I am sure you have all heard the phrase, “When the going gets tough the tough keep going.”  What works for me is to keep thinking positive thoughts and not let others take away my personal hope.  My unwavering hope has kept me going through many personal struggles over the years.

When life becomes overwhelming – for example, looking after elderly relatives or juggling a job and family, you have choice about how to handle the stress.  You can choose to ignore what you are facing or create solutions for each challenge which might include enlisting the help of others.  CHOOSE to remain positive.  Instead of focusing on the problems you face, focus on the solutions.  Expect good things to happen each day without being attached to the outcome.

Go out in nature and smell the air.  Watch the birds fly by and think of five things you accomplished that day and how you can move each situation forward by consciously focusing on progressive action.  This helps diminish the feeling of being overwhelmed.

William James, one of the founders of modern psychology said, “The greatest discovery of this generation is that a human being can alter their life by altering their attitude.”  You can CHOOSE to take charge of your life and not feel like a victim.

Your attitude not only impacts your happiness and success, it also impacts the happiness and success of everyone around you such as family, friends and peers at work.  Have you reflected on what a difference you can make in someone’s day if you smiled instead of frowned?

When possible solutions to your challenges come your way, be prepared to take advantage of them.  Evaluate them and be creative.  You always have choice.  I would enjoy hearing your stories of times when opportunity knocked and how you handled that opportunity.

What CHOICES or small steps can lead you toward the life you would ideally like to live?

I practice gratitude daily and have found that when I am thankful for what I have, I become content.

Stephen Post, PH.D., a professor at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, created a research group who discovered the following:

Gratitude Defends – Just 15 minutes a day focusing on the things you are grateful for will significantly increase your body’s natural antibodies.

Gratitude Sharpens – Naturally grateful people are more focused and are mentally and measurably less vulnerable to clinical depression.

Gratitude Calms – A grateful state of mind induces a physiological state called resonance that’s associated with healthier blood pressure and heart rate.

Gratitude Strengthens – Caring for others is draining.  Grateful caregivers are healthier and more capable than less grateful ones.

Gratitude Heals – Recipients of donated organs who have the most grateful attitudes heal faster.

Our global society is a constantly changing society.  When we are in an economic recession, we often see signs of change in thought and heart as more people struggle with job loss and economic hardship.  We do not take things nearly so much for granted and often see many people reaching out to help others less fortunate.  I recognize this as humans evolving as a whole society looking for ways to help each other, rather than looking for ways to get ahead of them.  How do you express your gratitude to colleagues and your employer?  I would enjoy hearing from you as to how you give thanks, are a role model for others and how being grateful has influenced your life.

I encourage you to thank God for all of your blessings, for all of the things that have been right in your life and for all of the difficulties that have been learning experiences resulting in the growth and the creation of who you are today.

Enjoy being a role model by demonstrating an attitude of gratitude.

I start each day with a prayer of gratitude and ask God to walk with me that day.  It is a wonderful feeling to know that God enjoys seeing us use the divine expressions and infinite creativity he graciously bestowed on us to use on our journey here on earth.

Today, you may want to try letting go of all fear, doubt and worry.  Keep reminding yourself that you represent love, joy and abundance always.  Enjoy using your God-given talents to help others and to make a difference in the world.  Adopt a faithful focus.

One of the meditations I use to help maintain my faithful focus is:

A WINNER’S CREED

“If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not; you don’t

If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,

It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a person’s faith;

It’s all in the state of mind.

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster hand;

They go to the one who trusts in God

And always thinks, ‘I can’.”

Author Unknown

How do you use your God-given gifts to help others maintain their faithful focus?  What words of encouragement have you given people to help them to strengthen their faith in themselves and others?

Let Go and Let God and learn to adopt the attitude of:

FORGIVE…FORGET…FORGE ON

Otherwise, you could be adopting an EGO way of life - Edging God Out.

What faithful focus do you want to live by?

Wisdom is knowledge of the right path to take … integrity is taking it. Simply put, when you have integrity, your words and your deeds match up.
John Maxwell says, “Integrity is not what we do as much as who we are. And who we are, in turn, determines what we do.”

Integrity is never easy, but most of all requires self-discipline, inner trust and honesty at all times.  Practice integrity by saying what you will do and then doing what you promised.

Look for the best in everyone and encourage and help others through the power of a compliment …the power of positive words …, but, most importantly conducting your life from a place of love.

The energy of love can overcome anything. Mother Teresa said that we can do no great things, only small things with great love.  Many times we think that if we are only one person, how can we make any significant change in the world?

 Can you imagine what an impact we could have if we practiced doing all of the small things in our life with great love.  Others would see our example and do the same and we would ultimately impact thousands.

