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UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF YOUR MIND

It all begins and ends in your mind. What you give
power to has power over you, if you allow it.

—LEON BROWN

Now that you see how breath will help manage your energy and improve the way you interact in business, next up is understanding how your breath connects with your mind to unlock and expand your true potential. What you think about is a critical part of success. Heightening the level of self-awareness about your thoughts and understanding the power of consciously connecting to your mind (through breath) will help you reach your goals fast and easy. When I think of examples of a strong mental game, Tiger Woods comes to mind. He was known for his mental toughness as a golfer from a very young age, thanks to his father's military background introducing Tiger to a discipline that other young golfers simply didn't have. It gave him a clear advantage. Individuals being able to perform under pressure in sports never cease to amaze me—like seeing those last-second buzzer-beating baskets made from mid-court. How did they do that? They know they can. That inner strength and awareness of your mind–body connection will be a tremendous asset in business too. If you didn't begin focusing on your mental game during childhood like Tiger, don't worry—it's never too late to rewire your brain and form new disciplines and empowering habits. You can begin now with breath. You're not stuck with any negative pattern; you can always replace it.

When you make the mind–body connection, you'll see how it can feel to be effortlessly in sync. Manifesting positive thoughts, intentions, beliefs, and emotions and then attaching those to your breath is a multiplier for the effectiveness of your breathing techniques (breath techniques coming up in Chapter 3).

We'll begin by scratching the surface (in simple terms) behind the power of your mind and how to utilize breath to connect. The breath–brain connection is a partnership that shouldn't be ignored. Breath facilitates curating the kind of thoughts that will produce meaningful changes. Let's begin to nourish your brain with empowering thoughts.

THE BREATH “MULTIPLIERS”

When I decided to start my business, I bought some business books but found them more intimidating than helpful because they were written by MBAs or professors. I didn't understand the lingo, so I turned to self-help books like those by Tony Robbins and Deepak Chopra and began to understand and believe in the power of positive thinking. The missing link for many people is how to tap into positive thinking if it doesn't come easily. Breath is the bridge. Once I paired my breath with empowering thoughts and intentions, things got very interesting. This section describes four tools that make your breath even more effective for ushering in productive thoughts that fuel your brain and optimize creativity, clarity, and determination. I call them multipliers: “Acting As If,” closing your eyes, visualization, and mantras.

1. ACTING AS IF

“Acting As If” is a powerful “mind game” or technique that I learned in my early twenties at a workshop for success in business. The concept came at a perfect time for me to understand that my body doesn't know whether or not my mind is telling the truth, so if my mind says, “I am successful,” I can begin to mentally and physically believe that I am successful. Your body will feel that good energy when your mind tells it to. The “Acting As If” technique brings in the aspirational feeling of having already gotten to that place of reaching your goals. On the flipside, the negative stories that you may have told yourself over and over become part of yourself, too, but breath will help you change those stories once you realize that you control your thoughts. If you keep thinking and acting as if you are not ready for a new opportunity or not qualified to follow a dream, then your body will act accordingly. And who wants to “act as if” from a place of lack and insecurity? Breathe out the old and breathe in the new momentum-fueled energy.

Mind is the Master Power that molds and
makes, and we are mind. And ever more we
take the tool of thought, and shaping what we
will, bring forth a thousand joys, or a thousand
ills. We think in secret, and it comes to pass,
environment, is but our looking glass.

— JAMES ALLEN

It's poignant to think about that quote, right? You can use it for momentum in moving forward and focusing on thinking and acting in ways that create an environment that you're excited to work/live in.

2. CLOSING YOUR EYES

Our creativity flourishes when our mind isn't focused on something in particular. It's the easy, open mindset that produces the best atmosphere for creative ideas to come to life. The idea of closing your eyes seems so simple, but the act of closing your eyes is powerful and completely underrated. Most people open their eyes upon waking up and then only close them again when going back to sleep. That should not be the case; taking the opportunity to close your eyes with a few deep breaths throughout the day offers deep, on-the-spot rest and rejuvenation. I never realized the power of deep breath and closed eyes until I was in my Savasana breakthrough. It's something you need to consciously experience during a deep breath (or three) so it doesn't get trivialized. In addition to helping with creativity, closing your eyes will make you feel as if you're shutting a virtual door to everything outside of your body. You can quickly connect to your mind and body. When you limit the distractions that you see in your physical surroundings, you make it easier for your brain to rest. You can feel the change immediately. I consider that inward space my center, and it always brings a sense of being grounded and calm. Deep breaths with eyes open is still good, but check for yourself and see the incredible difference. Try it now if you'd like. Close your eyes and take 3DB. That inner dark space will become a welcome respite from the speed of business.

