work – Free Range Explorer

Career Stress

March 21, 2011 jmmcfad@gmail.com Comments 0 Comment

Are you stressed out from work, family, problems, set backs, or just plan old everyday life?

Then take some time to regenerate your inner batteries. Meditation helps charge those batteries and can be done almost anywhere.

I wrote this meditation to help with career and work stresses. You can adapted it to any stress you have in life. Give it a try, you’ll feel better.

So here we go………..

Career Stress Meditation

Now we’re going to improve your thoughts and life in relationship to your Career.

Choose and prepare where you will meditate today. Choose a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed. Lower the lights, maybe light a candle. If you want, turn on some quiet, soft music.

Get comfortable and relaxed, laying down or sitting down.

Take a deep breath and close your eyes.

Relax you body, your shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and toes.

Breath deeply, inhaling slowly, holding it for a moment, then exhale through your open mouth as if you’re gently blowing out a candle.

Continue breathing, slowly, breathe in and out.

In and out, In and out.

Keep your mind focused on your breathing, slowly, gently, and deeply. Feel each breath going through your body. Do so for two or three minutes.

Now, feel your whole body going into a deep relaxation. Feel your neck, your shoulders, your lower back, your chest, your heart, your arms, your hands, your fingers. Shake them loose.

Take another deep breath, exhale slowly. Now your hips are relaxed, your legs, your feet and toes. Wiggle your toes.

Now, breathing slowly, visualize yourself at your work. Visualize the physical space you spend your working time in.

Notice how you feel, your muscles, your jaw, your neck and back, your mind and your heart. How do you feel being in the area you work in? Is it a desk, your home office, an assembly line, a retail store, wherever it is, visualize and feel that space.

Look around, there’s your customers, your co-workers, your boss. What do you feel like in your space? Are you happy there, stressed, angry, unhappy, unappreciated?

Is it time for change? Visualize and feel where you would be in your new environment.

Take a deep breath and exhale, relax, and breath again. Feel these negative feelings fading. Feel them flowing out of your fingers, the bottom of your feet and all the pores of your body.

Visualize a blue mist surrounding you. The mist is blue as it is the color of truth, serenity and harmony, and helps to soothe the mind. It is good for cooling, calming, reconstructing and protecting. It calms the body and mind, raising your frequency to attract the perfect people and opportunities for you.

From today on you will feel positive and relaxed about your life and career. Life is good today and you’re starting a wonderful new journey.

Stay relaxed, breath in and out.

Now, in this relaxed state, think about how you want to feel at work and career. What needs to change? In your mind visualize being relaxed and happy. Remember, you are bigger than your job. Your identity is not defined by your job. You are a unique, talented, skilled and complete person with a mission in life only you can complete.

Meditate on what you would be doing and how you will feel when you’re on the right path. Take your time, visualizing every element. Focus on how your want to feel, not every little detail. The universe will fill in the details.

Maybe it’s still at your current job and things have changed for the better? Is it somewhere new? What area, country, city or state are you in? Are you inside or outside, with others or alone, are you working with your hands or your mind? How do you feel there? Feel your happiness and satisfaction. Continue visualizing the perfect place for you and feel as if you are already there.

Continue this process until you have created the complete vision. It may take several meditations before you see it clearly. With deep thought and searching you will be able to create your vision, one that is uniquely yours.

Now, take a very deep breath and release it slowly. Feel your new energy and mental clarity.

Breath in and out. You have begun your journey. Keep this feeling alive in your heart and mind and use it daily.

Take a few more deep breaths and slowly open our eyes. Sit for a minute to adjust to the light and energy in the room.

You create your own energy regardless of the situation you are in physically. Keep your energy strong and stay on your journeys path.

Stand up, shake your body loose, now, take another step towards your new life. Life is good today.

Now go into the world and be happy and spread love and acceptance.

Thanks for visiting.

Written and copyrighted © by John McFadden, May 2010.

“It’s only words, and words are all I have”

March 11, 2011 jmmcfad@gmail.com Comments 0 Comment

Our brain is the most powerful computer in the Universe.

