basic understanding on how hypnosis works. In the hypnosis methods you see on TV, the subject is asked to relax themselves and shortly afterwards, that are made to go in a deep trance. Once they are in that trance, the hypnotist will tell them or give suggestion to the subconscious mind and this will cure his ailments or problems. Black Ops Hypnosis is more a bit more like mind control.
A person who truly harnesses the power of Black ops hypnosis is able to tap into the power of the mind. If you use it wisely, you will find all sorts of good things happening in your life like people agreeing with you or even scoring a date with someone else!
There are many ways you can utilize this to your advantage. All you need to do is get the right kind of information and you will know how to make full use of it easily. It is all up to how much you want to push your limits in your mind to become a master hypnotist.
Author Bio: To learn more about Black Ops Hypnosis, visit the Black Ops Hypnosis Review here at: http://www.blackopshypnosis.org/
Category: Self Help
Keywords: black ops hypnosis,underground hypnosis,taylor starr,self help,health,persuasion,hypnosis
Remember to Have Fun
Too often we get so busy and focused managing our businesses that we forget life is supposed to be fun. I’m as guilty of this as anyone. Running a business is serious work so we seem justified by keeping our noses to the grindstones. Unfortunately, when we do that we often forget to enjoy our businesses and our work.
And that’s too bad because after spending 42 years on this planet I am convinced that we are supposed to have fun on a daily basis. They say laughter is the best medicine & I agree. I think we all know that enjoying what we do is healthy for our minds and bodies and our spirits. But, it’s also good for our businesses.
Remember, people like doing business with people they like. And, there’s no one more likable than someone who is clearly enjoying themselves. Nothing brightens my day more than someone with an easy smile and a ready laugh.
Think of the people you spend time with (regardless whether for business or personal reasons). No doubt there are one or more people who always bring a smile to your face just by being around them. Do you think they affect others the same way? Do you think they have customers who enjoy them as much as you do? I’d bet they do.
So, what do you do when you’re NOT enjoying yourself? If you’re feeling stressed and harried and your blood pressure is rising, what can you do? Here are some things that always work for me. Maybe they’ll work for you too:
1. Laugh out loud. You might want to be in private when you do this but try it, it really works.
2. Smile. No matter what the situation, just smile. It simply feels good.
3. Call or visit a friend, your spouse or anyone who is guaranteed to bring some sunshine to your day. (My wife is great at this.)
4. Find a dog to pet. Dogs are naturally happy, their joy is contagious and they like everyone.
5. Take a walk. Exercise, fresh air and a change of scenery are great ways to pull you out of any slump.
6. Help someone. Few things in this world feel better than taking time to do something for another person. Plus you generate good karma!
7. Pay someone a compliment. Of course it should be sincere but it’s usually not hard to do if you think about it.
8. If you’re stuck in an office, look up some good jokes on the Internet. I’m partial to Steven Wright, so here is a link to some of his humorous thoughts.
9. Meditate. Close your eyes, breathe deeply and clear your mind. Here’s a website with some tips.
10. Write down 10 good things about your life. Once you get started, this is easy.
So, there you have my Top 10 ways to keep your spirits up. No matter what you do, be good to yourself and your business and have some fun every day.
Author Bio: Kevin Stirtz is the Amazing Service Guy. He is a customer service speaker and trainer who helps companies increase revenue and profits by delivering Amazing Service. Kevin has spoken to thousands of people across the USA and in Europe about how to improve customer service. Get a free copy of Kevin’s Amazing Service Toolkit at: http://amazingserviceguy.com
Category: Self Help
Keywords: customer service, customer service training, customer loyalty