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You are Your Own President

Welcome President YouCongratulations! You are the president of your own nation, and it is called "Imagination"...get it? "Imagi-NATION". This particular nation is the driving force behind your life and is the underlying factor for your future. You have an enormous responsibility as the President of this nation because its success depends entirely on you. Its entire population (you!) can't succeed without you. Whoa! That's a lot of power.You're in charge! Take a minute to internalize the power you have as the President of your own life. Among many things that you have is the power to choose and/or consider. You get to hold the votes on who is allowed to live in your nation and on how your nation operates.It's so exciting to think that we are the CEOs and designers of our life. Each of us has the ability to imagine such powerful dreams for our future, which can change the destiny of millions of people. Let's think about a few people who had unreal imaginations -- Henry Ford imagined an 8-cylinder car and then achieved it. The Wright Brothers imagined men could fly and then discovered a way to make that possible. Ask yourself right now, "Where did they all dream of those achievements first?" The answer to that question is...They did their dreaming in their own nation called Imagination!Create Your Ultimate TeamAs I have written about in the past, you must create and begin to maximize your mastermind team. Look around you. Who in your life can best help you to build your best life? Who inspires you? Who encourages you and comes through on their promises? Who is ready to help if you need them? Recruit these great people to your team!This team will empower you to build an incredible Imagination and make others wonder why you are achieving such an awesome level of success. As the president of your Imagination, make it a point to inspire others to create other phenomenal imaginations of their own. The world needs many people who are proud of their own "Imagination”.Evaluate Your PresidencyTake some personal time and evaluate how you are handling your nation. Are you proud of what you are imagining you can be or what you can do? If you answer that question truthfully, you will either be enthused or disillusioned. You truly need to re-examine your nation. I suggest that you brainstorm, which means to take some time for yourself and just write down all the dreams that you have but never even wrote down. Write down 100 dreams or goals and then put them away for 2 days so that they can sink in a little. When you go back and read them, notice one or two which jump out at you. Identify these as goals or dreams you need to focus on as you begin to design with your own Imagination. Use those dreams to create wealth for yourself and your team in every aspect of life -- spiritually, physically, and financially!I challenge you [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:33:54-04:00June 5th, 2018|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on You are Your Own President
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10 Keys to Happiness

We are Always Pursuing Happiness Think about it ... every single thing we do is intended to make us happier. The people we choose to spend time with. The ways we spend our time.  And yet sometimes we get distracted and do things that actually move us away from this goal. We all have the potential for genuine happiness. We make choices throughout our lives. Each option is like a series of locked doors in front of us. We choose which path to follow and open the door we've chosen. The result of all these choices combined determines our level of happiness. Make the right choices and happiness can be yours. Ten Keys to Greater Happiness Here are some tactics we can follow on our journey toward genuine happiness: 1. Look For The Positive In Everything:  You know the old saying about a glass being half-full or half-empty? Finding the positive means choosing to focus on the parts of a situation that are going your way. Do this and you will be happier. Those who soar against all odds, do so because they look at the positive that could come out of their situation, how ever bad it may seem to others. 2. Accentuate The Positive:  From a young age we are taught what we must not do instead of what we may do. Don't run with scissors. Don't jump on the bed. Don't cross the street without looking both ways. Even in day-to-day life, there is more negative influence that positive. Luckily you can work to improve the balance. Phrase things in your mind as positives. Focus on DO  rather than DON'T. Celebrate the positive and work to get more of it. When you achieve something, congratulate yourself! 3. Practice Good Selfishness:  When we were young we were taught that putting our interests before those of others is wrong. This is particularly true for women, many of whom sacrifice their dreams and ambitions to help others achieve theirs. It is also common in the corporate world where the good of the company is considered more important than the good of the individual. Helping others and being a team player are important things, but we need boundaries to protect ourselves from being manipulated or abused by others. You are important, and you must look after yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually. 4. Listen To Your Feelings:  Feelings are your body's messengers. They make us aware of circumstances around and inside us. Sometimes those messages are pleasant, other times not. Our tendency is to distract ourselves from unpleasant feelings or to resist them in some way. Sometimes we tell ourselves we shouldn't be angry or sad or frustrated by something that has happened to us. The next time you have a feeling like this, take a moment to stop and experience it. So what if it's caused by a situation outside your control (like frustration over rush hour traffic). Take a deep breath an acknowledge your feeling. You don't have to live in it, but pushing it away [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:34:25-04:00May 28th, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on 10 Keys to Happiness
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Vital Leadership Question: What Does Our Organization Reward?

