Free Newsletter Call Email

September 1, 2013

The Sunny Side of Life III

I teach my audiences and clients 5 Rays to help them rise above their circumstances and live life on the sunny side!

• Entitlement Expectations
• SPF
• Labeling
• Mindful Talk
• Celebration

Hopefully your July and August were a little happier after reading the past two news letters on Entitlement Expectations, SPF, Labeling and Mindful Talk!
This month we are going to wrap up the Sunny Side series with Celebration!

Ray 5 – Celebration

It’s time to celebrate life, even the little things in life…we take things so seriously…we get so busy…we don’t allow time to celebrate. If we don’t make time to celebrate we will lose our joy for life.

Being present is the first step in celebration! It is important to filter out all the noise from worry and fear and focus on what is actually happening in the present moment. It is only when we are present in the moment that we become aware of all the little things in life worth celebrating.

The next step is to lighten up and have a little fun! Seriously…it’s time we stop taking our self so serious and acting so important. We are but a spec on this planet. Yes I know we are all sooo sooo busy doing whatever it is we are doing that is sooo important for the rest of the world to continue to exist. I think the planet will survive if we take a moment now and again to act silly and have a little fun!

When we are stressed and don’t feel like celebrating; if we change our physiology (body patterns) we can change our psychology. Body patterns are the repeated actions our body reflects when we feel certain emotions. They are how our body speaks to us and therefore have a direct connection to our mood. Some examples of negative body patterns that make us feel stressed are rubbing temples, wringing our hands or a hunched over closed position. Whereas smiling, laughing, or a victory pose (Ta-dah) are positive body patterns that help us feel happier. So if we want to change our mood to be happier all we have to do is change our body pattern and we will feel like celebrating!

Harvard research supports that if we just get happy we will be more:
Successful
Intelligent
Creative
Productive
Healthier

Celebrate by saying a Ta-dah a day and be more successful, intelligent, creative, and productive while keeping the doctor away!

August 1, 2013

the Sunny Side of Life, Part II

I teach my audiences and clients 5 Rays to help them rise above their circumstances and live life on the sunny side!

  • Entitlement Expectations
  • SPF
  • Labeling
  • Mindful Talk
  • Celebration

Hopefully your July was happier after reading last month’s news letter on Entitlement Expectations and SPF!  This month we are going to continue on with Labeling and Mindful Talk!

Ray 3 – Labeling

Words that label have tremendous impact on our attitude and how we feel. We have to be careful about how we label the relationships, events and outcomes we have in life. If we label something as bad it becomes our belief and we manifest feelings and emotions that support the label of bad. I find using the word interesting instead of bad takes away the negative power.

Our beliefs of positive and negative are based on our past experiences. If we do something and we have what we believe to be a negative outcome we will label it as negative. Yet we may have an entirely different outcome if we attempted to do it again. For example, I went on a hot air balloon ride over Napa Valley for my 50th birthday (just a few short years ago). It was serene and wonderful. I am even afraid of heights and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would label it as a very positive experience. However the following day the winds came up unexpectedly and the balloons had a difficult time landing. I may have labeled it as negative had I gone on that day…and most likely would never consider going again. The great news is we can change our belief from negative to positive when we add new experiences that our positive.

Truthfully, how can we label something as good or bad if we don’t know the end? None of us have a crystal ball. So how do we really know if something is good or bad? There have been many things in my life that at the time seemed interesting that actually turned out generating a very positive outcome. Haven’t we all thought or said this is going to be bad at one time or another and yet it turned out to be one the best things to happen to us. 


 

Ray 4 – Mindful Talk

It is imperative that we are mindful of our self talk if we want to live life on the sunny side!  The majority of self talk takes place so quickly and automatically that we don’t even notice we are doing it. Even if you don’t really listen to your chatter, your subconscious mind is listening.  The subconscious mind just accepts everything you tell it, and responds accordingly. 

 Some examples of negative self-talk are:

  • Worry – Fear of what if ???
  • Perfectionism – Not good enough or should haves!
  • Self-Criticism – Compares you to others, with you being the loser.
  • Self-Doubt – Lack of confidence that you can do or achieve your dreams.
  • Being a Victim – You have no control over your circumstances, and you and your life are bad luck!

The awesome news is we can hard wire our brain to start thinking more positively!  When we have mindful talk and actively choose where to focus our thoughts and repeatedly apply it to a wholesome and constructive thought we eliminate the negative deceptive self talk!

May 1, 2013

Laughter Is The Best Medicine!

Add a regular dose of laughter to every day and you will not only be happier you will also be healthier! However, it is not always so easy to do. We get so busy we focus only on just getting the job done. We don’t slow down enough to take time to laugh! We need to add laughter to our list of priorities! Who doesn’t want to be happier and healthier? I am going to bombard you with the benefits of laughing! Here are the WIIFY (What’s in it for you) if you do!

Laughter triggers healthy physical changes in the body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the functon of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Now that I have your attention…it’s time to practice laughing! That’s right; it’s just like anything else. If you want to be good at it you have to practice. Think about it. When was the last time you had a hearty laugh? No I am not talking about a little chuckle. I am talking about a throw your head back, side holding, and tear streaming…almost pee in your pants laugh! You don’t need to have a sense of humor, be happy or have any reason to laugh. You can just laugh for the sake of laughing! Maybe you don’t feel like laughing. It is important to laugh whether you feel like it or not. Just review the WIIFY list again if you doubt me. Instead of having you read how to make yourself laugh let Dr. Madan Kataria an expert on the subject…show you!

