Strengthen With Simplicity

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” 
― Steve Jobs

It's easy for you to ramble on, making things more complicated than they need to be for others to understand.  Many things, especially communication, are stronger and more powerful when they are concise.


1. Close your eyes
2. Breathe
3. Empty your mind
4. As thoughts come in, acknowledge and whisk them away
5. Focus on your breathing
6. Think about the affirmation:


I will strengthen with simplicity.

Make Fear Give You The Edge

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. ~Maori Proverb ~

For many of you there are very real and valid reasons to worry.  Fear keeps you alert and warns of danger.  It is a necessary part of your emotions.  Worry and fear will never go away for anyone.  The difference maker is how you deal with fear and worry.  You can let it eat at you and occupy important areas of the brain - where you need to think.  Use the alertness that fear provides to get focused.  Some leaders feed on danger and risk because it can be very exciting.    As a leader, know that risk means that you have the opportunity to grow and flourish.  With risk comes fear but with fear, can come bravery.  Trust that you will prevail and overcome.  Instead of fear ruling you - use it's energy to create success.

1. Close your eyes
2. Breathe
3. Empty your mind
4. As thoughts come in, acknowledge and whisk them away
5. Focus on your breathing
6. Think about the affirmation:

"I will use fear to my advantage - with it, I will be more alert and focused."

Leaders: Close Filters, Open-Minds

Be open.  And then the truth follows. ~ Gangaji ~

You use filters every time you read or listen to others speak.  Those filters are created by your values, beliefs and attitudes.  Often you will miss very important nuances and insight.  It happens this way - you will read a word or hear a phrase, perhaps see an illustration and it will trigger your brains memory.  It will cause a positive or negative reaction based upon your beliefs.  At that point your brain begins to look for information that supports your values, beliefs and attitudes about a particular topic.  If you feel the information is pleasurable then you will begin to look for ideas that support you, even if the information is not truthful.  You buy into whatever they are selling only because of a trigger.  You become too trusting. 

Conversely,  if you feel the information is acrimonious, then you will begin to miss the real and true meaning of the author/speaker.  You will close your mind in disagreement without fully processing the information.  You might even decide that you don't like the person and begin to judge them.  As a leader, try to control your filters so that you don't risk missing critical information that others share and losing valuable diversity that people with other ideas can bring.  You are not always right and you don't always have the truth.
 
1. Close your eyes
2. Breathe
3. Empty your mind
4. As thoughts come in, acknowledge and whisk them away
5. Focus on your breathing
6. Think about the affirmation:

"I will shut down filters and open my mind in pursuit of the truth."

Cut Stress By Giving Laughter

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~ Milton Berle ~

Research is beginning to show that laughing is a full-cortex experience.  This makes sense considering the positive physical and mental effects laughter can have on people.  Laughing can be an instant stress reliever.  If you are having a hard time getting motivated, moving on from a problem or concentrating on a challenge, stress could be one of the reasons since it takes up so much space in the "thinking" areas of the brain.  As a leader, you need to be able to help others think better, so find a way to cut stress. You almost always add stress by the shear nature of being the leader. When you give the gift of laughter, you give others the chance to have a little break from stress.

1. Close your eyes
2. Breathe
3. Empty your mind
4. As thoughts come in, acknowledge and whisk them away
5. Focus on your breathing
6. Think about the affirmation:

"I will find time add laughter to the day."

Defend Against Complaining

Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. ~Og Mandino

The sure fire way to ruin a good mood is to listen to someone who is in a bad mood.  It can take away your energy.  It can put negativity into the fore front of your brain.  The place where you need to think and innovate. As leaders, you can't avoid having to listen to complaints.  They are a necessity for improvement.  However, if you get involved emotionally then you can become trapped.  Take the time to inoculate by preparing yourself mentaly.  Surely empathise and then understand that when others grumble you are to coach them into flipping their complaints into a solution.  This will help defend you from complainers putting you in that emotional trap.

1. Close your eyes
2. Breathe
3. Empty your mind
4. As thoughts come in, acknowledge and whisk them away
5. Focus on your breathing
6. Think about the affirmation:

"I will be emotional resilient to complaining

by coaching to solutions."