Tag Archives: entrepreneur

The Day I Flatlined

flat-lineBeep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

We’ve lost him.

That’s the sound of death. We’ve all heard stories of people that have come back from the dead. Whether they’re in surgery, recovering from surgery or just terribly ill.

I’m one of them.

But thankfully that’s not the kind of flatlining I bounced back from.

Comatose

I woke up one Sunday morning and I couldn’t get out of bed. And no one could talk me into getting out of bed. I couldn’t find the motivation. Life had beaten me down and I couldn’t muster the energy to get up before the ten count. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, though. I had worked my ass off. I’d married an awesome, beautiful woman and was raising two kids that I was very proud of. But something was missing. I had no passion for what I was doing career wise. Sunday night was usually worse too because I knew what was coming over the next five days.

I had been letting other people have too much influence over my decisions on what I should do with my life.

MY Life

And it had taken its toll. I was burned out and my tank was empty. I had never felt like this before and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Insanity

Like a lot of people, I kept thinking things would get better on their own. It’s a lie we all tell ourselves because we all know that in order for things to change, only we can change them. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.

I knew I could do something different, that I could be something different if I’d just put in the time and effort during my off hours. But I was so drained and life just kept throwing punches at me, that I couldn’t seem to drop the gloves and get a couple of jabs in. I always seemed to be on defense having to keep my guard up trying to avoid getting hit again because it seemed like no matter how much I hit back, I couldn’t counter the number of hits coming at me. The hits were financial and medical issues, which lead to more financial issues.

We Have a Pulse

Monday morning came like it always had and nothing had changed. That is nothing but my attitude. There are some things in life that are out of your control and the sooner you realize AND accept that the better your life is going to be. The bills kept coming and the health conditions weren’t going to go away… ever. But, I could get some jabs in and fight back if I didn’t throw in the towel. I knew what the results would be if I did that.

I had some skills that I wasn’t putting to use so when I decided to come back to life, I made a plan and started moving forward. You should do the same thing because life’s too short to not be doing something you’re passionate about. Even if you only do it as a hobby or part time.

Start enjoying the good things in life. There’s a lot of them if you don’t let the b.s. tear you down.

Lift Your Spirits In 10 Minutes or Less With One of These 5 Ways

I just received this email from Dharma Rose of Abundant Entrepreneur.  It doesn’t matter if you know her or not.  I just think these 5 tips can, and will, benefit everyone who reads them and puts them into practice.  Because everyone of us has bad days once in awhile.  And every so often we have a bad string of events that we need help getting through.

So take a few minutes  and learn how you can lift your spirits when you’re down in the gutter.

5 Ways to Lift Your Spirits in Less than 10 Minutes

We all have days where we feel a little… well… in a funk.

But the good news is that, once you know a few simple tricks, it’s easy to shift your mood from drab to deliciously inspired in just 10 minutes or less.

Here are 5 simple things you can do to lift your spirits anytime, anyplace, anywhere:

TIP #1: Feed your ears with inspiration

Listening to energizing music is hands down the fastest, easiest way to elevate your mood.

Put on one or two of your favorite songs, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you start to feel more positive about yourself and your day!

One way to make sure your day starts off to a positive start is to get a musical alarm clock that wakes you up with your favorite uplifting songs.

Do a Google search for “musical alarm clock,” and you’ll find plenty of programs (some free, some you have to pay for) that you can easily set up to wake you up with music that you have stored on your computer or laptop.

Or, if you have a smart phone, do a search in the “apps store” on your phone and you’ll find plenty of apps that’ll work with the music you’ve got on your phone.

TIP #2: Invite positive people into your space

One of the best ways to pull yourself out of the doldrums is to spend a little time with someone who has an abundance of positive energy.

But if a close friend or family member isn’t nearby, here’s the next best thing…

Do a Google search for “inspirational videos” and you’ll bring up TONS of short videos of inspiring people sharing inspiring things that’ll feed your mind and spirit.

Watch one or two, and because you’re activating the learning centers of the brain, you’ll quickly experience a nice jolt of all-natural mental caffeine.

You can also check out TED.com for a great selection of free videos you can watch and feel inspired by.

TIP #3: Laugh it off

Laughter is one of the most effective antidotes for a heavy mood.

Laughing and smiling releases endorphins… the “happy hormones” produced in the brain that are widely regarded as nature’s cure for the blues.

Lucky for you, there are tons of comedians loading hilarious videos onto the Web that you can access in just seconds!

Feeling down? Take a few minutes and check out a couple of videos on YouTube or Funny or Die (the YouTube-style comedy website founded by comedian Will Ferrell) for some good side-splitting material that will send your endorphin levels through the roof.

TIP #4: Beautify your space

Eckhart Tolle writes that flowers are “ethereal messengers from the spiritual realm,” and that gazing at one reminds us of our Oneness with all life and that there’s peace in the present moment.

Even if you think that sounds a little far fetched, you can’t deny that everyone has a positive reaction to flowers!

So why not exercise a little self-love and treat yourself to a nice bouquet?

Put them in an area of your home or office where you can see them, and you’ll be surprised how a few delicate buds can lift your spirits.

TIP #5: Gain some perspective

If you’re feeling a bit down, it’s important to be gentle with yourself.

A lot of people who feel unhappy further reinforce this emotional state by feeling unhappy that they feel unhappy.

Instead of making yourself wrong for feeling a bit blah, remember that the up and down, ebb and flow of emotions is a part of the human experience.

Take a deep breath and tell yourself that this emotion too shall pass.

Giving yourself the freedom to experience how you feel can often be the key to releasing undesirable feelings so that you can move on to greener emotional pastures.

Make today a great one!

To your freedom,

Dharma Rose

Enjoy Life

I hope those help you out.  Because life really is too short to spend a minute too long down in the dumps.

Leave your marx,

Dana

P.S.  If you’re stuggling to find energy and get done what you want to get done, try drinking some of this.