Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

EP 181 Water, More Valuable Than Gold

It can give us life and it can kill us.

Give us pleasure and cause fear.

It can be found everywhere and in 20 years half of us may not have enough of it.

It’s more valuable than gold.

People are dying to have it.

What is it?

Water

It makes up to 78% of our body. To function properly, the body requires around two litres of water per day to avoid dehydration. It is the most important nutrient to our body. It is rather difficult to drink too much water, but it is dangerous to drink too little. Scientists have estimated that by 2030, in some regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%.

We take water for granted. Everyone pollutes it without thinking of the consequences and many of us waste it without thinking of how valuable it is. Humans can live without food for several weeks, but we would be in dire straits without water, even for only a couple a days.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating World Water Day:

Plastic water bottles are convenient but a huge waste of resources and pollute our planet.  Look for alternatives.  Use the water fountain.  Take water in a reusable container.

Turn the water off when brushing your teeth.

Make sure your taps aren’t leaking.

Don’t pollute what you have. Look for biodegradable detergents and cleaners to run in your shower, dishwasher and washing machine.

Want to check out more health and wellness related celebrations, visit my wellness calendars under the resources and courses tab at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 180 - Companies That Care

Our workplaces can encourage us, push us to grow, and allow us to succeed. They can be a source of positive energy and support.

Companies That Care Day is an annual event that
encourages employers to highlight and expand their employee and community initiatives,
and recognize the people who make their companies successful.  Companies that care value employees and are committed to community service.

Caring companies:

Sustain a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees

Make employees feel their jobs are important

Cultivate the full potential of all employees

Develop great leaders, at all levels, who excel at managing people, as well as results

And they consider the human toll when making business decisions

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Companies That Care Day:

Send notes to employees expressing appreciation for their efforts

Provide employees an opportunity to recognize each other by sending “caregrams”

Highlight all the employees who volunteer within the community

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 179 - Burn Baby Burn

I am so done with winter. It is wearing on my nerves and making me seriously want to move to another country – preferably with snow only in the remotest of locations…just in case I do want to see it again. But that is not likely.

Today is Snowman Burning Day. It is a day to celebrate the changing of season and where we hopefully can soon leave winter behind us.

I am not sure that burning a snowman will bring me some spring juju, but at this point I am willing to try.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Snowman Burning Day:

If you can’t burn a snowman, try encouraging that spring feeling by bringing home some blooms. Even if it is not spring outside yet, some bright flowers can make the day shine a little brighter

Make sure you have space to welcome spring into your home. Clear clutter from your display areas, closets, drawers and storage spaces. Donate, recycle or sell unused and unwanted clothing and household items.

Host a Spring Party and break out the BBQ. Getting together with friends or family can lift some of the winter gloom.

Finally, my favourite choice. Go out for ice cream. Nothing says good-bye to winter more than enjoying an ice cream cone.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 178 – Let’s Laugh

Laughter Is Good For Us – So Why Don’t We Use It More?

It has been shown that laughter (not just a quick giggle) reduces physical and emotional tension. Muscles tense in laughter and then relax profoundly for as long as 45 minutes. The more hearty, the more relaxing it is and the longer the positive effect. Laughter helps the body to produces endorphins, which are natural pain relievers.

A good belly laugh can stimulate your internal organs, increase your circulation, raise the level of oxygen in the blood and boost the immune system. A group of researchers found that laughing boisterously 100 times a day will give you the same effects as 10 minutes of rowing or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.

We know intrinsically that laughter is good for us, yet as we get older our laugh quota drops further and further. As adults, we need to examine what happened to our playful, fun, humourous side.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Let’s Laugh Day:

Find funny friends and co-workers and make it a point to hang out with them

Go old school and read the comics

Watch funny TV programs, movies and videos

Being able to laugh gives us the physical energy and mental resilience needed to survive.

Smile, Laugh Large and Fight ‘Terminal Seriousness’.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 177 – Forgiveness

My parents weren’t perfect.

As a new parent, I knew I was going to be a better parent than my own.  I was going to be kinder, hug more, talk more, connect more, love more.

