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by Travis Bradberry
The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. At TalentSmart, we have conducted research with more than a million people and found that 90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.
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There is some startling research that explores the havoc stress can wreak on one’s physical and mental health (such as this Yale study, which found that prolonged stress causes degeneration in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The tricky thing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that it’s an absolutely necessary emotion. Our brains are wired such that it’s difficult to take action until we feel at least some level of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with moderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isn’t prolonged, it’s harmless.

‘Balance – the Practical Handbook for Life’s Difficult Moments’ helps you gain clarity, offers guidance and support for difficult moments.  This self-help book provides tools and skills which help you to take action.

Practicing the steps in the exercises is vital as repetition is important to shift your behavior. Practice allows your mind to slowly be “reprogrammed” much like getting the “virus” out of your software.

Reach for ‘Balance – the Practical Handbook' AT ANY TIME OF DAY for guidance and encouragement to address the stressful moments in which you wish you had someone to talk to.
Identify life skills, routines and new habits through the clear, uncluttered guidance presented without gimmicks or convoluted language. 
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There really is no reason not to become the best version of yourself.

Reviews:
“Life is full of difficulties and disappointments, scrapes and stumbles. But a wise friend who is willing to help us ask the right questions can make the journey so much easier. Doscher's BALANCE isn't a person but it surely feels like one -- a caring empathic companion who guides the reader to discover answers for themselves. The book is clearly laid out: it is meditative and calm but absolutely practical, encouraging us to ask the questions that will make sure we are happier, more assured, kinder to ourselves. It's neither fluffy nor jargon-ridden: I can't imagine the reader who wouldn't feel gratified by reading it, hearing Doscher's warm quiet voice, and putting the gently persistent suggestions into action”. (Amazon review)

“Balance is a basic book, filled with common sense, pragmatic advice. This may not sound very exciting, but it may be just what you most need when dealing with stress and your attempts to achieve balance in your life. It includes plenty of questions to answer and consider, and actually participating enables the reader to discover answers for themselves. Written with grace, humor, and practicality, Balance can help you remember that while balance may not be easy, it doesn't have to be overly complicated”. (Goodreads review)
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 "A truly inspiring book I have read this book at a point in my life where I wanted something to change and I didn't know if it ever could. Through these pages I have understood how our experience in life depends 90% on us and not on external events, and that is a life changing lesson indeed. Absolutely recommended." (Audible review)

For a sample exercise from the Balance Handbook (page 96) read: "Act Not React - Change Your Reactive Behavior"

How about a Self-Help Book in Yours and/or a friends Christmas Stocking?

By Chris Colin and Rob Baedeker
​Imagine almost any situation where two or more people are gathered—a wedding reception, a job interview, two off-duty cops hanging out in a Jacuzzi.

What do these situations have in common? Almost all of them involve people trying to talk with each other. But in these very moments where a conversation would enhance an encounter, we often fall short. We can’t think of a thing to say.

Or worse, we do a passable job at talking. We stagger through our romantic, professional and social worlds with the goal merely of not crashing, never considering that we might soar. We go home sweaty and puffy, and eat birthday cake in the shower.

By Rebecca Muller, Assistant Editor at Thrive Global​
​Carving out time for regular recovery is essential for your mental well-being and performance — but sometimes, planning a traditional vacation can feel overwhelming, or is simply unrealistic with a tight timeline. For instance, if you’re a new parent, an anxious traveler, or a caregiver for a loved one, you might not be able to book a last-minute flight to a far-off destination to unplug and recharge — and that reality alone can be stressful.

“The kinds of vacations we take are highly constrained by the demands of family, school and work calendars, and finances,” Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Ph.D., author of Rest and The Distraction Addiction, tells Thrive. “One size doesn’t fit all.” Pang notes that a getaway is often most valuable because it helps you tap into a mindset that allows you to relax — but you don’t have to go away to hone in on that vacation-focused mindset. In fact, even people who do go on traditional getaways can miss the point. “Too many people go on vacation and stay connected the whole time,” adds Arthur Markman, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Bring Your Brain to Work. “They don’t give themselves a chance to recharge.”

By Rebecca Muller, Assistant Editor at Thrive Global

​It’s incredibly gratifying to achieve a goal you’ve set for yourself, but the real challenge often begins after you hit your target, when you have to maintain the practices you have begun in order to see prolonged success. According to a new Stanford study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, individuals are more likely to continue their positive habits after the fact if they see their goal achievement as “completing a journey” instead of “arriving at a destination.”

The researchers looked at people who managed to reach their individual goals and continued succeeding afterward, and asked which mindset allowed for their continued wins. “This question is critical, because it helps us to redefine success,” study co-author and General Atlantic Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Jennifer Aaker, Ph.D, explained in a statement. “It moves us from focusing on the short-run win associated with attaining a goal, to the longer-term benefits associated with continued improvement after the goal.”

Dianna Anderson,
Dianna is the thought leader behind Cylient's unique, comprehensive approach for instilling coaching cultures. 
Is building a coaching culture for your enterprise a strategic priority for your organization in 2019, or does it fall further down the list in the “nice to do someday” category? If building a coaching culture isn’t at the top of your priority list, here’s why I think it should be:

I believe that many of the top priorities that Learning and Development professionals focus on are actually symptoms of using traditional “direct and correct” leadership approaches to try to manage our current multifaceted, ever-changing work environments.
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Here’s why I think that:
When people lead by telling people what to do, and then correcting them when they think they are “wrong,” it teaches the people they are leading to:

• Wait to be told what to do, which causes inertia, particularly when it comes to making any kind of change happen.
• Avoid taking initiative because they may be sanctioned, sometimes in subtle but impactful ways, for choosing the “wrong” approach.
• Only propose ideas that their manager will understand and grasp quickly because those are “safer,” resulting in lack-luster innovation.
• Avoid being accountable for things they can’t control, which can become a pretty long list as the most pressing issues become increasingly complex.

By Davide Costella
Have you ever wondered why sometimes you are able to persuade someone and other times not? Why some presentations sparked emotions in you and other presentations seemed boring? Why you find it difficult to get along with some of your colleagues, but others you get along with fine?
The answer lies in how language is used. You speak thousands of words per day, but are you aware of how those words can affect you and the people around you? With language, we build our identities.​

by Kelly Miller, Positive Psychology. com
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​So many humans are walking around this planet unaware of the impact they have on the people around them. Within each of us is a tremendous capacity to affect change. Yet, too many of us simply react to the creations of others.

Being self-aware and practicing daily reflection and introspection allows each of us the opportunity to find what we really want out of this precious life.  We are all susceptible to outside influence and personal bias. Without self-awareness, we are even more susceptible.

When one can accomplish self-mastery through a deep understanding of the internal self and the public self through the attainment of true self-awareness, real freedom can be achieved.  Let’s explore more...