For every moment you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where is your stress coming from? Is the daily pressure mounting inside or outside of you? Do you feel stressed on a daily basis or just occasionally? Are you subconsciously adding to your feelings of frustration? Perhaps you are sabotaging your self by not being honest about what you need.

The first step to correcting a problem is to identify where we have a problem. Many times we don’t know what we don’t know. Once we know better, we do better.

Common frustrations and irritants that can be corrected to give us more serenity in life:

1. Skipping meals and poor nutrition
2. Food or environmental allergies. Especially dairy, wheat, peanuts
3. Trying to please everyone. It is impossible.
4. Poor organizational skills, so we have to spend time looking for needed items.
5. Constant noise, no time to think.
6. Self-medication with food, drink, medicine, nicotine or caffeine
7. Blaming other people or trying to control their behavior and choices.
8. Passive aggressive behavior. Speak up for what you need in an assertive voice.
9. Neglecting to recognize how many things you do right every day.
10. Living in the past or the future. Be grateful for today.

S—Stop your thoughts-you cannot think a positive and negative thought at same time.
T—Take a deep breath
R—Reflect on who owns the problem
E—Evaluate if it is worth a heart attack
S—See a picture in your mind of a calm sea, a green mountain, a soft blanket
S—Say out loud over and over; “This too shall pass.”

For more information on books, cd’s and teleclasses to help live a more abundant life, go to www.ArtichokePress.com or www.UseEncouragingWords.com Thank you. You do an important work. I believe in you.

With juggling kids, homeschooling, home, business, everything that we as Mothers have in our hands, it can really get tough sometimes.  So, what do you do to recharge? What helps you make it through and feel creative or inspired or just able to face things again?
Here are some things that work for me.

• Meditate or Pray: Taking time to be still and quiet, and to reconnect can do wonders for the spirit.
• Journal: I journal most days, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I write down my visualization exercises and then I write down at least 5 things that I am thankful for right then.
• Thank Someone: A few times a week I randomly pick someone who I am thankful for and/or inspired by and just send a little note or email. I find that my effort to lift someone else’s spirits lifts mine too.
• Movement: Yoga, pilates, or dancing. I turn on iTunes and exercise or dance with my kids. It can really relieve stress. The days when I least feel like doing this are the days when I need to the most. If I can just make myself move I find I feel much better the rest of the day.
• Quiet Time: Sometimes I light a candle and just sit and read quietly from my Bible or an inspirational book.
• Bubbles: Yes, I know this is a stereotype, but it works. If I’m lucky and the kids are all asleep I’ll give myself 5 or 10 minutes in the bath to relax with bubbles and just work to clear my mind of all the stress.
• Coffee (aka Reward Yourself): I purchase frappucino mix and make them at home as a treat when I’m particularly stressed. Use something you love as a reward for surviving your day.
• Foot Massage or Reflexology: Giving yourself a foot massage or doing reflexology on your feet can really boost your energy level.
• Energize with your Nose: I find certain essential oils to be energizing as well — peppermint, lemon, or orange oils work for me. Some people like pine or rosemary or thyme to energize.
• Identify and Attack: A few days ago I was really stressed and I cleaned out a closet. As strange as that might sound, I identified that I was feeling “out of control” about a particular situation, and so by doing something that helped me feel organized and in control I resolved that feeling, and then was able to focus on work.
• Write it Down: Making a “to do” list before bed helps me sleep better because I don’t worry that I’ll forget something that way. It also lets me easily rank what’s important, and what I can let go of, and that helps me feel more focused and energized.
• Support Group or Coach: Sometimes we all need a little support and encouragement. One of the things that helps me tremendously is when I have a session with my business coach. Just the listening ear, outside perspective, and relentless positivity is so inspiring. I really questioned it before I gave it a try, but I can say that this is one of the best business decisions I’ve made. The accountability doesn’t hurt either when I need to motivate myself to action. Knowing someone else is going to ask if I made positive steps this month is a good motivator. But more than that it’s really recharging to get out what’s going on, what’s going wrong, what’s going right and have someone there to help you through it. So get a coach! Or find a sounding board. Talk to a friend or colleague about being accountability partners. Surround yourself with support and you’ll find comfort and inspiration.

And now, let me give you access to some great free resources for small businesses including 101 Free/Cheap Ways to Market Your Business, 119 Things You Can Outsource, and more at www.michelleshaeffer.com

Michelle Shaeffer has been a work at home mom for more than 10 years and loves to share the tips and strategies she’s learned to help other home based business owners balance, manage, and market their businesses.

With the holidays fast approaching, thoughts turn to work-life balance more so than any other time of year. If you are like many of us, you must keep up with your work responsibilities while fitting much more into your personal life. This can get crazy stressful if you let it. Whether you are a work at home mom, business owner, or employee, here are some tips for avoiding or reducing stress this holiday season.