And my children would appreciate me, know that I was always fair, never ‘hate’ me, and never doubt my love for them.

Reality can be painful.  The realization that there is no such thing as a perfect parent, that no one had perfect parents, that you are not going to be the perfect parent and that no matter what, your children are going to take you for granted, think that you are unfair, ‘hate’ you for the decisions that you’ve made and will probably doubt how much you love them at some point, is all part of our maturing process.

Parenting is not easy.  We wing it, just like our parents did. 

This realization can lead us to forgiveness.

Sometimes there is a little to get past, sometimes there is a lot to forgive.  Sometimes the hurt and damage run very deep.  Hanging on to this ‘baggage’ is damaging.  It can damage your current and future relationships. 

Forgiveness is not forgetting.  It is awareness and it is moving forward. 

The past can never be re-written.  But sometimes forgiveness allows the future to be much brighter.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Forgive Mom and Dad Day:

In my teens, I wanted to change my parents.  As I got older, I have grown to accept them for who they were and are today. 

They were not perfect, but they have some really good qualities.  Now, I see them through the eyes of my children.  They love their grandparents, the way I loved mine. When I look back, I see that they don’t carry that same baggage when they see their grandparents as I do when I see them as my parents. They greet my parents with excitement and enthusiasm.  They laugh and joke around.   Now, so can I.

Forgiveness is essential to living a healthy life.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 176 – Act Happy

In spite of illness and in spite of difficult life circumstances, we all know someone who seems to not let those things take over the rest of their world. 

It is not that they are blind to the impact that these things are having on their life, but they are choosing not to let these things be their entire life.  They choose to see happiness and miracles around them.  They appreciate the love and kindness they are offered.  They are eager to share that love and kindness with others.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Act Happy Day:

The more that we focus on things to be happy about, the more evidence we find that there are things to be happy about.

Belief creates reality. Become your ideal person.  How would a happy person act?

Happiness is inside us. We have control over what side of the line we focus our attention on. It is not that bad stuff doesn’t happen, but along with the difficult times of life, there is always a positive or beautiful side of life just waiting to be discovered. 

Live with an attitude of gratitude.  What are you thankful for?  How can you show that gratitude to those around you?

Today, look for the good, the amazing and the awesome.

Today act happy – not to be untrue to yourself – but by being more perceptive of the good.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 175 – Skip the Selfies

We are becoming more self-centered and Narcissistic. “Selfie” was Oxford dictionary’s Word of the Year in 2013. Since then, it’s become a serious preoccupation. The cultural phenomenon of the ‘selfie’ exposes a very basic human desire — to feel noticed, appreciated and recognized. Our addiction to selfies has turned deadly and selfie-related incidents now top shark attacks when it comes to unusual ways to die!

One study in the U.K. revealed that women between the ages of 16 and 25 spent an average of five hours a week taking selfies.

Research shows that selfies can make us feel lousy about ourselves to the point where we photoshop and filter our selfies in an effort to be picture perfect. How many pictures have you looked at and wonder why the person adjusted the picture so much that it no longer looks like the real thing?

However, it is hard not to love the ego boost from sharing a selfie because of the positive comments we usually get.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating No Selfies Day:

To celebrate today is easy – all you have to do is NOT participate in taking selfies!

Be in the moment, rather than trying to capture and edit it.

Finally, be careful that you are not falsely praising and reinforcing selfies that are over-processed.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 174 – Be More Sleep Diligent!

Over half of drivers say that they have driven drowsy in the past year. Many of us are sleeping poorly which is causing us to be sleep deprived.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating World Sleep Day:

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Follow a regular schedule each night. This trains your body and brain and promotes relaxation.

Do not adjust your ritual over the weekend.

Do not nap if you have trouble sleeping, unless there is a need for alertness.

Keep your room cool, dark, and block noises.

Allow for thorough ventilation in the room to avoid breathing stale air

The power of suggestion can be a powerful aid in getting a better sleep, especially if used in conjunction with deep breathing. The more that it is used, the more potent the effect it has. Suggestion works by gently reminding your mind. Try “Calm, Peaceful, Sleep, Dream”

Do not tell yourself how tired you are going to be the next day, as this kind of suggestion is just as fulfilling

 A good night’s sleep can mean the difference between coping effectively with the daily stressors of life and completely losing your mental and physical health.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 173 – Caffeinated

Do you drink more than four cups of coffee a day?

