Category Archives: Inspiration

Change your thoughts, and you change your world

Posted on January 20, 2012 by lindseyulasz | 3 Comments

“Change your thoughts, and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale

I recently challenged myself to changing how my mind works. I am an over analytical, one-step-ahead, worrying type of person and I made it my personal, internal goal to be more positive and focus on what I want out of life rather than focus on the current hardships I have going on. I have been reading a lot of books and blogs about how powerful the mind really is and it’s astonishing to think how a small change of thought can lead to big changes in life. Now, somewhere deep down I knew just how powerful the mind was because my father is an avid “positive-thinker”. He has always taught me that by thinking positively and being grateful for what you do have, you can shape your future by the simple power of positive thought. Basically asking the universe for what you want, knowing inside that you can get it, and taking the steps to achieve what you want.

Most people go through a bad situation and dwell on the negative experience – and in doing so they manifest more bad. Very few people go through a bad situation and think about the good that has come from that negative incident or how worse off things could have been. It’s those few people who put things into perspective and make a negative into a positive that have success in life. And I do not mean just financial success, but success in relationships, career, health, and emotional wellbeing.

Within my research I have found that it is simply up to you to decide how you feel and in turn shape where you want to go in life. You have to actively train your brain to think positively and be grateful for the things you have. This positive thinking will bring you good things. It will be a challenge to retrain your brain, but I can guarantee you that it’s worth it.

This short animated YouTube movie depicts just how powerful the mind is and by focusing on something good, even if it’s just a distant thought can bring you peace and positivity.

I think we all lose sight of how powerful our minds are and how important it is to be happy and positive at all times. Like attracts like – so shape your own world by thinking positive!

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged Change Your Thoughts, happiness, motivation, Norman Vincent Peale, Optimism, video

New Year’s Resolutions. It’s about your career too.

Posted on December 22, 2011 by lindseyulasz | 4 Comments

“You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution”. ~ Gretchen Rubin

I decided to ask some people in my network if they had any New Years Career Resolutions. I got off to a great start. One woman admitted that she would love to see her coworkers deal with their customers in a more empathetic and positive way, especially since the company she works for is purely customer services orientated. I found her answer to be genuinely concerned for how some of her coworkers were dealing with customers and in turn making her work environment not a very fun one.

A couple of people admitted that they would like to look for a new or more challenging role in 2012. Others felt that they had hit the well-known ceiling and were at a crossroads with whether or not they should stay or move on from their current companies. Two people said that they would like to further their education and be more challenged in their work. Then I got an answer that made me realize this whole “New Years Resolution” thing is a bit silly! My close friend Paul said, “New years resolutions are easy enough to make, but it is the actual implementation that differentiates the highly motivated from the somewhat motivated.” This comment jolted me a bit and made me question why do we feel we need to make promises to ourselves just because it’s a new year? I am sure most people can admit they never follow through with these promises, and most of them probably quickly conjure up some cliché answer when asked. Do you ever hear anyone ask, “Hey, what’s your resolution for April?” Of course you don’t. People have this tendency to think: New Year, new start. What I am asking here is why?

Be the highly motivated and make your goals year round. Write out your goals and stick it on your wall or in your bedside table and look at it nightly. Remind yourself of where you want to be and want you want to achieve and start taking the right steps. Don’t give some fluffy answer because everyone and their dog are asking you “What’s your New Years resolution?” How about next time you’re asked say, “To make a new goal for every month and actually achieve it.” Let’s get serious here and make our own successes with actual steps to get us there.

For example, to the woman who wants to see more positivity and empathy coming from some of her coworkers, I propose she initiates the change by being extra positive herself and setting a clear example for the rest of her team. Exude the fantastic customer service energy and hope some jump on the train. Or become a good listener to those who are negative and help them clarify their issues and perhaps provide good insight of how she handles difficult customers while remaining empathetic and helpful. These would be great steps to implement – and it means actually following through with your goal.

I completely appreciate my peers’ answers and honestly believe every single one of them will achieve their career goals. It just got me thinking about how many things I would like to achieve for 2012 and if I will actually do it. Being honest with myself I can say that previous “resolutions” were not fulfilled and I am tired of it! I am now going to make goals for myself every time I think of something I want, and that’s not just for my career, it’s for my health, personal life, and anything else I want. And I will tenaciously take the needed steps. Saying it is easy… it’s the doing that’s hard.

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged career, Goal, goal setting, gretchen rubin, inspiration, new year, New year resolution

30 day challenge – the follow up

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Jessica Rozitis | 1 Comment

I asked a few people who participated in a 30 day challenge recently to provide some feedback on their experience. Interesting what we can learn from our personal goals, and what a hold they can have on us.

