Ezine: Jump Into Life!

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Jump Into Life! E-zine
Pump Up Your Energy, Creativity and Joy
This is a monthly "as I can get to it" newsletter with ideas, resources, stories and inspiration. If you are like me, you find it hard to get to those weekly ezines you subscribe to. (I either save them to read all at once or delete them feeling guilty because I might be missing something important. My hope is that this will arrive JUST when you are ready for a boost of energy and inspiration.)

April 2002 Volume #3
Kathie Hightower
kathie@jumpintolife.net

IN THIS ISSUE

Energy Tip: Breathe
A Second Key Creativity Question
Happiness Research: What it Means to You
Fun Products
Workshop Info

Energy Tip: Breathe!
Try an interesting experiment. Pay attention to your breathing during the day. Don’t try to change it for now. Just be aware.
If you are like most of us, you’ll be surprised how many times a day you actually hold your breath. Often we get so focused on what we are doing, we actually hold our breath — or at least, breath VERY shallowly.

Haven’t you ever taken an aerobics class and had the instructor yell at some point, "Don’t forget to breathe." And you notice that you indeed had forgotten as you concentrated so hard on which foot was going forward and which hand was going up. We do forget.

Add that to the fact, that most of us don’t breathe effectively when we do breathe. We tend to do what’s called shallow chest breathing which doesn’t allow us to take advantage of all the oxygen available to us.

And here’s the deal. Our red blood cells need oxygen. Otherwise you’ll feel fatigued. Ah hah! That’s the energy connection.
So…this isn’t going to be a full lesson in breathing techniques. We’ll do that in a future newsletter. For right now, first, stop reading this for a moment and take a deep breath…or two.

And add these two memory triggers to your day.
1. Each time the telephone rings, before you pick it up, stop and take a deep breath. Not only will you add more energy to yourself, you’ll add more energy to your voice, AND by taking that short pause, you’ll focus more carefully on the call.
2. Each time you stop at a red light, take deep breaths. You just might notice a difference in your energy (and stress) levels. Breathing effectively increases your energy as it decreases your stress. Now that’s what I call two-for-one! So 1-2-3 BREATHE!

A Second Key Question for Creativity
Last issue we talked about that important question: "How else can we use it?" to pump up your company’s innovative thinking, whether it’s for a product, a service, or a procedure.

Now let’s ask a variation on that: "How else do our client’s use it?" Customers can be very creative. They just might show you ways to expand your business if you pay attention and listen.

Recently a friend of mine announced in our women’s group that she was doing a bike ride in New Orleans and was concerned about the mosquitoes at that time of year. Four of us immediately said, "Get Avon’s Skin-So-Soft." Not one of the four uses Avon products but we all knew about this. That is powerful word-of-mouth marketing. When Avon came out with Skin So Soft I’m sure there wasn’t a thought of "Hey, we can use it for mosquito repellent." The customers figured that out and word spread. I wonder what percentage of sales come from mosquito-repellent stories rather than moisturizing properties?
I was thrilled to see Rubbermaid’s new "Hip Hugger" laundry basket. I can’t tell you how many plastic laundry baskets I’ve ruined by holding them on one side with the other against my hip as I opened the door to the laundry area, eventually breaking the plastic. Someone at Rubbermaid obviously noticed "How do our customers use it?" and created this new basket. It has a curve on one side for your hip — and handle’s on three sides you can carry it on your hip or out in front of you.

So…ask yourself that question for each product or service you provide. You just might find a market expansion you hadn’t planned on.

To read a longer article on this subject, go to www.jumpintolife.net/writingcreative.html/

Happiness Research — What it means to you
To continue with some of those research results from the American Psychological Association. The paradox of "flow." Mihaly Csikszentmmihalyi, director of the Quality of Life Research Center in California and author of Creativity and other books, coined the term "flow" as one of the positive states that bring us happiness.

Flow is that state of single-minded focus that many of us — from athletes to artists, scientists to gardeners, writers to quilters — achieve at times. It requires us doing something that poses a challenge and demands full attention, so lying on the beach doesn’t qualify. Neither does passively watching TV. People who experience flow experience it as extremely positive leaving them filled with well-earned contentment.

The paradox is that many of the folks who have flow don’t appreciate it, according to Csikszentmihalyi. As he reports, many folks who feel creative and excited and in flow while working often say they’d rather be doing something else — like lying on the beach.

I can find periods of flow in a wide variety of activities — from creating a newsletter for my professional speaker chapter to gardening to kayaking to getting lost in long discussions with friends.

Want more joy in life? Put yourself into activities that put you in flow. Take on that new challenge you’ve been talking about for so long. It’s good for your happiness. Which is good for your health. So…what are you waiting for? Jump INTO life.

Share a Tip
Share an example of a creative use of this question — it can be your own company or a local, national or international firm. Just for sharing, you’ll get a free copy of my Joyful Living Booklet — with 75 ways to add more joy to your daily life. Email me at kathy@jumpintolife.net

Fun Products
While we work on our Follow Your Dream While You Follow the Military™ book, we have some other products that can help you create and live your dream! To order any of these call Kathie tollfree at 866-569-5695 or email or fax in an order— see contact info at the bottom. And, yes, I can take Visa or MC (does that make us professional or what?) The easiest way to order is to go to the product part of the website, www.jumpintolife.net, and download an order form to fax or mail or call in.

Creative Living Audiotape Set:
2tapes (120minutes) on the joyful living concept & goal achieving tools, tips & resources) $12

Your Enchanted Life: A Journal of Discovery & Delight (a playbook full of exercises & action steps) $18

Simple Joys: Little Things That Make a BIG Difference (a pocket-size book with one idea per page) $6
*similar ideas in a booklet that can mail in a #10 envelope are in the Joyful Living Booklet $3

Magic Rainbow Glasses (see the good in Everything) $6

As Is pewter pins (Show the world you are already quite wonderful just the way you are – faults and all!) $25

A Jump Into Life Workshop at your company or organization?
I do one-hour, four-hour and all day programs (and I prefer the longer ones — so much great info to share). Check out the workshops at www.jumpintolife.net/workshops.html.

Forward this Ezine
Feel free to forward this ezine to your friends. I’m happy to have you use any of the articles in this ezine (or any posted on my website) in your newsletters or publications providing you ask me first, include the byline I provide and then provide
me with a copy for my records and celebration!

Copyright 2002 Hightower

List Maintenance
To subscribe:
Send an email to kathie@jumpintolife.net with "subscribe" in the subject line. If you’d also like to be on my snailmail list for very occasional mailings, include your snailmail address and a note of how long you expect to be there.

To unsubscribe:
Send an email to kathie@jumpintolife.net with unsubscribe in the subject line.

Contact Me
Kathie Hightower
Jump Into Life Seminars
kathie@jumpintolife.net
2908 N. Warner Street, Tacoma, Wa 98407;
Tollfree866-569-5695; 253-761-8161; 253-759-4009(fax)

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