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Generating Focus and Energy Without the Stress

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For many of us, including myself at one point in time, the glow of a looming deadline is what finally kicks us in to gear to get something done.  Sometimes, we even set artificial deadlines for ourself to provide that motivational factor to finish something that we have been putting off.  For those who identify with these behaviors,  “I work best under pressure” is our mantra!

There is a scientific explanation for why some people work best under pressure. When we are under pressure to accomplish something, our body starts...

Have You Dropped Your Withered Leaves?

I don’t know about where you live, but here in North Texas we are getting a wonderful demonstration from nature.  The trees in our area are showing us the beauty that springs forward once you have gotten rid of all the dead elements in your life.  During the Fall, we saw the withering leaves trying to desperately hold on.  From a human perspective, the trees reached a point where it seemed there was a lot of “dead wood” burdening their branches.  Eventually, the trees let go of all those dead leaves.  For a period of time, the trees seemed lifeless and one had to wonder if they would be able to bounce back.  Looking at those trees now, the blossoms are in full bloom and the green leaves are beginning to emerge.  The beauty is astounding!

All of us go through periods in our life just like that.  Elements in our life...

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Living Life with No Regrets

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One of the key principles for living life either Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) is living life with no regrets.  The most important element of this principle is that it is a life-long endeavor.  When I talk about “No Regrets”, I am talking about a lifetime of no regrets.  This is a practiced skill, which simply means that the more you focus on living life with no regrets, the better you get at it.  

Your journey to a life of no regrets consists of focusing on, getting control of, and managing to three elements.  Those three elements are:

  1. Getting control of the here and now
  2. Securing your future
  3. Engaging with and enjoying your life

The first step is...

What is Your Breakfast For Your Mind?

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating a good breakfast provides you needed fuel and energy to get through your busy day.  Breakfast can help kick start your metabolism, which will help you burn more calories throughout the day.  There are also studies that show that eating breakfast will help you maintain focus and concentration, leading to greater productivity.  Other studies have shown that starting your day off with a good breakfast leads to lower bad cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease.  In short, starting your day off with a good breakfast leads to an overall better day and, if done consistently, an overall better life.

While a good breakfast can help support our physical self, our mental self also requires support in our pursuit of a life of being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down.)  Just as we need to feed our body good fuel, we need to feed our mind good fuel, too.  We feed our mind through...

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One of the Values of Being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down)

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People who choose (and it is a choice) to live a life of being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) bring value into the lives of those around them.  Think about this from your own perspective:  Who do you seek out when you are feeling down or sad?  Is it the negative people in your life?  I doubt it!  We seek out those with a positive outlook on life.  Why?  Because it is those people that have the ability to help us “get up” when life has knocked has down.  UP people are the ones that...

Instead of New Year's Resolutions, Try Intentions Instead

It's that time of year when many people’s thoughts turn to making resolutions for the new year.  It is a time to refresh, clean up, or start over.  It is a time to let go of those things that are bringing you down and to more decisively engage in those things that bring you Up.  While I am not big on making resolutions, as such, I am a big believer in setting goals and then charting a path to achieve those goals.  

As I head in to 2017, one of my goals is to be more diligent in living a life of being Up or Getting Up (But Never Down.)  Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) recognizes that life...

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Wrapping UP 2016: 6 Things to Close by Year-End

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I have a confession to make:  I am exhausted!  Don’t get me wrong, this is the good kind of exhaustion that comes from putting a lot of energy into something you really love.  This last week has been full of being with the people I love most, eating some of my favorite meals, and fully enjoying all the blessing that come with this particular holiday season.  In short, it has all been pure joy!  But now, as things begin to settle back down, my thoughts turn to all the “Things to Finish” that are in front of me now.  The end of the year always triggers a flurry of activities that must be closed out before starting the new year.  Among them...

21 4-Letter Words for Your Holiday Season

Last week I wrote an article on how to reduce your Holiday Stress and Overwhelm.  I received a lot of nice messages about how helpful the article was. If you missed it, click here to read it!  I also received feedback that sometimes, for some people, the stress and the overwhelm builds to a level inside of you that you just need to LET IT OUT!  (Their words, not mine!)  

Even when we do our best to minimize stress and overwhelm, things can get to us.  In an effort to help in this regard, I decided to address that subject in this week’s article.  I do understand that feelings can build in each of us to the point that we just want to scream…

6 Key Steps to Reduce Holiday Stress and Overwhelm

Few things in life can bring on new highs for stress levels like the holiday season. There is so much going on during this time of year in both our personal and professional lives.  For many of us, year end brings about a bounty of dead-line induced activities, added to our already overloaded plate, all of which needs to get wrapped up by December 31.  And speaking of wrapped up, there are all those gifts to buy for a ton of people on your list.  The extra strain on the personal finances is a big contributor to our stress levels.  Add in potential travel, kids out of school, holiday baking, decorations to put up, getting your home clean for the company that is coming, and, oh yeah, all the stuff that is already on your “to do” list, it’s no wonder...

