Now I have posted before about the idea of just making the choice to change your day, your life and your health and then you will start to change. This is it, today. Dead Poet’s Society, Carpe Diem!

I have moved and thus lost my gym membership. I loved the gym, went as often as possible, felt like it was a special trip just for me. Alas, I am not the pampered person who can take the two hours it was costing me to go there, do all the lifting , the cardio and then the stretching required to make me fit, happy and feel good. So when I moved I decided to get out and do as much as possible in the limited time I have between calls. It is tough to make that decision, I am going to go for that 2 mile walk. Ok, 6 AM call done now get up, change, oh yeah, eat something, well I should check the e-mails while I eat, now I have to respond to that one, review that letter, set up the spreadsheet, send it back. Now it’s time for the next call and I have not walked, I am tired from the food and man, I am not getting it done.

After a few weeks of not meeting my work out goals I have packed on a little weight, feel tired more and am pretty darn mad at myself. So here is my new motto.

Get up and go! Simple. I put on the workout clothes first thing and as soon as I get the first break in my day I do something fitness oriented. If it is a 45 minute break I go for a walk.

30 minute break I do sit ups, lunges and small hand weights.

If I am tired I go for a quick walk up the block and I am warmer and more alert then a cup of coffee would make me.

So quick start tip of the week, just do it, start somewhere. If you have a lunch break scheduled, get the tennis shoes on first thing and take the first 15 minutes to go for a walk. This will rev up the metabolism, make the food taste better and get you more fit. Experts say that exercise can add up, that 15 minutes added to the walking the dog at night or playing with the kids means you get your 1/2 hour of exercise in without thinking. That’s great news with summer here!

So get up and go and Don’t Ever Stop!

Stephanie York ——-(805))701-8508———coaching@descoaching.com

So many people I talk to every day say where will I get business? Then they tell me their friends and family are saying this is a terrible time to be doing “whatever it is you are trying to do”. The lesson to you should be that during the hard economies and poor business is the perfect time to do what ever it is you are passionate about and do it well. People will work with you if you have passion, try hard, deliver on your promises and build a business. No matter what you want to do or what you are currently doing there is someone who needs what you are doing but they need it done right.

Here is what you need to start that survival: A PLAN!!!!!

1. Get the idea of a plan down, what do you want to do, when and how. I have a small business planning tool I give my clients. It has three areas of focus and three action items for each area. then you are ready to do the next step.

2. Pick the three ways people purchase your product, phone, referral, website, word of mouth, convention, store front and so on. Now look at the top three and write down three ways you can do those three better, if it is  website then have a website built or have some one review how user friendly yours is. I have an accountant who is pretty important, very busy. However, on their website there is no phone number or e-mail to reach them on any of the pages. Thats just silly, have a freind, collegue or co-worker review what you are doig and give you solid feedback, then act on it.

3. ACTION – Don’t go looking for answers and then not act on them. Tony Robbins and many speakers often say the difference between successful people and those who wish they were is MASSIVE Action. So, set time aside each day to work on the action items you need to get done NOW.

If you need help with an action plan, finding the three areas to promote or analyzing a business plan that is not workng then give me a call, I can help, it’s what I do.

Stephanie York, Executive Coach, DES Coaching, (805)701-8508, coahcing@descoahcing.com

You are sitting at the computer and typing, hunched shoulders and a frown on your face. The tension is palpable and you are barking at your assistant. The deal is not going to close on time and you can’t leave by 6, you’re getting a headache and there is not end in sight this week.

If this is happening then you are in a bad cycle that could take years off your life. No one can take the bad deals and hard economy away. Only you can change how you handle it.

Webmd.com has some strong stats on stress:

• Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
• Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor’s office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
• Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
• The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

It is never too late to change the direction of your day, week or life.

1. Breathe and stop doing what you are doing. Here is a site with some in depth breathing techniques that will help. Do them now, they will add years to your life: http://www.solveyourproblem.com/natural-health/easy_breathing_techniques.shtml
2. Eat a snack and get up and walk around. Walking engages both the right and left sides of the brain which balances out the overwhelmed hormone levels.
3. Create a deadline for yourself to leave work and keep it. Mke one day a week starting out the no stress evening, leave every Weds. and don’t look back. Then you can worry the other days.
4. If you can’t leave then get up often to take a break and start breathing again.
5. Find someone to share your stress with. A mentor or friend can be a sounding board for you to work through the stress and find ways to work on the solutions.

