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Reinvention & Money : Second Acts : How To

Stress-Less Reinvention

by Victoria Phillips { View Profile }

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Pick a Positive Mantra

Philosophers, spiritual leaders and physicians tout the benefits of living an optimistic life. This is easier said than done. The average person has 40,000 to 65,000 thoughts a day and 95% of those thoughts are negative. If you do not believe you have a tendency to walk on the grumpy side, try counting your negative thoughts for 15 minutes. The next step is to replace negative thoughts with empowering messages. Pick a positive message and recite it every day. Over time your brain perceives your affirmation as the truth. A good generic affirmation is, "I am happy, healthy and prosperous." From Feeling Grumpy & Stressed? Read this by Sally Marks.
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Get a Thick Skin

If you take risks, sometimes you’ll get a standing ovation, and sometimes, people will throw tomatoes. Can you think of any leader or innovator whom you admire who doesn’t have enthusiastic fans and harsh critics? Get used to wins and losses, praise and pans, getting a call back and being ignored. Work on letting go of needing to be liked and needing to be universally known as "a nice person." From Ten Rules for Brilliant Women by Tara Mohr.
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Give Yourself Recovery Time

When you reinvent, you are going to be stretching out of our comfort zone—a lot. Regularly do things that feel safe, cozy, and restorative. Vent to friends when you need to. Acknowledge the steps you’ve taken. Watch your tank to see how much risk-taking juice you have available to you. When it’s running low, stop, recover and restore. From Ten Rules for Brilliant Women by Tara Mohr.
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Straighten Up

According to a recent study at Ohio University, hunching over makes us less likely to think positive thoughts about ourselves. Assume people like you. Most of them probably do anyway, and it makes it easier to socialize. From Confidence is Sexy by Mary Marino.
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Just Be You

Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. It’s a downer. We don’t need to be the most beautiful, the richest or the best dressed. We just need to be our sparkling selves. From Confidence is Sexy by Mary Marino.
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Laugh

When you laugh, your brain squirts out endorphins, which are chemically similar to heroin, morphine and cocaine. You can think of endorphins as free, legal, totally natural and safe opiates that reduce pain, make you feel good and impart a tranquilizing effect on your body. Further, endorphins boost your immune system, which helps you better thwart sickness and disease. From Why I’m a Laughter Junkie by Marie Overfors.
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Slack Off

People who are lucky in business and life are always exploring new territory and they slack off sometimes. We need to be loose to become aware of hidden opportunities. So even when you’re crunching to finish a project at work, participate in the cross-cubicle chatter, or follow the links from one interesting blog to the next. Allowing yourself some flexibility in the process can lead to better long-term outcomes. And instead of giving in to worry about what could go wrong, think, "Isn’t that interesting? I’d like to give that a try." From Who Gets Lucky & How They Do It by Mary Marino.
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Enjoy Being the New Kid on the Block

Everyone knows that beginners are expected to make mistakes. Research has shown that once we master a task, our self-imposed expectation to succeed makes it emotionally challenging to forgive ourselves if we mess up. Just because we’ve succeeded in other areas doesn’t mean that we will be an expert in our new endeavor. The people you will be working with will probably enjoy the opportunity to help you figure things out – after all, it makes them feel more capable and accomplished. Give yourself a chance to start at the bottom without judging yourself too harshly. There will be plenty of time to be held accountable in the future, so just enjoy a temporary reprieve that all beginners deserve. From Stressed About Starting Anew? Try This by Judith Siegel.
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Stay Balanced

Research has shown that we are more likely to overreact when we are physically and emotionally depleted. People who are sleep deprived have a much higher likelihood of losing their cool. Think about the balance that you need to perform at your best, and the activities and relationships that sustain you. Daily stress does accumulate, and needs to be offset by activities that allow for relaxation and stimulation. Taking time to eat right, exercise, and have a healthy dose of fun actually prepares us to balance the stress and responsibilities that are part of a new job. From Stressed About Starting Anew? Try This by Judith Siegel.
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Make Three New Friends

New friends broaden your outlook on life, introduce you to new interests and provide priceless support. Also, research shows that being outgoing and talkative can make even the biggest of introverts happier. "By acting more friendly, I made myself feel more friendly," writes Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project. From 9 Simple Steps To Boost Your Happiness by Victoria Phillips.
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Sing in the Morning

Getting ready in the morning can be stressful even when you don’t have kids who need to get to school. It doesn’t matter if your voice is off key or if you don’t really know the words to the song. "Singing in the morning reminded me to follow my Ninth Commandment: Lighten Up," writes Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project. From 9 Simple Steps To Boost Your Happiness by Victoria Phillips.
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Develop Your Vision

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen Covey suggests that "we live life by design or default based on our ability to become self-aware and responsible" for the experiences we create. You must get clear as to what you define a "good life" to be for you. What is important to you? What experiences do you want to have in your life? At the end of the day and your life, how do you want to be remembered by those you love and who love you? Take time to reflect on your answers because they can provide you with a frame of reference by which you can measure your decisions and actions. The quality of the life you live will be influenced by the decisions you make and the actions that you take. From The Good Life: 5 Simple Steps to the Good Life by Jackie Capers Brown. Want to learn more? Click here for 10 tips on how not to give away your power.
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