Who Gives You Energy? Who Gets Yours?

Have you ever noticed that there are some people who make you feel more energized simply by being around them?  People who lift you up and recharge you just by being in their presence.  Have you also noticed that their are people in your life that just drain you of energy whenever you spend time with them? People who leave you feeling exhausted whenever you have an encounter with them. In living a life of Up or Getting Up (But Never Down), it is highly beneficial to clearly know who is who when it comes to your energy.

People who bring you energy are always a joy...

A Season of Thankfulness

The holiday season is upon us once again.  I love this time of year!  The weather, here in Texas, has finally begun to cool off and there is a crispness in the air.  Holiday decorations are going up everywhere.  The kitchen at our house has gotten very busy with preparations for the big meal tomorrow and everything smells so good!  There is SO much to be Up and thankful for.  

It is during this time of year where we find ourselves reflecting on all those things for which we are thankful. Cognitive science has shown...

The Difference "Difference" Makes

Earlier this week, I posted a link to video that demonstrated that we, the people of this world, are not as far apart as some might think. (Click here to see post).  I suppose it is due to the fact that America has been in existence for a few hundred years now that some people forget that we are ALL immigrants into this country when you look deep enough into your family history.  Simply put, it means we all have a diverse background if you dig back far enough.  

Diversity is such a positive element in our lives.  I also believe that it is a critical element in leading a life of being Up or Getting Up...

Post Election: Up or Getting Up

Election day has finally came and went and our lives continue.  The country was obviously very divided for this election and, as a result, about half of the people are waking up this morning happy that their candidate won, and about half are waking up feeling like this country is doomed.  This would still be the case if the election had gone the other way.

If your candidate lost, I have included some ideas for “getting up”...

Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will

Be honest.  At some point in your life, you had one of those "million dollar ideas", didn't you?  Maybe you thought of some amazing product, but then convinced yourself that it would never actually sell. Maybe you thought of some cool new app, but talked yourself out of it because you didn't know how to develop it or market it once it was ready. I see this happen to people all of the time. They have some great idea, but then their brain starts talking themselves out of it. We begin to doubt ourselves, doubt our skills, or doubt our ability to...

Are You Still Dating or Just Meeting?

I have been married for over 32 years now and so far I have been able to keep my wife in the dark regarding the fact that SHE got the short end of this marriage stick!  I recognize that I married over my head and got better than I deserve.  Still, in this day and age, there is something to be said about having a marriage that has lasted this long.  In the words of country music singer Billy Currington, “Must be doin’ somethin’ right!”  I strongly believe that one of the things that we do right is that we still have date nights.  If you are in a relationship, whether married or not, and have been in that relationship for a long time, are you still dating or are you just meeting?

We need to recognize...

The Default State: A Key Concept for Managing Relationships

When I was in college, I got to my senior year and found out that I still needed 3 hours of Psychology/Sociology in order to graduate.  I was headed in to my last semester, so I was looking for an easy class that wouldn't take much effort.  As I was perusing the course catalog, one class caught my eye - Sociology of Marriage.  This sounded perfect!  I mean, how hard could this be???  Turns out that it was one of the more challenging classes I ever took.  It was also...

The Difference A Day Makes

It is empowering to know that living a life of Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) is a choice that we make on a daily basis.  Let's take a simple example:  Yesterday was a great day.  You were happy.  You were excited for life.  You were energized.  You smiled at the people you passed in the halls.  It was a really good day!  Today, however, sucks.  Big time. You're in a bad mood.  Nothing seems to be going right.  You are not happy.  You are definitely not energized or, if you are, it is a very negative energy.  What changed?  Barring some...

The NASA Principle in a Life of Up or Getting Up

One of the key concepts for living a life of Up or Getting Up (But Never Down) is "Manage Yourself," and one of the key elements of managing yourself is to get a handle on everything you are wanting/needing to finish.  This would include the little things, like "Get new tires put on the car" to the big things, like "Retire financially secure by the time I am 50."   In other words, a full list of ALL your goals and dreams - big and small.  When I am talking to my audience about their goals and dreams, I share this with them:  The more extraordinary your goals and dreams the more inherently impossible it is to figure out everything that needs to happen in order to achieve those goals and dreams. Sadly, for many people, that is the reason that they don't pursue...

Up or Getting Up (But Never Down)

Welcome to Up or Getting Up (But Never Down). This blog is dedicated to helping individuals lead a more joyful, happy, productive life. It is here I will be sharing ideas, tips, and techniques that you can easily adopt in your life so that your life is more positive and you are a more positive influence on people in your life.

It is...

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