Do you often find yourself irritable, depressed or disoriented after drinking caffeinated beverages?

When you don’t drink caffeine do you find yourself experiencing headaches, drowsiness, or insomnia?

National Caffeine Awareness Month draws attention to the risk associated with caffeine.

At 200 mg of caffeine, you can experience irritability, restlessness, tension, insomnia, excitement, and gastrointestinal disturbance.

If you consume more than 1 gram (1000 mg), you can receive irregular heartbeats, panic and anxiety disorders, muscle twitching, and incoherent speech.

And, believe it or not, when you ingest more than 5 grams, the results can be fatal.

Caffeine has a half-life of about six-hours. That means that if your 4 o’clock cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine, by 10 o’clock that night, there will still be 100 mg of caffeine in your body, preventing you from falling into a deep and restful sleep.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Caffeine Awareness Month:

Look at what you consume – caffeine is often a hidden ingredient in some of our favourite foods.

Be aware of how much caffeine you are consuming in a day.

Look at why you consume certain caffeinated drinks. Is it the flavour, the social aspect, the energy boost, or is it out of thirst or boredom? The answer will help you to determine if there is a healthier way to fill that need.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 172 – Farmers Stay Safe

Growing up on a dairy farm, I know first hand how stressful this occupation can be. It is an all-encompassing lifestyle.

Two-thirds of farmers say that they are stressed, with 20% saying that they are very stressed. Shortcuts or inattention can lead to disaster.

Farmers are resilient.

Stuff happens…to everyone…and you move on. Though there is a lot of complaining about what is going on around them, most couldn’t imagine living or making a living any other way. Those that can’t live this way, don’t last and move on.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Canadian Agricultural Safety Week:

Think Safety First. During Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, the message is that awareness is the key to staying healthy and safe on the farm.

Know your priorities.  Don’t let the business of farming become such a focus that you forget the connection to your family and friends, or the importance of your health.

Finally, It is not a weakness to connect with others. In days gone by, it was a given that you had to rely on your community for survival. It is important that you have enough supports in your support circle in order to be resilient.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 171 – Less Clutter, Less Stress

I admit that I love the satisfaction after I have cleaned my office or purged my files.

You don’t have to be self-employed or work from home to have a home office. It’s easy for this workspace to become messy, dusty, cluttered, and disorganized. As you work in your home office, things stack and layer around until one day, you realize that it has gotten way out of hand.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Organizing Your Home Office Day:

Start off small. Pick five things and throw them out or return them to their proper location.

File, Shred or recycle unwanted paperwork that is sitting on your desk.

Attack one file drawer at a time. Purge out-dated documents or notes.

Take stock of those things in your office of everything you're no longer using, especially unused or broken office equipment, and cut back to only the essentials.

Curb Cable Clutter. Use a surge-protected power bar to prevent your computers and other equipment from frying during an electrical storm or other power surge. Bind the remaining cables together with cable ties, so they stay out of your way.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 170 – Sleep Deprived

Millions are too sleepy for sex, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation.

Many of us are sleeping poorly which is causing us to be sleep deprived, and it’s taking a serious toll on professional relationships, productivity, public safety and even the most intimate aspects of our lives.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Napping Day:

A short nap of 20 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance. It can be extremely effective at eliminating fatigue-related accidents and injuries. A 90-minute nap can be extremely effective, if you can schedule it into your day.

Naps can be typed into three different categories:

1. Planned napping involves taking a nap before you actually get sleepy.
2. Emergency napping occurs when you are suddenly very tired and cannot continue with the activity you were originally engaged in.
3. Habitual napping is practiced when a person takes a nap at the same time each day.

I love my naps and I need my naps. They help me through my afternoon slump and allow me to carry on with my projects in a more productive and creative way afterwards.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 169 – Be Awesome

Today is the International Day of Awesomeness! This day gives us the opportunity to celebrate every person, place, thing, or idea in the world that is awesome. I encourage all of the participants in my workshops to look for the awesome. As the official tag line points out, “No one’s perfect, but everyone can be awesome.”

