Dawn Todd

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Your mindset will determine your level of success, or lack thereof. A positive mindset can empower you to abolish hurdles before they become too challenging.

It may be difficult to believe in yourself when everything around you seems to be crumbling into pieces, but keeping faith is the only way to trudge through the hard times and see yourself clear to better days.

Try these strategies to help you remain steadfast when you’re feeling the pressure of tough times:

1. Reflect on the past. Surely you’ve encountered seemingly insurmountable situations in the past. How have you succeeded in the most unpleasant scenarios? Clearly, your ability to overcome these situations speaks loudly for your strength and abilities.

• In some situations, you may be able to emulate your past solutions by adapting them to fit your current situation. Other times, you’ll be able to learn what not to do from past trials and tribulations.

• The past needn’t dictate your future. It’s possible to reflect without working up old, unresolved feelings. This is a positive exercise. If you begin to feel negative emotions, move onto another technique, which can help you increase self-confidence in your abilities.

2. Act immediately. Rather than retreating into your personal cocoon when a situation becomes intimidating, address it immediately. The longer you allow a situation to sit without attention, the more urgent it will become. A perfect example is debt.

• Avoid cornering yourself with urgency by creating a proactive plan now. Or, better yet, have a just-in-case plan before the event ever happens. It’s okay to take a few hours to create a plan of attack. But, if you’re still brainstorming weeks from today, you may be stalling.

• Only you can be the source of a solution. You are in charge of managing your life and ensuring its success. Take pride in this power. After all, you’re free – no one commands you! Your life is what you make it. And you can use your power to start off on the right foot each and every day.

3. Believe it. You will make it through. You’ve found your way out of a tough situation before. You’ll do it now and again sometime in the future. There is always a way to get your head above the water – always. You’ll get better at it once you gain experience.

• You have a fan base of supporters. Your children, spouse, and extended family are cheering you on every day. Chances are that no one doubts your abilities the way you do. In fact, they have faith in your abilities because you’ve proven your strength time and time again.

• As Bernice Johnson Reagon once said, “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”

• Now is as good of a time as any to show yourself what you’re made of. Confirm to yourself that you’re as strong and tenacious as you suspect yourself to be.

Everyone encounters hard times – it’s simply a part of life. And a very major part of how you will address these hard times is dependent on your mindset and your ability to believe in yourself, even throughout the toughest of times.

Your mindset can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you allow your mindset to shift into negative territory, you’ll end up with negative results. Remember, you attract the energy you exude!

Conscious business. The definition seems to be always shifting, an d growing. Sort of like awareness and consciousness itself, eh?

I understand conscious business to mean: a business that honors people and profit, a revenue model that supports a win-win, a business that makes the right choice even when no one is looking, that makes value decisions (and making money is NOT a “bad” value, in fact making money is one of the PURPOSES of a business) and ultimately generates business from a what-else-is-possible perspective.

NOT a lot of businesses are run from that mindset, but I believe that more businesses will embrace this new way of being
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There are few business models more well suited to embracing consciousness in business than .network marketing and, thousands of people have become millionaires through network marketing.

Steven Covey said: “Network marketing has come of age. It’s undeniable that is has become a way to entrepreneurship for millions of people”

In 2010, direct selling companies generated over $125 BILLION in revenues – and more than 75 million people are involved in the industry. It’s the original social business model, one that seeks to create a win for everyone involved.

And Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine says “This country was founded on entrepreneurialism and we are returning to it. The future of employment is self employment. Direct selling is one the few business opportunities that offers average people, with above average ambition to achieve an above average lifestyle, peace of mind and financial security”

As a coach, I think of network marketing like the ancient acupuncture model. Thousands of years ago in ancient China, acupuncture was the medical model. It was the acupuncturist job to keep the patient well, and the patient only paid the doctor when they were well. If the patient became sick, the doctor didn’t get paid. (interesting medical model, eh?)

Network marketing has a very similar model. Support your team to success and you get paid . If they’re not successful, you don’t get paid. It’s as simple as that.

Chances are that you know someone who’s building a part of their income from a direct selling or network marketing business. Don’t discount them or what they are offering you, you may be literally turning down the offer of a lifetime.
Network marketing can truly offer you the opportunity of a lifetime – in less time that it would take to get a bachelors degree and leave college owing thousands in student loans, you could grow and develop a multi-million dollar business.