 A Good Leader ListensWhat sets leaders apart? Good leaders not only ask good questions, but they actually listen to the answers. Ask people in your organization: "What does our organization REALLY reward?" Listening to the answer may help you achieve a huge increase in results.Over the years I've worked with thousands of leaders, and I've learned that many organizations reward the wrong things.Some organizations may pay lip service to rewarding people for what is viewed as the right things: getting the right results in the right ways. But what they may really reward, often in terms of promotions and job perks, are things like "not rocking the boat", seniority, managing their image, working HARD, but not SMART.Transform Wrong Rewards into Right ResultsHere is a way to transform wrong rewards into right results.1. Find out what your organization really rewards. Take some time to ask the people in your organization what brings them the highest rewards. The answers may surprise you. Resist the urge to get caught up in those answers. Don't make value judgments. At this stage, you are just an observer. Simply compile the list and ask them what they would find more motivating.2. Execute a "Stop-start-continue" process. Gauge each item on the list against results your organization and employees really need. Does it help get results? Does it detract from results? For each item, identify the problem and who controls the solution. What reward do you stop, what do you start and what do you continue?3. Evaluate what your leadership rewards. When your leadership rewards the wrong things, you're getting a fraction of the results you're capable of. However, since we see the faults of others more clearly than our own, it may be more difficult identifying and dealing with your own issues rather than your organization's. Work with a trusted team member to be sure you're giving yourself a fair assessment. Use the stop-start-continue method to improve your own leadership reward behavior.Continue to Pursue the Healthy Reward System in Your Organization--Set aside special times and places to have your team focus exclusively on rewards evaluation, making sure they continually link the answers to what's important to them, thus increasing results.--Keep the link between right rewards and better results in sharp focus. This is not an academic exercise. It's not meant to simply make people feel good or vent their frustrations. Don't devolve into name-calling and finger-pointing. The idea is not to use the rewards evaluation to punish anyone or as a platform for stirring up dissatisfaction but instead for what it is meant to be: a powerful tool to get people engaged.Commit to Ongoing Evaluation for the Best SuccessYou'll get results, but don't expect overnight success. Just keep asking, What does my organization really reward? In the long run, when tackling the challenges that comes with listening to the answers, you'll be getting better results as well as sharpening your leadership skills.People often complain about a lack of recogntition, let's stop talking about it and start doing [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:35:25-04:00May 23rd, 2018|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on Vital Leadership Question: What Does Our Organization Reward?
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Secrets of a Positive Attitude

Managing Your Mental Diet Are you bombarded by thoughts of negativity? Have feelings of insecurity, stress or worry? This is normal... just watch the news and notice how many stories are negative and dramatic! You are what you mentally and spiritually eat. This is the time to go on a diet-- a diet of "positive attitude". You have to literally stop feeding your mind negative things. Ask yourself, is this thought positive or negative? What do negative thoughts look like? Well, they start with "can't" rather than "can", "no" as opposed to "yes", or focus on "won't" instead of "will". We tend to let our thoughts control us. Let's flip this around. Identifying the Subject of Negative Thoughts A great way to know what we are negative about is to ask those people who are closest to us. Ask your spouse or a close friend how they would rate your attitude on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being super positive and 1 super negative. Ask this person to be totally honest with you. You will benefit from their honesty. Ask this person what it is that you specifically say that they perceive as negative. What do you complain about? Write down what they say and look at the actual words. Now is the time to be honest with yourself. Those words are a reflection of what is inside you. They reflect who you are. Consider patterns that emerge. Are you sometimes negative about your health? Work? Relationships? Are you afraid of things which could happen but often never do? Flip the Switch The great thing is that you can change these thoughts. Complaining is just a bad habit! It is as simple as making a choice to do so. It's like flipping a switch. You must decide to replace the thoughts of negativity with thoughts of positivity. Decide to change the negative words on your paper to positive ones. Once you have done this, make an effort to insert these new positive thoughts in your mind. You will begin to notice a positive change taking place in your life. Your family, friends and co-workers will all notice it as well. They may not know what is different about you. But they will know that you are not the same person that you were. The items which are causing negativity in your life could very well be the news, negative people, replaying conflicts or stressful situations in your mind and the list could go on. Consider eliminating some negative sources if you want your new mental health regimen to be a success. You can do it. You can and will have a positive attitude, if you simply take the steps outlined above. You do not have to be what you were in the past. You can be different in the future. The choice is yours. I know you will make a positive one. You can find more on embracing a positive attitude and improving your happiness in my [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:35:57-04:00May 15th, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on Secrets of a Positive Attitude
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Taking Responsibility as a Leader