In the next article we will be addressing project specific stress and how to work in the day without letting it get to you. If you are having extreme job stress let us know, we can help you map out a quick solution or suggest the places for you to look into. It’s what we do.

Stephanie York —————(805)701-8508————–coaching@descoaching.com

Ok, so the changes in the world and your job have finally broken you. I hear it all the time. I get an e-mail from someone who just lost half the business they had going this month and the boss is not supportive and they cannot get help from the staff. Never has there been more disconnect between management and you. It feels like you are out on a limb and someone is sawing it off. So what do you do?

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”

Drew Carey quotes, American Comedian

Quit. Yes just quit. Nothing is worth your sanity or mental breakdown. Now I hear I can’t quit, I have to have a job, well then what do we do? Saying I can’t take it and feeling at the bottom is a horrible place to be but not doing anything about it can make you sick and then where will you be. Here are some quick tips to stop saying I quit or end the feeling you are powerless.

1. Get out the resume. Dust that sucker off. Start adding onto it the things you are doing now, update it. Put on there everything you are doing and then call around and ask for references.
2. Go out there and act as though you do not have a job. I know they say it is always better to get a job when you have one and “they” are right.
3. Interview and find out what salaries are out there for you and your job skill set. Compare those salaries to what you already make and compare this to the stress levels that come with the new position.
4. Ask around with your friends and family and find out if others are having a hard time finding work. See if you feel lucky to have something at all.
5. Ask yourself what is it that you are passionate about. Are you already doing that? Should you be doing something else? A great book for you to read about following your passion is “Crush It” by Gary Vaynerchuk, very enthusiastic endorsement of building a business around your passion.

Now these may not be an exact fix, this is not to actually help you get a better job unless it does work. What you need to do is create a plan to figure out whether you are lucky where you are, can you make more money somewhere else and are you even doing something you like or does your passion lie somewhere else. If you need someone to run over these choice with just let me know. It’s what I do.

“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.”

Oscar Wilde

Stephanie York————-(805)701-8508———-coaching@descoaching.com

Ok so you are chasing around the loans and the paperwork, the realtor, client and your processor. The legislation just hit and you are either being paid minimum wage or going to have to pay your team and next we are looking at a YSP cap that takes all the competition out of this and makes everyone else level, no more big checks on certain loans.

Many of my clients have lived through REALLY tough times already in keeping their mortgage business afloat. They have lost staff, changed companies sometimes 4 times in 12 months and now facing these changes they ask if this is still something they want to do. Of course there are many who say they can do nothing else but that is not the case for some. Here is my advice.

Stay calm, do not react to the news or the law changes or the water cooler/media chatter. Stop, breath and think for yourself. If you have to pay out salary to staff and everyone must now be W-2 then evaluate staff and keep those who will not be a burden. In these tough times it is not easy to keep the business in exactly the same shape it has been in. If someone on your team has not been able to stay productive then they may need to find a new job. This sounds harsh but is a reality for so many. Keep them if you can afford to and feel you owe them that but be aware at all times what is happening to your bottom line so you do not sink the entire company doing so.

Think about your personal and company production. How much do you make on average on a loan? Do the math. Now think about what a YSP cap would do to that business. When I do the math with most of my clients they realize after using their current production and then averaging out what they make on a loan they see that they could still survive this change.

Review your systems, what are you using to manage contacts? How are you contacting them and with what? Work on creating a solid work flow from lead to closed loan to past client to referral partner and beyond. Put in place a solid referral partner build up plan and consistently follow it.

Lastly, start to grab as many names as you can and enter them into your database. Add up to 25 a week if you can. These people, friends, family, network partners, are all going to need someone because there are even fewer mortgage people left. Someone has to do the loans and people are not going to stop buying property.

Prepare yourself for hard work, great planning and a healthy future. It is still anyone’s game. If you want a very short and easy to use business plan just let me know. A quick 15 minute call could help you a lot. It’s what I do.

Stephanie York——-(805)701-8508———–coaching@descoaching.com

Ok, so you woke up this morning and realized that the fact you couldn’t zip your shorts, tuck in your shirt or get off the couch without groaning was a sign of a not so in control diet and exercise regiment. OK, I love chicken wings, crab legs and most any kind of cheese. LOVE them!!!! I speak to a lot of folks through coaching and even though our main topics are how can I get my business life to be more successful 75% do let me know that they are not at their ideal health and fitness. Now there are all sides of the spectrum. I will tell you this, no matter how in shape or out of shape a person is working in time to workout is difficult for everyone. No one is alone. Every single person has to take ownership of their health form what you put in your mouth to what you do to stay fit. Here are 5 simple things to do TODAY to help you get started on feeling better and getting healthier.

