Have you ever found yourself in a meeting wondering how your team wandered so off track and ended up in a negative place? One of our listeners (thanks Elizabeth!) found herself there and asked us two questions:

1. How do you stay positive when you are surrounded by negative co-workers?

2. How can you turn a conversation in a meeting with multiple colleagues that is filled with complaining into a positive problem solving conversation?

Sometimes it can just be so hard to stay positive given all the negativity that surrounds us. A lot of our listeners are either in positions of influence or striving to be, whether it be as parents, teachers, coaches or in business, and it’s important that we all stay positive and encouraged in whatever walk of life we are in. Woodly talks about our level of encouragement as being synonymous with our cell phone battery – it takes consistent recharging in order to remain effective. In this week’s episode we talk about a few ways to recharge your encouragement bank.

Lately Woodly and I have found ourselves in a bit of funk due to life circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances that create that funk can be amazing blessings (like a new addition to your family), sometimes they can be heartbreaking (i.e. a tremendous loss, either business or personal), and sometimes they can just be anxiety filled (starting a new job). No matter what, though, we have resources and techniques that can help us right the ship and set us forth for smoother sailing and break that funk.

It seems like going on vacation should be an easy call as if we should intuitively know that it is good to get away, yet I have found that often I wrestle with whether or not it's the right decision to go. As leaders and responsible people we can wonder if traveling is the right investment of our time?

Have you found yourself being too nice in life? Do you find yourself shying away from competition? Today Woodly and Jan talk about why you might want to consider stepping into the field of completion.

In Today’s Episode…

Sometimes we tend to think of competition in terms of sports or other athletic contests, but competition can be used in all facets of life, whether it be business, pleasure or other. It can be a wonderful tool if used correctly and today we talk about three major reasons why it’s ok to be competitive.

I hate complaining. It is the most unproductive use of time imaginable, but at times I find myself doing it. In this episode Jan and I talk about 5 Ways Complaining Will Cripple Every Area of Your Life. The truth is sometimes we have to agitate the problem in our life to help us realize our need for the solution. As we talk about the destructive power of complaining I believe the solution will become self-evident.

“We should never give up on, what matters most.” To do that we need to know how to access the courage to persevere?

On this episode Woodly discusses 7 steps to a life of perseverance.

Courage is "the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty." Do you have a difficult situation in your life? If your answer is yes, then this podcast episode is for you!

This is the 1st part of a 3 part series using the Impact Engine as a framework towards living courageously. On today’s episode you’ll hear us discuss developing a courageous mindset to help you think like a warrior.

What is the Impact Engine?

The Impact Engine is a framework developed by Woodly Zacek that will take your current situation and goals and give you a systematic way to propel yourself forward by following the three gears that make up the engine.