secrets to harmony

Seven Secrets to Finding Harmony in Work and Lifestring(49) "Seven Secrets to Finding Harmony in Work and Life"

May 31, 2021
, , , Balance, Who's in Your Room 6

Would you like to know my secrets to achieving balance?  Forget about balance. It’s an illusion. “Balance” assumes that we spend an equal amount of time in all or most areas of our life. It is like the image of the “scales” where everything is completely in balance and equal. It assumes that we must spend a certain portion of each week devoted in some equal measure to every item important in our life.  As an entrepreneur, finding time for your family, your business, and your leisure time can be challenging. It’s difficult to do it all.

The problem with that is that almost no entrepreneur can actually achieve that. We tend to live such hectic, busy lives it is incredibly difficult to fit it all in. So, what do we do about this?  For me, it’s about creating harmony, not balance. This is more than semantics – it is a different way of looking at life.  While life can’t be fully in balance, it is possible to create a life that is in harmony with your vision of who you are and what you want to do. If that resonates with you, try these seven secrets to finding harmony in work and life.

1. Be Here Now

These are three simple words that will make a huge difference in creating harmony in your life. Wherever you are, be there. If you are at work, don’t be thinking about the time you didn’t spend with your family the night before or what you should be doing with your spouse or partner. When you are at home, don’t be thinking about the work you have to do at the office. My secret: Wherever you are, be there fully and completely.

2. Be Creative About How You Manage Your Time

Be creative and inventive in finding ways that you can accomplish what you need to do yet still allow you to spend time with the precious people in your life who bring you harmony. And remember, many tasks and projects have a finite timeline. You won’t always have to resort to this type of creativity unless you want to. My secret: Be creative and inventive in finding ways that you can accomplish what you need to do.

3. Integrate Various Elements Of Your Life

For many years, I spent a couple of weeks or more working remotely from my lake house in the mountains. During that time, I worked my normal hours but also had quality time with my family in a vacation setting. Sometimes I would have my staff join me for short retreats and workdays. It was a great way to integrate work-life into a leisure environment. During the last week or so of the stay at the lake house, I exclusively spent time with the family and didn’t think about work. My secret: Look for ways to integrate elements of your life whenever possible.

4. Practice “Letting Go” And “Holding On”

It is not possible to “have it all.” Unfortunately, life involves making choices. Practice understanding what things to say no to and then letting go of them. Think about the things that are truly important in your life and hold on to them with all your might. My secret: Let go of the unimportant things.

5. Be Intentional About Who You “Let In Your Room”

Imagine that you live your entire life in one room and that room had only one door and that door was an “Enter Only” door.  Anyone who gets in is there for life. If that were true, would you be more selective about who you let into your room?  Everyone I ask that to says a resounding, “YES!” Well, luckily this is only a metaphor. However, when we do let people into our lives that are caustic or difficult, it is very difficult to get them out. My secret: Be more selective about “Who’s In Your Room”.

6. Set Firm Margins 

Life for people in this day and age is crazy busy. People will take up every spare moment in your life if you let them, so it is important to create a life that has “margins.” Build free time, family time, and personal time into the margins of your day-to-day existence. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. You’ll be happier when you create margins. My secret: Schedule your time to relax.

7. Work In Your Flame, Not Your Wax (secrets)

When entrepreneurs are doing things they hate to do, they are in their wax – meaning they are doing things that are sapping their energy.  When entrepreneurs are doing things that they love to do, they are in their flame. They are energized and excited. My secret: Do those things that you love to do by staying in your flame.

The truth is that when you are 70 years old, you are not going to wish you spent more time at the office. You don’t need to be a workaholic to be successful. Focus on creating harmony in your life with my seven secrets. Be creative. Find ideas from these secrets that work for you and the life you live. Make the time and be innovative. Harmony is created where harmony is sought. 

Wine O'Clock

Wine O’Clockstring(18) "Wine O’Clock"

May 16, 2019
, , , Author, Balance, Ivan Misner, Travel, Who's in Your Room 2

Take a little Wine O’Clock time for YOU!