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Day Of Awesomeness:

Today is the day to both perform and celebrate feats of awesomeness.

Celebrate by posting about someone who epitomizes the ideals of awesomeness. It may be a family member, friend, or colleague who receive this special recognition.

Be curious. Start a conversation with someone that you have seen everyday, but have not talked to. You may be surprised by their story or by the things that you have in common.  It will brighten their day — and yours.

Build an awesome workplace, one smile at a time.

Explore the “What If”. What if we didn’t do blank anymore? What if we changed blank? What if we started blank. See where the answers take you. This simple exploration could improve your relationships or your workplace.

Wishing you an awesome day!

EP 168 – Don’t Panic

Help! It’s Panic Day.

This awareness day is not about panic attacks or panic disorder which is serious and affects 2-3% of the population. Today is the day to examine how we may over-react to the stress in our everyday lives and to find strategies that will keep us focused and healthy.

You know the over-reactions that we are talking about.  We even have sayings that go with them… such as don’t cry over spilled milk… Or don’t make mountains out of mole hills.

Anxiety and stress have their place in our life. They help us to avoid danger. They keeps us thinking and being creative. And they keep us on our toes so that we don’t become complacent.

The point at which worry becomes unhealthy is when it stops pushing us to act and move forward.  This panic can be paralyzing and prevent us from thinking clearly enough to find the best strategies to deal with the source of our anxiety.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Panic Awareness Day:

Listen to the way that you describe the situations that you find yourself in.  Do you use extreme-type words?  Do you awfulize everything?  Choose the words carefully. 

Evaluate how you are feeling in relation to the situation.  Are you feeling helpless or hopeless? 

Notice what happens to your body when you feel this way.  Where does it hit you the most? 

Try different relaxation techniques to combat those anxious feeling.

Evaluate the situation to see what options you have.  Keep yourself moving forward in the problem solving mode and the anxiety will be kept in check.

What is your release?  Sometimes we need a quick strategy to release the anxiety so that we can start to problem solve.  This may include a good scream, a run, or a round or two on the punching bag.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 167 – How Not To Procrastinate

How many of us couldn’t use an extra hour each day? Planning before starting each day, is said to save us this hour, as we are more effective at using the time that we have. Sometimes though we just can’t seem to get our act together.

Maybe we just can’t seem to get past our urge to procrastinate. It may be that we are being too perfectionistic, or we dislike the task or person that we have to work with. We could be too tired or fear that we might fail. Sometimes it is just a matter of the task not being a part of our goals and priorities.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Procrastination Week:

To Avoid Procrastination, we need to:

Find the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me”. Why do I need to accomplish the task at hand and what benefit will there be for me when I finish it?

Chunk your time – set a timer. The timer helps you to become more realistic about how long various tasks take.

Watch out for time gobblers – internet, email, TV, phone, socializing, unimportant notices and forwards

Delegate when the task is not part of your priority. Not everything has to be done or should be done by you. Let go of your need to control everything.

Make it fun by rewarding yourself. It is easier to start and finish a task if there is a reward at the end of it…by the way, my chocolate covered almonds are waiting for me as soon as I finish this flash briefing. Till tomorrow have a wonderful day!

EP 166 – How To Be Heard

Running a small business can be very stressful. One of the keys to success, is to be able to reach your customers. But it can be difficult to break through the noise, so that your customers know that you even exist.

It can be just as difficult to be heard at work by your boss, or even within your family.

Our minds are being constantly bombarded by messaging from other brands and social media, from colleagues and from friends and family.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Be Heard Day:

Get to the point…you have 8 seconds! One website suggests that we are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 messages per day and less than 100 of those messages will be remembered. Human attentions spans are at an all-time low dropping from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. The key to cutting through the noise is through short messages.

Use visuals. We process visuals faster than text and we remember visuals more than text. Create a picture in the mind of your listener if you can’t use a visual.

