Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

EP 835 - Thank God It’s Monday

Having trouble returning to work on Mondays? Feel like you never really left? Struggling with the blahs’?

Studies show that happiness at work may be the most important success factor for a modern workplace and that happy companies make more money!

Your happiness at work is your responsibility. Not your boss’s, not your co-workers’ and not society’s. It’s Yours. However, if you are a boss or leader it is your responsibility to set a culture where it’s easy to be happy at work.

Happiness at work doesn’t only come from the policies, strategies, plans or values. It comes from being able to do great work with great people.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Thank God It’s Monday:

Decide to say, “Thank God it’s Monday”. Make sure that you set the intention to be grateful for the fact that you have a job and grateful for the fact that you get to demonstrate your talents to the world through your work.

Smile – it is contagious. Just as negativity is contagious, so is being optimistic, fun and happy.

How you show up in life and at work, matters! If you are just going through the motions, you will be shortchanging yourself and depleting your happiness.

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 834 - Everyone Needs More Sleep

I must have been sleeping. I missed the Festival of Sleep this morning. The celebration is an opportunity to sleep in, snooze, doze, nap, and catch 40 winks. However, I did doze off and I did go to bed early last night, so I guess that I unknowingly celebrated it anyway.

The Festival of Sleep reminds us that we all could use a little more sleep. Before the light bulb was invented, we use to get on average 10 hours of sleep. Now many of us are lucky to get 6.5 hours of sleep per night. Yet, we know that we need 7-9 hours per night just to stay healthy.

In fact, I think that we should celebrate the Festival of Sleep for two solid weeks – The week between Christmas and New Years and then the week after New Years. What a great way to end an old year and start a new year.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating The National Festival Of Sleep:

Obvious tip alert – Go to sleep.

Watch for those things that interfere or prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. If you are like the majority (65%) of the population who do not get the right kind or length of sleep, you need to find the right strategies to get a good night sleep. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time. Keep your room cool. Block outside noises. Watch the kinds of foods that you eat prior to bedtime. Don’t exercise right before bed.

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 833 - Transform Your Thinking

The pressure is on! Too much to do. No time to think. Be productive. Do more. Uncertain economy. Climate change. Make the right decision. Make it now.

Your thoughts create your emotional and physical state. How you think and react at any given time determines the decisions or actions you take. Successful people realize that by transforming their thinking that they can master the essential skills for thriving in these turbulent times.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Transform Your Thinking Month:

Look at the decisions that you have made in the past. Have they been the best ones that you could have or should have made? If not, evaluate how you made those decisions and see if there is something that you need to work on.

Do you have enough tools in your strategy tool belt to deal with the issues and challenges you are facing? Using the S-O-S Principle can help ensure that you deal with issues, stay healthy and are supported during stressful times.

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 832 - New Years Resolution Week

“This year, I am going to earn my CSP.” That is what I said several years ago at this time. And thankfully, I can say that after many hours of sweating it through, I received my Certified Speaking Professional designation in San Diego, California July 2007.

For many of us, New Year’s Resolution Week is a time to reflect on the changes that we want and need, and in doing so we compile a list of resolutions. Unfortunately if our resolutions happen not to work out as we had hoped, we tend to put off trying again until the following year.

So Here is today’s Hot Tip For Building Resiliency and Celebrating New Years Resolutions Week:

Visualize It

Many experts agree that the resolution itself is too often equated with the plan when it is only one part of the overall plan. One tip is to visualize the future.  Identify and visualize what feelings will come about by you achieving your goal. Replay this image regularly. The more details the better!

Everyday is a new challenge to live the way you intend to, according to your passions and purpose. Remember, it takes less effort to stay the same than it does to change. Most goals require stepping outside of your comfort zone and that is why many people give up.

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 831 - Interrupting Interruptions

On the last working day of the year, the office is quiet and you are prepared to take advantage of it to get caught up on your work.  The phone rings.  You sigh. Another stressful interruption.

According to Fast Company the average office worker is interrupted and taken off task every 11 minutes. Even worse, they say that it takes basically that much time to refocus on the task at hand.  Often, we end up compensating for interruptions by working faster and harder, which results in us experiencing more stress. We get frustrated, impatient, annoyed, angry, defeated.  The key to avoid interruptions at work is to find productive ways to minimize and deal with them and keep our emotions in check.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Dealing With No Interruptions Day:

Plan for interruptions.  Know the type of interruptions that you usually encounter and when they are most likely to occur. 

Limit the opportunities for people to distract you.  If you need time to concentrate on a particular task, block it off in your schedule and let colleagues know that you are not available until a certain time.  Turn off your phone and your email notifiers.  Shut the door.  Book a meeting room just for yourself.