Life for people in this day and age is crazy busy. People will take up every spare moment in your life if you let them, so it is important to create a life that has “margins.” Build free time, family time, and personal time into the margins of your day-to-day existence. If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. You’ll be happier when you create margins—we promise. Schedule time to relax.

I have scheduled time to relax. Beth and I are taking a vacation this week with my good friend and co-author, Stewart Emery, with his wife. We have been enjoying this week together in Bordeaux France sipping wine and enjoying the sights.

In this video, we discuss “Margins”. You create “harmony” in your life by creating space in your life. Harmony is the access to the things that really matter to you and being fully present; while avoiding those things that do not.

“Who’s in Your Room?: The Secret to Creating Your Best Life”

This is the premise behind my newest book, co-authored with Stewart Emery, and Rick Sapio. We believe this book can change people’s lives. Learn the secret to creating your best life.

https://tinyurl.com/WhosInYourRoom

Whatever you are in life, be a good one. Experience the best the world has to offer. Opportunities will open up for you when you do.

CHEERS!

balance

Harmony vs. Balancestring(19) "Harmony vs. Balance"

January 28, 2019
, , , Balance, Who's in Your Room 5

If you’re like most people, at some point in time—possibly even today—you’ve thought about having better balance in your life. In this crazy, hectic, technology-driven society, balance is an ever-present concern for many people.  I am often asked the secret to finding it in your life. How can you get the most out of work, life, friends, family, and all of your other activities? Would you like to learn the secret to balance? Are you ready? Here it is:

The Secret to Balance

Forget about balance; it’s an illusion. “Balance” assumes that we spend an equal amount of time in all or most areas of our life. It is like the image of the scales of justice where everything is completely in balance and equal. However, the concept implies that we must spend a certain portion of each week devoted in some equal measure to every item important in our life. The problem with this is that most people can’t actually achieve this on a regular basis. We tend to live such hectic, busy lives that it is incredibly difficult to fit it all in. Balance assumes that we spend equal amounts of time in each area of our life, which realistically, is impossible. I believe in harmony, in finding ways to creating synergy between the things you love to do and the things you’re paid to do (if you’re lucky, they’re one in the same!)

But there’s good news. I suggest striving for “Harmony“. You simply cannot have balance in your life. You can, however, find harmony. This is more than semantics—it is a different way of looking at life. It is possible to create a life that is in harmony with your values and vision of who you are and what you want to do. Even the symbol for harmony (the yin yang) is out of balance if you look at each piece separately.

Here are some keys to a life that’s in harmony.

  • Be Here Now
  • Set time aside for the things that really matter.
  • Find ways to integrate different parts of your life
  • When you’re 70 years old, you’re not going to wish you spent more time at the office

My co-authors and I talk a lot more about this in our book, Who’s in Your Room.   Check it out. 

Harmony is created where harmony is sought. What do you do to create harmony in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts so please share your ideas/tactics in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

Workplace Stress

Stress in the Workplace: Managing Job and Workplace Stressstring(58) "Stress in the Workplace: Managing Job and Workplace Stress"

September 25, 2017
Balance, Healing Begins in the Kitchen, Health, Productivity 1

Let me start by talking about “good stress” vs. “bad stress.”  Certain kinds of workplace stress can actually be good for you.  Good stress can help give you focus and achieve your personal and professional goals.  A deadline is a good example of how it can help you focus your efforts and achieve the results you want.  Good stress tends to be short-term.  It isn’t pervasive.

Bad stress, on the other hand, tends to be long-term and inescapable.  It can feel overwhelming and never-ending  What I’ve learned over the last few years is that this type of stress can absolutely, positively, unequivocally, affect both your business and your health.

Consequently, it’s good to have a plan at your job to address workplace stress and then execute on that.  If you’re feeling stressed out at work, try these three techniques:

  1. Work in Your Flame. This one may take time. People are either working in their wax (they hate what they’re doing) or they’re working in their flame (they love what they’re doing).  Do your best to transition out of things that are your wax and move into your flame.  For the record, it took me years to get to that place.  Set realistic expectations and move towards that goal daily.

 

  1. Job Discernment. Change the things you can change at work and accept the things you can’t change.  A mantra I learned from Jack Canfield which I absolutely love is, I have a child (business), I’m not my child (or whatever applies to you – such as I have a boss, I’m not my boss).  Discern what you can change at work and work on it.  Those things that are out of your control (like the traffic or your boss), you need to let go.