Want to know how to choose a network marketing company and get the mentoring you need to be successful? Contact me for a FREE consultation. What I will NOT do is try to get you to join a business. What I WILL do is give you the information you need to make an educated decision about changing your future.

A fleeting moment can change one’s life forever. All dreams can be quashed when unforseen events come knocking unexpectedly. Live for today. No one knows what tomorrow brings.

Christopher Reeves had everything going for him – fame, fortune and best of all a loving wife and son. Enjoying his favorite sport, he fell off his horse. In a split second, his whole life changed! He is not alone.

In a moment, all dreams can be quashed.

A young man, full of promise gets into an industrial accident. It left him physically disabled. With a young family and the first baby on the way, how does he feel?

There are those who take a severe stroke which leave them with physical disability and rob them of their mobility. They suffer the loss of their independence. Some endure the loss of speech for the rest of their lives. There goes most of their  dreams. Life will never be the same.

Some suffer severe financial loss and see everything they worked for taken away from them and there is nothing they can do.

Think of the victims of the tsunami and Katrina. Many are making an effort to rebuild their lives – but will it ever be the same?

On the bright side of a winning moment – a big-time win from the lottery or gaming table spells a major change in one’s life. These winners go through a major change in their lives.

There is an upside. There are some lucky ones who find strength in their illness and disabilities, major financial setbacks, calamities and crimes of violence. Amid the dark hours and pain, they work their way to find a new meaning in their lives. With courage, perseverance and a strong spirit, they win their battles. They become pillars in their communities.

Christopher Reeves spent the rest of his years as a quadraplegic to champion the cause of spinal cord injury. His disability never stopped him.

An illness, an accident, natural calamities, financial loss, crime, violence and loss of a loved one, a winfall, an unexpected career change or opportunity are realities of our world.

Many of us think it will not happen to us, but it can. Live for today. No one knows what tomorrow brings.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.

It’s time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life.

A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim”. Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible, possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results.

Some might say this is not the right time to dream. The media and masses say, “It’s time to be realistic.” Consider this. Without our dreams all we have is our present reality. Reality is not a bad thing. We have to know where we are so we can design the appropriate strategy for getting to where we want to be. The challenge is our attitude around “reality” and being “realistic” and what being realistic has cost us. Often that’s our passion and joy, our hopes and dreams.

Given the unknowns and sometimes craziness of life, there’s never been a more important time to dream and setting your intention is the first step. When should you set an intention? You could set an intention every day. Your intention could be to work less and make more, or to find a new career that you are passionate about. It could be to get healthy and physically fit, or to spend more quality time with loved ones or alone. It can be specific and about something in particular or more like a quality, such as to be more relaxed or involved with life.

At seventy, Bessie set an intention to become a world famous photographer. Although many thought she was too old, she didn’t. She entered a photo contest where she won the first prize of $10,000. Her prize-winning photo toured around the world with a Kodak exhibit. She told me, “We’re never too old to make a dream come true.”

People set intentions on all kinds of dreams; to get married or have children, to get a job or make a career change, to write a book, lose weight, or move to a foreign country. When you set an intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things occur. Intention can also give us fortitude for dealing with tough times.

I am currently rebuilding my home. I simply wanted to add on a new bathroom, but with all the surprises an old (and charming) house can offer, every turn has been a shock, sometimes even a nightmare. It looks like the entire building may need to be rebuilt. My intention is to live through this process with dignity and grace. I am tested daily. It’s often not easy, but this intention has helped me maintain composure, sanity, and on a good day, a sense of humor. Intention can be used for community or social issues, global events or (literally) in your own backyard.

For example:

Before you get out of bed, you can intend to have a fun or productive day.

Before you leave the house, you can intend to have quality time with your family or roommate.

Before you start your car, you can intend to have a safe ride to work.

Before you enter your workplace, you can intend to learn something new or be helpful.

Before the meeting begins, you can intend to be brilliant or calm.

First Steps:

1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.

2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you accountable to taking action.

3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.

4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.

By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.

What’s your dream? Want to give your vision a jumpstart? Write down your goals and use these questions to speed up delivery of your dream.

1. What’s your highest priority this lifetime?

What’s most important for you to experience, explore or embrace this time around? Until you answer this question, your life goals will be off purpose. Unaligned with your inner passion, your intentions will lack the power to attract the people and situations necessary to become a reality.

Get clued into your true joy. What activities turned you on as a child? What are your hobbies now? When your goals are aligned with your soul purpose, synchronicity kicks in to guide you to your target. When you intuit and own your unique essence and calling, assistance will flow to you from every earthly and heavenly source.

2. Is this your dream, or someone else’s?

Are your goals your own choice, or what others think you should strive for? Do you want to look back in your old age and wish you had followed your passion? Will you regret having “played it safe?”

Is it selfish to go after your own dream? What joy can you give to others if you haven’t given it to yourself first?

You have a divine right to listen to your heart. You have a social obligation to follow your dream. Only then can you fulfill your destiny and make the earthly contribution you were born to make.

3. Do you really, really want this dream?

Do you bound out of bed every morning to pursue your vision? Or is it a lukewarm dream you chase because it sounds meaningful? Only the Real McCoy will generate enough energy to manifest itself in the world.

4. Are you settling for less than?

Are you resigned to accepting less than your full share of love, health and success this lifetime? Have you compromised and sacrificed your dream to death?

Anything short of living your true passions will never make you happy. Do you want to arrive at the Pearly Gates with the regret of not marrying that one captivating person, starting that fun business, or seeing that exotic part of the world you always wanted to visit?

5. Is your dream actually just a means to some other dream?

Is your goal the ultimate end in itself, or merely a limited means to that end? Isn’t it really the new car itself you want, rather than the money-the means-to buy the new car? More to the core, isn’t it really a renewed sense of self-worth you desire, rather than the new car or house to impress the family and neighbors? And isn’t it really happiness you want, rather than the picture-perfect mate, job or body?

Focus on the experience you want to create, not the physical form that may-or may not-bring you that experience.

6. What will you feel like when you reach your dream?

Personal passion fuels a vision. Dive into the thrill and exhilaration of the feeling of living your dream. Every moment you can, drink in the joy of having your goal.

The Hawaiian Kahuna say, “Where your creative attention flows, so flows your life.” Is your daily attention feeding your dream? As the TV public service announcement reminds us, “It’s midnight. Do you know where your children are?” Hey, in your life, it’s high noon! Do you know where your creative excitement is flowing?

It’s high time you manifested your aspirations. Dynamic, satisfying creations are nurtured with love and care as a flower in a garden.

7. How will you benefit from getting your dream?

Get specific about the benefits you’ll receive from achieving your vision. Write down these pluses so they will sink in as motivators. What exactly would happen if you made a lot of money doing something you love? How would you approach your life differently if you allowed people to love and support you? What would you do with more vitality and health?

8. What steps can you take today toward your dream?

Don’t defer your dream. Set up supports and systems around you to instantly translate your intentions into action. Jump on every opportunity that is in line with your purpose and vision.

Keep the momentum going. No matter how hectic life gets, pledge to take at least one action a day. Even the smallest actions-jotting down a new idea, reading a single page, or making one phone call-can start to add up.

Are there smaller projects that lead to your larger dream that can give you pleasure in the meantime? If the dream is to run a marathon, train for a local fun-run first. And find a way to measure your progress. Track those little wins-by writing in a journal or telling a friend.

9. Are you telling yourself: “I can’t have my dream?”

Most people don’t believe they can live their dream. Either their belief system has them believing they can’t make a living doing what they love, or they feel they don’t deserve their dream. To avoid the pain of feeling they can’t have their dream, people often keep their dream so buried they can’t remember they ever had a dream.

Everyone has a dream! And everyone is destined to fulfill that purpose. Why wait?

10. Are you afraid of getting your dream?

Statistically, more heart attacks occur when “good” things happen, than when “bad” things happen! Getting your dream is life-threatening! Of course, realizing your dream is only threatening to your old experience of yourself and your life-you know, the one that’s boring-or paining-you to death!

Change is scary. Find a way to move the energy of fear. The only way to avoid feeling fear is to avoid living altogether!

11. Do you really need to accomplish your dream?

Do you really need to achieve your goals to be happy? Enter the “hootless state”-where you no longer give a hoot if the exact “picture” of your dream comes true. Without the interference of the ego’s push, pressure and micro managing, you have a much better chance of being in the right vibration-space-to attract real happiness. When you relax your grip on the exact way your future “has” to unfold, you give the Universe more flexibility in how it can fulfill your wishes.

And, on a higher plane, what if our true task here on Earth is simply to be who we already are in our essential nature-with or without manifesting our specific goals? What if the essence of who we are is enough?

You can learn a lot from watching dogs. If you want to be happier at work and move ahead in your career, try to think more like a dog. Yes, for real!

Become Happier at Work:

1. Show your enthusiasm. Learn to love whatever you’re doing. When your job seems routine, remind yourself of its purpose, whether that’s to provide for your family or invent a new medicine. Sometimes just smiling will make you feel more joyful.

2. Greet everybody. Take the time to wish everyone a good morning before you settle down to your tasks. Your relationships with your co-workers play a huge role in your job satisfaction. Create a friendly atmosphere by exchanging daily pleasantries.

3. Lend others your support. Take a break from your own concerns to notice how your colleagues are feeling. When stress levels are high, offer your assistance and encouragement. You’ll feel good about helping out, and people will be more likely to reciprocate when you need a hand.

4. Give early warnings. Minor workplace conflicts can escalate if they’re allowed to fester. Speak out tactfully at the first sign of a misunderstanding. This will make your work environment much more pleasant than just growling right before you bite.

5. Bounce back from conflicts. Forget about holding grudges. Put any unpleasant experiences behind you and demonstrate your willingness to cooperate with everybody to get the job done.

6. Follow your instincts. Sometimes you have to respond to unfamiliar situations without much time to prepare. Trust your instincts when you need to take a risk. If it’s your first time giving a staff presentation, boost your confidence by adapting what you already know from your days on the student debate team.

7. Get plenty of sleep. You may never be able to arrange your schedule to get as much sleep as your dog, but you can still strive for 8 hours every night. Adequate rest is critical to your mental health.

How to Advance in Your Career:

1. Show off your accomplishments. Humility is an admirable quality, but sometimes you need to promote yourself. Watch how dogs soak up positive attention without looking like they’re bragging. Use your success stories to your advantage in job evaluations and interviews.

2. Follow the rules. How does a dog know which objects are okay to chew? The logic behind some rules may elude you, but it’s usually best to go along with them to preserve order in the workplace.

3. Practice active listening. Your co-workers are bound to value you more if you take a sincere interest in them. Listen respectfully to what others may be able to teach you.

4. Persist. Persistence is a big part of success. Stay focused and keep on the trail no matter what obstacles arise. If you get blocked from digging under the fence, maybe you can persuade someone to open the gate for you.

5. Reduce waste. Mail carriers and couriers perform valuable jobs, but many dogs obviously would prefer a paper-free world. Some dogs also regard as edible the many things that humans throw away. Impress your boss and help the environment by cutting down on paper waste and recycling more.

6. Contribute to the pack. Above all, think beyond your own interests to participate as a team player. Take satisfaction in working together to achieve common goals and improve everyone’s well being. You can accomplish much more working with others than you ever could on your own.
Although chasing your tail may not get you anywhere in life, dogs are otherwise great role models for becoming more content and productive at work.

If you work from home, you can create an environment that will help you feel relaxed while accomplishing more. Here are some suggestions for maximum productivity.

Creating a Peaceful Setting:

1. Select a soothing color scheme. Blue may be the most obvious choice, but there are plenty of tranquil hues including rose or earth tones. In fact, you can probably find a soft shade in any of your favorite colors. Save more dynamic tones for accent pieces.

2. Maximize your space. If space is at a premium, look for furniture that doubles as storage and seating. Take advantage of wall space by installing shelves and hooks. Strategically placed mirrors can open up any room, and careful furniture placement will make things feel less cramped.

3. Light up your office. If you have a window, make the most of the natural light and outdoor view. Adequate lighting around your workstation will minimize eyestrain. Adjustable lamps add additional comfort. Remember, the darker the room, the more light you’ll need.

4. Introduce some fragrance. If you have windows for natural light, try some easy-care plants like lavender or mint. Aromatic oil diffusers are also simple to use and long lasting. Scents such as chamomile, frankincense, marjoram, and sage are known for their calming and centering qualities. When you need something more invigorating, try lemon or wintergreen.

5. Play music. One of the nicest things about working alone is being able to enjoy music without disturbing anyone else. Instrumental music is best when you’re trying to concentrate. For routine tasks, play anything you want. Internet radio stations give you a huge selection.

6. Add personal touches. Spread around some treasured photos or vacation souvenirs. Post inspirational sayings or keep a book of favorite quotations on hand.

Getting Organized:

1. Banish clutter. Plan for sufficient filing and storage space to help you keep clutter under control. Go paper-free whenever possible. Regularly sort through your materials for things you can discard or archive.

2. Clean regularly. Vacuum and dust every two to four days. Do a thorough cleaning at least once a month. This will help protect you from germs and create a more hospitable environment.

3. Separate your personal and business activities. When you work from home, it’s helpful to create boundaries to keep your life in balance. Keep distractions like laundry out of the office, and office items such as files out of the rest of the house. This will help you to focus and will also reduce the risk of losing things.

4. Minimize interruptions. Some people may have trouble understanding that you’re busy when you’re at home. Let your family and friends know the hours when you need to minimize calls or other interruptions. Resist the temptation to check email too frequently and put your phone on voice mail when you need some quiet time.

5. Stay connected. Take steps to avoid feeling isolated. Go out to lunch with colleagues at least once a week. Find local chapters of organizations relevant to your business and attend the meetings. Networking is good for your career and personal happiness.

6. Give yourself a break. When you set your own schedule, you need to plan your own breaks. You’ll be more effective at work if you stay active and refresh your mind. Go to the gym before you settle down to work in the morning. If you find yourself working long hours, pick one afternoon to take off and see a movie.

Working at home can be a great experience if you create a setting that dispels fatigue and tension. Use these principles of design and organization to feel better and work more effectively.

Do you feel like your emotions are complicated and confusing? If you struggle to understand why you feel or react the ways you do, you might benefit from using a journal. Journaling can help you appropriately identify and express your feelings to increase self-understanding.

Once you learn to identify and deal with your feelings in acceptable ways, you have truly mastered self-understanding. By simply jotting down what’s going on with you and how you feel about it, you can get a handle on your emotions.

Writing your feelings in a journal helps increase self-understanding in four ways:

1. Journaling compels you to think about and process a particular situation or occurrence. When you write about an event, you automatically process the event through words and description. Recording the situation in writing can lead you to notice details you hadn’t noticed when the event took place, thus increasing your insight about the situation.

* While journaling, put aside other thoughts and just focus on the situation.

2. Journaling allows you time to identify feelings about the situation. Chances are you may not have time to analyze every event as it occurs throughout the day. However, if you pledge to journal, you know that you’ll later take the opportunity to reflect on important occurrences and consider how you felt about them.

* Labeling your feelings leads to a better understanding of how you respond in certain situations.

* Use “feeling” words when describing your emotions about a situation or event. Examples of feeling words are, “pumped,” “annoyed,” “ecstatic,” and “angry.”

* A helpful sentence structure to use in your journal is, “I felt __________ when ________ happened.”

3. Journaling helps you see why you felt the way you did. Journaling provides an opportunity to fully explore your emotions about an event or situation and come to a conclusion about your feelings. Writing about your feelings can even assist you in changing negative feelings in the future, once you figure out why you felt the way you did.

* Knowing why you responded in a certain manner increases self-understanding and also allows opportunities for change.

* When completing a journal entry, consider all the reasons why you may have felt or responded in the way you did.

*  Theorize and decide which theory best fits to explain your feelings and behavior.

4. Re-reading your journal sheds light on your progress. When you process situations through journal writing and read about them later, you’ll likely see patterns of emotions and responses that recur in similar situations.

* You might want to learn to more openly express your emotions upon identifying these patterns. Or maybe you want to work to change your pattern of responding.

* Re-reading your journal might reveal unhealthy reactions to certain situations. In this case, these reviews of your entries could help you make a commitment toward more positive and helpful reactions.

*  Take notice of your progress over time in responding to situations in positive ways.

* Regardless of whether you choose to accept your feelings or make a change, you still increase your self-understanding through reviewing your journal.

You might feel confused at times and be at a loss to explain why you responded in a certain way. However, you can improve insight by reflecting further about these situations and the feelings you experienced, especially if you see patterns of similar reactions.

Sometimes your feelings are deep-rooted and go back to an incident that happened many years ago, so similar situations now trigger similar feelings. Writing and reflecting on your journal entries may help you remember the previous incidents so you can understand your feelings and decide if they benefit you now or if you wish to pursue more positive outcomes in the future.

Try journaling today to explore how you feel and respond to life events. When you do, you’ll increase self-understanding and live a healthier, fulfilling life.

Have you resolved to live a healthier lifestyle? There are a hundred reasons why you might want to make the switch, and probably even more why you might revert back to your old habits, too! With this said, changing your lifestyle is easier said than done.

Even though many of us intend to be healthier, plans can be derailed quickly. Before we know it, we’re back where we started and doing everything we promised ourselves we wouldn’t do.

Healthy living is easier when you have a strategy and detailed plan to follow. Using the right tools can simplify the task of staying on track to long-term success.

Here are some healthy living tips to jumpstart your journey to a healthier lifestyle:

Proactively Manage Your Stress

Managing your stress can be a great way to start living a healthier life right now. Stress can harm the best of us, but it doesn’t have to. You’ll find that life is more enjoyable when you have a stress management strategy.

Try this technique the next time you feel stressed and out of control. This strategy begins with something you already do every day: stop and take a deep breath! But make sure to breathe in from your nose and out from your mouth.

Using simple deep breathing exercises will give you a short break from the situation that’s causing you stress. During your breathing break, take a moment to relax and create new priorities in your mind. Choose one thing you can do to help defuse the problem when you’re done with your deep breath.

Taking a small action right away will put you on the path to solving your challenge. Just knowing that you’re being proactive can reduce your stress right then and there.

Once you’ve taken that first step, break down the things you need to do into manageable chunks. Stress melts away as you pursue your action plan one step at a time.

Nutritious Foods and Exercise

Another healthy living tip we all should heed is to exercise and eat nutritious foods. You’re giving your body what it needs to be happy and healthy when you exercise and feed it the right fuel.

Strive to increase the amount of natural, unprocessed foods you eat. Include plenty of organic fruits and vegetables in your diet and cut out the greasy, high calorie fast foods. Most of the foods that come in cans or boxes are devoid of nutrition because they’ve been over processed or contain too many additives.

Anything that involves moving can bring you some much needed exercise. Easy ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routines include taking the stairs instead of elevators, going for walks, or short stretching routines.

Exercising not only burns calories but also invigorates your brain and the rest of your body with increased oxygen and hormones that make you feel good!

You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much better you feel when you eat the right foods and exercise. You’ll be healthier, have a sharper mind, enjoy more energy, sleep better, and live well.

Thoughts and Emotions

Healthy living also includes your thoughts and emotions. It’s just as important to keep your emotions healthy as it is to keep your physical body healthy.

Do you have a hard time thinking positive? Are negative thoughts running through your mind even when you should be thinking happy thoughts? These negative thoughts can steal your joy and hold you back from the life you desire.

When you implement healthy living strategies, be systematic about transforming the negative into the positive. As you make the switch, you’ll find that you can more easily achieve your goals and live a vibrant, fulfilling life.

Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations can help you develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. They’re the most effective tool for replacing your negative thoughts with positive ones.

Affirmations are concise, positive statements you can use every time you start to feel challenged, stressed, or negative.

Positive affirmations can be as simple as, “I give myself permission to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit.” These statements will affirm to your subconscious that a healthy lifestyle is important to you and keep you on track toward your goals.

Implement these tools and strategies into your action plan today to enjoy a life filled with health, happiness, and serenity.

Business groups provide excellent marketing and networking opportunities.  There are many different ones to join.  What you need to do is make sure you join the right business group for you and your needs, and then you need to be an active member of the business group.

Regardless of the exact business group you join you have to actually attend the meetings.  You won’t make contacts through osmosis.  When I hear someone say that they tried a business group and it didn’t work for them 9 times out of 10 they went to one meeting; for whatever reason they didn’t like the meeting and never went back.

Business group marketing is no different than any other type. If you are going to do a cold call campaign and the first person is rude and hangs up on you, do you retreat to the woods never to be heard from again?  No.  Here are some tips to help you find, persist with, and make the most of your business group membership.

Don’t go into a meeting with a negative, intimidated or apprehensive attitude.  This will show through to the business group members.

Check out all the business groups within a one-hour radius.  Don’t settle on the first one you come across.

Go to at least two business group meetings before you decide it is right for you.

Be patient.  Don’t go in expecting to meet your magic client within an hour.

Force yourself to move out of your comfort zone and mingle and schmooze with the best of them.  Seek out other people who look awkward and start by talking to them.

Find the accountants, engineers, controllers, operations managers; all those analytical types who aren’t tremendously gregarious or who aren’t born talkers.  All these people make fantastic contacts for future referrals and business because a lot of them are the IT decision makers in small companies.

The Bottom Line on Business Groups

Business group membership gives you access to the decision makers in the companies your business is targeting.  The most important thing to remember is that you will get out of your business group experience what you put in.  Don’t give up at the first sign of disillusionment.  Find the right business group to join and make the most of every meeting

If you want to drop some pounds or hold off the middle-age spread, there are easy ways to help your body burn fat. Simple lifestyle changes can transform your body into a fat burning machine. Speed up your metabolism by adjusting the way you eat, exercise and even sleep.

Eating to Burn Fat

1. Consume fewer calories. Weight gain is usually caused by eating more calories than you burn. You’ll save yourself a lot of money and frustration by accepting this simple truth. Your metabolism naturally slows down with age so over time you need to eat less and exercise more to avoid storing fat.

2. Eat breakfast. You can still enjoy a hearty breakfast. Your metabolism slows down while you sleep so get it going again with a healthy feast. Oatmeal with cinnamon or fruit yogurt and granola are both excellent breakfast choices.

3. Eat frequently. Eating often also speeds up your metabolism. Replace the usual 3 big meals per day with 4 or 5 smaller meals and snacks. Enjoy whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins. As an added benefit, you’ll feel full much of the time so it’s easier to resist junk food.

4. Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol is a depressant that slows down your central nervous system. You can still drink a glass of wine with dinner if you balance it out with lots of water. Water aids digestion and gives your metabolism another modest boost.

5. Be smart about using supplements. You’ve probably seen advertisements for expensive fat loss supplements. Many of these products produce no significant effects or contain caffeine that can make you jittery. Supplement claims are not evaluated by the FDA, so be careful and let your physician know about any supplements you take.

Exercising to Burn Fat

1. Build up your muscle mass. Even seniors can increase their muscle mass with weight training. It’s worthwhile because a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat. If you’re new to weight training, start off gradually to avoid injury.

• If you prefer other activities, you can get similar benefits from movements that use your own bodyweight for resistance like push-ups, crunches, and Pilates.

2. Vary your routine. Your body adapts to any familiar activity so you use up fewer calories over time. Cross training will stimulate your body’s metabolism. Get off the treadmill and take a dance class from time to time.

3. Do interval training. Interval training is another proven strategy for burning more fat. Break up your morning jog with a few sprints. Jump rope for a couple of minutes during low-impact aerobics. This way you train both your aerobic and anaerobic energy systems so you lose more calories from fat.

Other Lifestyle Tips For Burning Fat

1. Sleep in a cool room. Get a full night’s sleep in a cool room. Your body processes calories more efficiently when it gets 6 to 8 hours of slumber. Studies show that room temperatures of about 60 to 65 degrees can help you fall asleep faster and burn more calories per hour.

2. Start fidgeting. On average, people who fidget are thinner than those who don’t. As long as you’re not distracting others, swing your leg and shift around. Even better, get up during TV commercials to do some lunges and take the stairs whenever you can.

3. See your doctor. If you need more help, talk with your doctor. Testing and treatment is available for many conditions that make it harder to lose weight such as hypothyroidism. Your doctor can also advise you on dieting and exercising safely.

Daily activities can trigger your body to burn fat more effectively. With these simple lifestyle choices, you can reduce your body fat and stay lean and healthy for life!