Watch for your own personal interrupters.  A messy desk, hunger, thirst and curiosity all get in our own way of being as productive as we can.  Organize yourself prior to starting your focused time, not during it.

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

EP 830 – Look On The Brighter Side

Every one of us has heard the phrase “Look on the bright side!”

Look on the bright side is used to refer to focusing on the good part of something that is mostly bad.

As we head into a new year, let’s focus on these Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Look On The Brighter Side Day:

#1 It's difficult to look on the bright side when you're surrounded by negativity so be careful who you spend your time with.

Remove “can’t” from your vocabulary. A defeatist attitude will get you about as far as a car without an engine.

Be grateful. There are times when looking at the bright side of things can seem out of the realm of possibility. However, it’s important to take a step back and concentrate on what you do have, rather than what you don’t have.

Finally, It’s OK to make mistakes. Your past mistakes are meant to guide you, not define you. Remember, no one is perfect. Rather than looking at the negative aspects of a mistake that you’ve made, look at the bright side of that mistake and use it as a lesson moving forward.

So today, I challenge you to look on the bright side of a negative situation and use it to your advantage.

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

EP 829 463 - Are You A Chocoholic?

I am a chocoholic. I love milk chocolate. Creamy. Rich. Sweet. Delicious. It picks me up when I am down.

Is this wrong?
 Not terribly. We all have comfort foods and mine is chocolate. I don’t eat it everyday. My addiction is quite mild most of the time. But there are days when I just have to give in. I have scavenged the cupboards looking for any type of chocolaty morsel. And when I do indulge, I try to do so with very little guilt, (which isn’t always possible).

It’s About Moderation

Contrary to popular belief, chocolate isn’t its own food group, but treats are not all bad. Moderation is the key. Eating healthy around the treats is also well advised.

But I do like my chocolate and I am always glad that my Christmas stocking, is lovingly filled with….Chocolate. My boys use to wondered why Santa only brought mommy chocolate…I told them, it was because daddy wanted mommy to be happy so he wrote it in his letter to Santa to bring me a stocking full of chocolate. And Santa hasn’t let me down yet.

So hats off to the Mayans and the Aztecs for creating the first chocolaty drink.

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

I don’t have any, other than to indulge responsibly

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

EP 828 - A Year In Review

It is almost the last day of the year. This is the day that many news programs offer up a year in review. What happened that was newsworthy? Good, Bad and even the Ugly.

This is a good time of year to do the same for our own personal life.

What was great?
What successes did you achieve?
What challenges did you face?
What didn’t go the way you would have liked.
What lessons did you learn?

All of these questions can help you to put life in perspective and help you to recognize the skills that you have developed that have aided you along the way.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating the New Year ahead:

Reviewing Your Life Allows You to Know Where You Are. If you don’t want to live this upcoming year exactly the same as your last year, you need to take stock of all that has happened. It is only when you stop and reflect, that you are able to find out, if what you do, is getting you the results you want.

Ask yourself the question, What Am I Working Towards?
 If you are serious about living your ideal lifestyle, you must take stock of where you are and where you would like to be.

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 827 - It’s About Time

Are you overworked, over-scheduled and just plain stressed out?

There is a quote that says, “Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you don’t let other people spend it for you.”

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating It’s About Time Week:

Schedule downtime. At least once during the day, you should allow yourself the luxury of having a period of time to decompress. The simplest and easiest strategy to use is deep breathing. It can be done by anyone, anywhere and in any circumstance.

Create off-work zones. Determine what times during the day are off-limits for working, including no e-mail, or text messages. By defining these zones such as at meal-time, bed-time and days off, we are creating the space for rejuvenation and connection.

Learn to say no. Say no to things that are outside of your priority. Say no to working late, especially if it is self-imposed. Say no to extra activities if you are feeling stretched to thin. Saying no now, does not mean that it will be a no forever.

When you feel like it is a priority and you have the time to dedicate to the activity without compromising yourself, then it is okay to say yes.

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 826 Whiny Whiner

We can be a nation of entitled whiners.  “It’s too cold.”  “I am the only one around here who does anything.”  “Blah, blah, blah” or should I say “whine, whine, whine.”

Hunger, tiredness, boredom and feeling unwell are factors that can precipitate whining sessions at work, but some colleagues have learned from a very early age that whining gets them the attention that they are seeking.  Whining has become second nature and their predominant way of communicating.  Their behaviour is draining on relationships and it can poison a workplace.

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

If you catch yourself whining:

Try moving from an attitude of entitlement to one of gratitude.  It is hard to be whining when focused on the positive and being thankful.

Focus on problem solving.  It is okay to vent, but that venting must be followed by problem solving otherwise it is whining for whining’s sake.

If you are going to confront a whiner:

Understand that they are looking for attention, but give them attention for solving the issue, not for whining about the issue.