 "With great power comes great responsibility."Who could forget the ever-famous line from Spiderman, spoken by Peter Parker’s uncle: “With great power comes great responsibility.” In the movie, society expects Spiderman, a comic book, TV, and movie superhero, to take responsibility for saving his town or even the world from evil because he has super powers.Indeed, he never lets us down. With the power he possesses, he makes sure to be responsible in using it for the good of the people around him.Leadership is not all that different from being superheroes. Yes, you may not have super powers like Wonder Woman and Spiderman, but you have the power to lead other people towards success. This is so much greater and stronger since it is a power that can be used by real people in this real world.Being a leader requires a great sense of responsibility.The power to lead your people toward your vision comes with responsibilities like making sure they are working in the right direction, being aware of each and everyone’s tasks and getting them back on track when needed.Who said it is easy to be a leader? Well, it's not…It comes with tons of responsibilities. True leaders are willing to accept them all.There are instances where sometimes it can be tempting to blame somebody else when something goes wrong on a task.A leader should take full responsibility. HIs role is to communicate the vision and priorities clearly, then set everyone up for success. He has to coach, guide and provide feedback and recognition.Model the behavior you expect from your team.With competing priorities and back-to-back changes, some balls may get dropped. What a leader should do is to accept the fact that something went wrong, even if it is not his fault. It is normal that we cannot always deliver as planned or promised. These situations are opportunities to learn something. As a leader, this is a coaching opportunity. He should ensure that the team members learn from these misses and that they know what to do next time. Model the behavior you expect your employees to display in response to problems.You are not expected to have full control over other people's actions, but you have full control of your own reactions. Some of my more demanding clients find this challenging! Knowing how to handle unexpected and unpredictable situations makes you a trustworthy, responsible leader people will be proud to follow.Ingrid KeladaBusiness Psychologist/Happiness ExpertKCC Inc.SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

By |2019-11-05T07:37:34-04:00May 7th, 2018|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on Taking Responsibility as a Leader
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Work-Play Integration: The New Work-Life Balance

Integration for Life Harmony Balance. It's a nice word but the reality is hard to pin down. It may not even put us on the right track in our quest for fulfillment and happiness. Today we will talk more about  "work-play integration". Let's think about integration, which means bringing the various pieces of our lives into a cohesive whole. We each have many roles, goals, responsibilities and life plans. We have to consider all of those aspects globally and identify clear priorities. Identify Priorities Experience shows people best at balancing their lives are ones who have very clear priorities and their own clear definition of success. They know what's most important in their lives. These are people who can say, before it happens: if I have to make a choice between different activities, I know what my biggest priority is. Recognize the Choices You're Making Sometimes we fall into going through life feeling like we don't have a choice. We let the new promotion or the new demands of the job dictate what we do. This is not a balanced life road. We need to stop and reflect, communicate more with your significant other and your manager at work...basically be more pro-active and take charge. Take Time to Unplug It's easy to find we have too much to do. Technology has changed things and made people accessible 24 hours a day, encroaching on the peaceful "unplugged" time people used to have. Yet some things don't change. We still have 24 hours a day. We all have the same amount of time, and how we use it comes down to a personal choice. Use Management Skills in All Areas of Your Life For a balanced life, basic management skills have to be used at home as well as in the workplace. One of the reasons why many people prefer going out to work to working at home is that we're very organized in the workplace. We use time management there, and then we come home and just ride the waves, allowing  the latest problem that has cropped up to dictate our time. Instead, try bringing some organization into your home life. Plan a weekly dinner with friends or a family game night. Schedule an activity for yourself from time to time as an opportunity to take care of yourself and re-energize. Day 20 of my book, 21 Days to Happiness, focuses on creating happiness at work through the use of our strengths and talents. Check it out, and let me know which chapter helps you most! Ingrid Kelada Business Psychologist/Happiness Expert KCC Inc.

