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A creative office space INCREASES production

Have you ever sat down at your desk and became overwhelmed by the piles of paper needing to be filed or stacks of books to be read/donated? I sure have and it is a constant struggle for me to keep my office an area of optimum production. I remember an interview that I saw of Donald Trump. The reporter asked him, why is your office so messy? And The Donald said so eloquently, “it’s a sign of a genius at work”. While I would love to think of myself as a genius, the fact is when my office is messy and cluttered, I tend to be scatter-brained…a far cry from a genius.

So, here are a few steps to take in order to create a workspace that motivates production:

Step 1  Determine what motivates you.  Are you motivated by money?  Sales numbers?  Praise?  What about success quotes or inspirational words?  Are you motivated to save enough money to take your family on that amazing vacation you’ve been dreaming about or are you looking to purchase a luxury item?  Determine what motivates you first and foremost.  You can accomplish this by asking yourself a few questions.
    What do you like best about your job or business?
    What fills your day with the most joy?
    What are your goals and why are they your goals?

Step 2.  Make your workspace attractive to you.  For some this may mean bright colors and clean lines.  Other people prefer a more Zen-like feel and choose neutral colors and minimal embellishments.  What is your style?  Take it and bring it into your workspace.

Step 3.  Make your workspace personal.  If you’re inspired by Benjamin Franklin success quotes “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”  Then post them.  Hang pictures of your family or calming scenes.  If you’re saving for a vacation, perhaps a picture of that location posted in your workspace will help motivate you on those difficult days.  Motivated by money, post your current sales and your sales goals where you can see them at all times.

Step 4.  Reduce clutter.  Organize, organize, organize.  Clutter is a time stealer.  If you know where everything is, and everything has a place, then you’re headed in the right direction.  De-clutter your desktop by investing in a file cabinet or go paperless by investing in a scanner.  De-clutter your computer by organizing your work into files and storing them in larger files.  For example you could have a business folder and within that large folder you could have client folder or project folder.  Each sub folder would then have all of the documents and relevant files stored right there for easy access.

Step 5.  Add music, scents, and plants to make your workplace as pleasing as possible.  You don’t want it to be so relaxing that it puts you to sleep but you do want to feel inspired to work.  

Step 6.  Make sure your desk, desk chair, and computer keyboard are all adjusted to be comfortable for you.  An ergonomically designed workspace is a productive one.  You can’t get much done if your back is killing you from a poorly designed chair or you’re getting carpal tunnel from a misplaced keyboard.  Take the time to invest in comfortable office furniture – your business, body, and bottom line will reward you for the efforts.

Share your thoughts with me.

trevord@nhww.org

Check out my blog’s:

Blog: Life's Worth Living to the Fullest

Blog: RandomThoughts @trevordrinen

Blog: Relevant Devotions

Blog: Sex, Marriage, AND Family

Blog: Small Groups "Doing Life Together"

Blog: Spiritualness AND Reality

Online at:

www.nhww.org
www.drinenfamily.org

Solitude Is UNDER VALUED

02.06.14

The value of scheduling some time for yourself each and everyday is truly priceless.

By unplugging learning to enjoy silence and your own company enables you to taking time for the things that are important to you, and just might increase your self-esteem. 

By creating margins, times, and spending time alone you character will be refined and others will develop more respect for you and your time.

One of the simplest ways to add some solitude in your life is by walking, reading at the park, or looking for things in nature to take a picture of.

I'd be honored to hear how you spend your solitude and how it benefits you.

Getting up and building resilience can deeply improve you daily life.

02.05.14

Batman Begins is one of my favorite movies and contains a powerful statement when young Bruce asks, "Why do we fall?" The reply is simple yet profound. "So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

Learning to get up and building resilience can deeply improve you daily life. 

Resilience increases your character and your ability to cope with stress and pressures; as / when they take place. If you only think about stress when it occurs; you will always feel as if your fighting an uphill battle. 

If you take the time to breathe deeply, think, and then implement a possible coping strategies in your life, you greatly reduce your exposure to stress.  

