Stress and an occasional sense of overwhelm is a normal by-product of a successful business. Yes, we are lucky to have all the opportunities that the business world presents to us. And yes, at times, it is impossible to make wise use of our time and resources. So, the result is inevitably: Stress!
We differentiate between primary, situational, short-lived stress and long-term, accumulated levels of stress. The purpose of this article is then to help you instantly with the first type of stress. To give you tools you already possess but we all don’t utilize enough. In addition, my High-Impact Business Coaching Formula allows you to grow thriving businesses while creating rich, balanced lives and with that eliminate the second type of long-standing, highly damaging stress.
Yet, this is not an overnight process as any transformation takes time, effort and commitment. So then, this article is about allowing you to find instant relief. To find ways to bust your sense of “too-much-to-do” immediately, within seconds.
I am going to start you off with a somewhat strange statement: “Believe it and you’ll see it”. This seemingly bizarre concept is now part of a highly success stress-reduction program at the Stanford University School of Medicine. For further education I recommend “Stress Free For Good” – 10 scientifically proven life skills for health and happiness” by Dr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth Pelletier. One interesting fact about the mind is that the brain has absolutely no actual connection to reality. It relies on chemical signals from other organs to decide what's happening out in the real world. The fact that the brain is ignorant of reality is precisely what makes it so susceptible to suggestion. Harvard's Professor Jonathan B. Cohen showed that imagining performing an activity, and even just seeing someone perform it, fires the same neurotransmitters and the same pathways as actually performing the activity!
In sports, visualization has been considered an essential tool for decades. In a 1984 survey of the 235 Canadian Olympic athletes preparing for the Games, 99 percent of them were using imagery. "There's no one who doesn't use imagery," says Rebecca Smith, a clinical research assistant in sports psychology at the U.S. Olympic Training center in Colorado. No professional athlete has ever won first place by visualizing coming in last and yet we do this so often in our business world.
Since the principle is called: “Seeing the good in others”, what comes to mind for you? The saying is old but listen to it again: “Seeing the good in others”, is about seeing it in your mind’s eye, isn’t it? How often do we prefer to blame others for our stress? How often do we love talking behind somebody’s back more than finding the good in others? So, then how does that affect our leadership abilities? Since this concept of “Seeing the good in others” coincides with chapter five in my book: The Art of Succeeding by Design” which deals with leadership, it should come as no surprise that our ability to see the good in others is a highly effective trait as the leader of your small business.
Why? Well, think about it. If we could regularly let go of our judgmental tendencies and make a 100% commitment to taking responsibility for our lives (which means NO blaming, ever), combined with an ability to see the best qualities in our team members, what would that allow us to do? Yes, you would see different results. Why, because as our attitude changes, our thoughts change, our body language changes. Those working for you will feel safe and when feeling safe, there is no limit to creativity and productivity. Do you notice the disabling effects of stress on YOUR performance? It is not any different for your staff. They also get stressed and even more stressed when feeling criticized and judged. It impedes their ability to work in their highest performance zone, for you.
I guess, you are figuring out what I am proposing here. Yes, a win-win situation! Seeing the good in others allows your stress level to go down since you consistently trust that things will get done and that everybody does their best, your positive actions based on this great attitude influences your brain, and as a crucial consequence your employees or support staff can keep working in a stress-free environment giving their best in turn.
Secret number 1:
Practice your compassion. Put yourself in their shoes just for a second. Do you really know what’s going on their lives? Do you know if they are deadly scared of losing their job? Do you know if they feel empowered and equipped to do their job right? What do you know about their battle scares of life?
This does not mean being permissive and lowering your standard of performance. No, quite the opposite. By you setting the stage for an environment where fear and stress is not the driving force, you invest your time very wisely. Having a staff that lives with stress and fear is a waste of your money. Nothing gets accomplished, no new ideas come up, no responsibility is taken when fear and stress is present. If you want to create a team that is loyal, productive, innovative and equipped to take your business to success in a climate where an A+ team will be harder and harder to find, your efforts to practice compassion is essential for sustainable business success.
Ok, with that out of the way, I want to give you another 10-second secret:
It’s smiling. Yes, you heard me right, smiling. So smile right now, hold it for 10 seconds. Really smile, laugh! Do you feel better? I do. If it makes you feel better, how do you think the recipient of this smile feels? How do you feel when you encounter someone who just for the fun, throws you a smile? Yes, I thought so… pretty good.
Ok, practicing compassion and smiling more often, more randomly, more just for the fun of it, is then good for business, good for employee retention and good for your stress-management. The funny part is that you already knew all this, right? We do and still, at times, we forget. Why? Because we are stressed. Yes, that’s why.