So did you laugh? I hope so…I sure did! Now how do you feel? Just one a day will help you to get on your way to a happier and healthier life!

March 1, 2013

Making Decisions that Get Results! How to Soar in 2013!

 Make Decisions that Get Results!

Decisions, decisions, decisions…what to do, when, where, why and how!  Many of us do not like moving outside our comfort zone. We like to feel safe and secure so we resist making decisions. We don’t want to look foolish or fall flat on our faces.  The older we get the more complacent we become.  The problem with complacency is it kills our passion.  It makes us play ourselves small. It clips our wings and keeps us from soaring to new heights.  The decision of whether to play it safe and hang on to what we know and just survive…or take a leap of faith and go after our dreams and try to soar!

The five fundamental phases in the decision making process are choice, assessment, conviction, determination, and result.  So let’s start with Choice because it is the starting point for all our decisions.  Just like Before we can make a decision we need to narrow down our focus to our main priority.  (I invite you to read February’s newsletter if you want to read more about focus.)  What will be your focus for 2013?  Will it be just to continue doing the same things you have always done and play it safe or will it be to take on new things to attempt to soar?  Choosing your focus will determine where you go!

The second phase is Assessment.  Assessing our strengths and where we need to grow to soar will determine when and where we need to focus.

Conviction is the third phase.  Having conviction that we can achieve our goal allows us to try new things and push ourselves to heights we have never been before. 

 Determination is the fourth phase.  If we don’t have determination we will not be be willing to put forth the effort to do the work whenever necessary to implement, maintain and sustain our goal!

The fifth and final phase is Result!  It is important to know what you want your end result to be…otherwise, how will you know when to celebrate your success! 

 It’s your decision!  How high will you soar?

 

July 23, 2012

The Power of O.R.A.N.G.E.!

What is the power of O.R.A.N.G.E.?  Different colors create different energy.  Orange creates feelings of happiness and positive energy.  I felt the need to come up with an acronym for orange.  Optimistic Radiant Attitudes Nurture Good Energy!  O.R.A.N.G.E simply is about having a positive attitude to attract good energy into your life.  Listen to this month’s video to learn how you can radiate an Optimistic Radiant Attitude to Nurture Good Energy in your life!

June 22, 2012

W.O.W. Patient Philosophy

This month is dedicated to creating a W.O.W. Patient Environment Philosophy.  W.O.W. is an acronym for “weed out weeds”.  We implement wonderful amenities like warm towels, aromatics and massage chairs to entice new patients and retain existing patients but fail to see the weeds we have growing in our office.  Weeds are anything that can make our patients feel unwelcome or uncomfortable and damage a relationship.  We want to weed out the weeds and instead nurture flowers.  Flowers are what make our patients feel welcome and help our relationship to grow and flourish. Set yourself apart from your colleagues, embrace a W.O.W. Patient Philosophy and be the office patients can’t stop talking about!

May 25, 2012

A Habit Away From Success! How to Sustain Change

You have just heard the most fantastic speaker share a step-by-step process for 5 systems that will make your business thrive!  Instant success right?  Wrong!  The problem is we learn what we need to do to implement change but we don’t learn what we need to do to sustain what we implement.  All the good intentions and great ideas in the world won’t make a difference if we can’t sustain them!   Forming new habits is the key to sustain change!  Listen to Judy Kay share her R.I.S.E. Philosophy to help you implement any new idea, system or protocol!   Learn how to form new habits and R.I.S.E. to Success!     

 

April 30, 2012

Fluff & Stuff of Appreciation

What’s the big deal?  After all how important could appreciation really be?  The truth is appreciation is not fluff but instead it is really the stuff that helps nurture our purpose and value!  Please watch the video below!

February 22, 2012

Habits = Sustainabiltiy = Success!

You have just heard the most fantastic speaker or practice management coach share a step-by-step process for 5 systems that will make your business thrive!  Instant success right?  Wrong!  The problem is we learn what we need to do to implement our goals but we don’t learn what we need to do to sustain what we implemented.  All the good intentions and great ideas in the world won’t make a difference if we can’t maintain and sustain them!   

 I love the quote by Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit.”  Therefore, if we want to achieve excellence we must make it a habit.  A habit is doing without thinking.

 Here are 5 steps to take what you implement and make it a habit!

1. Cleary define the process/system/protocol to the entire team

2. Establish as SOP (Standard Operating Procedures)

3. Be consistent & realistic with routines & repetitions

  • What we do and what we say, when, where & how
  • Every day, every visit, every patient, every team member, etc
  • Don’t settle – 3 out of 5 is not good enough, 5 out of 5 is

4. A habit forms after 18 to 254 days of repeated practice (average is 66 days)

5. Schedule regular check-ups

  • Quarterly – just like bacteria, old behaviors may surface

Dr. John Grohol wrote in an article that when researchers examined different habits, many of the participants showed a curved relationship between implementation practice and automaticity (automatic processing of information).  On average a plateau in automaticity was reached after 66 days. In other words it had become as much of a habit as it was ever going to become.  Although the average was 66 days, there was marked variation in how long habits took to form, anywhere from 18 days up to 254 days depending on the difficulty of the habits examined in this study.

So 66 days later, a simple habit might be in place and on automatic pilot. But as the research shows, it could as long as 8 1/2 months for more complicated habits to take hold.  This is why it is so important to continue to remind and reinforce new SOP’s at your Daily Huddles and Monthly Team Meetings and Quarterly Workshops!

« Newer Posts