1. Accept that life is an eternal work in progress.
It is not supposed to be all done. This goes for life in general, but especially around the holidays. Let go of perfectionism and the need to do everything on your lists. Each day, take a breather to reflect on your accomplishments and feel proud.

2. Know when you have done enough.
Many of us are overachievers when it comes to holiday preparation, household chores, work responsibilities, or all three. Ease up on yourself this year and use the added time to celebrate or relax. Working two hours late at the office is not REALLY necessary; family and friends will do fine with smaller tins of fresh-baked cookies; it’s OK if your floors are less than pristine.

3. Share the workload.
Rethink your tendency to do everything for everyone. Be creative in thinking how routine tasks can be completed differently. The drudgery of housework can become quality family time, for example. A woman recently shared how proud her son was to do his first load of laundry, start to finish.

4. Understand what activities are important to you.
December can become so crowded with activities it is easy to become overwhelmed. The solution is to prioritize according to what’s important to YOU. If seeing your daughter’s school play is what matters most on a particular day, then put that ahead of all else. Most other responsibilities can wait until another day.

5. Focus on gratitude.
Instead of obsessing over what needs to be done, be grateful for what you already have. When you consciously express positive and emotional appreciation, you attract more feelings of contentment and peacefulness. This will create positive change in both your personal and work life.

6. Consciously direct your reactions.
Happiness is a choice. Finding the positive–delight, excitement, and contentment–in everything you do will change the outcome of each day. Work tasks, for example, will go by quicker and you will be in a more lighthearted mood afterward.

7. Organize your whole life with a women’s planner.
Buy a planner that includes all critical aspects of your life: fitness and nutrition, wellness, healthy finances, and fulfilling your personal passion are all critical to your complete happiness. By using a day planner that recognizes this need, you will be better equipped to live each day to its fullest, even through the hustle and bustle of December!

Bobette Kyle is cofounder of Lifestyle Inspirations LLC, where the company’s day planner for women, MY LIFE MATTERS, guides women on the journey toward empowerment by turning goals and dreams into action. Get this month’s planner pages for no charge at: http://www.womansplanner.com/free-month

Have you noticed how direct sellers seem to take a "holimonth" instead of a holiday every December? It’s like they neatly put their direct sales business on the shelf for most of the month of December (or at least from the 15th on) and hope against hope that it will be there, strong as ever, waiting for them come January 2nd when the world starts to turn again. Unfortunately, it’s often more the case that their neglected business has withered and is in dire need of resuscitation come January.

It’s important to make sure you’re booking yourself solid for January in November and early December, but once you’ve done that, do you have any options besides just taking two weeks off at the end of December? Absolutely!

Remember all those business activities you’ve been saying you didn’t have time for all year (like personal development, follow up calls, and planning)? Well, now you’ve got two weeks spread out in front of you like a gift. Grab it and rip it open!

Here are just a few ideas for how you might spend your work hours over the next few weeks.

I’ll start with some ideas for direct sales leaders (and just FYI, if you’re a leader, this is a great opportunity to get yourself and your team set up for success in 2012!)

• Plan all of your meetings for 2012. You can even include your direct sales team or down line leaders if you have them in your planning time. Throw a small party, put some cookies and coffee out, and have fun! You’ll be surprised at how quickly this task will go when you’re brainstorming with others.
• Take 1/2 day and call all of your down line leaders and direct down line to check in and learn how you can support them with their goals for 2011.
• Make a recording for your entire team giving them ideas for how to succeed in the new year. Here are some ideas for what you might share with them:
  • Some fun ideas for theme shows in the coming month, complete with a themed invitation e-mailed to them
  • An overview of the host bonuses for the following month
  • A quick recognition of those on her team who are new consultants
  • A booking incentive (like a drawing for a great item from your line)

If you’re not yet a leader, here are some great ideas for using your time at the end of December:

• Call all of your September, October, November and December home party guests and make sure they’re happy with their products. Come armed with some great reasons to host a party in January and make it your goal to book at least three parties.
• Commit to listen to/read at least one training program related to your business and write down at least three ideas you want to implement based on that training.
• Set up and launch a "Host of the Month" club. Here’s a simple format:

o 12 participants are required, 1 Hostess for each month of the year.
o Each hostess is required to place a minimum order of $30 each month.
o Each member will have one month assigned to her as Hostess of the Month at the beginning of the year.
o The Hostess of the Month will receive ALL Hostess rewards for her month.
o If the Hostess of the Month decides to have a personal Home Party in her month, she will have the Monthly Hostess Club funds applied to her party! She begins with at least $360.00 worth of orders, thereby increasing her Home Party sales & Hostess Rewards!

There are just a few ideas. Most importantly, make sure whatever you’re doing, you’re doing something! Taking two full weeks off at any time the the year just isn’t healthy for a thriving direct sales business. You owe it to yourself to at least work part time during the last two weeks of December so that you have a business to come back to in January.

