Happy Holidays to All!

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The month of December has seemed to fly by with all of the holiday preparations.  We were blanketed with snow here the past three days (and it’s quite cold, too!)  It will be nice to have a “white” Chistmas even though we don’t anticipate any snow on Christmas day.

As I wind down for some much needed R&R during the holiday vacation time, I wanted to wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season!

I look forward to sharing more with you in the new year!

In the meantime, be well and enjoy a gratitude filled holiday.

Peace, love, and gratitude,

Power Surge or Power Drain? You Are Your Own Power Source!

I’m so thrilled to introduce this week’s guest blogger, Mary Jane (MJ) Paris of Positive Impact Consulting.  MJ is hard at work bringing a positive impact to the workplace and shares her thoughts with us:

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As we approach another holiday season and roll into the beginning of another new year – personally and professionally – it’s natural to reflect a bit.  Ever the time for looking at where we are, where we’ve been and, with a sense of hope, where we’re going.  New budgets, new goals and, of course, our personal self-improvement resolutions are on the horizon! Before I continue, let me say that you are a terrific person who’s doing the best you can with what you have right now.  It’s been a difficult few months out there for all of us and we need to remember that we will be fine…patience, perseverance, positive.

December and January are typically the time for organizational and business leaders/managers to wrap up year-end activities; review the past year’s successes and areas for improvement; for revising goals and making adjustments in budgets and the overall workplace. The wild economic ride and ensuing changes during the past few months of 2008 have brought change and choices to all of us in one way or another with some more drastic than others. Whether it was change you or your employees chose or change that chose you or them, the effect can be draining on our personal power source. How are you doing? How are your employees doing? Have you asked them? Talked with them “P2P” (people-to-people)?

Just like you, I have experienced life’s changes and choices – some I made and some that chose me – changes in residence, geographic relocation, divorce, single parenthood, job changes, job elimination, job betrayals, downsizing, finishing my education while working full-time, elderly parents’ declining health, starting my business…and the list goes on. Some of you may have heard me say, “I used to be six feet tall, look what happened!”  And cap it off by saying, “I’m on the grow again!”

As I reflect, here’s how I’ve coped…when a “perceived negative event” occurs, sure, I’ve gone through the stages of grief, anger, and the rest. What I’ve learned to say (and believe), is “Everything happens for a reason.”  I ask myself “what can I learn from this (adversity) situation? What do I need to do now to keep going?”  Instead of burying my head in the sand just waiting for time to pass and playing the “victim” role, I take a lesson from my parents’ play book! Let the dust settle, think about what’s happened, the role I played in it, what I can do differently, pick up the pieces, pray for guidance and get to work!  I give myself a “Power Surge!”  What about you?  Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?”

Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!

The Power Surge - Self-Empowerment – is relying on your own inner power and actively working through the adversity, which helps ease the pain and frustration.  Positive Self-Talk and action are the antidotes for negativity and plant the seeds for success!  The Power to make your life anything that YOU want it to be is inside of you right now!

Power Up!  Take Control!  As we come to the close of one year and begin another – both personally and professionally – let us remember that, in addition to setting new goals and understanding the financial aspects, effective leaders/managers continue to improve upon the three key leadership traits they need to possess to achieve results through people — objectivity, empathy, and self-awareness. It’s all about “P2P” and the importance of including in their high priorities, the employees – the people who are really driving their organization.

We know from history that economic downturns and recessions have tested the ability of leaders across the globe – in all sectors and in all industries. We learned that there are no easy answers!  Including a “people strategy” (P2P) in your business plans is a wise move because, without the people, the plans would not be fully executed.

Keep Your Power! Come out of your office; interact with your employees, your co-workers, your customers, your suppliers/vendors; increase communication; talk (face-to-face) with the people – they make your business work each day; seek their input; show your authenticity and human-ness!  It’s all about “P2P”!

Your attitude and behavior have a direct affect on bottom-line results, either positively or negatively.  Think about how you are affecting your employees, co-workers and the workplace environment…

Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?”  Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!
A Positive Workplace Means Business!  It Just Makes Cent$! TM
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Mary Jane (MJ) Paris, Founder and President of Positive Impact Consulting Services, LLC in Shelton, CT, brings a broad base of experience to her practice gained from more than 25 years in people management, sales, retail banking, training, recruiting, coaching, project management, event planning and community leadership.

With a focus on “The Positive Workplace,” MJ and Positive Impact specialize in leadership and professional development programs, speaking engagements, and small business coaching that bring “Positive Energy” to your workplace.  Engage employees, maximize productivity, improve customer service and business results…

mj@posimpact.net
203-929-6702
www.posimpact.net

Calling All Stressed Moms!

Being a mom has been one of the most rewarding jobs of my life, but there are days (many of them, can you relate?) where being a mom is one of the most difficult things I’ve done! I often think, “Why didn’t my mom tell me about this?” I was just having this conversation the other night with my hair stylist, a mom of two, as my daughter had a bit of ants in her pants!

