Life Is What You Make Of It

Stop right now and think about all the good things that are happening in your life.  Are you healthy?  Are your children doing well?  Do you have a wonderful significant other?

Identify the good and every time the “not so good” gets in the way, make yourself focus on one of the good things on your list.

No matter what is on your mind… a bad marriage, a troubled child, a lost job, a deflated 401K, there are good things too.  Whenever your brain starts to focus on the negative, fight it and go for the positive.  It is a tool you have to work on and it’s not always easy, but you can make it a habit.

On top of focusing on the positive, here are two things I recommend to help have a good attitude everyday are:

1. Exercise.  Make it the kind of exercise where your body is moving, your heart is pumping and you are working out hard enough that you can’t focus on anything else except putting one foot in front of the other.

You can be a beginner to make this happen.  It’s all about the intervals.  Whatever you are capable of doing, whatever feels pretty easy; add a 30 second or 1 minute interval.  So if you are walking, every 3-5 minutes pick up the pace for 30-60 sec and walk as fast as you can.  Recover.  Then do another interval.  This can be done if you are walking, running, biking, swimming, the elliptical or whatever form of exercise you choose.

I am a triathlete and this is how I train.  Yesterday I did 3 min run sprints with 1 minute recoveries.  I did this 12 times.  This makes you faster, it speeds up your metabolism, the endorphins kick in and you will enjoy a natural high.

Don’t get me wrong…it is hard…and while I am doing it I hate it!  When I am done I feel like a million dollars.

2. Write in your diary or write on the attitudeisit.com blog
Writing and sharing what you write is cathartic.

I read in the newspaper yesterday that writing about your feelings helps alleviate stress.
In uncertain times it is really important. At all the low points in my life, I have kept a diary.  I write what I feel and when I’m done, I always feel better.

I mentioned in my last newsletter that I was starting to blog and I was experimenting to see how best to make it work.  When I read the article about writing about your feelings, a light bulb went off.

If you need to release some stress or have something on your mind that you just need to release, go to my blog, click on “Comments” and write away.  You don’t have to sign your name unless you want to. If you have a solution to someone’s feelings, respond to that too.  As they say, misery loves company.  We can help each other have a great attitude.

In conclusion, we are all in this chaotic environment together.  We are all feeling a sense of unease.  We are all feeling it differently, but we are all feeling it.

Run, bike, swim or write to keep your Attitude elevated.  Run, bike, swim or write to keep you motivated to accomplish more than you ever thought possible.

If you know of anyone who needs help saving a home, financial planning, or a motivational boost I am available.  Send this to all of your friends and go to my blog at Attitudeisit.com.

Everything is an Opportunity in a Chaotic World

Let’s talk about the world chaos, what it is doing to us, and how it’s affecting our attitudes.
 
If you’re anything like me you have been walking around with a pit in the bottom of your stomach. You may be worried about your stock portfolio or your 401K. You might be worried about your job security
or the job security of your children.  If you are on a fixed income, you are worried if you have enough money to get you through these tough times.  These are all new feelings.  Feelings felt by almost all of us. Feelings that we need to control to maintain a good quality of life.
 
Let me start by telling you that the world is not coming to an end. I am sure of that.  I can also guarantee that the stock market is coming back and that one-day we will again have a robust economy. When?  If I knew the answer I would be running for President.
 
If you are familiar with my book you know that there is a chapter entitled “Everything is an Opportunity” and today is the day to start believing.  Don’t sit around and complain about what is happening, get up and do something. Get up right now and do what you have been putting off, stop procrastinating. There are opportunities
everywhere; we just have to look for them.  We cannot look for them if we are holed up in a corner scared to face the world. Go now…. I don’t care if you don’t read the rest as long as you are working towards a goal.   
 
 
What if you’ve been fired?  Getting fired is one of the worst traumas in life.  However, if you did a survey of all the people that have been fired in their lifetime, they will tell you that it was the best thing that ever happened.  Bernie Marcus, the
founder of the Home Depot, was fired from his former job at Handy Dan, a small-time home improvement chain.  Because he lost his job, he was forced to turn lemons into lemonade, and he did.  He is the founder of one of the greatest and biggest home improvement chains in the world.
 
I know your thinking, “well, yeah, but that was just one guy.”  But
there are thousands of stories where people found things that were better suited for them. What’s your story going to be?
 
Success in life is all about your Attitude.
 
 
When you walk down the road of life you will find an occasional fork.  You should view these forks as opportunities. But, never, ever focus only on one opportunity.  Make sure to have many job interviews and networking opportunities lined up. What if one doesn’t pan out?  You’ll feel discouraged and won’t know where to turn next.
 
Great opportunities don’t always knock on the front door.  Sometimes they sneak up on you. A golden opportunity may not look that great at first, but as you do your research, you may find that it’s just right for your needs. You must be open-minded to see the opportunities that benefit you and take you where you want to go.  
 
 
This approach is known as having lots of irons in the fire. Pursuing several opportunities at one time will increase your odds of moving forward.  Having lots of irons in the fire increases your opportunities for success and keeps your attitude positive!! If one opportunity does not pan out, you have many others to pursue.  You can always move onto the next challenge instead of constantly looking backward, trying to figure out what went wrong.
 
This is not a political column, but I hope our next President tries to do what I am going to do, and that is renew the optimism of this country and work to alleviate some of the fear we are all feeling.
 
So whatever the challenge of today may be, go make it happen, action will ease the unease and action will keep you positive.
 
 
Contact me at Barbara@attitudeisit.com if you are looking for a motivational speaker for your next sales meeting or event. I am also available for one-on-one career or personal coaching.
 

 

Welcome to Barbara Babbit Kaufman’s Blog

Thank you for visiting my blog.  It is proven that people with positive attitudes are happier, healthier and more successful.  Whether you want to climb the corporate ladder or climb Mt. Everest, my 10 easy steps can get you where you want to be.

Visit my site at www.attitudeisit.com