​When examining the 2023 year ahead, are you looking for positive trends and opportunities to get yourself started on the right track? Do you look at things like hygge, hibernation, Lagom, and self-care?

This week’s tip comes from Sairah Ashman Global CEO of brand consultancy Wolff Olin. In her article 4 Ways To Make January Work For You she presents a way to begin the new year without making promises that might not be kept. She also lays out a plan to incorporate hygge and Lagom into your life.

You might be thinking “what is hygge”?

Lagom?

I was intrigued – I knew I needed to look both words up, as a refresher. According to big brother Google: Hygge is about creating a cozy and comfortable environment in which one feels content, Lagom is about finding a more manageable, comfortable, and balanced way of doing things.

Ashman provides some excellent discussion on the four following topics. Topics that help you get started with decluttering your life while adding a little Lagom, and a lot more Hygge into those once cluttered places.

1. It’s a good time to embrace ‘essentialism’ and say no more often
2. If you find it difficult to set boundaries, get things done and focus on what’s meaningful
3. It’s the ideal moment to embrace connection over goals
4. It’s the right time to focus on the every day over the epic

She brings to light the purpose of embracing connection over goals; enriching and enlarging those connections. “Taking now rather than finding ourselves regretful later”.  

Take now rather than find ourselves regretful later.

A fun read, with an outward mindset, and its timely. 4 Ways To Make January Work For You

Excel Management Systems’ thoughts and prayers go out to those fighting to preserve the sovereignty of their country in Ukraine. These events will have repercussions for everyone in our global system. The consequences could take generations to overcome. When history repeats itself, it’s time to “say something”. It’s time for peace. It is time to stop the unjustified and horrendous attack on the innocent. I encourage you to watch the following video, it is very touching. Video by: Snowflake (CC Mixter)

A few charitable links below. For a larger list check out CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-refugees-donations-charity/

The Forbes Advisor: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/donate-relief-to-ukraine/

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• CARE. The international humanitarian group is providing food, water and other items to families fleeing violence in Ukraine. Contribute here.
• Convoy of Hope. The disaster relief group says it’s partnering with a local Polish organization to provide meals to refugees entering Poland, as well as to deliver food, water and other basics across the region. Donate here.
• CORE. The emergency response nonprofit is on the ground in Poland, distributing hygiene kits and thermal blankets, as well as emergency cash assistance to help families resettle. Contribute here.

Mobilizing our response in Ukraine and nearby countries: https://t.co/6KSgP1MRLK

— Doctors w/o Borders (@MSF_USA) March 1, 2022

• Doctors Without Borders. Staffers with the medical relief organization remain in Ukraine and are “seeking ways to respond to the medical and humanitarian needs as the conflict evolves.” Offer support here.
• International Committee of the Red Cross. The Swiss-based organization is supporting the work of the Ukrainian Red Cross in helping those impacted by the war. Donate to the ICRC.
• International Medical Corps. The first responders’ organization has teams inside Ukraine and in the surrounding regions to offer medical and mental health services. Link to contribute.
• The 762 Project. Volunteers have been collecting, analyzing and posting information about Russia’s troop buildup along Ukraine’s border for much of the past year. Support the project here.

The #NBU has transferred for the National Guard of Ukraine UAH 450 million collected on a special account to raise funds for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/e1L6ktOhd5

— NationalBankUkraine (@NBUkraine_eng) February 27, 2022

• Project Hope. The global health and humanitarian relief organization is on the ground in and around Ukraine delivering medicines and medical supplies. It has teams in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and Romania. Donate here.

For a larger list checkout CBS News : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-ukraine-refugees-donations-charity/

The Forbes Advisor: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/personal-finance/donate-relief-to-ukraine/

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What programs are set up in your company to help support mentle health and well being?

In her article 3 Hidden Mental Health Hurdles That Threaten Productivity and Profit, Leah Borski, Entrepreneur Leadership Network Writer, offers An outside-the-box approach to workplace wellness

Borski brings to light  “three issues hidden from mental health that are currently not diagnosable. The problem with this is that mental health services often require a DSM-5 recognized diagnosis in order to receive insurance payments.

1. Social media addiction

Borski quotes behavioral addiction specialist Hailey Shafir, LCMHCS, LPCS, LCAS, CCS “ These platforms are actually designed to be addictive in nature. Recent research has proven that getting ‘likes’ and comments on social media causes the release of dopamine, which is further proof of its addictive pull.”