Provide value first. People are most engrossed in their own self-interest, so play into that. Make it about them, their needs, goals, wants and desires. Relate it to their own history, situation, reputation and behavior. As a small company, what do you do to make it easy to work with you? How do you assist your boss or colleagues before presenting issues or problems? Do they only hear negative comments or issues from you? In your family, do praise and recognize the positives or is all your communication negative?

Want to check out more health and wellness related celebrations, visit my wellness calendars under the resources and courses tab at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 165 – Customer Service Matters

What kind of customer service do you give? You might be thinking, “I don’t do customer service”.

The reality is that we all DO customer service. Most interactions that we have today are ones where someone is supplying another person, with something.

Customer service is the act of satisfying anothers needs through assistance or service. Some of us deal with external to our company customers, some of us deal with internal to our company customers.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Stop Bad Service Day:

We interact with a company because it delivers quality products, great value, or a compelling brand. We leave one, more often than not, because it fails to deliver on customer service.

Whether you are dealing with external or internal customers, know that:

The Customer is not dependant on you - you are dependant on the Customer

The Customer is not an interruption to your work, they are the purpose of your work.

You are not doing the Customer a favour by serving them.

The Customer is deserving of the most courteous and attentive treatment you can provide.  They are not someone to argue with.

Research shows that delighting customers, doesn’t build loyalty.

Reducing their effort and the work they must do to get their problem solved, does. If we keep at least these four rules in mind, we will be able to stop bad service from ruining ours, or someone else’s day.

Looking for resources to build your resiliency? Check out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 164 – Telecommuting May Be The Answer

It’s not a bird. Nor a plane…It’s the Telecommuter!

A survey of employees who telecommute three days a week experienced a

• 46% decrease in stress,
• 45% increase in job satisfaction, and
• 30% increase in job productivity.

In addition, telecommuting provides an opportunity to create a more harmonious balance between home and work commitments. Three-quarters of employees polled said the ability to work from home was their most desired family-friendly job perk.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Telecommuter Appreciation Week:

For some, telecommuting may be a viable option that allows for an increase in productivity and more sense of control over when tasks get accomplished.

If you think that this is for you, sit down with your work team and discuss how this may be implemented.  If telecommuting isn’t the answer, at least you have opened the door to looking for other alternatives to maintaining work and life balance.

Though I am not a true telecommuter, I am an entrepreneur with a home-based office.  I appreciate the flexible work arrangements that I have.  Some days, I work all day and into the evening.  On other days, I may find myself helping out a family member or pulling the weeds from my gardens.  This flexibility gives me the balance that I want and need.

Want to find more strategies to coping with stress, check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 163 – Just Do It

Everyone has problems that they need to deal with. Because problems can cause anxiety, many people will try to avoid, ignore or procrastinate when dealing with difficult issues in their lives. Ignoring them is useful sometimes. Unfortunately, with most problems, avoiding them just causes them to come back, and a small problem can become a big problem over time.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Do Something Day:

The most difficult step in problem solving is getting to the doing part. To help you carry out your solution, make an action plan. If you know how you are going to carry out your solution, you are more likely to follow through.

Don’t let your own voice derail you. Be aware of and challenge negative self-talk that can stop you from moving forward.

List all the obstacles. Great problem solvers take a high-level view of the issues and list of all the potential factors that could get in the way of implementing their solution so that they don’t get taken off task.

Want to find more strategies to coping with stress, check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 162 – Send Out Happiness

Today is the day to encourage each other, to avoid selfishness, and do something to make other people happy.

I know that you can’t make someone happy, but you can remind them of their value and you can help change their focus, all of which can allow their happiness to flourish.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating I Want You To Be Happy Day:

Buy a friend a flower to brighten up their day.

Remind your kids how much you love them and how proud of them you are. 

Leave a sticky note for a co-worker letting them know something that you appreciate about them. Compliments make us feel valued, and they give us a positive boost to our thoughts and self-esteem.

Smile. Research has shown that a smile is constantly rated as the number one thing that makes other people feel emotionally better.

This day was created as a day encouraging us to do something to make others happy.  The benefit is that putting a smile on someone’s face tends to put one on ours, too. 

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.