 

  1. Help Others. According to the American Journal of Public Health, “helping others predicted reduced mortality… by buffering the association between stress and mortality.”  Who would have thought?  If you help someone to grow their business, you will feel less stressed!  Well, to be honest, I’ve seen this professionally for many, many years.  One of the principle core values of my company, BNI, is Givers Gain.  This is a perfect example of feeling better at work by helping others first.

My book

My book, “Healing Begins in the Kitchen” shares the remarkable story of how I went into remission from cancer just nine months after my diagnosis.

http://tinyurl.com/HealingBeginsInKitchen

personal stress

Four Ways To Manage Personal Stressstring(35) "Four Ways To Manage Personal Stress"

September 11, 2017
Balance, Healing Begins in the Kitchen 1

It is good to have a plan to address your personal stress and then execute on that plan. Here are a few things that you might want to consider to tackle your personal stress.  It’s unlikely that every one of these suggestions will resonate with you – but try most of them on for size.  See how they help you and your particular life situation. If you’re feeling stressed out, look over this list and try some of these techniques. They’ll make a difference in your health.

 

  1. Meditate. This is a tried and true standard to manage your personal stress.  I’m not always great at doing “traditional” meditation regularly but I do practice it.  There are other ways to meditate.  I generally take 15-20 minutes every day in a steam shower.  I definitely use this time to meditate almost every day.

 

  1. Breathing. This obviously goes hand-in-hand with meditation.  However, it is also useful when you find yourself in a stressful situation.  When we are in a “fight or flight” scenario our brain goes into overdrive and we tend to do short, shallow breathing.  To deal with personal stress, we should take long, deep breaths.

 

  1. Exercise. Walking, running, weight lifting, Yoga, Cycling, martial arts – whatever you’ll do regularly is what you should be out there doing.  This is a big personal stress reliever for many people.  For me – not so much.  I do it for my health, not because it relieves stress. That said, it’s obviously good for various reasons.

 

  1. Mental Health Day. This one is my favorite personal stress management tool. It’s also something that I have done pretty consistently for many years.  One day a week, I try to take a “mental health day.”  That is, I fully and completely relax.  How I relax may be different than how you relax.  For me, it’s about staying home and doing what recharges my batteries.  It might be watching movies or shows on my DVR or hanging out in the pool.  But the bottom line is that I relax and I definitely do not leave the house.  It took a few years for my family to understand my need to do this one but, seeing how I was much nicer when I could get one of these each week – made it easier.

 Personal stress

My book, “Healing Begins in the Kitchen” shares the remarkable story of how I went into remission from cancer just nine months after my diagnosis.

http://tinyurl.com/HealingBeginsInKitchen

personal stress

John Maxwell interview

John Maxwell Interviews Ivan Misnerstring(35) "John Maxwell Interviews Ivan Misner"

November 17, 2016
Balance, Entrepreneur, Ivan Misner, John Maxwell, Video Blog, work ethic

In this video, I share with John Maxwell how I manage the “rainbow” of my day to attempt to have a “green day”.  I  also share with him my “secret to success” and my “secret to balance”. Please click on the photo below to watch the video of my personal interview with John Maxell.

John Maxwell interview

John Maxwell Interviews Ivan Misner on the “Secret to Success”

 

Ivan Misner on the “Secret to Success” from The John Maxwell Team on Vimeo.

How Your Deal Breakers Impact Your Businessstring(43) "How Your Deal Breakers Impact Your Business"

April 25, 2016
, , , Balance, Networking 3
ID-10089874

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Everyone has deal breakers. You have things you won’t tolerate in friendships, in romantic relationships, and in living situations. Whether you know it or not, you also have deal breakers that come into play with your business practices. We all do, it is just a matter of whether or not you consciously know what they are.

So how do you know what your deal breakers are, and then what do you do with them once you know?

Start by figuring out what you simply won’t tolerate in business. Try asking yourself these questions:

  • When was the last time you were really angry/frustrated?
  • What traits do you deplore most in others?
  • What do you find the epitome of misery?
  • What do you least value in friends and business associates?