By |2019-11-05T07:38:10-04:00April 30th, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on Work-Play Integration: The New Work-Life Balance
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Leadership Tool: Delighting in the People You Lead

 Leadership entails getting results, and getting results entails human relationships. One of the best leadership tools you can use is delighting in the people you lead. The more closely the leader and the individuals of the team bond, the more results will usually accrue.However, sometimes leaders and the people they lead look at those relationships as somewhat one-sided. For example, charismatic leaders are commonly defined by sentiments bestowed on them from people. But great leadership is really a two-way street, also involving sentiments from the leader to the people.We can never reach our full potential as leaders until we are delighting the people we lead and, through that delight, leading them to get continually better results while they become continually better as employees and as people.To use this leadership tool properly, three things must be kept in mind.1. Delight must keep high expectations. In your delight, don't be afraid to challenge the people you lead to perform to their highest capability. After all, leadership is not about having people do just what they want to do. If they did want they wanted, you may not be needed as a leader. Leadership is about having people do what they may not want to do and be committed to doing it.2. Delight must be truthful. Don't try to manipulate people through your delight. Be honest with those you lead, even when it's uncomfortable. Have your troops see themselves as they should be seen, not as they want to be seen. Remember to praise your team for their successes.3. Delight must be practical. Link the delight you find in your team with lessons and best practices learned. Let your delight motivate people to take actions to be continually better. In that striving to be better and, getting better in the striving, you and your team will bond. And you'll have a chance to celebrate innovative ways you've improved your tasks together.You may not have thought about delight as a leadership tool, but it is one of the most effective because it goes right to the heart of getting results through the cementing of right relationships. Keep these three factors in mind when expressing your delight, and your leadership will be blessed daily with new opportunities.Ingrid KeladaBusiness Psychologist/Happiness ExpertKCC Inc.SaveSave

By |2019-11-05T07:38:21-04:00April 23rd, 2018|Leadership Tips|Comments Off on Leadership Tool: Delighting in the People You Lead
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5 Great Reasons Smiling Makes Us Successful

Smiling is a simple thing to do, but it can make a huge difference in how we feel and how we're perceived by the people around us. Here are some great reasons to give us a grin. 1. Our smile shows others people that we are likeable and helps us connect. If a stranger or new coworker approaches you and gains eye contact with you and then treats you to a smile, you'll have a fairly good idea that they are friendly and likeable. Which type of person do you prefer? A person that has a tired or overly serious face; an expression that may reflect their inner thoughts of boredom and worry; or would you prefer someone who is usually smiling and shows that they have an enthusiastic passion for life? Few of us would choose a miserable person to talk to whether it's in our work or personal lives. Let's face it-- we all prefer someone who is going to be positive. 2. A smile can make people feel happy and is infectious. When someone smiles at you, even a stranger, you usually smile back.  For that moment you enjoy a flash of positive communication without saying a word. It's hard to feel unhappy, negative or sad while you're smiling. Smiling gives you enthusiasm and drive. It is also habit-forming. When you spend a lot of time in the company of someone who smiles often, you will probably find that smile contagious.  It is hard not to return a smile; most of us do it at a subliminal level without thinking. So don't wait for someone to start the happiness epidemic. Be the first to offer a happy face! 3. A smile makes you look far more attractive and memorable to others. You don’t see many celebrities or media personalities that are not smiling. If you did, it is fairly certain their popularity would quickly start to drop! Have you noticed you remember smiling people more than those that are not? It is a fact that you are three times more likely to remember a smiling person over the one  wearing a negative or neutral features. 4. The effects of smiling can last for hours. Whatever problems and challenges you have in your life, smiling temporary puts them on hold.  You can choose to see opportunities and become solution-oriented, and while you are in a positive state, you have far more potential and power to advance and improve your life. 5. Most importantly, smiling is good for your health. When you are smiling, you may find whatever you are doing far easier. It releases stress, worry and tension that you may have built up throughout the day. Long term, developing the smiling habit will be one of the smartest things that you can do to improve your life. Also, smiling is FREE! You are never going to run short of smiles and will always have enough to go around.  When you weigh the positive points of smiling, it's a no-brainer decision to do [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:40:18-04:00April 9th, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on 5 Great Reasons Smiling Makes Us Successful
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Staying Focused on What Matters