As mothers, we often forget to take care of ourselves because we’re caught up in the madness that is life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, being a mother is stressful! I’d like to share some strategies to help combat the stress monster:

Get the kids on a schedule. The best thing that we can all do as moms is to get our kids on a schedule and keep them on it. The keeping to it and the consistency always seems to be the hardest part.

When you try to stick to a routine you’ll feel more comfortable handling breakfasts, lunches, naps, and bed times. When you don’t have a schedule, you may begin to feel scattered or disorganized and your stress levels will increase exponentially! Things are always unpredictable when kids are involved, but when you have even the simplest structure, your days will be a little more predictable and you’ll save your sanity!

Don’t be afraid to put yourself in time out. Many mothers feel like they just have to keep pushing forward when they are about to come unglued. Oh how I can relate! We get stressed and often need to take a breather, just like kids!

Instead of continuing to push forward when you are about to snap, walk into another room and just breathe deeply for a few minutes. I encourage my daughter to do this, it’s good advice for us moms, too. While you are breathing, picture how you would like to respond to the situation and then remind yourself that it is important for you to follow through in a calm manner. It takes some consistency and conditioning, but it can really help.

Eat healthy. If you ask 100 moms what their diets are like, at least 85 of them will look at you and cringe. Unfortunately, there’s a tendency to just eat what you can, when you can. Even if you are on the go you need to make a conscious effort to eat well. When you eat nutritious foods, you are providing your body with the energy it needs to keep up with your kids and cope with the stress you encounter every day. We always seem to put ourselves last, but we are really no good to anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves and that includes how we nourish our bodies!

Create a support system. Teaming up with other moms makes a great support system. I have a core group of moms who are only a text, phone call or e-mail away when I need support. It’s always such a relief to know that something so simple and effortless can help so much. It’s always good to know that I have someone I can call who won’t question my abilities but will just listen and empathize.

All moms feel the stress that comes with the job, so make sure to surround yourself with other moms that will be happy to listen to you when you need a shoulder to lean on; and be sure to return the favor!

Make time for yourself. As moms, we often forget that we’re important too! This is why you need to make time for yourself every day. You may think that there is no time, but there is if you get help or if you sneak in some relaxation after the kids go to bed or before they get up. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure (or take yourself to get one-if it’s in the budget), drink that cup of tea slowly, read a book, take a long bath, or get a massage. Your relaxation time doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it needs to be there. Even 15 minutes every day can make all the difference!

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Treat yourself to some gratitude! Free shipping now through 12/16/08 with coupon code SHIP08 at checkout.

The Holidays, Simplicity, and Giving Thanks

I am honored and proud to introduce this week’s guest blogger.  She is my cousin, Chelle, and I am just thrilled and moved by her inspiring blog post where she reflects on the holiday season.  Enjoy and feel free to share your comments.

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I sat by the window during my usual train ride home for the holidays. I passed the same lakes, parking lots, restaurants and hardware stores that I always have for the past five years, but there was something different about passing them this time around. Rarely do I have this quiet time to reflect on things, but during my two and half hours on the Amtrak Regional to New Haven, I let myself think about what this holiday means to me.

Thanksgiving to me has always been about eating delicious food, watching football games and spending time with friends and family that I rarely get to see throughout the school year. As I was growing up, my siblings and I would stay in our pajamas all morning, watch the parade and prepare for the feast that was upon us. I remember helping my mom in the kitchen while she prepared all the food and starving myself for the entire morning just so I could down as much food as possible. My grandmother would come over right before our meal and sit at our kitchen counter. We would talk about how pretty her jewelry was or how long my hair had grown. My dad would sit by the fire and read his medical journals while the cats ran around the house, excited by all of the activity.

Looking back, these seemed such simple things, but they were the happiest moments of my childhood. Now, as all of us get older and experience the daily stresses of life, we forget how something so simple could be so fulfilling. Holidays become focused on finding the best bargains, traveling constantly or having extra time to get ahead on our work. Sometimes it is easy to forget that keeping it simple and spending a day with the family can be all the rejuvenation we need to collect ourselves. Sharing a laugh with your brother or getting a big hug from your mom always beats a red-tag sale at Target or an overwhelming pile of papers to correct.

Once I really started to think about Thanksgiving, I realized that you cannot find the meaning of the holiday on a sale rack or in a gift box. As my mom would say, the only place you can really find it is in your heart—in your heart, and in the company of those you love. And once you stop looking for the meaning, you will see it is there right in front of you. So enjoy it. Be grateful. Give thanks for what you have and how lucky you are to have it. It really is as simple as that.

This holiday season, I encourage you to give thanks. Turn off your Blackberry, sign out of your Facebook, and even put all of your work back into your briefcase for a while. Lounge on the couch with your family. Laugh with your friends. Call someone you have not spoken to in a while and catch up. Eat way too much. Jump up and down when your favorite football team scores a touchdown. Bask in the glory of your beloved cup of coffee and take the dog outside for a run. Just say thank you. And once you do, I am sure you will feel the reward of how a simple “thank you” can make everything else in your daily life seem a little more manageable.

Happy Holidays