How to stay up when life isn’t going as planned.

It’s cliché to say life doesn’t always go as planned. Sometimes, it’s the relatively insignificant things that slow us down, like when childcare arrangements fall through at the last minute or when the dog eats the birthday cake you so carefully selected. But what about when your career seems to be in an extended stall pattern, or when the business you thought you wanted to run turns out to be more challenging than expected. More than an inconvenience, uncertainty surrounding our livelihood can put us in a funk. It’s during times like these—while we’re wondering whether to quit or stick it out—that we experience stress and burnout. Read more

Joy on the Job

In a fearful economy, the best leaders bring positive emotions to work. 

Everyone is terrified of the “R” words: recession, reorganization and rescue. They are on our minds and constantly in the news—and they put fear into our hearts. All that fear bubbling around reminds me of Scooby-Doo saying “ruh roh” when things go wrong. Too many people are allowing a sense of “ruh roh” to dominate their work and personal lives and affect them negatively. Read more

How to Stay Up When…

Even for the most optimistic, maintaining a positive attitude isn’t always easy. 

I’ve read several great books lately—The Difference by Jean Chatzky, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen and The Noticer by Andy Andrews, to name a few. Though they’re written by distinctly different people, and in Allen’s case in another century, a common belief runs through them: We are all responsible for our attitude. Read more