Sharon – I really enjoyed taking on this 30 day challenge! Working out daily made my body and soul more energetic and positive. It was also really fun and rewarding to accomplish this challenge with like minded friends…the no drinking for 30 days, however wasn’t the greatest because there were days when I would have enjoyed a glass of wine or two. I realized I wasn’t trying to break a habit of drinking as it wasn’t consuming my life so as I embark the coming month of December, I have given myself another 30 day challenge in making good habits:

- Spend 30 minutes min each day with some kind of self development and learning ie. Reading business book, daily paper, studying for recruiter courses!
- Drink 6 glasses of water per day

Laura – I could drink coffee all day, but water? – I don’t drink nearly enough. Water is so important to good health so for my 30 day challenge I decided to drink 1.5 litres of water a day. Most days I drank at least 1.5 litres a day, if not more, but I have to admit that some days I got pulled back into old habits and drank less than 1.5 litres. My 30 days of water drinking were mostly successful (even including the small missteps) as even on the days when I didn’t quite meet my goals I was still drinking more water than I would have was I not consciously engaging in the challenge. I will definitely challenge myself again!

Matt – I accepted the 30 day challenge on a whim. I’ve never done one before so thought “why not.” I accepted my challenge in theory – I liked the idea. And an idea is what it remained. I lasted 3 days before it was out of mind for the rest of the period. It reminded me of the ‘best practices’ of goal setting that I didn’t use – I didn’t write it down and give myself a deadline; I didn’t ask for help or someone to check in with me to see how my progress was going; I didn’t keep a physical reminder near my desk to cue me to do something. This challenge reminded me that an idea will stay an idea until I turn it into a goal. Lessons learned for my next 30 day challenge!

Alana - My 30 Day Challenge was an interesting exploration of habit-making activity. In an effort to make it stick, I made a cup of green tea each morning and brought a pre-sorted bottle of vitamins with me to work. I was really good and didn’t miss a day for 2.5 weeks until I ran out of green tea and one of my vitamins. I missed a couple days of green tea, then a couple vitamins on various days. The interesting part was how I wasn’t as motivated to continue my activity after a slip up. I learned that if I try any diet, exercise or new habit, I need to be routine on not only administering the activity, but also making sure I am ready with supplies. Starting on Dec 1, I started a new routine to try – making my lunch every weekday so I don’t buy lunch. Both Sundays I have gone out to purchase the necessary groceries then chopped and cooked enough for the whole week. That way, it is easy each morning to just pack the food into a Tupperware and bring it with me. Also, in case I accidently run low on supplies, I have a backup of a few soups in my cupboard so I stay on track. Hopefully I can use my 30 day challenge experience as a learning point instead of a failure.

Jessica – I reached for my business book every night – except for the occasional night when I didn’t read at all because my eyes were just so tired from the day, that I had to go straight to bed.
I did manage to plough through my book way more than I normally would have. Glad I did the challenge. I will continue with my reading – see, the habit already worked!
Now I want to pick up another good habit. Maybe I’ll drink green tea every day, just like Alana did. That would be a good place to start.

What I think we all learned from this challenge, is to keep yourself accountable to attain your goals, and if you miss a couple of days, pick up where you left off, and eventually, the habit could start to stick again.

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged 30 Day Challenge, fun, goal setting, Health

30 Day Challenge

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Jessica Rozitis | 10 Comments

The yoga studio I am currently practicing at is doing a 30 day yoga challenge. Although this is not a new concept, it is worth visiting, as it could provide inspiration to try another 30 day challenge whether it be yoga, or whether it be giving up caffeine.

Why 30 days? 30 days is the threshold to make or break a habit. Stephen Covey famously said that it takes 21 days to create a habit. Some of us need longer – so let’s just round it up to 30. A 30 day challenge allows you to take baby steps to achieve your goals.

This 3 minute TED video spells it out clearly. I don’t think I could give up sugar for 30 days like Matt Cutts did, or chocolate for that matter.

Think of something you’ve always wanted to try. Make those small changes, see your self confidence grow, and achieve your goals. You can even sign up at 43 Things and find others with similar goals and cheer each other on with encouragement. The #21 All-time Most Popular goal on the site is “get a job”. There are others like ‘lose weight’, ‘stop procrastinating’ and ‘drink more water’.

So, the question is, what will your 30 day challenge be? Feel free to share in the comments below.

~ Jessica Rozitis

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged 30 Day Challenge, fun, goal setting, inspiration, Matt Cutts, Stephen Covey, video

Fulfillment at Work

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Jessica Rozitis | 5 Comments

I came across this captivating talk by leadership expert Simon Sinek a few weeks ago, and it still resonates with me. I must admit, the title grabbed me at first: “If You Don’t Understand People, You don’t Understand Business” but it is the content and storytelling that pulled me in.

Although the running time is 30 minutes, I set aside the time to give it my full attention. It is definitely worth your time to watch this. You’ll be glad you did.

~ Jessica Rozitis

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Posted in Inspiration, Leadership and Team Building

Tagged authenticity, business, influence, inspirational speech, Leadership, Simon Sinek, trust

Summer Reading

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Sarah McNeill | 1 Comment

I’ve chosen two books that I believe are perfect for summer reading. Both books are not your typical heavy business or career read; and the best thing – they can be read in a very short space of time. Isn’t that what summer reading is all about?

For the Manager: The Little Book of Coaching – Motivating People To Be Winners

Ken Blanchard, Author of the One Minute Manager, co-authored the Little Book of Coaching with Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins.