One of my clients reported that she has attracted a much “nicer” clientele since her attitude changed and another client reported that “seeing the good in people” has significantly lowered his anxiety.
Remember, as far back as Napoleon Hill, the famous author of “Think and Grow Rich” said: “Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.”
Like they say: War is not the way to peace, peace is. Don’t let your thoughts take you to a war zone driven by fear and doubt. Let your attitude guide you to thoughts that make you feel connected and you will reduce your stress level and make others feel safe and cared for. There is no possible negative outcome and lots of potent positive outcomes.
Do we need scientific proof for that? No, just give it a try tonight in the check-out line at the store or smile to someone at a red light, especially when you feel tired, burned out, foggy in your head. I can promise you that even a quick smile back will help your attitude at home with your family or your friends. Don’t waste a minute, practice all of the above or maybe just one but do it and do it often. Stress-busting is guaranteed.
Simple Stress-Busting Secrets to Creating a First Class Support Team In Any Business
Business Class Travel
Business persons and general travelers alike have to travel frequently to different parts of the world or within your own country. Many prefer to travel economy class to save expenses on airfare. You might in this case have to face the inconvenience of sitting cramped in small seats with very little leg space to move about. As an affluent business man or an executive on an important business mission, you may just get cramped, physically tired and mentally demoralized traveling in such inconvenience and may not therefore remain in the right frame of mind to execute your business transaction successfully. Inconvenience apart, your business stature cannot allow you travel economy class. The answer to this lies in traveling business class.
The seats in the economy class being cheaper usually remain overbooked, while quite a few of the costlier business class seats remain vacant for want of customers. As a result, flight companies offer certain attractive packages to lure customers to book for business class seats.
Business class is more comfortable than economy class due to ample leg space and greater maneuverability. The service and the cuisine in the business class seats are certainly better and more courteous. Again the package for business class seats takes better care of you in after-flight service. You are escorted form the airport and lodged in first class hotels commensurate with your business status. These packages may certainly be cheaper if you ask for the return ticket within a stipulated time.
If you are a frequent flier, you should stick to one airline for all of your travels. Once you are identified as a loyal and regular customer, you are offered higher rebates in your airfares and shown greater respect. That way you can sit relaxed in the business class seats, enjoy good and sumptuous meals, and be serviced more courteously. You can also do your homework or paperwork while traveling and have good nights’ sleep when your journey continues overnight.
What May Be Had from Private Investigation Class
There are but two major considerations in order for one to become a private investigator. While many may think that this job is an adventurous type or something that could raise your adrenaline, you must still be aware that there are various procedures that you will first be subjected to prior to becoming a private investigator.
The question alone of becoming a private investigator is pretty hard to be answered with simple suggestions. What more then for the procedure that one has to undergo before becoming one. To make things more confusing, there are various regulations in different states that could make this job totally hard to accomplish.
In fact, the state where you are planning to work as a private investigator is one issue that largely determines one's chance of reaching that point. Either way, you have to choose between a private investigator under a specific agency and a private investigator that works alone with a valid PI license.
As we have said, there are two considerations that you can't run from when you want to become a private investigator. One is the licensing and the other is the training. Obviously, both must be undergone under various legal institutions that deliver formal services.
Licensing
This will depend on the state from where you would obtain your license or practice your profession. States rarely provide state-issued private investigation license. Qualifications greatly depend on the policies as imposed by each state. Issuance of license may be credited anywhere from licensing exams, state-approved trainings, pre-licensing education and experiences related to this job.
Class Trainings
Training, on the other hand, is obviously a large part of obtaining PI license. It is hard to imagine how one could be a private investigator without subjecting himself to training.
Training can be obtained through various means. There are courses that are especially dedicated to forging private investigators while there are some that will only supplement for the basic training that one is normally required to attend.
Any degree of training is very much helpful towards becoming a PI. However, like in many other trades, there are companies and agencies that would prefer well-established private investigation trainings that are done under PCDI, Thompson Direct and Harcourt. Nevertheless, there are still other agencies that would surely deliver training without becoming too taxing.
It's nice if you can enter these institutions; however, there are other institutions that could give you private investigation classes. One good option is to enter an agency that is originally created and run by private investigators. This way, you will get first hand information (and first hand training) on the actual stuffs that you would be dealing with later.
To get the most out of a private investigation firm that provides classes, it is best that you check if the institution is still active in the industry. Beware that there are certain private investigation course givers that are no longer active in their very own industry.
It is sad though, many private investigators normally end up teaching on classes. They may have the license, they may have undergone some formal training, yet the central issue here is their competency. Assure to it that you are full aware of that issue.
Any self respecting providers of private investigation classes knows that value of promoting themselves. Most can be reached through websites.