I shouldn’t watch the news anymore… I was watching the hearing on what will be done to fix the current state of sad affairs and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… to paraphrase, because I don’t write word for word notes while livid…

“We’ve done a lot of thinking about it and that seems like the best number.”
Yeah, seven hundred billion has always sounded like a good number to go after for me too… I’ll put that on my "to-do" list.

“It’s got to work, it’s too big to fail.” Come-on… give me a break, nothing is too big to fail… It might be too important to fail, but nothing is never "too big to fail!" I found myself screaming at the TV “OMG, these people that we’ve put in charge don’t know what the hell they are doing!”  Okay, enough ranting, back to us down here in the trenches…

I think we all know people that are experiencing difficult times these days. People are mad, sad, worried about work and life… so I want to start a brainstorm-type of conversation with you today. I pose two vital and serious questions that we can all learn from each other with. Please feel free to answer one or both or pose another question for us to ponder…

• What is the one thing that you are most afraid of that could put you out of business before the end of 2009? (Do you realize that is only 462 days away.)

• What is one thing you are or can do to get through these times? Big or little, doesn’t matter, share with us. My friend Jim told me yesterday, he was having fun (and saving money) making his own peanut butter.

Please share in the comments section of our blog! I really want to get a movement going here. Think Big on sharing what you know! It’s time we pitch in together. Less competition, more collaboration!

To get our conversation going I offer 3 free things we can all do.

1. Talk to someone. We are not alone in this. Share your concerns and success. Encourage others, a little known fact is while you are encouraging others you are actually changing your mood as well.

2. Try not to dwell on the negatives, instead use that time to get a back up plan going.

3. Laugh. Watch a funny movie. Look through old family photos and wonder whatever was I thinking when I wore my hair that way or picked that outfit. Share fun memories.

I will always remember when Adam was about 14, he announced he was joining the downhill ski-racing team (having little skiing experience.) Over my gasps of WHAT!  I heard “Yeah mom… Life sometimes sucks. Buy a helmet. Adapt and Overcome! (Four years later he placed in the state championship finals… )

Hang in there everyone. It will get better.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

Grab a copy of Sharon’s latest book…

Written straight from the heart, Sharon Sayler’s Life’s Short Live Passionately invites us to know that within each of us is a life full of joy, success and passion. Your passion can change the world—but only when you make the choice to take action.

Late for life?
Seems as if everything is going faster and faster today. Many don’t even have the time to write a complete sentence anymore… What’s your relationship with time?

Sometimes, we get going so fast towards what we want, that we forget about the most important parts of our life, our loved ones. It is easy to fall into saying, “just as soon as…” and know that our loved ones will understand. A passionate life doesn’t work that way. It is the combination—the balance—of our work and our person.

Work-life balance is not an oxymoron. Demands on your time change as your family, purposes and work life change. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything. It means the continually rearrangement of priorities and appropriate boundaries. Be firm with what you want and can and cannot do. Only you can create harmony and happiness in your life.

Research has found that most happy people have strong ties to family and friends and that happy people live about nine years longer than unhappy people. Make time for friendships.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure
To Success! To Life!

p.s. Thank you so much for the great response to Life’s Short. Live Passionately. If you haven’t grabbed your free excerpt yet it’s available on the IE site at http://www.impressionengineers.com/excerpt/

Big WOO! HOO! Everybody!

The book “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” is finally in my hot little hands! Amazing. I’ve been working on it so long, I began to think it would never be complete… always many lessons learned when you do anything—from this project I learned (or re-learned):

1. Even if you plan that it will take longer than you think, it always takes longer than you planned and think…
2. When you see the finish line at about 98% finished, you really are only about 50% done.
3. There is no perfection. No matter how perfect it is when it leaves your hands, there will always be something you will want to add, delete or change…

I’ve already taken the plunge into my next book, about better communication in the workplace. This time, I think I will try the aim and fire approach. Planning is important, and patience is a virtue but living life is the perfect teacher.  You’ll probably read how that idea of plan less is going soon…

So, “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” is finally ready. It’s an easy read. No “chapter” is over 2 pages long… since you already read our newsletters you probably know I like to write short and to the heart of the matter… Life’s too short to spend your time turning too many pages for the author to get to the point…

In “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” you’ll discover life lessons that make a difference.

• Understand the dynamics of why fear stops people.
• The presuppositions of Living Passionately and how to embrace them.
• The ways that get to the heart of the matter faster, easier and without blame! 
• The 4 most important steps to take when setting goals. Set goals that will succeed.
• The 5 keys to know when enough is enough.
• The simple steps to not be disappointed again. And much, much more…

Whether you are 10 years old or 100, this book will help you create your life, your way.

An excerpt is available at Excerpt

As a little official launch celebration and a special thank you to you—I’ve got it at a special super secret price for the next 5 days. It’s almost a give away, so let’s not let Adam know that I put it on sale… If you are interested, grab a copy right now.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

It seems to me these days that most people are complaining about something… usually something that is really none of their business…. I’m not here to talk politics, but does it really matter if someone’s hair is out-of-style—out-of-style according to whom??? Maybe it’s coming back in style, does it really matter?

I have an acquaintance that complains about everything, the server’s voice tone is not friendly enough, the soup is too hot… nothing is ever okay – except of course – he’s perfect, if you ask him.  It’s the mindset that matters.  If a mindset is in the “something is always wrong” mode, or "everybody’s wrong but me" mode, than that is what they will always find.

Mindset is contagious, so be careful. If you hang out with nay-sayers, you may find yourself being negative too. What you allow your mind to dwell on you get more of.

Reward the positive

Instead of focusing on the negative, build the habit of rewarding the positive. At the end of the day write down your successes and the successes of those you love and care about.

Keep a Success or Gratitude Journal.  It is often easy to forget the positive and dwell on the negative. Typically we focus on the negative because it needs fixing. The positive does not need the extra focus, so it is easy to dismiss and move onto the next “problem.” 

Make a habit of focusing on the positive—there is positive in every situation. You can also use your Journal to clearly defined what is wanted, things that the grateful mind can come to expect, such as " increase cash flow by creating more referral business." Gratitude, praise and appreciation for our self and others works miracles.

“Reward the negative with attention, you get more negative. Reward the positive with attention,  you get more positive.” ~Source unknown, but greatly appreciated~

Visit livepassionatelysociety.com for your Success and Gratitude Journal and Success Sheets

Have a great day in whatever your adventure
To Success! To Life!