Stress: Negative Threat or Positive Challenge?

If you’re thinking to yourself right now, “The last thing I need is the same old Stress Management lecture that I’ve heard a hundred times before!” I agree and will make four promises upfront:

Promise #1. I will not be promoting any new-age mindfulness, focused deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, essential oils, or transcendental meditation techniques. If that’s your thing, cool. We just won’t be talking about it here.

Promise #2. I will not bore you with statistics about the prevalence of stress or how much it costs American society in lost productivity and increased health costs. I’ve seen too many eyes glaze over when I get to this part of my trainings in the past and I won’t repeat it here. Just trust me, it’s a lot!

Promise #3. I will not use the terms “manage” or “deal” with stress. The way I see it, stress is to be utilized constructively, not “managed” or “dealt with” as if it’s some chronic nuisance that won’t go away.

Promise #4. Time and time again we’ve been made to believe that all stress is bad and that we need to eliminate it from our lives immediately and entirely. This is a silly, impossible, and in many ways, self-defeating goal. You will not be able to remove all stress from your life, and hopefully by the end of this chapter, you won’t want to!

The purpose of this training then isn’t to eliminate stress, but rather, to learn how to harness the energy stress creates and use it constructively our advantage!

We can do this by changing the way we label stress in our lives and thus experiencing stress in a whole new way.

Recent research has shown that it’s not actually being stressed that’s detrimental, but rather, it’s the belief that stress is bad for us that’s actually what’s harmful. We need to change the way we think about stress- from negative threat to positive challenge!

Finding Happiness
If you’re happy, you’re successful

Did you know there are numerous scientific benefits to being happy?

Happy people are…

25% less stressed
39% better health
31% more productive
34% more positive social interactions

There truly is an advantage to being happy. The question is “How do we get there?”

We’re not born stressed or depressed, we practice these thoughts and then we become stressed and depressed. It takes practice. Thankfully, this negative focus can be changed.

In this workshop, we’ll learn how to reverse this pattern and relabel our views on stress. Together we’ll practice strategies that train our mental fitness to focus on the positive, keep things in perspective, and seek the opportunities in any given situation. Having this focus will not only put you at an advantage in the workplace, but in life as well.

Crucial Conversations: Bringing Out the Best in Others

Despite advances in technology, our communication skills are actually getting worse. News outlets and social media are echo-chambers that mirror back to us and strength our already preconceived, judgmental opinions. We take offense quite easily and make a lot of assumptions. We sit behind our phone or computer screens and avoid the nuances of person to person communication. I truly fear many of the youngest generation will grow up lacking this skill entirely.

Yet, beyond just the lacking fundamentals, becoming an effective communicator, capable of persuasion and influence, is more than just speaking in a way that people understand your message. It’s that they internalize your message and feel moved to action.

This, however, is easier said than done.

Indeed, there are many obstacles to effective communication: Identifying the problem and the mutual end goal, staying focused, keeping emotions in check… these are just a few of many examples of long list of potential communication killers.

There’s no quick fix or easy way around it. In order to be Mentally Fit, one must learn how to effectively communicate.

This training we’ll learn:

• The four types of responses (educated and open, opinionated and closed, ignorant, and rude) and how best to respond to each one
• Differentiate between being passive, abrasive, and assertive communication style
• Give and receive effective feedback
• Establish and maintain healthy boundaries
• Utilize “The Four Tendencies” of Personality to best reach others
• Implement strategies to build trust and rapport
• Develop skills to be a better listener
• Create more meaningful connections

Simply said, the goal of this training is to help one do more than just get their point across. The goal of this training is to teach you, the participant, all the essential skills necessary to “avoid the monologue,” and rather, give you the ability to speak in a way that changes the entire energy of the room- making everyone in your presence better for it.

Improving Relationships
It’s All About “We”

Recent surveys of multiple organizations found the following results when asked, “What affect does incivility in the workplace have on your work?”

47% said they intentionally decreased the time spent at work

38% said they intentionally decreased their quality of work

12% said they changed jobs because of incivility in their organization

Teamwork is all about relationships, yet when relationships in the workplace are strained creativity suffers, performance and team spirit deteriorates and customers turn away.