Today’s blog is addressing 5 simple ways to start losing weight. This is not going to be the biggest loser 10-15 pound drop. This is to start you going, feeling better, getting healthier and losing the fat. Keep in mind that you should shove your scale into the closet and maybe take it out once in a while. It can defeat and deceive. If you wait to weigh yourself and put in some good effort then it can be a victory. If you are measuring every day then it can be defeating if you see no change. I do not own a scale nor do I care so much what I weigh. I know if my pants don’t fit and I can feel the belly jiggling.

1. Decide today that you want to be in better shape. Yep, the first step is saying to yourself you want to make this change. Now this is a HUGE deal. You have to commit some part of yourself or you will give up. No one is holding you captive on a ranch and no one is offering you money. This is all you.
2. Dig out tennis shoes, shorts/pants and a good bra or shirt. Get the equipment ready. If you wait it can be a small thing like not knowing where your stuff is to stop you that first, second or even third day. Prepare for success!
3. Depending on your fitness level and your doctor’s orders figure out how far you are allowed to walk. Now there are a ton of really good walking for fitness websites, just google them. Most people, even obese people, can walk so this is where we will all start. Set up a starting goal for yourself, 1 mile, 2 miles etc. Start slower and lower and build. We want to avoid injuries because they can slow you down.
4. Get in your car! Yep, get in the car and depending on where you want to walk, work at lunch, home in the morning or afternoon, go out and figure out the route that matches your fitness goal, 1 mile, 1.5 miles etc. Now you have the gear, the goal and the route. Next pick when you will start to do this.
5. Go get fit. I recently moved and lost my gym membership, wasn’t using it enough anyways. I am trying to pay down debt and decided I would use what god gave us, the great outdoors to start getting in shape. When I have an hour I go and take a 2 miles walk I mapped out. Now if I have just ½ hour I can fit in the 1 mile walk. There is no excuse for me. Do I want to skip it of course some times it is easier but then I feel so good and it curbs my appetite when I make the effort.

You have to decide to make the change, prepare to make the change and then act on it. Check out my blog about change for more ways to make change stick: http://www.yorkcoach.com/2010/03/19/how-can-you-change-you-have-to-do-more-than-just-want-to/.

Stephanie York

coaching@descoaching.com

(805)701-8508

Everyone has them, every single person. Even the happiest, most up beat person you know has bad days, they just might not let you know. It is how we handle them and move forward that can help shape us for the rest of our lives. It would be wonderful if everyone got some of these lessons early on so they could have a more fulfilling life.

What is a bad day? Well, we all know the accidents in life or the medical emergencies or worse can make a bad day, those are a given. It is the day that starts out rushed, then you trip, break something, catch your purse on a handle, snag your clothes, lose the big deal etc. Those are the day in day out things that can get to us. Here are some simple, proven things you can do to take charge of that bad day and stop it from getting worse.

1. Start a journal. Pick up any notebook and write down what is bugging you, how you feel about it and what you will do to change it. You can even write it down on a piece of paper and burn it but I for one think the introspection and review help long term. Just do it, do not think about it, get a notebook or buy a nice journal and keep it around.

2. Stop, literally stop, and think about what exactly is bothering you. You may be grumpy and mad at work or hate the people in the coffee line but is it them or something else? Did you forget to do something and you are bothered by it? Did you get in a fight with a spouse, friend, family member or even co-worker and it is bothering you? Did you just not get enough sleep. Consider what is really making you upset and create a plan to fix it, talk to that person, go to bed earlier or plan to do what ever it is that yu didn’t do. Our mind and body want to be happy, we just have to make it easier.

3. Smile. Yep, just start smiling. Now if you are depressed or something really tragic has happened then this is going to be impossible. You can not be happy if you are sad, you can only be incrementally less sad and work your way up. So, if it is an intangible thing that is getting to you or you feel like people are just being mean then try this little experiment. Smile at everyone you run into. Be the happy person and you will get heaps of happiness in return. You can frown when you get back into the car or office. By being the smiler you make other people respond better and your day starts to turn around right away. Treat others as you would want to be treated.