Now, separately, list out projects or associates that fall in line with the answers to your above questions. These projects and people go against your values, and don’t align with who you strive to be in business and in life. They are holding you back, and in order to elevate your business and move on, you must consider cutting them out. Keeping these people or projects in your life are costing you time, money, and energy. By cutting them out, you can see an increase in your passion, in your happiness, and in your success.

What are your deal breakers? How has cutting them out (or keeping them in!) impacted your business? Let me know in the comments below!

Keeping Up Productivity During Q2string(33) "Keeping Up Productivity During Q2"

April 11, 2016
, , , Balance, Business, Goals, Productivity 6
Image courtesy of khunaspix, of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of khunaspix, of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now that we’re into Q2, all of your 2016 goals for your business should be well underway. The downside of Q2 is that many people begin to lose their momentum around this time of the year. The weather is getting nicer, the days are getting longer, and our attention span at work is getting shorter.

One great way to maintain momentum in your business is to focus on elevating your morning routine.

The ideal morning routine starts the night before, by ensuring you are set up for success. Turn off all electronic devices at least 90 minutes before bed, and never use these devices in your bed to start with. Studies show that using these devices in bed can retrain your brain to associate your bed with being awake. These studies also show that even the smallest electronic device emits enough light to stimulate your brain and promote wakefulness.

In the morning, try to wake up earlier than you need to. Before 6 a.m. is ideal, as it gives you plenty of time to eat a full breakfast, hit the gym, and get your blood flowing and brain working before you get into the meat of your day. Set a routine, and keep that routine as often as possible. Once you are settling into work, focus on projects that you are passionate about. Stay off your email as long as possible, as this is a productivity and time suck. Focus on the important things first, and hit your email later when you have time to knock off smaller tasks. Busy work should be punted to later in the day. Your mind will thank you.

What kind of morning routine do you follow to keep productive? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Introducing Garage to Globalstring(28) "Introducing Garage to Global"

April 4, 2016
, , Balance, BNI, Brand Building, Business, Collaboration, Competition, Culture, Customer Service, Emotional Intelligence, Entrepreneur, Global Business, Growth, Leadership, Management, Marketing/Sales, Networking, Social Responsibility, Time Management

Garage to Global

What does it take to start a home-based business and turn it into a global organization?  I am sharing the many lessons I’ve learned to do just that.

In 1985, I started a small business from my home in Southern California.  Today, BNI has ovBNI Member Growth Through 2014er 7,400 locations in more than 65 countries around the world (see the member growth chart to the right).

From business networking to management, scaling a business, and surrounding yourself with good people, I will be sharing with you the secrets for building a global brand.

Go here and subscribe to my new Garage to Global Channel (part of the Entrepreneur Network) on YouTube: http://tinyurl.com/garagetoglobal.

Share with me below what you think it takes to go from “garage to global” (but don’t forget to subscribe to my new channel. 🙂

Tips and Tools of the Trade…Showstring(38) "Tips and Tools of the Trade…Show"

January 21, 2016
, Balance, Brand Building, Building Relationships, Business, Networking 1

For most business professionals, a trade show in your field is a great opportunity to get out and meet other professionals who own or work for businesses similar to yours. Here, you can garner new ideas to bring home with you and make your business better, receive valuable feedback on what you’re currently doing from other professionals, and possibly develop relationships and connections with people who may help you grow your business as part of a Power Team.

ID-10069835While trade shows can be extremely beneficial, they can only really help you if you go into it prepared and ready to grow. As the new year began, many organizations begin promoting their 2016 trade shows, and I’m sure countless of you have already registered for one, if not multiple.

Before you go, consider some of these do’s and don’ts to get the most out of your trade show experience.

DO research the multiple trade shows happening in your field for the year before making the final decision on which to attend. While you can attend more than one, you should only attend as many as will benefit you. Talk to contacts whom you know have attended a specific trade show in the past to get their feedback, do a quick Google search, and always read all of the promotional brochures you can get your hands on. 

DON’T go to the trade show without a specific goal in mind. Want to meet someone who can give you advise on using social media to hit your target market? Looking to build a relationship with someone who has been in the field 20 years longer than you have? Going in with a specific goal can go a long way.