This is the perfect beach side book as it’s written so you can easily navigate through it and pick up at any point. It’s a series of key quotes and statements that associate with their acronym: C.O.A.C.H. This book has many inspiring ideas and stories that can be applied to both personal and business. I believe it is an essential read for anyone in a leadership or management role.

Career Reading: Johnny Bunko – The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need

New York Times best-selling author, Daniel Pink wrote this book in Manga format, so end to end this book should take no more than an hour. It’s visual format and strong messaging serves as the ultimate guide to take charge of your career that may actually help you get unstuck and start doing what really makes you happy and fulfilled. This book carries a universal message applicable to both those deeply into their career as well as for those just beginning.

Happy reading!

~ Sarah McNeill

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged Book, business, Daniel Pink, Don Shula, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Management, summer reading

Are you stalled?

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Sarah McNeill | 2 Comments

There are days when I sometimes just have to stop what I’m doing. And so I stop. Most times it’s because my list of unfinished ‘to do’s’ and never ending priorities have gone to the red line and are about to create a landslide on me. It’s at that point that I try to remember what it might have been like at this time the previous year or even years before. It’s really just my general catch-all way of finding perspective on the situation. Even though I’m sure it’s just a matter of seconds, the distraction is long enough to break the cycle of my grind. My observation: today’s work climate is so fast paced that it almost seems to get faster with each year. So many new technologies, so many platforms to showcase competing engagements and deadlines. Naturally we adapt and try our best to keep up. And because we’re constantly adapting, we sometimes trick ourselves into thinking that what we are doing with our time is effective. When the grind is so intense it is easy to fall into routines that can actually lead you to be unproductive and quite frankly unmotivated and stalled. It’s sometimes best to just stop, regroup, and resort your priorities.

I really like Chris Brogan’s post, Grinding vs. Clocking. His one minute video clip reminds us of what we’ve forgotten that could make all the difference.

Just before I wrote this post I took five minutes out of my day to order some okespor water shoes I’ve been meaning to buy (on my ‘to do’ list) to go with a kayak that is due to arrive in time for this weekend. So in doing this, I’ve taken my time first mini time out. It’s a curious habit I have, and I’m sure I’m not alone, that I can leave on my ‘to do’ list things that can actually help me be more productive and recharged. I’m now ready to look at the rest of the ’to do’ list of my life and regroup. At the very least, break it up into smaller bundles so I can refocus on the things most important to me right now. And as a motivator to getting this done, I’m already visualizing myself on the kayak finding peaceful time to myself.

Hope you can get take a few minutes to get yourself out of your grind. Face it – we’re always in one. Just step out of it from time to time. Feels good.

~ Sarah McNeill

photo credit: Joseeivissa

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged career, Chris Brogan, high performance, productivity, video

Kill procrastination

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Jessica Rozitis | Leave a comment

I’ll never forget that day when my grade 7 teacher wrote the word ‘procrastination’ across the blackboard in thick white chalk. He requested that we all learn the meaning of the word, and then to never let procrastination get in the way of all the things we need to accomplish. We’ve all done it. We’ve all put off the tasks we don’t want to do. But, we all love the feeling of crossing things off our to-do list.

Personally, I love the simplicity of TeuxDeux. Fast Company calls it “The Web’s Most Beautiful To-Do List”. I have the web version always open on my computer, and refer to the iPhone app all the time. It keeps me on track, and let’s me cross of the to-dos. My teacher would be proud.

credit: Brady Gilchrist

~ Jessica Rozitis

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged Procrastination, TeuxDeux, Time management

The hidden power of smiling

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Sarah McNeill | 2 Comments

I believe that so much of one’s success in life comes from one’s ability to use the power of smiling. It’s a shame that life’s demands chip away at something we apparently did so naturally before we were born. Throughout my life, through all my successes and challenges, I have experienced first hand the extraordinary power and strength of what smiling can do. I think I may actually smile more than the average person! Charles Darwin said that the ‘act of smiling itself actually makes us feel better.’ He’s right.

Ron Gutman’s presentation on this Ted video has some fascinating takeaways and interesting insights. You may find yourself pulling out your old highschool yearbook after watching this video. This time, not looking at the hairstyles of your era! As someone who has made a career in the placement of people into companies I was quite taken by some of the concepts Gutman shared.

I would agree readily with Mother Teresa’s statement ‘I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish’. I’m willing to bet that one of the m0st significant traits of the most successful companies today share is the power of the smile. I’d guess that they beat out their competitors in this area by a country mile.

To close, another great example of the power of the smile in action, a favourite of mine, is found in Validation – the art of smile

~ Sarah McNeill

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Posted in Inspiration

Tagged business, empowering, happiness, motivation, Ron Gutman, Smile, TED.com

Category Archives: Inspiration

Change your thoughts, and you change your world

Top 6 McNak Blog posts of 2011

New Year’s Resolutions. It’s about your career too.

30 day challenge – the follow up

30 Day Challenge

Fulfillment at Work

Summer Reading

Are you stalled?

Kill procrastination

The hidden power of smiling

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