4.Reach out to a resource for perspective. Leaning on a friend or a mentor is a good way to get your arms around what is really important. Is this a bad day that just feels that way or are there real things you should be concerned about. If this is one bad day in the middle of a bunch of good ones then it is just that a bad day. if this is a bad day strung together with a lot of other ones then you need to definitely sit down and evaluate your situation, if it is the job, get another one. If it is your friends, boyfriend or other social situation start right away to either get new ones or sit down with the ones you have and work it out.

Life is short and it is truly a gift. Often the bad is not as big as it seems. Stop yourself and figure out why you are in this emotion and then make a positive plan to change it. Oh yeah, and smile, the whole world will smile with you!

Stephanie York ——www.descoaching.com—–(805)701-8508——-coaching@descoaching.com

So many of my clients have been having a REALLY stressful time with business. Yes the economy is down, sure the times are tough and absolutely you have to deal with it. However, it is how you deal with it everyday that can make or break you.

Stop allowing yourself to become a reaction to the world around you. As Jeffrey Gitomer says, shut off the tv, do not start your day with negative commentary. Here are some every simple ways to start your day off on your own terms.

1. Start each morning with a journal entry. Oprah always talked about a gratitude journal and now Jack Canfield talks about an law of attraction journal. Journaling can do so much for you. The first step is GO BUY A JOURNAL! Sit down and write what ever you feel. get the stuff out. Put down hopes and dreams, imagine how the day turns out so well and write about it. Own your day in that journal.

2. Turn off the tv and put in a cd of music that inspires you. I once talked to a client who was locked in a room with no windows, he had no interaction wiht others and he was depressed, I can see why. We talked about t he happier times in his life and next thing I know he has a soundtrack of his favorite inspirational music.

3. Buy a motivational speaker on dvd or cd, Tony Robbins, Les brown, Jack Canfield or even yourself if you are inspired by your dreams. Now play this in the morning when you are getting ready for work. Do not turn on the tv. The news is built to catch you and drag you into their stories, that’s what they are, stories. You can get the news online after you get into the office delivered in a flat impersonal way that does not suck you in.

4. Buy inspirational books and read just a few pages or even a whole chapter. Start each day off with the purpose put forth in the book and steer your own course. There are so many out there right now, go to the book store and review a few and see which one speaks to you, buy it and keep it on hand.

Lastly, don’t forget to breathe. When times get tough we often forget to breathe, taking in long, life nurturing breathes. This will add years to your life, calm down your pulse and take you out of fight or flight response. Try it right now. Breathe in, hold for a count of 3 and breathe out slowly. No smile, life is still pretty good.

Stephanie York, descoaching.com, (805)701-8508

Alright, so you are stuck, worried, scared or just wanting some help in general. It is not always easy to figure out where you can turn for support, advice or information but if you are finding yourself in this situation then it is time to start looking. The sooner you set up resources to go to the faster you can get help anytime you need it.

How to find a mentor/resource/partner/associate:

Ok, a source of help can be anything, it doesn’t matter as long as it helped. Let’s cover the biggest sources for help here and then we can break them down even more in later posts. Here are the the main places for you to start looking right away.

1. Books – Of course we have all heard about self help books and they can sound a bit cliche but the fact of the matter is if you find the right one it offers incredibly valuable information, doesn’t judge your situation, is accessible 24/7 and can work at your pace. No matter what support choice you make books are a great way to find lessons and training to supplement your growth.

2. Internet – Use the many popular search tools, ie google, yahoo, to access websites, blogs and online resources that are specific to your particular need. Make use of the power of the search engines. Make your search work for you. For example type in, how does a mortgage work or mortgages, how do they work or even how to get a mortgage. The search engine will bring up very different results and then you can study them.

3. Groups – There are a lot of different groups to help support you no matter what you are needing. Go to local stores or business that offer services related to what you need. If it is more moral or business support look to the local meetings and even online at meetup.com. There are a lot of local groups that can help. If it is a mentoring group look for some mastermind coaching or even set up your own meet up group and get others together that share your interests and brain storm solutions.

4. Peers/Friends/Mentors – This topic can be expanded on and so could this group. If you are looking for someone to help you with specific problems look amongst the people you respect either in your industry or in your life and ask them if they would like to partner or mentor with you. Many busy people will take time to help out someone who genuinely comes to them for help and guidance. These can be the most powerful relationships you ever have.

If you want to read more about how to actually make a change stick with a mentor, friend or coach then go to the blog post on here under the category:how to make yourself happy titled How can you change? it covers the best way to engage change for your life. As always if you have some specific things you need help with and want some suggestions on the best path for you give me a call, it’s what I do.

Stephanie York

coaching@descoaching.com – (805)701-8508