3. VISUALIZATION

Everything is created twice, first in the
mind and then in reality.

— STEPHEN COVEY

Visualization adds yet another layer to the power of your breath. Visualization is a detailed and experiential way of thinking positive, taking your thoughts to the next level by seeing them like a film in the theater of your mind. Many people have a tendency to think about the obstacles when envisioning a goal, but doing so will limit you. Make the switch to picturing the successful end result instead. When I attended the “Act As If” workshop in 1992, I was a newbie real estate agent, lacking confidence and experience. I learned to go beyond just thinking about a goal to visualizing detailed scenarios of what I was hoping to do. For example, I'd visualize myself driving to a coveted listing appointment, dressed for success and in my dream car. Then I'd walk myself through the conversation, answering client questions confidently and closing the deal. I was showing myself the high-def version of me that I knew was waiting to emerge in time, with experience. Until then, I could breathe and believe. Utilizing breath along with visualization helps to embed the feeling of the desired scenario. I did different visualizations daily and worked hard to gain the experience and confidence of my future self who lived in my head. (Those scenarios eventually came to life!)

Take a moment to think about one of your dream scenarios at the moment. Visually create it. Take some slow deep breaths as you think about it. Are you accepting an award for a distinguished accomplishment at work? Giving notice at your job to pursue your entrepreneurial dream? Speaking at an industry event? Reaching a milestone goal with your team after an arduous process? Walking into a big chain store and seeing your own product on the shelves? Whatever it may be, visualize it fully and feel those emotions of being in that future moment. Just as there's something powerful about putting pen to paper and writing down goals, there is power in seeing something in your mind's eye. Your brain believes your story and your body goes along for the ride.

Visualization can also be done to clear your mind when it feels like you have a few too many “tabs” open. You can begin by focusing on just one thing. You might try visualizing the stream of your breath entering and exiting your body as you take a few deep inhales and exhales. Or you can visualize one color as you close your eyes and go inward with a long, deep breath. See yourself literally erasing the chaos into a clean slate of sky blue or white clouds. Another idea for breathing into a clear mind is to focus on your “happy place”; transport yourself mentally to that place, creating a go-to thumbnail image that you know will move your mind into a calm and open space. After a few times it won't require any effort—you'll immediately be transported when you decide to clear your mind. Visualization is a powerful way to see and feel your thoughts.

4. MANTRAS

Mantras are another impactful tool for your mind when paired with breath. Mantra is a Sanskrit word that combines the word “man” (which means mind) and “tra” (which means a vehicle or instrument). A mantra is a word or phrase (of your choice) that can help transport the mind from activity to silence or from negativity to momentum. A mantra can be repeated silently to help with concentration and make you believe and feel what you're repeating to yourself. It can expand your mindset and shift your perspective immediately. In my breath practice, there are no rules for choosing a mantra except that it has to be positive. Sometimes I use just one word that I want to manifest while closing my eyes. I will attach the word or emotion that I'm trying to manifest to long, slow deep breaths. As you begin to say (and even visualize) the words, you can feel them embed in your mind and body. Here are some single-word possibilities to begin with: Abundance. Success. Ease. Courage. Confidence. Patience. Vitality. Strength. Truth. Leadership. Find that one word that describes what you desire today.

Using the phrase “I am . . .” in front of your chosen word is frequently done in meditation practices. I am confident. I am capable. I am successful. I am financially secure. I am a mindful leader. I am ready. Saying “I am” is taking ownership and gets you right into the now. It may even add a little skip to your step. A positive new mood or perspective is just one deep breath and a mantra away. Give it a try now if you feel like it. Pick a word above or one of your own, close your eyes, see the word, and take 3DB. “I am . . .” “I am . . .” “I am . . .” Feel it. Own it.

You can also string together your own sentence that can feel more like an overarching goal. Maybe something like this: “I am determined to take one step today that will get me closer to . . .” “I'm willing to go outside my comfort zone and take a leap of faith in business today.” The combination of words is endless and completely customizable. Get as specific as you'd like; add names and situations. Again, there's no right or wrong way as long as you're positively intentioned. The words can also be changed up any time, or you can stick with one mantra for weeks or months until you've reached your goal.

“People who are optimistic react to setbacks from a presumption of personal power. They feel that setbacks are temporary, are isolated to particular circumstances, and can eventually be overcome by effort and abilities. In contrast, people who are pessimistic react to setbacks from a presumption of personal helplessness. They feel that setbacks are long lasting, generalized across their lives, and are due to their own inadequacies, and therefore cannot be overcome.”

— CHADE-MENG TAN¹⁵

You can feel the emotions that come about from those exercises; acting as if, closing your eyes, visualizing scenarios, and repeating your mantras. All four tools are simple add-ons that multiply the power of your breath to connect with your mind. These tools kick it up a notch . . . or two or three. You can mix and match those tools as you see fit.

ONCE YOU'RE CLEAR ON YOUR GOALS, CONSIDER DEVELOPING AN INTENTION

Intention setting is an empowering exercise that helps keep you on track in reaching your goals. Your intention will always be top of mind as the touchpoint for all decisions. Feeling strongly connected to your intention will add a new level of mindfulness to your work. Although goals and intentions are similar, goals are done under the umbrella of your intention. Goals change all the time as we reach them or pivot with new ones. An intention is more of an overarching statement of purpose for the big picture. Having a clear intention for your journey, venture, work, project, or business offers a sense of clarity for each decision along the way. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, is one of my favorite examples of impactful intention setting. (His story is featured in Chapter 6.) Your overall intention is mission driven so that every action will be in complete alignment. This helps to set boundaries for not compromising when you're not finding exactly what you need and likely feel exhausted. Knowing that you want to stick with your highest intentions will give you reason to keep on going. When I launched my business in 1993, there was still a thriving garment industry in Los Angeles, but “sweatshop scandals” were beginning to make headlines both domestically and abroad. I wanted to be sure that as we built up our manufacturing system that we were intent on never being in this type of situation with our manufacturers. As we negotiated with sewing contractors, it was not all about the bottom line. It was the whole package: paying fair wages, knowing that working conditions were good and that quality was more important than quantity. I was determined to find a manufacturing partner who was transparent about their entire work environment and prided themselves on quality It's important to share your intentions with business partners, colleagues, teams, employees, and customers. As I shared mine with possible manufacturing partners, it became obvious who was in and who wasn't interested in aligning with me. I wasn't going to compromise. Once the decision was made, I was able to stay on top of the situation by seeing it for myself in weekly deliveries and pickups, where I made a point to talk with everyone. Also, I was speaking not only with the managers, but with our sewing team. This was important because sewing gloves is a meticulous job and we were paying by the pair, so there was a delicate balance of speed, accuracy, and care. I had to be mindful of my overall intention as we finessed final minimum required quantities and pricing.

I also had another intention pertaining to the quality of our products, from our designs and fabric to the sewing, quality control, packaging, and customer service. We wanted every aspect to be done well and be something we were proud of at every interval in the process through the customer's use of the product. We were at the high end of pricing for moisturizing gloves because our intention was to make the highest-quality products that were also the only brand to be fully “Made in USA.” Holding tight to our intentions made it easier at trade shows when buyers would inevitably ask why our gloves cost more (ahem . . . than the cheap plain ones that were made overseas and never fit anyone well). Without those clear intentions, I would have gotten defensive (as noted earlier), but instead I began to answer that question time and again with “I'm glad you asked.” I happily shared my intention about focusing on the quality that goes into every step of our entire production process. The buyers appreciated hearing this, and the message and intention could then be conveyed to their customers as well. Having an intention gives clarity for each step of the way in business, whether you're on your own or part of a team.

Intentions are powerful because they are your “why,” the purpose behind your actions. They're a foundational part of your journey in business. Developing your intention(s) can also include thinking about what you want to gain from your hard work or the legacy you'd like to build. If you don't yet have an intention for your work, take moment to think about it. Close your eyes and breathe through a few deep breaths thinking about what satisfies you and motivates you in business. What feels rewarding? What principles are guiding you? Write them down and continue to tweak as you come back to the process for clarity. Beginning to work with mindfulness is a whole different experience than just checking things off your daily to-do list without integrating some personal meaning. In a 2014 Fast Company article titled “Why Feeling Meaning at Work Is More Important than Feeling Happy,” writer Jessica Amortegui says, “Increasing a sense of meaningfulness at work is one of the most potent—and underutilized—ways to increase productivity, engagement, and performance.”¹⁷

TAKING IT ONE STEP FURTHER: BUILDING COMPANY CULTURE

Company culture is built from intentions, and it becomes the mindset of the office, team, and brand. One of the first examples where I learned about what company culture meant was reading Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's book Delivering Happiness in 2010. He talked about how Zappos wasn't about selling shoes (which was all it sold at the time), but instead Zappos was delivering happiness. That was visionary. Hsieh had a clear intention of making happiness his company's top priority, and the company culture was built around that core tenet. Hsieh's intention for happiness wasn't just for customers; it was part of the office atmosphere as well. If an employee didn't jive with their culture, Zappos would pay them $2,000 to quit rather than not fit with the culture that included “creating fun and little weirdness, along with being positive, open minded, adventurous and creative.” Hsieh says, “We've formalized the definition of our culture into 10 core values. Basically what we're looking for are people whose personal values match our corporate values. They're just naturally living the brand. Wherever they are whether they're in the office or off the clock.”¹⁸ The Zappos culture and intention paid off handsomely, selling to Amazon for $1.2 billion in 2009.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has also said something in the same vein: “We aren't in the coffee business. We're in the people business. We just happen to serve coffee.”¹⁹ He had a clear intention of building Starbucks stores around being that “third place” in our lives, where we go in between home and work to experience community connection. It certainly was that way for years and then it became the office for many! Intention helps business owners or brands have clarity on the way they run their business. It may not even be something that customers notice overtly initially, but unconsciously it might be exactly why they gravitate to the brand—and stay loyal. You can use your breath sessions for finding clarity on your intentions and for generating ideas about building a company culture or aligning with your company's existing culture.

CAUSE-BASED BUSINESSES AND B CORPS

Being self-aware and setting mindful, meaningful intentions around company culture has led to a surge of cause-based businesses. TOM's led the way in that space with the “Buy One, Give One” business model. There's also a new community of brands called B corporations, which are brands that are certified as such for making a legal pledge to be a changemaker business. According to BCorporation.net, “B corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. B corps are creating a new kind of company that serves society and shareholders. They are using business as a force for good to solve social and environmental problems.” Patagonia is a well-known B corp. It's a privately held company whose founder believes it will be around for at least a hundred years and he is determined to have his business philosophies, company culture, and legacy continue. Founder Yvon Chouinard says that “Benefit Corporation legislation creates the legal framework to enable mission-driven companies like Patagonia to stay mission-driven through succession, capital raises, and even changes in ownership, by institutionalizing the values, culture, processes, and high standards put in place by founding entrepreneurs.”²⁰

I interviewed Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler a couple of years ago for a HuffPost article, and he said that the Patagonia brand story inspired them to make the B corp commitment as well. Strickler explained: “Becoming a benefit corporation is a new option for companies. It's a legal change in ownership status that requires us to produce a positive good for society. We lay out a charter to explain how we'll do that. We're supposed to do a private report every 2 years, but we'll report on it publicly every year starting February 2017. It's a legal mandate for our future course of action. We are quite excited about this because it will preserve a certain ethos and set of principles for the organization for as long as we have the privilege to exist, regardless of who management is. It locks in the idealism that the company was founded upon and ensures that it's always core to how we operate. It's a big step.”²¹

BCorporation.net notes that there are over 2,500 B corp businesses now in over 60 countries spanning 150 industries. Consumers care more now than ever before about dealing with businesses that support good causes; we're willing to pay more if it helps a company's mission to solve social and environmental issues. It's a small way for each of us to feel like we're giving back too.

INTENTIONS WITH WORK-LIFE BALANCE

There's an ongoing discussion (we could even say argument) about the possibility of finding work–life balance. This discussion is even more important today, as we are constantly connected to screens and many people have no boundaries for separating work and life. As you establish your intentions for your work or business, you may want to consider your work–life balance intention as well. When I launched my business, I had no idea about building culture. After a year, our company consisted of myself, my husband, my mom, and one employee. Looking back, we did have a “family first” culture. I knew from day one that I wasn't setting out to build an empire, and I did have intentions about a lifestyle balance. I was building what had become a pretty big business, but my husband and I were also about to have our first child and it was important to both of us that we be present for our kids. My husband took a leap of faith in 1995 and left his law practice to help run the business with me. We set up our business out of the house (before working remotely was cool) to build the lifestyle that we wanted as parents. Without formalizing it, our culture was built around our intention to maintain a thriving business while balancing parenthood and focusing less on growth and more on maintaining the business we had built in the three years prior to having kids. Intention is important for a solopreneur or small business owners, too; it's not just for big corporate brands.

Having that clarity made it easy for us to err on the side of volunteering and attending school functions without any guilt for leaving the office on a busy day. Most of our work could be done outside of “business hours,” anyway. We always knew that we could never get missed time with the kids back, and it was the freedom of working for ourselves that we loved more than the idea of building an empire. Now, as our kids are in their twenties we know that it was a decision we'll never regret. We were both home full-time with them and managed our schedules, prioritizing the way we had intended. Thinking about your work–life balance is important for relationships, stress relief, productivity, and wellness. Ask yourself if you are satisfied with your work–life balance or your “connected/unplugged” balance. (More on this in Chapter 4.) Breathe into this idea of balance for a few breaths. If you're one of those people who doesn't like the word “balance,” maybe think about this in terms of priorities. Are you content about how you prioritize your days, weeks, months, and years?

POSITIVE MINDSET HELPS EXPAND YOUR ABILITY TO TAKE RISK

Having a positive mindset enables you to take risks and be more confident about them. The older I get, the more I can relate to the fact that it is the things that we don't do that we most regret. Success in business always requires some sort of risk. Arming yourself with empowering thoughts through breath practice will help you to get innovative and do things that you wouldn't have had the guts to do before. You're not working hard to be average, right? Taking risks can become more doable starting right now because you have the tools to get to a new place of inner strength to make a decision. Then you'll either make the most of it, or worst case, you'll recover from it. If you don't try, you never know—and that's a risk too. Your breath practice will help you greenlight decisions that you'd otherwise let pass by and possibly later regret.

CREATING YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES

It's empowering when you have clarity on the goals you want to achieve. Write down your goals. Then you can begin to work backward and figure out how to get from where you are to a specific goal. The first step can be the most difficult to take, but it's also the most exciting—and the most important. As Tony Robbins says, “You haven't fully decided until you've taken action.” Take a small first step; it's momentum and it makes it real. A positive and creative mindset will lead to thinking outside the box in order to make things happen. Success often requires creating your own opportunities. When the right situation doesn't seem to exist, try to create it. This can be done by productizing an idea and selling it; that can be in the form of either a product or a service. Don't be afraid to reach out to people and share your creative idea or solution. Propose your solution; ask for the business. Be bold. Breathe into confidence. When you see a void in the marketplace or a void in your workplace, create your own unique opportunity, add value, and fill the void that people may not have even noticed yet. Create your own opportunities. This is how businesses launch, how promotions occur, how ideas turn into initiatives, and how products get to the shelves. You have to follow your goals and put yourself out there. Breathe Like a Boss, choose your thoughts and energy carefully, and make things happen.

CHANGING YOUR PERSPECTIVE CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING!

Being open minded is vital to being able to shift your perspective and open the door to success that wasn't available with your old state of mind. Changing perspectives allows you to reflect on an idea in a completely new way, opening the floodgates for a world of new possibilities. Ideas can then be generated by your own thoughts or from listening to other people's perspectives, even (or especially) if they differ radically from yours. Being open-minded will come as you expand your breath practice and use the power of your positive thoughts. Attaching yourself to one mindset about something can be very limiting and can hold you back from seeing a host of different solutions and opportunities. It's when you open your mind to a new perspective that creativity, innovation, and collaboration can happen. On the “Tim Ferriss Show” podcast, Astro Teller (CEO of X, formerly called Google X) calls audacious big thinking “moonshot thinking,” and says, “Perspective shifts will unlock more than smartness will.” Teller says it's important to have collaborators from completely different backgrounds working together on finding solutions to big problems: “Like having Peter Pans work with Ph.D.s or aerospace engineers working alongside fashion designers.”²²

I've seen the power of unlikely collaborations firsthand on a tour of MIT Media Lab, where the “the crazier, the better” type ideas are welcomed and are being developed into future technologies that we can't even imagine. It's the convergence of unlikely teammates bringing unique perspectives that create magical solutions that could never have developed without shared perspectives. Surround yourself with a diverse group of people. Appreciate differences. Use your breath and your mind to shift your perspective and go big!

WHERE DO YOU USUALLY LIVE? PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE?

If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If
you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you
at peace, you are living in the present.

— LAO TAU

This is a good time to talk about the balance of being present versus thinking about the future all the time. “Acting As If,” visualization, intention, and goal setting all have us living in the future, which is good in moderation. I'm a strong believer in having big picture and long-term goals so that you can plan accordingly, but being present is how you gain the most clarity and find the inner strength to continue on your journey to success. Make a conscious effort to live more in the moment, especially if your past experience isn't adding to your level of confidence and/or the uncertainty of the future makes you anxious. Often, fixating on your past is about holding onto something that was said or done to you that made you feel inadequate. If you have a certain situation “on repeat” in your mind's eye, begin to breathe through that story until it disappears. Refocus on your present mission and the fact that you're on a new journey. Be in a moment of gratitude, knowing that you've come a long way and that you're ready to set your mind to something bigger and better. When you're present, you feel grounded, strong, and connected. The fastest way to get present to take a deep breath. Even just one.

Celebrating little milestones along your journey is a terrific way to stay in the present moment, too. Otherwise, you're always focusing on the next thing and not acknowledging current achievements as they occur. I was guilty of this for many years, and it's not nearly as fun to be in a constant state of future-based thinking. Being in the moment will bring you more clarity for making better decisions, too.

MOVING INTO ACTION

Your strong and decisive mindset that will come to life through breath makes it easy to begin to take small, strategic steps every day that get you closer to your goals. The power of your mind and breath together is like soil and sun for plants. When you activate even small actionable steps, it's like planting seeds in your “garden of goals,” which reminds me of a Robert Louis Stevenson quote that I had on my desk for years: “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Plants take time to sprout, but if you plant the seeds, it'll happen. I still have to remind myself of this quote often because when progress seems slow, you have to be proud of the seeds you've planted and know they're slowly materializing. Your daily breath practice, paired with positive thoughts, helps build your confidence, upping your inner strength and fortitude—but it does, of course, require action! People can get too comfortable reading, planning, making lists, and consuming content; results come from executing on that knowledge in a reasonable amount of time. Once you're on solid ground with your foundation of a strong mind–body connection and your goals are determined, it's time to execute. You'll begin to see that your actions are much more strategic and focused because you're trying to get to the place that you know you'll arrive at because you've actually seen it, felt it (remember your visualization?), and completed your due diligence.

SIMPLE IS GOOD!

One benefit that I've seen many people experience with a newfound sense of clarity and a confident mindset is appreciating simplicity. There's a new feeling of gratitude for the simple things: the less complicated processes, the more direct communication, the back-to-basics approach for finding solutions. You may begin to notice how things appeared more complicated from a negative perspective—wanting to see all problems as blockades rather than seeing problems for what they are and then figuring out solutions. Rather than living in the negativity of constant fear or worries, taking control of your optimistic mindset also brings a better connection with colleagues, teammates, partners, bosses, and others. Empathy is an important tool in business, too, because we have to rely on other people for a variety of things. People want to do good work for/with those who are appreciative of their efforts and opinions.

COULD SOME STRESS BE GOOD?

It may seem hard to imagine, but there's research that shows how a certain amount of stress can help us perform and push us to excel. You've probably experienced that fine line between excitement and stress. Or maybe you've had a situation that was a little stressful but it forced you to step up to the plate and make a much needed change—and then all is well.

I can pick out a few business experiences that were stressful but that also pushed me to rise to the occasion. I enjoyed the excitement of proposing a bold, private-label project and having the client say yes before I had fully figured out all the logistics. (Private label is when you make a product for another brand under their name, like when we produced our product for companies such as Estee Lauder, Bath & Body Works, or H2O PLUS.) But knowing that I had an order gave me the determination to get to it and find the best solutions. It was exciting but nerve-wracking, in a good way. Good stress can also come in the form of a promotion at work where you're super excited about the new position, the new opportunities, and higher pay but likely have some anxiety about expectations and ability. Your mindset and breath are a guiding force during times of the good stress, too.

In fact, as I write this book I'm experiencing what I'd consider to be good stress. I'm grateful to have turned my idea into a book proposal and gotten a publisher, but I'm on a much shorter than usual timeframe for writing. My whole heart is in this, and there's a bit of stress in wondering if this will be everything I've visualized it to be. Here's hoping it turned out well!

Watch your thoughts, they become words;

Watch your words, they become actions;

Watch your actions, they become habits;

Watch your habits, they become character;

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

LAO TZU