Julie Anne Jones is direct sales corporate consultant, keynote speaker, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services and to read more blog posts, visit her at http://www.julieannejones.com.

I have been professionally working from home for the past 21 years and at times I have gotten so bogged down with doing things for my family, friends and my business that I had no time left over for myself. Over the years…I have learned to say no to others so that I had time for myself.

At the beginning of my work at home career I was juggling way too much. I tried to put in 6-8 hours a day working on my business, cleaning my home, taking care of the kids, making dinner, running errands and all of those things that we are responsible for as mothers. At the end of the day I would be stressed out and exhausted and didn’t feel any self-worth or self-importance.

Over the years I have learned to balance both my professional life, family life and personal life into something that works for me. The solution for me was to come up with a daily schedule and routine. To start your own daily schedule and routine you need to sit down and make three lists. Label your three lists: Work, Family and Pleasure. Your next step is to list the tasks you want to accomplish along with the amount of time you think you will need to accomplish those tasks in. You will want to block off 1 blank hour per day onto each of your lists for those things that ‘pop up’ that you didn’t plan on.

Your next step is to put your newly drafted plan into action and to come up with a daily routine. Once you get into a daily routine you will find that your day will run more smoothly and you will get more things accomplished…getting things accomplished will lead to self-worth and self-importance and you will end your day feeling fulfilled and happy.

As work at home moms…we need to realize that we are only one person and at times we won’t get everything done. When that happens, there is always tomorrow!

Shelly Hill has been working from home since 1989. Shelly is a wife, mother, grandmother and a professional online writer and blogger. You can visit Shelly’s Work At Home Business Options site for home business articles, tips and ideas at www.workathomebusinessoptions.com and you can visit Shelly’s Two Classy Chics Blog at twoclassychics.blogspot.com for information on product reviews.

Greek mythology is fascinating and the story of Pandora’s box is a spell binding myth.
Prometheus was a Titan who was a champion of human-kind and was known for his wily intelligence. He stole the secret of fire from the God Zeus and gave it to mortals. But the theft of fire angered Zeus and as one of his punishments he ordered Hephaestus to create the first woman, Pandora, as part of the punishment of mankind. (Now that doesn’t seem quite fair that he considered this a punishment does it?)

Prometheus warned his brother not to accept any gifts from Zeus but he didn’t listen and he married Pandora. Pandora had been given a large jar (which we now call a box) and was instructed never to open it. Along with this beautiful box Pandora was also given the gift of curiosity.

One day she decided she would take a peek inside and open the box, not out of malice but because curiosity got the best of her. When she did open the lid to see what was inside all of the evils, ills, sicknesses and burdensome labor that mankind had not know before escaped from the jar. She closed the jar immediately after opening it but it was too late as everything had been unleashed on mankind except at the very bottom of her jar there lay hope.

As you survey the rooms in your home do you feel a Pandora’s box has been opened and the box released clutter, disorganization, an overwhelming mess, and disruption to your daily life?

But remember in Pandora’s box there was also hope. No matter how awful you feel your home is in terms of clutter there is always hope that you can clear the clutter. Organizing clutter just got easier by trying these few simple tips:

1. Evaluate what your home currently looks and feels like to you. Write these observations and feelings down in a notebook.
2. Take a look at how you are using your space.

• Premium space is “right in your face” and is the easiest and most convenient to use.
• Secondary space is for things used about once a week such as table linens.
• Semi-Storage is items used once a year such as holiday decorations.
• Hard-Core Storage is for items that only need to be opened every few years. These could be memorabilia you have inherited and are passing down to other generations or items you are storing for your adult children who have moved out of your home.

3. After you have identified your organizing needs, set goals of what you want your room to look and feel like. Write these down in your notebook.
4. Take action and start organizing the clutter by selecting one room to start in.
5. It doesn’t matter where you start. Choose a place and start organizing from the inside out (closets, cupboards, drawers etc.).
6. Does everything have a home? If not, to organize clutter you need to make a home for everything you have.
7. Make it easy for you to find everything. If you waste a lot of time looking for things maybe it is time to get rid of some things.
8. While organizing clutter make it look and feel orderly.
9. Keep only the things you use or that lights you up and makes you feel good to have around you.
11. Organize the space so it helps you make the best use of your time.
12. As you organize clutter decide a target date to reach your goal.
13. Start by taking baby steps, Rome wasn’t built in a day and everything and every room doesn’t have to be done in one hour, a day, or in a week.
14. Set a timer and work until it rings. Just by knowing you have a set time limit can make a difference mentally and physically.

Organizing clutter can be smooth sailing by evaluating, setting goals, starting slow and using a streamlined approach.

Marilyn, a professional organizer and author is passionate about organizing for women and seniors in clearing clutter from their lives. Her book "Go Organize!" is now in all major book stores. Visit her website www.marilynbohn.com