Finally, minimize the amount of time that you spend with the whiner.  They will zap your energy if you aren’t careful.

Looking for resources to build your healthy workplace? Check out my top 10 tips under Resources and Courses at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 825 - Christmas Day Blessing

It is Christmas Day for those of us who celebrate this time of year.

As we go into the holidays, I wanted to share this little blessing with you.

To you I wish all the blessings of Christmas.

May you experience the warmth of home,

The cheer and good will of friends,

And the hope of a child-like heart.

May love work its magic into your life,

And may you touch every life you meet.

May you provide compassion to those in need,

And have the courage to stand up for yourself.

May the stars light your way.

May you have unmatchable success in life and the ability to handle it with grace.

Have a blessed Christmas.

EP 824 - Christmas Eve Wish For You

It is Christmas Eve for those of us who celebrate this time of year.

As we go into the holidays, I wanted to share this little blessing with you.

To you I wish all the blessings of Christmas.

May you experience the warmth of home,

The cheer and good will of friends,

And the hope of a child-like heart.

May love work its magic into your life,

And may you touch every life you meet.

May you provide compassion to those in need,

And have the courage to stand up for yourself.

May the stars light your way.

May you have unmatchable success in life and the ability to handle it with grace.

Have a blessed Christmas.

EP 823 – Managing Family Conflict Through The Holidays

Holidays provide opportunity for celebration, and they often bring about family tension. By determining your goals for the holidays and by staying in control of your reactions, you can help to ward off excessive stress and have a stress-free family holiday– whatever that may look like this year.

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Stress-Free Family Gatherings Week:

The first and most important step to a less stressful family holiday is to determine who pushes your buttons. Then understand what the person gets from being so difficult. Some want to feel more in control over what is happening around them. Some want to feel important and listened to, and some want to avoid outright conflict, but will act out their annoyance or disagreement through other negative behaviours.

By understanding what people expect to gain from using undesirable behaviours, we are in a much better position to deflect and defeat the difficult behaviour and move the person towards more acceptable ways of responding. Our job is to help these family members feel more in control, more listened to and more important.

My second tip is to avoid ‘holiday perfectionism’. Thinking, saying, or planning for the best holiday ever can lead to certain disappointment. Be okay with disorganization, conflict, and family chaos. Going with the flow will help to reduce your stress.

Finally, stop and be in the moment. When you start to feel the tension rising, take a moment to notice the wondrous sights, sounds, and smells around. Changing focus helps to reduce your stress level.

Wishing you a meaningful, joyful, and Stress-Free Family Holiday.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency during the holidays? Check out my holiday infographic at: https://worksmartlivesmart.com/mental-health-infographics/

or read a few of the articles posted at: https://worksmartlivesmart.com/?s=holiday+stress

EP 822 – Write Your Business Plan

If you are a business owner, you may be looking at the end of the year as the time to review your Business Plan. I don’t enjoy doing this and I find it stressful to sit down and review where I have been and where I would like to grow my business. But I know that this is a necessary task as an entrepreneur.

Writing my business plan greatly improves my chances for success.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Write A Business Plan Month:

Keep it short. Your business plan should be a tool you use to run and grow your business. If it is too long, it becomes daunting, stressful, and relegated to the bottom of your to do list.

The biggest part of the business plan and the most helpful part of my plan answers the questions of what am I actually selling, how am I solving a problem for my market, and why me and not my competition. Your customers are stressed about something and you are there to solve it.

My customers are leaders who see that stress is negatively impacting the health, productivity and functioning within their team, and they need tools that they and their teams can use to manage their stress, promote positive mental health, and build overall resiliency.

Whether you are a business owner or not, the end of the year is a great time to review where you have been and where you are going. Set your intentions for a bright year ahead and make decisions that take you along this path.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Don’t forget that you can find more tips for coping with mental health issues, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com.

EP 821 - The Sound Of Silence

What would a day of complete silence be like?

Would you love it or hate it? Would you be lonely?

Some people dislike being silent as they equate it with being alone. Would you know how to cope with silence for a day?

We live in a very loud world where TV, music, and smartphones fill the void with white noise. Many of us, never take the opportunity to sit and enjoy silence.

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Be A Lover Of Silence Day:

Silence and solitude give us the space to think, act, and play "catch up" with our mind, and can be very healthy for our physical and mental wellbeing. By keeping external silence we are allowing our internal thoughts to be heard.

Shut it off. Noise has a negative impact on the brain, which can lead to elevated levels of stress hormones. Researchers found that silence can release tension in the brain and body in just two minutes. It was even more relaxing than listening to "relaxing" music.

Finally, if you can’t keep silent for an entire day, start off small. Engage in deep breathing exercises or meditation. This helps calm your mind and quiet it at the same time.

