work Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

December 16, 2016 By Sharon Weinstein

Your Environment…your choice

Your environment is your space…it is your body, and the settings in which you live, work, and play. Your body probably started out on an even playing field 25 or more years ago. And, your home and work settings have influenced your body’s ability to adapt – to thrive and survive today and forever. Think about where you live, work and play, and think about the sources of stress that present on an almost daily basis and influence your ability to be well and to stay well.

Let’s begin with choice! The choices that you make, about what you put into your body and that with which you surround yourself, impact your outcomes – how well you feel, how productive you are, and how good you look. Are the choices that you are making healthy, or will they impair function? For example, is a can of soda on your desktop – eager to turn your body into an acidic environment that will slow you down, swell you up, and put you to sleep? I hope not!

The work-life connection

A crisis exists today. Millions of people are unwell, suffering from the stresses that are part of modern living: lack of sleep, poor nutrition (and obesity), exposure to dangerous pollutants, no exercise, and time pressures. And people — millions of people — are looking for solutions.

Workplace wellness programs are beginning to earn their place among necessities within the environment. Model programs for disease management are decreasing days lost from work, enhancing lifestyle, and increasing performance. As workweeks are expanding and stress levels are rising, more hours are spent at the workplace, and health takes a toll.

One of the greatest sources of stress for workers, regardless of professional role, is work-related. We all have the same requisite number of hours in a day – only 24. And yet, we try to extend those hours and make them equal 36 or more. It is virtually impossible, and our productivity demonstrates our failure to adhere to the ‘work day’ as a somewhat normal work day.

A workplace is only as good as how it treats its workers. Today’s employers are constantly seeking ways to assist their workers in managing their job responsibilities and their personal responsibilities and needs. Strategies for work/life balance help create supportive, healthy work environments; strengthen employee commitment and loyalty; and result in more productive workplaces and improved customer satisfaction.

As professionals, we have expectations from our work environment, from those with whom we work, and our future. Oprah Winfrey suggests that, “right now you are one choice away from a new beginning—one that leads you toward becoming the fullest human being you can be.”

If your path is paved with good intentions, but your work is unrewarding and your time is not your own, negotiate. Think things over and make a change. Negotiate for change in the workplace; work with your employer to improve the environment, your outcomes, and the company’s success.

As workweeks are expanding and stress levels are rising, more hours are spent at the workplace, and health takes a toll. Initiatives aimed at producing a healthy workforce, enhancing recruitment and retention, decreasing overall healthcare costs, and enhancing productivity and bottom line are evolving. Workplace Wellness Programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many individuals need in order to make lifestyle changes. Embark on the journey to workplace wellness…and begin by treating your staff well!

It’s your choice! It’s your business! It’s your future! Make it a healthy one…

Life Balance…it is what I do and who I am! I work with organizations that want to learn how life balance can drive safety, satisfaction, and success!

Sharon is an energetic, motivating and highly skilled professional speaker and author specializing in work/life balance. After all, she wrote the book. She is the founder of SharonMWeinstein, an LLC and two not-for-profits.

She holds the coveted Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, the highest earned international recognition for professional speakers. This makes her one of only 12% of all speakers to hold this designation and one of only 22 nurses in the world with this credential. www.sharonmweinstein.com

Are you ready to embrace a life in balance in 2017 and beyond?

December 11, 2016 By Sharon Weinstein

How many times have you failed?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Think about it! Long before Walt Disney built Disneyland, he was told he lacked creativity. Before Arianna Huffington launched Huffington Post, 36 publishers rejected her second book. Consider Bill Gates, whose first company was a disaster, with a product that barely worked.

Nobody wants to fail, but even the brightest and most successful people have faced this challenge at some point in their careers. Life is a constant seesaw. Most of us teeter between our achievements and our mistakes.

Some mistakes are greater than others. Have you ever made a mistake? Have you missed your sales target, blown a presentation, or lost an opportunity?

How does failure affect us? What is one career or life failure that has taught you something about yourself? – Failure happens – whether we want to admit it or not. But we can turn our failures into learning experiences that enable us to do better next time.

What about your job history? Did you ever accept a position that was a huge mistake – and you just knew that you were not in the right place at the right time? I certainly did – I did not vet the future employer; I did not do my homework. I did not realize that there were 5 people in my position in the previous 3 years and that the fact that I needed to fire my predecessor was a message not to be missed. Mistake – yes? Failure – no!

