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Let's Talk About Mindfulness and Personal Development

Denise Grier — Tue, 07 Nov 2017 16:54:00 +0000

Here at the Rules of Thumb blog from MoneyThumb.com our focus is normally on accounting, small business and personal finance issues and advice. Today we are going to veer from the norm and discuss mindfulness, success and personal development. In this modern age of enlightenment, so many successful business people have discovered the truth: our success begins with us and what is going on in our minds and bodies.

Let's Talk About Mindfulness and Personal Development

Even though we have evolved as a species, there are still those whose minds instantly picture a guru in an ashram when they think of mindfulness. They may even believe that the practice of meditating and being mindful are silly things done by people with their heads in the clouds.

Today we are going to debunk that myth with words and advice on mindfulness and personal development from a couple of well-known people who have found success by concentrating not on the endgame but on the journey, on mindfulness and living in the moment, and are enjoying their lives and their successes-even their failures-in a way they have never before experienced.

Let's start with an article that discusses exactly what was expressed above; Even though we have evolved as a species, there are still those whose minds instantly picture a guru in an ashram when they think of personal development. They may even believe that meditating and being mindful is a silly thing done by people with their heads in the clouds.

Mindfulness, Myths and More has this to say, "Mindfulness has become perceived as this “practice” this “thing” that we “do,” and schedule time to “do,” where we sit cross-legged on some fluffy cushion in silence for hours, even a full day, and then go brag about it to the rest of the world. The sitting on the cushion practice especially irritates me."

The website counters this myth by adding the evidence of what research shows mindfulness does for our lives.

Increases awareness and attention
Reduces stress and coping habits
Increases happiness and well-being
Increases morale and collaboration

Side note: On a personal level, I have been following what they today call "Gurus" for over 30 years, who back years ago were simply considered teachers helping people to live a better life. Life coaches like Wayne Dyer, for instance, and Tony Robbins, even Dr. Phil. These professional lifestyle coaches helped me through many trying times and also motivated me to strive for personal development and thus, success. That is one of the reasons I feel so strongly about this subject. I know that mindfulness works.

Now, onward with our journey to discover advice from a few other successful people and the tactics they have used to improve their personal lives and business success through mindfulness:

Since I brought up Tony Robbins, if you are curious and/or new to the practice of mindfulness as it relates to success and personal development, here is an article from the Master himself, THE NEW BRAND OF MINDFULNESS: 6 WAYS TO BE MINDFUL IN THE MODERN WORLD.

One of my favorite passages from the article is this one, "Throughout the day, be mindful of where your thoughts, feelings, words and actions are coming from. Ask yourself, is this coming from my ego? That is, my need to be special, better and unique? Or is it coming from a place of love? If it is coming from a place of love, then this is your authentic self.

Is it love, or is it ego? This question can be applied for everything from why you want to pursue a certain goal, to how you react when your partner does something you don’t agree with. Either way, it will help you shed the layers that mask your authentic self, and help you understand who you truly are on a more intimate level."

As I write this, I realize that this article from Huffington Post covers many experiences and opinions from those who have used mindfulness to improve their lives. The article is titled The Daily Habit Of These Outrageously Successful People, and the very first sentence proves the point of this blog post I am writing, “Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had.” That’s what Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates — the world’s largest hedge fund firm, had to say about personal development and success.

If you have any questions or comments concerning this blog post, please don't hesitate to let us know below. Also, would you share this on your social media channels? Your peers who are on the journey to a better way of living would appreciate and so would we!

The post Let's Talk About Mindfulness and Personal Development appeared first on MoneyThumb.

Accountants Beware: Sitting All Day is the New Smoking

Denise Grier — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 15:30:37 +0000

One thing accountants all have in common is that we sit most of the day. That is just the nature of the beast. In fact, any office job usually includes sitting at a computer or desk for the greatest portion of the workday.

Accountants Beware: Sitting All Day is the New Smoking

From an article at Huffington Post, "Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative and inventor of the treadmill desk. Levine has been studying the adverse effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles for years and has summed up his findings in two sentences. “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death."

Levine is credited with coining that mantra — “sitting is the new smoking” — but he’s not the only one who believes it. Researchers have found and continue to find evidence that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing several serious illnesses like various types of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Another reason the smoking analogy is relevant is that studies have repeatedly shown the effects of long-term sitting are not reversible through exercise or other good habits. Sitting, like smoking, is very clearly bad for our health and the only way to minimize the risk is to limit the time we spend on our butts each day."

Now for the Good News

There is a solution for accountants and other office workers who sit all day. Unlike smoking, which Dr. Levine compares to sitting too much, you can still sit and do your job while avoiding all of the terrible health risks from this occupational hazard.

