August 19, 2010

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In This Issue

Featured Article: The Importance of Unplugging

Announcements

Daddy's Little Girls

Hey there, how are you?  I hope you're doing well and enjoying these "dog days" of summer.  There is so much for us to be grateful for - if we look for it, of course.

Last week's article, "Are You Choosing Unhappy Over Uncertain?" got a lot of feedback.  If you'd like to re-read that piece, feel free to check it out on my blog or on the Huffington Post.

Have a good one.  Thanks for being on email list!

With Appreciation,





The Importance of Unplugging

(For this week's audio message, click here.)

What percentage of your waking hours are you "plugged in" (i.e. checking things on the internet, doing email, texting, playing with your wireless device, watching TV, posting to Facebook or Twitter, and more)?  If you're anything like me and most of the people I know and work with, probably more than you'd like to admit.

Recently I began to confront my own obsession (borderline addiction) to being plugged in.  For many years I've justified my somewhat obsessive nature about email and internet use by the fact that I run my own business and have to stay connected in order to make sure I'm taking care of my clients, generating new business, and not missing out on important opportunities.

However "true" this may seem, in the past few years (especially with the addition of social networking, texting, and other forms of "instant" communication and information sharing), it has become clear to me that my desire to stay connected has gotten a bit out of control and has had a negative impact on my life, my well being, and my relationships.

From entrepreneurs to sales people to managers to stay-at-home moms - just about everyone I know and work with seems to have some form of electronic obsession impacting their lives in a negative way.

About a month ago, I woke up on a Sunday morning and said to my wife Michelle, "I'm going to have a media free day today - no email, iPhone, internet, TV, or anything else.  Today, I'm going to be totally unplugged."  She looked at me with a bit of amazement and disbelief - I think both because I was actually saying this and because she wasn't convinced I could do it.

I had my own doubts and a few weak moments early in the day where I almost fell off the wagon and checked my phone.  However, I was able to do it and by the end of that day, I felt great. I was able to relax and be present in a way that felt grounded and peaceful. The past four Sundays I've been "unplugged" and I'm loving it.

What if we unplugged more often?  What if we gave ourselves permission to disconnect from technology and the "important" world of uber-communication?  While for some of us this is easier than others, most of us could benefit from a little more unplugging and a little less emailing/texting/web or channel surfing in our lives.

What's funny to me is how hypocritical we often are about it.  When our spouse, co-worker, or friend is busy on their phone, checking email, or being "obnoxiously" plugged in, we often get annoyed.  However, when we're the one doing it, it's almost always "necessary."

Here are a few things you can do to start unplugging yourself in a healthy way.

1)  Take inventory of the negative impact of technology in your life.  How much stress, frustration, and difficulty does being constantly "plugged in" cause for you?  Think about this on a physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual level. Admittedly, this is a bigger issue for some of us than others.  However, the more honest you can be with yourself about it - both the impact it has on you and any underlying fears that may be associated with it, the more able you'll be to alter your habits.

2)  Challenge yourself to take conscious breaks.  See if you can schedule a full day to be "unplugged."  If that seems to scary at first, try a morning or a few hours.  And, if doing a full day seems easy - try a full weekend, a work day, or something else that will be a stretch.  I'm working up to doing a full weekend myself and entertaining the idea of week day (although that seems scarier to me at the moment).  Push yourself, but go easy on yourself at the same time - baby steps are important and perfectly acceptable with this.

3)  Unplug together.  See if you can get other people in your house, your family, or those you work with to unplug with you.  Doing this with the support of other people can be fun and make it easier.  It will also create accountability for you and those around you.

Our issues and challenges with technology and our obsession with being connected and online 24/7 don't seem to be going away or getting better culturally.  In fact, if we just take a look at our own lives and habits in the past few years - for most of us, things are getting worse.  It is up to us to interrupt this pattern and to disengage from our electronic obsession in a conscious way.

While unplugging may not always easy or encouraged in the environments we find ourselves in, it's crucial to our success and well being in life.  When we're able to disconnect ourselves, we can regain some of the passion, energy, creativity, and perspective that often gets diminshed or lost when we allow ourselves to get sucked into our phones, computers, TVs and other devices.

How often do you unplug consciously?  What can you do to have more unplugged time in your life?  What do you think diconnecting would provide for you and those around you?  Share your thoughts, action ideas, insights, and more on my blog here.

To listen to this week's audio message, including additional thoughts, ideas, and tips, click here.




Life, Love, and Relationships - Teleseminar Series

I'm excited to be a part of a new teleseminar which just started this week called Life, Love & Relationships.  This series, which started on Tuesday, has been put together by Anne Pustil - a therapist and coach, who works with individuals and couples to become more powerful and fulfilled in their lives and their relationships. Anne will be joined by 23 thought-leaders, including Dr. John Gray, Marci Shimoff, Dr. Mark Hyman, and me.  My interview with Anne is TODAY,  August 19th at 11 AM PT.  This series will shine a light on your path so that you can see what's getting in your way and then learn new strategies and tools to live your best life - a life of good health, fulfillment and great relationships.  For more info and to learn how you can participate in this teleseminar series for free, click here.

Great New Book - Bury My Heart at Conference
Room B, by Stan Slap

Bury My Heart at Conference Room B: The Unbeatable Impact of Truly Committed Managers, by Stan Slap is about igniting the massive power of any manager’s emotional commitment to his or her company... worth far more than financial, intellectual and physical commitment combined.  According to 800CEORead, "This is one of the smartest and most compelling books on leadership."  Stan says, "The potential for manager fulfillment and enterprise success has been completely redrawn."  You could win a copy of this new book, free. Click on this link for a chance to win: http://bit.ly/slapbook.  To learn more about the book, check out www.BuryMyHeart.com and access a complimentary digital download PDF resource: Tough Times, Tougher Teams.

Challenge Day iPhone App

I'm excited to let you know about Challenge Day's Be the Change: Daily Challenge and Acts of Change Calendar - a new iPhone app that has just been released.  With this application you are challenged to Be the Change You Wish to See in the World.  Every day you'll receive a new inspirational message from one of the world's most respected thinkers and communicators. With each message comes a Daily Challenge to go along with the day's theme.  Not only that, but you can log your "Acts of Change" so you can track your positive actions, and share them with friends and family on Facebook and through email.  Challenge Day's powerful work has been featured on Oprah, who says, "This is how we change the world," and on MTV in the new hit series, "If You Really Knew Me."  All profits for this app benefit Challenge Day (a 501c3 non-profit corporation) and support the work of the Be the Change Movement.  For more info and to download this new app, click here.

"We love Mommy and Daddy's iPhones and laptops,
but it is much more fun when they are 'unplugged'...
like when we were at Disneyland!"
- Samantha and Annarose Robbins

To see more photos of us and
our mommy and daddy, click here.

And, if you’d like to see some new,
special photos of us, click here.