Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

I love it when plans change for the better.  I had prepared to suffer through three weeks of bitter Chicago cold, but happily, I only had to endure three days, flying back to sunny Florida last night.  I was raised a Midwestern gal, but have firmly replanted my roots where it is warm, and cold weather does not require donning the equivalent of a bear hide to brave the outdoors.

At the prospect of being away for most of December, I was feeling quite void of the Christmas spirit.  My attitude was deflated, to say the least, and I was going to grit my way through the three weeks.  But when I landed at O’Hare, I couldn’t help but get a lift in my step seeing the terminal covered in little white lights.  There’s just something about Christmas that brightens my spirit.

Attitude is a powerful motivator or immobilizer in life and in business.  Your emotional state directly impacts your performance.  My creativity certainly took a nose dive as my focus turned inward, and I allowed my pending circumstances to color my entire outlook.  Maintaining a positive attitude takes consistent effort and pushing your internal “sparkle button” even when you don’t feel like it.  So I’ve been thinking about who and what pull me up when I am feeling less than sparkly.

This weekly wrap up was designed to share the blogs, websites and/or businesswomen that I found particularly helpful this week.  My top blog picks offer some great solutions on maintaining a positive attitude. I hope you find them as helpful and interesting as I did.


Top Blog Posts

27 Vital Tips for Staying Positive

Talk about one stop shopping, and who doesn’t love that when time is tight.  Business Blogs compiled the expertise of 27 business owners on how to stay positive.  There is a wealth of information here, approaching positivism from all sides — celebrating success, surrounding yourself with beauty, focusing on your strengths, etc.  Dive in and find the solutions that best fit your need to mentally get back in the game.

Starting is Easy – It’s Maintaining That’s Hard

Last month Chris Brogan, in his Escape Velocity blog, hit a topic that is common to all business owners.  Starting anything new is fun, it’s sexy, it’s exciting.  But when the new and shiny begins to wear off, the harder work begins, as you are faced with maintaining your focus, motivation, and positive attitude through to completion.  Chris recommends keeping your eyes on the bigger reward that awaits you at the end, and not getting sidetracked my the little victories along the way.  To read more from Chris you can find him on Twitter @chrisbrogan.

Worried Entrepreneurs?  Five Simple Tips to Stay Positive

Last, but not least, is a no-nonsense post from Lalitha Brahma with 5 tips to keeping a positive attitude in your business.  With action steps like taking responsibility, valuing what you have to offer, nurturing your curiosity, developing a good relationship with money and taking on one task at a time, her advice is right on.  Find Lalitha on Twitter @lalithabrahma.


Featured Site

The perfect choice for my featured site of the week is Melanie J.  I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Melanie on Twitter, and must say that this amazing woman has a knack for spreading inspiration and joy.  With a strong focus on empowering women to start their own enterprises, Melanie is a great resource, helping women feel beautiful physically and emotionally.

I really enjoyed her post this week, Tips for an Anti-Aging Makeover.  As we all near the end of a work-filled year, who doesn’t need a make-over?!  Melanie’s tips focus on how to think and look like a Star, without the celebrity budget.  To find more great tips from Melanie, follow her on Twitter @Melanie_Canada.


Woman of Excellence Award

Congratulations to Natalie Sisson, founder of WomanzWorld and co-founder of Connection Point Systems, for winning this week’s Woman of Excellence Award!  This amazing “Suitcase Entrepreneur,” as she likes to call herself, travels the world while sharing her social media and marketing expertise with women who want to drive their businesses to the next level and beyond.  I must say that I am regularly challenged by her insights and expertise, as well as her “have bag, will travel” approach to life.

Natalie is one of 20 women recently honored by Nike to represent their Nike Make Yourself Movement – Go Natalie!  In her latest post, she identifies the two factors that can launch women into their own power — destiny and mindset.  For more information on Natalie check out this great Market Like A Chick interview (@marketlikeachik) and find her on Twitter @WomanzWorld.


In case you were wondering, I have no affiliate relationship with anyone I call to your attention on this blog.  This is simply my way of spreading the news about information and individuals I have found particularly helpful.

That wraps up this post.  Until next week, keep reading, keep learning, keep growing!