The Words we say to ourselves consciously and subconsciously determine our lives. We must have a constant vigil of our words. Use positive, re-enforcing, motivating and passionate words to create the life you want.

When we say, “I knew I couldn’t do it”, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, when we say, “I know I can do this”, that too is a self-fulfilling prophecy! It’s the same number of words, it takes the same amount of effort to think or say. Which would you rather use?

This is a great quote to help you remember the power of YOUR WORDs:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

-Frank Outlaw

As your mother used to tell you, “Watch your words my dear!”

Your words can make you HAPPY, or sad, it’s your choice!

Thanks, come back soon.

You’re Fired!

November 8, 2010 jmmcfad@gmail.com Comments 0 Comment

This is a mouse pad found in a supervisor’s office. What message is it sending? In today’s economic conditions smart companies should be praising, motivating and training the employees they haven’t laid off. Not threatening them and managing by fear. Fear and threats are counter productive to your success.

Here are a few examples of poor management that damages morale and productivity and scare away the success you are working for.

Getting the whip out and telling employees if they don’t increase sales, take more calls, produce more product they’ll be punished until they improve. Once person described the situation as, “the floggings will continue until morale improves.”

Focusing on mistakes and poor customer comments and not praising and thanking employees for positive comments. An employee I know said that if they receive a complaint or negative customer comment they are immediately punished and threatened to improve or get out. He explained, in contrast positive customer comments are not acknowleged quickly or even at all some times. He was in a group of peers when another employee told the boss about a good letter he received. The boss took it lightly and didn’t give him the praise he deserved. They employee felt bad the rest of the day, didn’t work at his peak level and will remember this incident for the rest of his career. As the boss was beginning to leave, another employee said that she had received 3 complimentary letters in the passed two weeks. How did the boss respond? He said, “that’s great” and turned and walked away!

At another company a memo was sent to employees saying recent results have shown a continuous positive trend in sales and employee performance. You’d think that would be a good thing, right? Well, it goes on to say that because employees performance is improving and business is improving, the company is going to raise the goals and targets for satisfactory performance and possible bonuses. So, in other words, employees, you’re doing good now, so we’ll raise your goals to make it harder to reach them. Does that make sense?

Are these good ways to praise employees and motivate them to work hard and be loyal to the company. Will these actions help the company meet their goals and be successful? Will they encourage employees to stay with the company? Will employees want to recommend the company to their friends as a good, fun, great place to work?

The www.nielsongroup.com which “coaches organizations for breakthrough performance” explains fear motivation below. I’ve underlined key words.

“There are three types of motivation. The first is FEAR MOTIVATION, a “do it or else we can replace you” approach. This motivation in negotiating is basically the “take it or leave it” approach. Fear motivation is the easiest form of motivation; however, it is a motivation based on intimidation. The person in power is unable to effectively create a climate for other types of beneficial motivation. The person in power resorts to fear tactics for motivation. “Take it or leave it” often gets results because the person will do what you ask for fear of loss. Fear motivation always results in inner anger and resentment against the person using the fear tactics. Sometimes the threat of loss or punishment for motivation must be used, but should only be used when all other methods have failed. Fear motivation is the lowest form of motivation and usually results in “when the cat is away, the mice will play.” (taken from http://www.nielsongroup.com/articles/articles_climateformotivation.shtml). The other types of motivation are Incentive Motivation and Casual Motivation which take a much more positive approach and are much more successful.

So, ask yourself, what kind of motivation are you using with your group, family, kids, employees and those who look to you for leadership? Is your approached working well, giving the results you want? How do these people look at you, do they want to help you be a success, or is every encounter a struggle.

Are you proud of the type of person you are and the way you treat others?

And most of all, would you want to work for YOU?

Career Meditation

May 24, 2010 jmmcfad@gmail.com Comments 0 Comment

When we become uptight and stressed, meditation can help clear our mind and get us back on the right path. This meditation is to help you improve your work and career. Remember, Life is good today!

Career Stress Meditation