This article from Life Hack has 15 great tips to stay healthy even if your job requires long periods of sitting. A few of the suggestions from the article are listed below:

1. Take Hourly Breaks.

Hours of working at your desk can take a toll on you body. Taking breaks helps you improve focus, according to this 2008 study, so they can improve performance. But long stretches of work can be hard on your body. According to Scientific American, “Maintaining unbroken focus or navigating demanding intellectual territory for several hours really does burn enough energy to leave one feeling drained.”

Take short breaks to ensure you maintain focus and help from feeling mentally and physically drained after work. You’ll get more done and have more energy to stay active when you’re not behind the desk.

2. Stretch or Move in Place.

Stretching at your desk can eliminate stress and offers many health benefits, according to the Mayo clinic. If you’re unsure how, the ultimate “Deskercise” routine is a great place to start.

3. Skip elevators & take the stairs.

Are you walking 10,000 steps a day? According to this study, 10,000 steps is a good amount that healthy adults should be taking. That’s going to be difficult if you’re at your desk all day. So skip the elevators and take the stairs. Park in the spot furthers from your office. Take the “scenic” route when you head to your desk. And find as many extra steps as you can throughout the day.

Or, there is another solution to the problem of sitting all day. (Some humor here from the Onion and the movie Office Space.)

The movie, OFFICE SPACE, became a cult-classic and a big part of the reason is the infamous scene from above, where the main character, when confronted with the fact that he had missed a lot of work in his review meeting, stated, for calmly, "No, I wouldn't say I've been missing it."

In other words, you could do like he did and just stop showing up at all. In tandem with this particular silly idea is this hilarious piece from the Onion, (which most of us know is pure parody) Health Experts Recommend Standing Up at Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back. Here is just a small sample of the piece, “We encourage Americans to experiment with stretching their legs by strolling across their office and leaving all their responsibilities behind forever just one time to see how much better they feel. People tend to become more productive, motivated, and happy almost immediately. We found that you can also really get the blood flowing by pairing this activity with hurling your staff ID across the parking lot.” Sparks added that Americans could maximize positive effects by using their lunch break to walk until nothing looks familiar anymore and your old life is a distant memory."

Just a simple reminder that keeping your sense of humor when you have an accounting or other job requiring lots of sitting is pretty important too. 🙂

The post Accountants Beware: Sitting All Day is the New Smoking appeared first on MoneyThumb.

How to Make Your Business More Successful in 2017

Denise Grier — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 14:41:21 +0000

With 2017 just around the corner, most small business owners-including accounting firms- are considering the best ways to improve their business in the new year. To help you get your business on the right track toward more success in 2017, we have collected several great blog posts from our peers with advice on just how to do that. Read, learn, and by all means, share!:

How to Make Your Business More Successful in 2017

To start us out with our list of great blog posts from our peers with advice on how to make your business more successful in 2017, below is a great one from Huffington Post:

14 Free Business Tools to Make Your Startup More Successful in 2017- Although this great post from Huffington Post is geared toward startups, the free business tools listed are great for an ongoing venture.
Forbes often ends up on our monthly roundup of the best articles/blog posts about business success. The article we are including here is Top Ten Business Trends that Will Drive Success in 2017. This article is a Forbes Editors Pick. Here is the first trend listed--1. Subject Matter Experts Become The New RainmakersSubject matter experts who understand and can help guide the sales process drive growth in top performing B2B companies.Consider three different buying personas: an order taker, a salesperson, and a subject matter expert (SME). The order taker merely takes an order, and provides a price and delivery schedule. That function can be easily performed by Amazon (often with better results). Of the remaining two personas, which one would you want to encounter as a customer? Would you want the person with a mission to sell something to you, or the expert who you might be willing to pay to meet with because of their deep expertise?
How to Make Your Business Thrive in 2017 comes from the website Business in Savannah, but it is great advice for a business anywhere at all. The article is written by Dominick Biangone, who is the CEO of Confident Endeavors and a member of Association of Accredited Business Consultants. Several out-of-the box ideas in this article, well worth a read.
Our next selection for the best advice to help you make your business more successful in 2017 comes from The Whole Brain Group, 9 Tips for Developing Your 2017 Sales and Marketing Strategy. We all know that sales is the true bottom line when it comes to business success. In that vein, you could read no other article from our collection and have a successful business plan for 2017. It is THAT good.
We are very impressed by this in-depth article from Kimberly Haydn, a business and branding specialist concentrating on helping women succeed in business. The article is titled Plan For Success in 2017 With These 4 End-of-the-Year Business Tips. Kimberly has created an article packed with advice and links that deal with successful branding and marketing.
Also, read our post, How to Boost Employee Morale, as one more way to improve your business in 2017.

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