2. Gray-area drinking

At least two of 11 criteria listed in the DSM-5 must be met for a diagnosis of “alcohol use disorder”. This particular mental health hurdle is a paradox. Yet stigma continues, rooted in the false belief that there are only two camps: diagnosable “alcoholics” in one and “normal drinkers” in the other.

3. Burnout

Shafi quotes a report from Mental Health America, “Mind the Workplace,” which states that “Most employees are experiencing the early signs of burnout” with nearly 83 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement, “I feel emotionally drained from my work.”

Cultivate mental wellbeing at work

#addressyourstress

Research has shown us that a workplace culture built around honesty and open communication helps to lessen the stigma of talking about all aspects of wellbeing. Each of us experiences stress differently in different situations. Stress can also affect you both emotionally and physically, and even affect the way you behave.

 “The most important thing is to not use workplace wellbeing techniques as a bandaid to cover up deeper issues” noted Shafi. Rather, she gives a few focus techniques to help leaders provide open discussion about mental health without judgment.

Here also are 10 practical ways to look after your mental health

1. Talk about how you are feelings
2. Keep Active as much as possible
3. Eat Well
4. Drink Sensibly
5. Keeping in touch
6. Ask for Help | Employee Assistance Program
7. It is okay to take a break
8. Do something you’re good at physical activity, being outdoors, aromatherapy, volunteering
9. Accept who you are
10. care about others

Suggestive hints for Leaders

Start raising awareness. Begin a conversation about mental health and wellbeing. Have outside resources to refer to. As alluded to by Borski, neglecting to talk about mental health is “a mistake that can cost you productivity, profit and a whole lot more”.

“Focus on emotionally intelligent leadership. When leaders and employees openly discuss mental health hurdles without judgment — and receive support to manage them — productivity, profit and people all thrive”.

Do you need to remember more? 

A 3-step technique for improving memory power

[By Vistage speaker Scott Bornstein] Scott Bornstein is a Vistage speaker, #memory expert and business author who is world renowned for his brain-changing memory systems.

Bornstein addresses the impact of feeling overwhelmed. Gathering information processing and retaining that information is difficult when you have too much going on inside your mind. Organizing your thoughts, and giving them space in your mind helps you learn deep and fast to achieve the recall you need to be successful.

Bornstein walks you through three steps to begin to sharpen your memory. #CEOs can “implement these steps to improve memory and better retain information that impacts key relationships and business-critical knowledge”.

Check out Bornstein’s 3-step technique for improving memory power

-Thirty percent (30%) of US families have less than $1,000 of emergency funds.
-The average US family credit card debt is $5,700
-A 2015 estimate indicated that the average US family had 33 days of food but the range was 5 to 120 days.

If our truckers could not drive our essential food supplies would disappear from the grocery store shelves in 2-5 days. This was witnessed when the Covid-19 lockdown first started.

When this crisis ends maybe we should re-assess our preparedness and consider having a minimum of three months of the following as a goal:

-Food
-Water
-Financial resources
-Fuel (where possible)

Start with a goal of obtaining a week supply of each of the above as a monthly goal. Then in a year each family would have a three month supply that would allow a family to live if we had a total lock down for a three month quarantine.

Please take this seriously as we have had a wakeup call from the Covid-19 crisis. Let us all prepare our families for the next crisis for surely it will come.

Remember that we are a resilient country. In time we will overcome, but with more due diligence and a watchful eye for what may lie ahead.

What does the new norm look like? What will opening this country back up look like for you and your business, and your family?

We must all focus on keeping our employees, customers and vendors safe while working at our facilities and supporting our businesses.

Leadership must ensure that protocols are followed, and all employees stay healthy and safe. In doing so, we support our families with preparedness, obedience, and learn to overcome this particular crisis and be ready for the next one.

We are all in this together

Check out Lears – Safe Work Playbook for your business. https://www.lear.com/Site/Company/Safe-Work-Playbook.aspx

Zimbabwe, New York, Venezuela, California – poverty doesn’t exclude location.

The Homeless has exploded in California. California has somewhere around 12 percent of the US population living in it. But oddly enough California has one-quarter of the USA’s homeless population too. Tent cities are strung out all along the coast, and highly visible. Homelessness and hunger are an issue that Californians must find resources for.

It really starts to make you think just how much things have changed, when you read articles that state, “California’s housing crisis has left hundreds of thousands of community college students either homeless or facing the threat of being homeless”. Thoughts go through your mind, “college students”!? Yes, and teachers. Teacher’s can’t even find a place to live either. When a teacher has to spend 2000 to 3000 a month for housing – it’s time to find a different state to live and work in. California is bursting at the seams, and not in a good way – but there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. The tent cities can now be seen along the coast of California, all the way up to Seattle Washington.

By replacing a prosperous society with government-run institutions and controls, and changing the suburbs to mostly low-income households – you risk a collapse. Free only goes so far, before the incentives to work disappear. If you don’t motivate people to want to help themselves – they won’t.  They need housing, but they also need education to learn how to stay in that housing.

Just look at New York’s public housing system, which was founded in the 1930s. Today 1 out of 14 New Yorkers are homeless. To revive New York’s housing the city would need to spend over $1.2 billion on repairs over the next five years, and it still wouldn’t cover all the costs. New York’s government run housing comes complete with rodents, paint chips on the walls, faulty water heaters, leaks and mildew, broken sidewalks and stairs, gangs — and more.

$2 billion was the settlement claim that New York City agreed when found to be using deceitful measures to hide things behind fake walls, unsanitary conditions, and lead paint conditions. Most of the cities low-income houses are deeHousing in America & the Chronic Homelessmed “no longer cost-effective to repair” by 2027, this statement comes from Carol Kellermann of the Citizens Budget Commission, a private watchdog group. The problems were the result of “management dysfunction and organizational failure, including a culture where spin is often rewarded and accountability often does not exist,” the watchdog group said.

From New York to California, something has gone terribly wrong. America is a great nation, and its people deserve better.  I think most of us are educated enough to know homelessness exists and unless we all step in, the problem will get worse. I understand that there are those people who prefer to live on the streets. Adjusting to society is too hard. Homelessness and mental health issues go hand-in-hand. It’s a critical issue for many communities, and we all have to work together to help heal our neighbors in need.

• “The idea that any of us could be homeless at any given point in time, just one paycheck away, it resonates,” “If you lose your family and friends and hit rock bottom, there still has to be some organization out there that can give a hand up, not a hand out.” ~Nine Line Foundation

Nine Line is one such organization helping to place homeless veterans in tiny houses in Georgia. Whole communities are coming together to help our veterans regain that path back into society. They are learning to embrace a little piece of comfort again – Home. To learn more about Nine Line reach out to them at https://ninelinefoundation.org/contact-us/ .

It’s not just our veterans, but men and women, and whole families. Now we add college students and teachers to the list. Volunteers in American Helping the homeless stated on their website that ” In 2017, over 553,000 Americans were homeless. 40 million people struggle with hunger and 40.6 million officially live in poverty”.

Here is how you can help. Navigate to their website and use the zip code search at the bottom of the page to find an office near you.

Charity begins at home, and that is where each of us needs to start. Some can give more than others. But we all can give something.

Others

• United Way. United Way has a network of community-based offices across the country. …
• YWCA. With a focus on women in its core mission, YWCA works to address the unique needs of those living in poverty and strives for outcomes that increase emotional and economic self-sufficiency. …
• Feeding America. …
• Mercy Housing …
• Goodwill…

The joy of giving. Tis the Season.

The size of your charitable gift isn’t as important as the very act of giving itself. It involves you giving and helping. There is a saying, “Give out of your own need.” Also “To whom much is given – much will be required” Both are important humanitarian ways of thinking.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ? Charles Dickens.

When you see little kids going up to Santa Clause, or Salvation Army employees who are collecting for charitable means, that signifies a whole different type of humanitarian giving. That is generational giving. When you teach children to give at a young age you teach lifelong giving behavior, compassion, and a sense of community.

Children have the concept of roundup giving, down to a science. These are simple skills learned in their primary years.

A lesson from a third grader

How many stores will you visit this year? How many stores in-a-day? Why not round up the total of your purchases and put the remainder into a donation jar?

Here is a simple example:

What if you shopped 3 stores a day, and you had .40, 60, and .25 cents left to round up to an even dollar amount. If you shopped 3 stores every day for 365 days a year, your giving based on the above numbers would be.

.40 + .60 + .25 = $1.25 a day

$1.25 X 365 days = $456.25 a year!

Even if you only gave .25 cents a day, that is $91.00 a year!

As adults, we understand that the simple things in life matter the most. Providing clean water, food, and aid, to those in need, to name a view. Collaborating with like-minded businesses, individuals, churches, and organizations, one person at a time to make a difference – has a rippling effect. Churches hoping to use their platform as a pillar of the community may want to implement an online giving platform like Tithe.ly to collect donations from the congregation in order to put it towards their charitable causes. Rounding it up is just another way to give. Children are our greatest example of this type of giving. We need to be the example for them!

We need to be the example for them!

As always there are many charities that could use your donations this year.

• American Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• LDS Church strives to #LightTheWorld with Giving Machines that support local and global charities
• Operation Christmas Child
• Doctors without Borders
• Christmas Box International
• Find your local food bank
• “Rage Giving”: How to Find a Charity that Turns Your Rage into Action
• Wheels for Wishes
• United Way
• Ronald McDonald House Charities
• Lifting Hands International
• Habitat for Humanity
• Catholic Community Services
• Angel Tree Charity
• Toys for Tots
• Make a Wish Foundation
• Lion’s Club
• Angel Tree Christmas – Prison Fellowship
• The Family Giving Tree
• Help Children Get Free Toys – Donate to Angel Tree
• Holiday Assistance with Bills
• United Methodist
• So many more

Things to know | changes happen every hour

November 14th, 135,000 acres have burned in Butte County, Paradise, California, 7600 residences, and 260 commercial structures have been destroyed. There is still another 15,500 structures in the path of the Raging Camp Fire (http://www.fire.ca.gov).

There have been 56 reportable fatalities, and that toll could rise with more than 103 people reported still missing from Camp Fire in Northern California.

Current estimates indicate the fire which is only about 35% contained, will not be nearing containment until around November 30th. There is currently over 5,600 personnel, along with numerous air tankers, helicopters, hand crews, dozers, and 630 engines working to contain the blaze. According to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), there are approximately 40 firefighters who are currently helping to fight these fires who have also lost their own homes.

We encourage you to consider a donation to this heartbreaking effort.

Do your research on a charity’s reputation for using donations effectively. Charity Navigator is a good resource to consult.

Also, remember that sending money is almost always the most efficient way to help in a disaster, according to the Center for International Disaster Information, part of the United States Agency for International Development.

American Red Cross: This nonprofit has opened shelters across the state to help evacuees. They also have an online tool that people can use to register themselves as safe so loved ones can find them.

American Red Cross: Opened shelters across the state to help evacuees. There is an online tool that people can use to register themselves as safe so loved ones can find them.

California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund: For 15 years, the foundation has offered aid to those affected by wildfires. Grants have gone to rebuilding homes, providing financial and mental health assistance and helping those affected to get medical treatment.  It’s a catastrophic event!

The Salvation Army is accepting donations. To donate go to gosalarmy.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).

Current Evacuation Locations and Status updates are available on the Butte County Website https://www.buttecounty.net/.

Pets: A phone number has been set up for Finding Pets and Pet Rescue: 530.895.0000

Donate clothes, food, etc.

Here’s how you can help victims of the Camp Fire in Butte County:

• The Salvation Army in Chico (530) 342-2192
• Butte County Fairgrounds in Gridley (530) 846-3626
• Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City (530) 674-1280
• Church of the Nazarene (FULL) in Oroville (530) 533-7464

Prayers! Always needed!

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What better way to triple your business donations than to help teachers get the supplies they need for their classrooms. 1) You help a child succeed, 2) You support your community, and 3) Little people (future entrepreneurs) will write you notes written in crayon to thank you. That’s something worth framing. It’s an investment in your own company’s future. Crayons! Computers! Books! They need everything.

Crayons! Computers! Books!

Reaching out to your local school district and asking to adopt a classroom or sponsor an event can mean the difference to a young mind. Hopefully, with your tax-deductible donation, it’s a win-win situation for you and your business.

• The IRS allows you to claim a deduction for the donations you make to qualified organizations. These organizations include more than just charities and will include any school district program that does not operate for profit and is solely supported by state and local governments.

If you have a talented and creative employee on your staff, turn them loose on this project. Below are some websites to help get you started thinking of ideas:

• Adopt a Classroom
• Donors Choose
• Mashable did a nice article on ways you can reach out
• Romper
• CBS also did a nice write up on campaigns to help teachers get school supplies.
• Colorado teachers talk about what they did
• Hurricane Florence has made many teachers desperate for school supplies.

In Utah Peter Reichard, the president of Utah Foundation, an independent, nonprofit public policy research organization, brings to light the funding issues that Utah, like states across the nation are facing. In his Commentary: Investments in ‘at-risk’ students falling short of national benchmarks, he expounds on the hardest hit groups of children in need.

Teachers should not be worrying about where their classroom supplies are going to come from. Many teachers are way underpaid, yet they are using their own funds to buy supplies.  Teachers do so – so children can be productive and self-sufficient members of society.

Businesses and individuals can help offset costs. Funding classroom materials for students to learn and succeed by – is a future investment.

A person is a person, no matter how small. ~ Dr. Seuss

A cup of coffee, a meal, and some friendly conversation can help form a bridge to helping others learn that they can overcome the barriers that hold them back from living a better life. A life off the streets. But someone has to take the first step and reach out, sometimes it’s the person pouring the coffee.

Is a homeless bus ticket program the only way out? For some, it may be that first step into a better future. For others, it’s just another stop, among many. Helping the homeless transition from living on the streets to actually holding down a job and gaining housing is tough. Tougher for those who are chronically homeless, versus those who can transition easier with the addition of low-income housing.

It takes time for the chronically homeless to learn to work. It takes time to learn to live in a shelter, especially if all you have known is a cardboard box. So many homeless have to transition into a shelter first, then to a small home, something they can call their own. It’s a process.

What do you really know about the homeless? How did get there, but better yet – what is the best road out for them? The Road Home, a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, Utah, put together the following video along with a number artists, to help others understand who the homeless are, and give some insight into the problems of homelessness.

There is a national coalition for homeless shelters across America called nationalhomeless.org . Homelessness affects every major city in the US, and smaller communities are not immune to this humanitarian need.

It’s hard to imagine that one day life seems fine, and the next you’re getting a pink slip. The step down is often a hard one. Not everyone will end up homeless, but some do. By no fault of their own, just circumstances surrounding them at the time. For others, a life filled with turmoil has caused them to feel unneeded and helpless, so they have failed to thrive in society, and shielded themselves by adapting to a negative lifestyle.

Some cities are flying the homeless to new locations. Other’s like Seattle are offering bus tickets out. How successful these programs are, is to be determined.

I was always taught that for every dollar you commit to helping the needy – if they successfully turn their life around, that dollar becomes ten dollars. It becomes ten dollars as the once homeless learn to contribute back to society.

Most homeless kids are on the streets because they have been forced by circumstances that cause them to think that they are safer there than in any home they once knew.  ~Jewel

Ways to give: http://nationalhomeless.org/taking-action/. Or contact your local homeless shelter in your area.

Get with some of your pals in the office and book your flights around an upcoming or ongoing charity operation that not only helps others in need, but helps instill a true spirit of camaraderie for you and your colleagues.

There are organizations that go the distance in helping to organize business volunteer activities. Organizations like:

• Go OverSeas encourages traveling with a buddy and experiencing a host of business volunteer programs
• Volunteer Forever has there own list of 2018 – 2019 Best Volunteer Abroad Programs
• United Planet offers volunteer abroad opportunities in 27 countries, maybe your business destination is on their list
• GoEco Work on a worthy cause, and learn about the people and communities you invest your time in
• Elevate Destinations “Volunteer Vacation” more your style? Explore learning and helping within a community for a few days or a week

Fly all over the world, do your business dealings, see the sights, meet and help others who might not have the benefits that you do. It’s not a guilt trip! It’s a fun trip! A trip where you help someone and in return they help you learn about culture, community, and being responsible for what you do with your time, your special skills, and your money. Some might even call it, paying it forward.

It is still okay to give money. Without financial giving, a lot of charities would not be able to go into some of the most impoverished and devastated areas of the world. By all means, give – it’s a good thing! But if you really want to see your money at work, fly there. Take an office colleague or two with you. Experience hands-on-giving.