Author: Dr. Ben

I'm a doc who was gone in the office, then found a way to be home with my wife and now 7 kids, while making a difference in people's lives around the globe. I love good books, adventures with my family, dark chocolate with coconut, & empowering moms & dads to create a business and ultimately, a life they love. Learn more at www.drbenlo.com I look forward to connecting with you!

5 Quick Tips for Increasing Energy and Focus Throughout Your Day

Had a friend recently ask me for tips to improve focus, and here are five I sent her via Facebook messenger:

5 Quick Tips for Increasing Energy and Focus Throughout Your Day

1) Keep your blood sugar “balanced” — in other words, eat consistently, especially protein and veggies while avoiding the ups and downs of sugar and processed food (or too much caffeine, especially later in the day)

2) Get your rest. So much brain and body renewal occurs with our daily cycle of sleep, yet it’s one of the first things we skimp on when we’re “busy”. Try turning off your “screens” and “unwinding” a bit before bed, and even shifting your “stop time” earlier — I read once that the Taoists say every hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after midnight! (The Tao of Abundance by Laurence G. Boldt)

3) Stay hydrated — pure water is best (try adding a slice of lemon, lime, grapefruit, cucumber, or a mint or bay leaf for variety)

4) Time block — block off shorter segments in your day to totally focus on a specific project, task, or intention. Then re-assess at the end of that block  to set your intention for the next “segment” of your day.

5) Pattern interrupt — avoid zoning out on email, facebook, internet searches, etc.  Periodically step away from the computer/phone — stand up, get a drink of water, go for a short walk — or even a bike ride — to re-energize, refresh, and re-focus.  You’ll find yourself more “on purpose” and more productive than if you never took the break.

There you go! Which one can you act on today? In the next hour?

What’s one of your favorite tips for increasing energy and focus throughout your day? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Dr. Ben

P.S. Want a free 7-day guide by email for feeling your best in just minutes a day?  Get yours here.

This Stress Solution Leads to Better Focus, Sleep, & Energy

Ever feel stressed? Trouble focusing, trouble sleeping, or lack of energy?

Here’s a natural solution that’s made a big difference for me and for many others — you’ll feel better, and it’s good for you, too!

Watch the video below to learn more, then you can try it for yourself here.  Enjoy!

Ready to try this natural stress relief yourself? You can do so here:  natural stress solution.

Redefining Failure to Tap Into the “Juice” of Life

For all of you in network marketing, running your own business, or engaged in any kind of entrepreneurial or creative endeavor, here are a couple key thoughts on “redefining failure” that can totally change your experience — and your effectiveness — just as they’ve done for me.

Enjoy, and if this impacts you in some way, feel free to share your own experiences, perspectives, and insights in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

Three Keys To Success in Business & In Life

In the last post we covered three keys I learned while re-connecting with a childhood classmate who now coaches leaders in business, healthcare, the arts, and more.

Those first 3 keys highlight ways to be more effective working with people.

These next 3 are key to further success in business and in life.

So let’s dive in — three more keys I learned while talking with my friend for greater success:

An Overarching Vision

1) Behind her actions and her success, I discovered my friend has an overarching belief and vision that fuels her passion to coach and contribute to the lives and work of influential leaders in business and in the world.

Her vision is that if there are more leaders doing good in the world, then there will be more peace.

What’s yours?

How can you cultivate an overarching vision and belief that fuels your work or business, so that your day-to-day tasks, goals, and activities are connected to something larger that fuels and inspires you?

Positive Expectation

2) How many times have you found yourself hesitant to do something because it was new, unfamiliar, or beyond your comfort zone? Or perhaps you did it — you called that person, made that “ask” — but even as you did it, you expected to be turned down?

What I noticed in my friend is that she has cultivated a sense of positive expectation. Even if it takes months or years to engage someone as a client, she’s already determined that it is worth it to pursue a relationship with someone who stands out to her, and she is patient enough to let the relationship unfold over time if needed without letting initial disinterest affect her own sense of confidence, mission, and purpose.

Two of the best ways I’ve found to cultivate this sense of positive expectation are:

a) practice
b) internalizing the mindset and stories of people like my friend, so you have a broader perspective
and internal “database” to draw from than just what you’ve personally experienced so far.

A sense of ease

3) The final thing I noticed in my friend is her sense of ease. And this sense comes across not just as a personality trait, but with a deeper basis in a sense of trust, of confidence, of loving people as they are and knowing she’s loved by God.

With this deeper foundation, I sensed in speaking with her that she is enjoying her clients, her life, and even the process of discovering new people and cultivating new relationships with both confidence and ease.

imageHow can you cultivate this sense of ease in your own life and work?

It comes from not being wholly dependent on how others see and react to you, or on your current circumstances, but rather having that deeper sense of loving people, loving life, and knowing you are loved.

In a sense, it means becoming “unconditional.”

This takes time and daily practice, too.

So there you have it — 3 more keys to cultivate:

1) An overarching vision
2) Positive expectation
3) A sense of ease based on loving people and knowing you are loved

Quick action step:

Write these three keys on a 3×5 card, post-it note, or with a dry-erase marker on your mirror, and practice reminding yourself and “laying the tracks” for these three keys in yourself this week.

Comments, questions? Have your own key to share?

Feel free to post below!

Here’s to your ongoing journey of creating a life you love!

Ben