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 820 - Spreading Holiday Cheer

Have you ever gone caroling?

We used to when I was in public school. We would go to the nursing homes and entertain the elderly residents there. I probably didn’t appreciate it as much as I would today.

Christmas caroling is believed to have originated by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. Though caroling has slipped by the wayside, I still love watching the old Christmas movies that depicted the carollers dressed up going from door to door singing the old favourites.

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Go Caroling Day:

While you might prefer to stay indoors with your eggnog, Christmas cookies, cozy blanket, the point of Go Caroling Day is to get out and share the spirit of the season, however, you celebrate it, with everyone.

And a quote from a favourite Christmas movie character, Buddy the Elf says that “The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.”

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 819 - Fortify With Friendships

When was the last time you wrote a letter by hand’ We’re quick to email or text our friends, but nothing can replace the joy of receiving a personalized letter in the mail. December is the perfect time to stop what you’re doing and drop a note to a friend or a family member.

Here are my Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Write A Friend Month:

Researchers have found that people with few ties to others had 2 to 5 times the death rate as those who had more ties. Support and connectedness can be a powerful tool in preventing illness by acting as a buffer to the effects of stress. One way to continue building that sense of connection and deeper friendship is to continually communicate and writing allows us to contemplate, ask questions or show appreciation in a very different way than by calling or emailing.

One of my favourite quotes is: Life is to be fortified by many friendships.

It is a shame that for many of us, the more stressful life gets the less connected we become.

Remember your friends. Let them know that they matter. Connect when possible – but don’t leave it up to chance – or time may pass you both by.

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

EP 818 - Life Of The Under Dog

Do you hate it when the interviewer goes after the second place person and asks them how it feels to lose the race?  Do you always cheer for the underdog, the team not expected to win?  Are your favourite movies the one where the underdog prevails? Today is the day to salute all of the underdogs and unsung heroes.

An underdog is a person or group who is expected to lose. However, sometimes they pull off the unexpected. Isn’t that what life is like for most of us?

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Underdog Day:

Who are the underdogs in your workplace, family or community who could use a little extra encouragement or know that someone is in their corner?  Go out and be their cheerleader.

Are you letting your fear of not winning, stopping you from even being a part of the game?

Most of the underdogs that we celebrate in our society and in our movies have a few things in common.  They don’t throw in the towel just because they aren’t expected to win.  They give it their all until the very end. 

When my son was just starting out in hockey, they use to rotate the goalies.  His team was badly beat by one particular team.  On the next re-match, my son was to be the goalie.  He donned his gear and was determined to stop the pucks that came his way. In the end, they lost by 10 goals.  I was fully prepared to go into the dressing room and provide my motherly comfort and ‘you’ll get them next time’ speech.  To my great surprise, my son’s first comment, was “Well at least we didn’t lose by 15 like the last time”.

Improvement is improvement and who knows what the outcome will be the next time….good lesson for all of us.

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

EP 817 - Breath and Relax

Did you know that flowers and plants freshen the air?

This is a day set aside to honor our clean air and to raise awareness of the many environmental issues that are changing our climate on earth. This is one of several official days to pay attention to your environment and the air we breathe. Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in the country, ranking alongside cancer, heart disease and obesity in the scale of its health impacts.  Air pollution affects us all at work, at home and when we are out and about.  It causes heart and lung diseases, affects children’s lung development and shortens life. 1 in 8 deaths around the world is linked to poor air quality.

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Clean Air Day:

Clean Air Day 2018 is the perfect opportunity for people to ditch their cars and either walk or cycle to work.

Even the smallest contribution soon mounts up when large groups of people pledge their commitment.

Taking a walk in nature, breathing in the cool crisp air and slowing down for a moment is also a great way to celebrate

We need to protect Mother Earth and making sure that the air that we breathe is as clean and healthy as possible.

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

EP 816 - Chocoholics Rejoice

Today is my day to indulge. Chocoholics, rejoice! For today, we celebrate the treat of dipping anything in chocolate

Chocolate compliments so many different flavors. From chocolate covered pretzels to chocolate covered espresso beans, sweet, salty, and savory items can all be dipped. Love this quote from Charles M Schultz: “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”

So here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Chocolate Covered Anything Day:

If you don’t have access to a chocolate fountain, you can still have some chocolate dipping fun. Look up melted chocolate recipes and instructions and gather your favorite foods to dip in chocolate. Make it healthy and dip strawberries, pineapple spears, or really any fruit. Or go decadent and dip marshmallows, cookies, and cakes. You can really dip almost anything in chocolate, and it will be delicious. Though I may draw the line on chocolate covered bacon, jalapenos or fish.

Cover your food in chocolate today, and, in spirit of the holiday season, share some of your chocolate covered treats with your friends and family.

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