Take action and move on. How do you get things back on track? Deal with your mistake head on, and then advance to the next thing. Start your next project, look at new ventures or consider a new task at hand. Remember your hard-learned lessons as you keep moving forward, and you’ll emerge stronger and more resilient than before. Join the ranks of Huffington, Disney, and Gates…who overcame failure and achieved success!

November 27, 2016 By Sharon Weinstein

What’s in a name?

Is your name more famous than you are? What’s in a name? I once had a neighbor named John Carson; when he made a hotel or airline reservation, he used the name ‘Johnny Carson.’ Don’t you think that he got a great seat, or an upgrade to first class or a suite? Names can also be a detriment. What if your name is that of a misdirected politician (think John Edwards), or a serial killer? Does your website reflect your actual name? Does you brand reflect who and what you are? Have you ever been mistaken for someone else, or had someone pull back when you introduced yourself by your ‘real name?’

The world is filled with John Carsons, Michael Jacksons, Chris Browns, Elizabeth Taylors and Brad Pitts forced to field comments about their more famous namesakes. download Many people share their names with famous people, including:

Justin Bieber from Jacksonville
Beyoncé from New York
Matt LeBlanc from Canada
Bill Gates from Chicago
Sandra Bullock from Connecticut
Kate Middleton from Brisbane
John Carson from Denton

Is your name an icebreaker, or a nuisance? Is your name more famous than you?

July 26, 2015 By Sharon Weinstein

Time…and commitments

We all have the same number of hours in a day…just 24! It took me years to understand that concept as I continued to work 100 hour weeks, 2 weeks of each month for 10 years in the former Soviet Union or Central and Eastern Europe. Time was not a consideration – the fact that there was so much to be done to create the infrastructure for updated health systems and nursing excellence was a priority. And, I worked hard and loved it. As I reflect on the past, I would not change a thing. I have had an incredible opportunity to impact many lives in the process, and I have many friends worldwide. How we spend our time is our choice, and as I rediscovered myself and fine-tuned my own commitments, I knew that change was on the horizon. I respectfully resigned from boards and committees, and chose what would work for me. I redefined my own choices, and they include: www.gedinfp.com, www.ihfglobal.com, www.smwgroupllc.com, www.corelimited.com, and www.sharonmweinstein.com. I still have 24 hours in each day…just like each of you! I still honor my commitments with the same energy and fulfillment! But, I have found time to continue to give back to society and to honor what matters most – family!

February 27, 2014 By Sharon Weinstein

Is your time your own?

Have you ever thought that your life, your time, was not your own? I have! And, it was true in so many ways. My life is simplified now, compared to the years between 1992 and 2004, when I worked about 100 hours per week and traveled monthly to countries in Eastern Europe. At that time, I directed the office of international affairs for a large hospital alliance, and 50 percent of my time was sub-contracted to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). My role was to foster international partnerships between U.S. hospitals and their foreign counterparts. I loved the work, I loved the people with whom I interacted, and I loved my job. The hours were extreme, and I found myself in a constant state of catching-up and was always tired. Now, with a self-imposed work week of 40 hours, I feel I have dramatically simplified my life. I now have time to work, write, teach, be with family, and give back to society. I have simplified my life by keeping up with less, not more.

I’ve taken lessons learned in less developed countries to heart as I have simplified my life. In my travels, I witnessed firsthand how simple life can be. Immediately following the earthquake in Yerevan, Armenia, on December 7, 1988, the only decent housing was in a former government hotel. Although we had neither heat nor hot water, I had a roof over my head and a clean bed. When there was no food in the hospital, our hosts found moldy bread. We ate this for weeks—sometimes with cheese or tomato sauce—and always with an appreciation for what we had. Although it was impossible to get hot water in a tub, we could use an electric coil to warm some water and rinse the shampoo out of our hair. Our colleagues lacked so much, but their refinement of spirit and passion for their work were unsurpassed. They lived a simple life—nearly a sparse life—yet a life of gratitude.

Now, as I visit this part of the world and see the progress that has been made, I am sometimes saddened by the fact that my colleagues are now living more complex lives, just as I once did. They too are burning the candle at both ends; they too are dealing with car pools, school-aged kids, aging parents, and work-life balance. Call it progress…I do not!

To start the process: