April 2009 - The Good News

April 2009 - The Good News!

Tips for the Times

The Time is NOW

One Step Forward

What is the Good News in your life?

Resources (links, books, articles, multi-media, the lighter side)

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The Good News!

There is so much negative press these days that we want to counteract that by focusing on the good news. And, there is lots of it if we are only willing to see it.

Some of the most common suggestions we hear from successful people are:

Stay away from negative people.
Keep your thoughts positive at all times.
Keep your eyes, your mind and your heart focused on your own goals, no matter what happens.
Look for the blessings in all situations.
Be grateful.

There are incredible opportunities right now within our country and world situations. New businesses are flourishing. Old businesses are being transformed and reborn. Some businesses that were sick, are wrapping up their affairs so that their finish can fertilize new endeavors.

I recently read an article titled "Sailors don’t learn to sail on calm seas." That is a reminder that the difficult challenges are what make us strong, not the casual sail on a calm ocean.

People are finding many opportunities to fix areas that have needed attention for a very long time and coming up with creative ways of dealing with them. Consultants that help people and businesses do their work more efficiently, more effectively or more productively are in great demand.

Executives who in the past had no interest in what they were spending for travel, printing, phones, Blackberries, "do-dads" and other trinkets of corporate life are becoming more interested in looking at what they are doing and what they are paying for products and services.

Management teams who never before became involved in the day-to-day work of their business are getting involved again and learning just what goes on. That’s a very good thing!

People who have been wasting money, not paying attention to good business practices or spending their time on the wrong things are now having some light shined on them. They will have to adjust to spend their energy on the right things, not the wrong things. That is very exciting!

Our culture and our society are taking note of where the old ways are not working any more. Clearly, our financial industry is a big focus right now. Rampant greed in the past might have been "business as usual." In today’s worldview, that is no longer acceptable and the people are making their feelings known.

Out of our current challenges will come a much stronger structure and better ways of doing business. What an exciting and vibrant time to be alive!

Tips for the Times

As a manager, executive, business owner or professional person, what can you do? Here are a few tips:

Learn to see things differently. Consciously, learn to shift your mind from to "Oh, no" to "Isn’t this wonderful!!"
Instead of struggling to "think outside the box," just try to shift your box (your beliefs, your assumptions, your information, your goals, etc.) just a little bit. Turn the box sideways or upside down or inside out or stand it on a corner — do something that will give you a slightly different perspective. Maybe, do your meeting at a local ice cream parlor instead of the board room for once. Or, if you always sit in the same chair in meetings, sit on a different side of the room — something that will give you a different perspective on whatever you are working on.
Clean out your closets. Clean out your garage. Clean out your office files. As you throw things away, remind yourself that you are making space for your new goals, your new dreams, your new way of being.
Rearrange your furniture at home. Move your office around. As you move things around, remind yourself that you are making positive changes for your future.
Buy some new clothes. Wear something different. Drive a different way. Do it consciously, and remind yourself that YOU are changing for the better, therefore, your future is changing for the better.
Find wonderful opportunities within every tough situation you face. Make a list of what is good about each tough situation. When you think you’ve exhausted your ability to find good out of the tough situation, you have just started. Stretch yourself to find 10 more positive things about the situation.
Look at how you spend your time and adjust so that you spend your time on those things that produce the best results for you.
Look around to see what needs fixing — in your own business or in the world. If you were in charge, how would you fix it? Ask yourself if there is a business opportunity for you there if YOU could solve that problem.
Look at your values and your own priorities. What is really, really important to you? Is that where you are spending the majority of your energy? If not, how can you adjust your time, your schedule, your business, your job or your life to do what IS important to you?
Be grateful every day for what you have – be grateful in the morning and every evening before you go to bed, recap all the good things that happened to you that day. Go to bed feeling great and looking forward to another night of good rest. Wake up every morning with enthusiasm for the great things that are going to happen for you today.
See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to learn something new or a way to improve yourself and/or your company.
See everyone you meet as a teacher. What can you learn from them?
See every situation as a stepping-stone to something much greater for you.
See your employees as wonderful people who love to do their very best every single day. Praise them for what they do and the contributions they make every single day.
Give time and energy to what makes you feel good.
Help someone else in what ever way you can — volunteer work, helping someone cope with something, sharing your wisdom with someone who is interested, give money or time or energy to good causes, or whatever ways feel right for you.
Keep yourself surrounded by visions or visuals of what is important to you. I keep photos of my children and grandchildren in my office and at home. I have beautiful pictures and reminders of places where I’ve traveled around my home. Where ever I look, I see something special to me. No matter what happens, looking into the eyes of a baby or a loved one, or a looking at a scene that triggers fond memories helps me to quickly transform any unexpected situation into something positive.
If something isn’t working out the way you want it to or you feel like you are struggling to make something happen, step back and ask, "Is there an easier way to get through this?" Find the easy way and stop struggling so hard.
Go back to #1 above.

Some of you may be thinking that your situation isn’t so good right now or you are not able to do those things. No matter what is going on in your life, how can you stay positive in the reality of your situation? These tips are especially important for those who might have been laid off from a job recently or who have other things that worry them.

Get yourself involved in something that makes your heart sing. It can be something big or something little. Remember, what you focus on expands.
Listen to Earl Nightingale explain The Greatest Secret (in the media section of this article)
Look for ways you can solve the day-to-day problems that you see around you.
Do volunteer work.
Join job clubs.
Take a part-time job or temporary job.
Try something new.
Be grateful for a time-out from your treadmill life that gives you more time for your family and your own interests.
Sleep late occasionally and relish the experience.
Walk in the park.
Plant a garden - maybe even a community garden.
Plant flowers and enjoy watching them bloom.
Be outdoors and let Mother Nature nurture your soul.
Count your blessings every morning and every evening.
Don’t watch the general news.
Do what inspires you regularly.
Get the support of friends.
Get involved in a brainstorming group.
Keep your mind, your soul and your body healthy.
Laugh every single day. If you can’t find a reason to laugh, look in the mirror.
Listen to inspiring music. Read inspiring poetry or stories. Listen to inspiring people. Watch inspiring movies.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Stay away from anything and anyone that promotes blame, negativity, sarcasm, cynicism or violence.
Take time to be in the present moment – not in the past reliving your old "stuff" or worrying about the future creating fear where they should be hope.
Remind yourself that you are safe right now and focus all your attention just being where you are, with gratitude.
Look in your closets or your drawers or your garage. See what is there that can be used to help you now. See if there are things you can sell to bring in more income. See if you can find new uses for old things. Or, if something is not useful to you, give it to someone who can use it, recycle it or throw it away.
Trade services with your friends instead of buying something you can't afford. Share your gifts and talents with friends and neighbors.
Go back to #1.

The Time is NOW

For all of you who have been waiting for times to change, that time is NOW.
For all of you who have been waiting for things to get better, that time is NOW.
For all of you who have wished you could have more control over your life, that time is NOW.
For all of you who have wished for a better future, that time is NOW.

In order for the "old ways" to change to the "new ways," structures and habits have to break down in order to be restructured or redesigned or reborn into the new ways. That is part of what is happening now in our society, in our country and in our world. Things are changing. That is the good news!

When things are changing and when there is chaos, that is the time when creativity is most able to burst forth to bring us new ways of being, new ways of doing business, new ways of relating to each other, new ways of working together. It is the time when we can re-create our future in a different way.

In order to create something, we must transform raw materials into something new. By transforming raw materials, we are destroying what they were in order to make something new. That is the good news!

Our financial system is falling apart all around us. In order for it to change, it has to break apart and be restructured into something that works better for everyone, not just for the people who want to take all they can from everyone else. That breaking down and falling apart is good. A good friend and teacher, Carole Doré used to say, "When things are falling apart, they are falling together" That is the good news!

One Step Forward

Yes, there are some people who say they want things to change and then they can’t let go of the old ways to take the next step forward. This is the time to have faith and take the next step toward the future you want to create for yourself.

If you have a new business project idea, take a step forward on it.
If you have a new professional goal, take a step forward on it.
If you have a new personal goal, take a step forward on it.
Whatever you want for your own future, take a step forward on it.
Whatever you want for your business or your employees, take a step forward on it.

If many people did that, we would be out of our current recession before anyone knew what happened. Things can change when we want them to change. That’s the good news!

The outrage unleashed about the AIG executive bonuses is a good thing. It means people are moving from being stuck, depressed, frozen, in shock about the recession and are moving to expression and action. This may be the modern day version of the Boston Tea Party, when average people say very clearly, "We’ve had enough" and demand accountability and change in "business as usual" for the future. That’s the good news!

We are seeing many other signs that we are making forward progress again - from the construction industry to durable goods orders to the stock market to our local businesses. Big changes happen one step at a time and we have a long way to go to solve all of society's issues. If everything was perfect, why would we be here? Where can you take a step forward today? What can you do to make something better today? The world is filled with opportunities for each person to use their talents in positive ways. That’s the good news!

What is the good news in your life?

Take some time to think about where you are and what is good in your life. We’ve just experienced the Spring Equinox when the days start to grow longer and the energy shifts to Spring — a time of growth and rebirth.

Did you feel the shift? Can you feel the higher energy all around you? Did you notice a very slight shift in the news media in that they are starting to cover more positive stories? Have you heard — as we have recently — that the construction industry is starting to build again, that business has picked up a little bit? Other positive signs are showing up everywhere. Some people believe we’ve hit the bottom of the current recession. Look for the good news in your local area, in your business, in your own life and in the world at large. It's there just wanting for someone to pay attention to it. That's the good news!

The hope of the future is right here, right now. What we do today determines how our future manifests tomorrow. That’s the good news!

I knew I was destined to succeed and I kept focused on that belief.
I’m very tenacious ... and I don’t give up.
. . . Donald Trump

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
. . . Calvin Coolidge

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
. . . Abraham Lincoln

Change your thinking, change your life
. . . Ernest Holmes

The Strangest Secret: Earl Nightingale says, "We become what we think about all day long." (link to the entire audio recording in the multi-media section).

Internet Resources

CBS News Poll: Positive Thinking Could Lift The Economy. Will Thinking Positively Help The Economy Rebound? http://cbs2.com/consumer/optimism.positive.thinking.2.958944.html
Stocks rally fuels recovery hopes http://www.charlotteobserver.com/331/story/627424.html
Chart from The Olympian - Front Page 3/29/2009, article titled "Are we there yet? Economists look for encouraging signs. On the rebound ... maybe " (text same as Charlotte Observer article above)
Performance Management: Measuring the right things leads to making the right decisions and getting the right results. http://www.sas.com/solutions/performance-management/
Performance Management - Basic Concepts http://managementhelp.org/perf_mng/perf_mng.htm
Performance Management overview http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_management
Performance Management resources http://www.bettermanagement.com/topic/default.aspx?f=11
Return to an old way: Bartering http://www.theolympian.com/living/story/795246.html
The Power of Positive Thinking http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000009.htm
Positive Thinking Your Key to Success http://www.successconsciousness.com/index_00003a.htm
Positive thinking: Practice this stress management skill http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009
The Power of Positive Thinking http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/~don/study/2positive.html
15 Ways You Can Use Your Computer for Affirmations http://www.rightandwrongthinking.com/
Positive Thinking (Optimism vs. Positive Attitude) http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2008/12/10/positive-thinking/
Positive Thinking Can Help You Feel Better, Longer http://seniorliving.about.com/od/lifetransitionsaging/a/positivethinkin.htm
Optimism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimism
100 Positive-Thinking Exercises That Will Make Any Patient Healthier & Happier

Books Disclosure: We get a small commission for purchases made via links to Amazon.

Chicken Soup for the Soul series by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen ISBN-13: 978-1558749207 Full list of Chicken Soup books
Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love by Barbara Winter ISBN-13: 978-0553371659
You’ll See It When You Believe It: The Way to Your Personal Transformation by Wayne Dyer ISBN-13: 978-0060937331
As a Man Thinketh. James Allen (originally published in 1902). CreateSpace, 2008. ISBN-10: 1438243545 ISBN-13: 978-1438243542
The Power of Positive Thinking. Norman Vincent Peale. Ballantine Books, 1996). ISBN-10: 0449911470 ISBN-13: 978-0449911471
Income Without a Job: Living Well Without a Paycheck. Michael Jay Anthony, Barbara J. Taylor. Lulu.com, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0-557-00377-8. Book's website: www.income-without-a-job.com. Tap into your own creativity and use your full potential. Learn how to see opportunities that others miss.

Articles

Multi-Media

Listen to a recording of The Strangest Secret https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYHbLS5s2Ks
Positive Thinking Meditation Video http://www.5min.com/Video/Positive-Thinking-Meditation-Video-29760429

The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale (audio recording & transcript) ISBN-13: 978-9562914093

Leap! the DVD movie http://www.leapmovie.com. If you loved The Secret, you'll love Leap!

The Secret DVD movie ASIN: B000K3I7SO

When Dreams May Come. Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., 1998. ASIN: B00007GZR5
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (to get free e-book download download -> fill out the form, then watch for e-mail confirmation) http://www.asamanthinketh.net/
Video: Dr. Alex Pattakos: The Meaning of Positive Thinking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptU9i4tAKE8
Positive Thinking Radio http://positivethinkingradio.com/
Larry King Live - Beyond Positive Thinking - Part 2 http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1484184840
Thought Awareness, Rational Thinking & Positive Thinking (1) http://www.mindtools.com/redpstv.html
Positive thinking: Practice this stress management skill
How Does Positive Thinking Impact Your Stress Level? http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/f/positive_think.htm

The Lighter Side

The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/
April Fools' Day: Origin and History http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html
Classic Pranks http://www.aprilfoolzone.com/
Video: Penguins April Fool - The Making Of - BBC http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzhDsojoqk8
April Fool's Day Printable Jokes & Practical Pranking http://www.creativity-portal.com/howto/artscrafts/april.fools.day.html
April Fool's Day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Fool%27s_Day

About our resource links: We do not endorse or agree with all the beliefs in these links. We do keep an open mind about different viewpoints and respect the ability of our readers to decide for themselves what is useful.

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