DO become familiar with the layout of the space that the trade show will be in. You can identify quickly if there are certain booths you’d like to make sure you hit, and perhaps even mold your own booth to fit in (or better, stand out) from those positioned near you.

DON’T just hang out by one booth, or if you’re working the show, your booth. You can’t expect your potential contacts to come to you. We never expect this in our day-to-day business, so why would we expect this at a business convention with hundreds of busy professionals, all with their own businesses and goals in mind?

DO make sure you get to as many seminars that make sense for you, and attend group activities. You’re there to make contacts and get to know others in your field, or in the fields represented at the trade show. Don’t waste your time at the show by not circulating and getting to know people.

DON’T forget the follow up! Meeting someone in the first place is only have the battle. You have to actually follow up with them after that initial introduction to really begin to establish a meaningful relationship.

DO go into the trade show with an open mind, and a willingness to both learn and teach.

Are you planning to attend any trade shows this year? What are your goals for them? Share with me in the comments below!

The Pieces of Successstring(21) "The Pieces of Success"

January 7, 2016
, , Author, Balance, Success 4

ID-10028822As so many of us launch into spectacular plans for the new year, whether those impact our businesses or our personal lives, there are a few things to remember when to comes to gauging the success of those plans. To truly be successful is to be in it for the long haul.

For the most part, your success is determined by your hard word, and by your choices. You can work harder than anyone you know, but if at the end of the day you make the wrong decisions, you will never achieve the success you want. So many people think that they deserve to be successful just because they work hard, but this is not the case. Hard work is simply a piece of the puzzle.

Many hard working people claim that they have “bad luck” when things turn sour, despite their efforts. In reality, it is poor choices that ultimately lead many of these people to why their hard work isn’t leading to success. This isn’t to say that every choice you make has to be a good one – to hold yourself to such a standard would be to set yourself up for failure. Instead, you need to make more good choices than bad ones, and minimize the impact of the bad choices by accepting them and fixing it quickly.

Becoming successful takes time and effort, and unfortunately many people want to get from point A to point Z without all of the challenges, lessons, and milestones in between. You cannot work hard and immediately expect the success that you think you deserve. Success is not an entitlement, no matter how badly we want it to be one.

I’ve said before that working hard is only the first part of success. Making good choices is the second part. It takes both to achieve success.

How do you motivate yourself toward long term success? Share with me in the comments below!

What Are Your Values?string(21) "What Are Your Values?"

November 16, 2015
, , , , Adversity, Balance, Self Development, Strategy 4

valuesYour values shape you and your career decisions more than you may realize. Before making any changes in your professional life, you may want to sit and think about what you value. You may be surprised what answers you come up with.

Your values are qualities that are important in the way you live and work. These are different for everybody, so you should be sure to answer this question for yourself and not take another’s answer. Values help us to determine our priorities, and when our actions stray from our values, we can feel the negative ramifications in all aspects of life.

To start with, we all have core values that resonate in our lives. These core values are the building blocks that all of our other values build upon. These values will be stable throughout your life, and typically won’t change based on that situation. To determine some of your core values, answer the following:

  • What career should I pursue?
  • Should I accept this new job/promotion?
  • Should I compromise in this?
  • Should I follow tradition in my family/circle?
  • What do I want from my personal life?

After figuring out your core values, you can move on to the values specific to helping you move forward in life. When thinking about new opportunities in your life, it is important to understand your values – particularly the ones that may play into the changes. To determine these values, follow the following steps.

  1. Identify times when you were happiest. Find examples from both your personal and professional lives, and figure out what factors and people played into this happiness.
  2. Identify the times you felt a sense of pride. Ask yourself, “why was I proud?” and figure out what factors played into that.
  3. Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied. What need or desire was fulfilled to leave you feeling satisfied? Why was the experience memorable, and how can you recreate it?
  4. Determine your top values, based on your past experiences of happiness, pride and fulfillment.

Each person’s experiences will help them build a unique set of values, and staying true to your values can help you get the most out of your professional life to be the happiest in your personal life.

What are some of your most important values? What questions above helped you find these values? Let me know in the comments section below!

 

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