 Be true to your convictions. With every decision you make, you are shaping the person you will become.  Choosing right over wrong, truth over popularity…these are the choices that will measure your life and become the values you live by.  Remember the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have done onto you.”

 People who understand who they are, and who know where their power comes from, can be people of great influence.  They are not dependent on other’s people’s praise and affirmation.  Their self-worth comes from a higher source in their lives.

I have committed to God my career and business future and I will accept the results, no matter what, and just try each day to be a good ambassador for Him.  I somehow suspect that it will be a faith walk, exciting and wonderful all at the same time. 

I also know that God can do some incredible things in my business that I could never have done alone.  He has already sent me some special people and circumstances to help me live out my mission. It is no longer about me and my ego (EGO – Edging God Out), it really is doing what God wants me to do.

We cannot compartmentalize our spirituality or relegate it to Sundays only.  Our career and our spirituality are rolled up together.  God dwells within you wherever you are.  The whole world is the arena of His divine activity.

How does one apply spiritual principles to business and work?

1)       Do all things in a positive spirit, without complaining or disputing.  Keep a positive spirit and a smile. 

2)       Watch what you say.  Think before you speak. Winning an argument brings fleeting gratification, but winning a friend brings lasting satisfaction. I remember my mother always saying to us….”If you have nothing good to say, then don’t say it.”

 3)       Keep learning and maintain a teachable spirit.  Don’t let pride hinder you from growing spiritually.  Keep good people around you to help you process ideas and issues. 

 4)       Guard your integrity.  It is priceless.  Do not allow anyone to dismantle it.

 5)       Work hard.  The reason many people underachieve is that they are not willing to pay the price of focused work to reach their goals.

6)       Give to others – your money, your time, your support, your ear.  “Give and it will be given to you….for the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”  Luke 6:38

7)       Show mercy to others and control your emotions.  You are where you are by God’s grace.  Remember to be gracious and grateful to others willing to help you along the way.

 8)       Do not fear people, nor allow others to intimidate you, as this can make you vulnerable to compromising your faith and integrity. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and sound mind.

And, never forget that God’s ways are not necessarily our ways.  God values and loves people, not necessarily profits and He wants our lives to bless others. It would be wonderful to know that our colleagues at work or in business appreciated and were even grateful to have worked with or for you, but we are not to seek gratification for our integrity-based behaviour.

God will guide us in specific and practical ways if we just ASK Him. The closer you walk with Him, the more clearly you will recognize where He is leading. God always acts with truth and grace in perfect balance.  He can guide you to stand up for truth while continuing to show grace toward those around you.

People today are tired and disappointed by the often lack of honesty and unethical behaviour displayed by others. Follow your heart and your head, and don’t do the easy thing, do the right thing.

Ethics plus competence is a winning equation. Our society is evolving to a higher standard and we can all contribute to this evolvement in our own businesses and workplace situations by practicing integrity principles.

 Being integrity-driven means two things, doing what’s right and taking a stand against what’s wrong. Both of these require guts, fortitude and most importantly, courage.

So, work with love and from love, displaying kindness and reciprocity.

Most importantly, commit to excellence and integrity.  And remember that our life is a journey and not a destination.

Look forward to the future and smile kindly on the past…your experiences and lessons have made you what you are today.

Remember this: Your personal decisions have eternal impact, not only on you and your family but on hundreds of people around you. Think for a moment of the impact of your prayers, the influence of your donations, and the positive ripple effect of your good deeds. Your choices are powerful.  Allow your spirit to help you make even better choices.

Learn the art of asking, believing and receiving.     

We cannot live life nor can we do anything of significance alone.  We need to connect with and focus on win-win interactions with everyone.

Contemplate these brief spiritual success tips:

1)       Remember people’s names and acknowledge their accomplishments.  Everyone craves attention.

2)       Ensure encouragement is genuine and comes from your heart.

3)       Find ways to compliment people in an honest, sincere manner.

 4)      Encourage people to become who they really are instead of trying to change them.

 5)      Be generous and appreciative.

6)       Be slow to correct and quick to praise.

Make a difference by walking a higher road and living your values in your business or workplace with conviction and courage.

 ”In the end it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are.”    Max Depree

 Copyright Karen Zizzo 2009.  All rights reserved.  Karen is an Author, Inspirational Speaker and Life Coach.  This article is an excerpt from Chapter 8 of her latest book – “Ask and You Shall Receive – Spiritual Success Strategies for Business, Work, Life and Your Soul”.  This book will be available for purchase from Karen’s website – www.karenzizzo.com  in the summer of 2009.  Contact Joyce Hansen, Karen’s Publicist at joyceh@classactconnections.com or 905-278-0952 to reserve Karen’s time for presentations, workshops and retreats.