In this workshop we’ll review research from Jon C. Maxwell, John Gottmann, and Gary Chapman who provide us with the secrets to achieving healthy relationships in the workplace.

Mental Mantras
A Slogan A Day Keeps The Psychiatrist Away

Mental mantras are those go-to phrases we motivate ourselves with when times get tough. Originally from Hinduism and Buddhism, a “mantra” means a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation.

For the context of this chapter, however, a mantra refers to a statement or slogan repeated frequently to build your mental muscle memory to call upon when necessary. Just like one does not achieve six pack abs overnight, nor does one acquire a repertoire of solid “go-to” mental mantras without some Mental Fitness brain training.

Personally, I use mental mantras all the time throughout my day. I use them to help boost my spirit. They assist me in staying motivated, focused, and positive. They allow me to keep things in perspective, practice acceptance, build character, and inspire others.

Whether it’s a mantra of self-love, determination, resiliency, or even just giving ourselves a bit of credit, we talk to ourselves in our own minds more than we talk to anyone else. What good would it do to ever be unkind to ourselves?

Think of it this way: Either you consciously condition your mind with positive mental mantras or you unconsciously allow the world to condition your mind with negative thinking. You’re still training your brain one way or another. So why not train it to be strong and resilient?

The only thing you’re 100 percent in control of in any given situation is your attitude!

Increasing Satisfaction
Discovering Meaning and Purpose in Your Work

In this training we will individually explore our personal values to find meaning and purpose in our work. The goal of this workshop component of the training is to refocus and increase our direction in life and in our work.

Those who are happiest and most success in the workplace are those who are “outward facing”- focusing primarily on whom they serve and how they benefit as a result.

Whether its service your customers, your family, or life’s dreams, creating meaning and purpose in your work can be achieved by dedicating yourself to a cause or service that you believe in!

The 10 Principles of Goal Setting
Making Dreams a Reality

“Most people spend more time planning their summer vacation than planning their lives”

When many of us hear the term “goal setting,” we immediately think of most popular time for setting goals, New Year’s Resolutions. Yet, despite our genuine desires for change, the sad fact is that the vast majority of New Year’s goals fail.

“Eat better, exercise more, quit smoking.” Even for those of us brave enough to try, the goal itself is either too vague or too all-or-nothing. We psyche ourselves up, and perhaps even give it a try, but what happens when a relapse occurs? In most cases, we go right back to the default, sleep-in/go-home-and-sit-on-the-couch, behavior.

The aim of this training, then, to show people how to add real depth to their goals and increase the likelihood of turning dreams into reality.

My promise is this: By using the principles laid out in this chapter as a guide, you can and will drastically increase odds of success towards any goal you put your mind to.

The 10 Principles of Goal Setting

1. Find a Cause
2. Commit, then figure out
3. Skin-in-the-game
4. Positive Self-Sabatoge
5. Seek Support
6. Make it Measurable
7. Add Accountability
8. Routine, routine, routine
9. Time-Bound
10. Stay Determined

Work and Life Balance
Achieving Balance by Taking Action

Einstein says, “Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving.”

The truth is that life is never perfectly balanced. Between our careers, our personal goals, our relationships, our family life, our finances, etc. there’s always room for improvement. How do we determine where to put our focus?

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to listen to our emotions to keep ourselves as balanced as possible and to guide you in taking continuous action towards self-improvement. Whether it’s at work or in life, mastering this process is key to achieving your full potential.

Healthy Living
Self-Care is Not Selfish

If you only had one car for the rest of your life and couldn’t trade it in for a new one, would you speed and beat on the brakes? Would you neglect to change the oil or fill it with crappy fuel?

I would sure hope not! And yet, this is often how we treat our bodies on a daily basis.

Proper sleep, nutrition and exercise are essential to perform at one’s optimal level, be it in life or at the workplace. In this workshop, we’ll review the fundamentals of proper sleep, balanced nutrition and regular exercise.

It’s time to make self-care a part of your health care!

Leadership and Inspiration
Be the Change

Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And still to this day, this time honored advice this applies in the workplace as well.

The best way to influence anyone else is to be that positive model yourself. In this workshop, we’ll review leadership strategies: managerial, organizational, and social skills that will inspire you and others to perform at your peak.