Not Having Fun Can Kill You

P. Diddy was right; it is “All About the Benjamins.” We all need to earn a living to survive. With the economy in its current state, some of us are truly hurting to get by. Some of us have been forced to take whatever form of employment we can acquire due to these conditions. But are you smiling or grimacing when you’re counting your cash?

When it comes to working at The Lioness Group and building this firm from the ground up, I only work on what I enjoy. Even if it’s work to be sub-contracted to someone else, I don’t take on the client or contract if it isn’t in line with my firm’s vision. You should only represent what you believe in.

There are some who would say, you need to do what makes money. I get that. Income needs to flow in, but I prefer to carefully select the channels in which it arrives. My sister-in-law has tried to remind me that as I age, I need to start taking the salary benefits a little more seriously, and I will, I’m sure. I have a great appreciation for life and it is very important to me to squeeze joy and fulfillment out of every second. So if I tell a prospective client or peer that I want to work with them, it is because I WANT to, not because I have to.

If you’re not enjoying it, why are you doing it? Have you been in the position to have to report to work or a meeting and dread going? I’m sure you have. I don’t like that situation. I work hard at trying to avoid feeling that way. It’s the stress I try to stay away from. Stress, my friends, can kill. “According to a study by the British Medical Journal, chronic stress has been linked to the development of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as other conditions. This is because they found a link between chronic job stress and metabolic syndrome, which is a group of factors that, together, increase the risk of these diseases, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance, central obesity (excessive abdominal fat, which has been linked to increased cortisol in the bloodstream, as well as several other health problems). They found that greater levels of job stress increased people’s chances of developing metabolic syndrome: the higher the stress level, the greater the chance of developing metabolic syndrome.”

If you are not currently stressed at work, I am sure you know someone who is. Here are some emotional and cognitive signs: irritable, anxious, worrying, feeling overwhelmed, inability to concentrate and unhappiness. Here are some physical and behavioral signs:  aches, pains, dizziness, diarrhea, eating more or less, procrastination, nervous habits (nail biting, pacing), sleeping too much or too little and abusing alcohol or drugs.

Graph courtesy of http://www.uml.edu/

We only get one go. So if you’re not getting pleasure out of what you’re doing, maybe it’s time to reevaluate why you’re doing it. Stress is a serious issue. To learn more about what the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has to say on the subject, visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb120307_stress.html.

My vision board makes me invincible

Sometimes when it comes to having vision, I literally need it. When I first decided I was going to put together a vision board, I thought it was pretty corny. It was about 2007/2008 and I decided to search my favorite books and magazines looking for quotes and images that inspired me. After I assembled an impressive collage and hung it up near my bed, the corniest factor was still alive and well.

In fact, when my son cocked his brow at it and asked me what it was, I blushed a bit. I said something like, “It’s a vision board. It’s what I want out of my life,” and he sort of shrugged it off and moved on to the next thing, like adolescents his age so often do. However, the first time I woke up in the morning and glimpsed the vision board in the early morning sunlight, I realized its true purpose – renewed inspiration. Since then, the corny factor has evaporated.

I don’t think I could live without my vision board. I have gotten pretty skilled at it, too. Now, each year on my birthday, I create a new board with things I want to see for me in that year. I try to be well-rounded, optimistic, a little realistic, but hopeful, as well. Hell, to give myself a boost of confidence and extra oomph on the days I want to curl back in bed, one look at words like “Warrior Woman” and I’m up and in the shower. On the days I’m feeling a bit selfish, images of giving back to my community remind me of the things I NEED to do.

I have inspirations for home, work, inner reflections, external hopes, any and everything under the son. This year I have my own special motto, the very most important piece on my vision board for my 30th year of life … in between all of the images and quotes in big red letters on a blue background, it reads, “REVEAL THE WOMAN WITHIN.” Trust me; it takes a lot more courage to do that than anything else on that board. And even a lioness needs something to get that roar going.

What are some of the things you would put on your vision board?