Are you in a hurry? When you go about your day, take a moment to look at the people around you. Do they look like they're in a hurry to get somewhere? Have you had the experience of asking friends or coworkers to meet for a gathering, only to be told, "Sorry, I'm super busy"? " Maybe you've been the one to have to put off get-togethers or activities because your schedule simply doesn't have openings for those fun events. Busy seems to be the "new normal"...I noticed it can be embarrassing not to be busy these days! It's easy to become chronically busy. It's easy to develop the compulsion to be successful as fast as possible. It can be tempting to feel like in order to achieve our goals, we have to compress five years of work into one, by moving five times faster! But what's the cost of this kind of fast-paced, high-pressured living? Make time to pause and reflect. If we push too hard and neglect rest and recreational time, despite all our earnest and wholehearted attempts to be successful, we run out of steam and lose our sense of direction. It's like focusing on the trees, but failing to notice the forest. We can end up running in circles because we've lost sight of what's really important: the things that bring us joy, like family, friends, and rewarding experiences. Those joyful things serve as a compass, giving us direction and guiding us toward happiness. When you notice yourself slipping into busy-mode, try setting aside a few minutes to reflect on what's important. Ask yourself these simple questions: · What do I value in life? · What does success mean to me? · Has what I've done today brought me closer to my life's goals? · How do I get from where I am, to where I want to be? Yes, these questions require you to think deep; do some soul-searching. But when you have the answers, your mind will be clear. It's like driving a car with a clean windscreen... you can see where you’re going! I suggest you clean your mental windscreen every morning by taking time to reflect. That way, your VISION will be as sharp as can be. Everyone needs a Vision – that vivid mental image of what you'd like to be, do, and have in life. Without it, we can't see which way we're headed. And the only way to develop it is to pause, think, decide then...go for it, one step at a time. Remember, life is not a race. Live an intentional life. We have a finite amount of time to spend here on earth. Don't you want to spend that time in a life that's happy and rewarding? I know I do! So take a little time to slow down, pause, and reflect. Figure out what's important to you in life. Then spend more time doing what's important, rather than being busy everyday or chasing an imaginary shopping list of what it takes to [...]

By |2019-11-05T07:41:11-04:00March 12th, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on Staying Focused on What Matters
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3 Steps to Deal With Worry

Are you a worrier? "I know worry works because nothing I worry about ever happens."   Have you heard of this quote? It sounds funny, but it's not far from the truth! It's normal to worry from time to time, but more and more people seem to worry about the smallest stuff. They also worry about the big things, too, of course, like health, relationships, and finances. Because worrying can be overwhelming and counterproductive, when writing my book 21 Days to Happiness, I decided to try to understand it through research and dedicated the chapter "Don't Worry Be Happy" to address how to decrease it. Maybe you'd like to know what to do about it. 3 Strategies for Peace of Mind: 1) Practice catching yourself. During a recent phone call with a friend, I caught the person worrying 5 times about 5 different things. I'm not kidding. "Hey, you're worrying again." What I've learned is that worry is a mental habit. You can change habits; but you have to catch yourself first in order to stop it. 2) Practice thought switching. Once you catch yourself worrying, decide to think about something else. By this I mean, think of something that is more positive, perhaps a project or passion that will take your mind off whatever you are worried about. Are you planing an event, a trip or have some work goals you could focus on? Remember, "worrying is like a rocking chair...it keeps you busy, but it doesn't get you anywhere." 3) Act, file, or throw it away. Decide to do one of three things: decide to address the issue right then by finding a solution; if you can't do anything about it at the moment, give yourself a time to address it later; or decide that it is not important and let it go. In other words, act on it, file it or throw it away. Awareness and acknowledgment are the keys to changing our habits. If you tend to worry a lot, try to lighten up. 95% of what we worry about doesn't happen. What a waste of time and energy that can be. Of course, if there's a problem, find a solution...but let's not imagine and create problems that aren't there! What strategies work for you? Leave a comment or post on my 21 Days to Happiness Facebook page to tell me about it. My book, 21 Days to Happiness, describes additional strategies for setting aside worry for greater happiness. Ingrid Kelada Business Psychologist/Happiness Expert KCC Inc.

By |2019-11-05T07:43:00-04:00March 3rd, 2018|Happiness Tips|Comments Off on 3 Steps to Deal With Worry
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