This small step can increase your resilience, add depth to your character, reducing stress, improve your health and increase personal effectiveness in your everyday life.

Here's to getting back up today!

I'd be honored to hear about one step you're going to take to get back up and add resilience into your life.

 

Learn from mistakes and continuing to move forward.

02.04.14 

Have the clouds liquified and settled on the sand? Or have I taken another imperfect picture in a imperfect world?

As individuals we need to accept our imperfections an shortcomings.  We need to stop striving to be everything for everyone.

Nobody gets everything right every time; as long as you learn from your mistakes, you will continue to move forward in life. 

Like the ocean waves that relentlessly pounds against the cliffs - Never stop. No matter the odds, no matter what others have said to crush your dreams, dare to dream and see your dreams become reality.

12 Quotes & 1 Picture To Brighten Your Day

As I woke up to the sound of rain, I decided to sit in bed and just be still for a few minutes this morning.  The continuous sounds of the smoothing rain cleared my mind and as my feet touched the floor I decided to come up with some motivational / inspirational quotes to illuminate your day. 

After you read these motivational quotes, 'd be honored to hear which one inspired, encouraged, or caused you to think the most.  

My hope is that you will be energized and be able to take one step today towards turning your ideas into a reality.

"In order to success, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." Bill Cosby

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

"Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it." Bruce Lee

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." Bill Gates

"Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." Dale Carnegie

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Be the change that you want to see in the world." M. Gandhi

"It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership and success." Nelson Mandela

"We're born with success. It is only others who point out our failures, and what they attribute to is as failure." Whoopi Goldberg

"Failures to heroic minds are the stepping stones to success." Thomas Chandler 

“Your destiny doesn’t create you. You create your own destiny.” Unknown

Life just might be found

02.03.14

If one doesn't breathe death will find them quickly. If one lives for money fortune may come yet the cost may be great. If one lives within the moment - taking everything in - life just might be found.

Living each day as an adventure and living to tell tall tales about it!

02.02.14 

After standup paddling past the twin islands, fighting the Pacific Oceans current that violently tried to push is out to sea, pressing against mother natures wind and rain - J and I enjoyed simply hanging and talking story about our most recent adventure - it's struggles, victories, and moments of fear; while, sipping an ice cold root beer and drawing in the sand.

Here's to living each day as an adventure and living to tell tall tales about it!

Pre Sunrise snap with Jupiter in sky

01.31.14 snap of this mornings pre sunrise with Jupiter in the sky

Anxiety + Fear = ?

01.30.14 I woke up this morning feeling a bit of anxiety mixed with a dash of fear.

Why?

1) Mindful about $$$$ (but who isn't to some degree)

2) Feeling fearful about situations beyond my control (PDST / Work)

It wasn't until I made the decision to pull over, stop, and get out of my truck to watch the sunrise that is was able to calm these seemingly relentless emotions.  As I stood on the cobble stone wall waiting two simple timeless truths came to mind:

1) No matter what, be present right where you are. The tricky part of life (and a secret to great communication) is paying attention - embracing the everyday, imperfect right now, and then making something of it.

 

2) When feeling afraid, press in. Each of us have an instinctive physiological response to uncertain and possibly threatening situations, which causes a chemical reaction or readies one either to resist forcibly or run away (commonly known as "fight or flight") 

Watching the sunrise while experiencing both of these very real emotions due to external circumstance - I decided breathed deeply and decided to once again dig in and forge ahead.

Here's to today and all the possibilities it hold despite my emotions.

 

Broken, yet I trust opportunities can be found

01.25.14 

With every new sunrise,

Within the dawn of each new day,

Hope, second chances, and opportunities are held out for each.

Someday we do not see, feel, or since it.

While it appears effortless for others to grasp.

Here's to the dawn of a new day.

Here's to the sunrise, the warmth it gives, the life it breathes, and to each second chance it brings.

#sunrise #honolulu #oahu #hawaii #hawaiianisland #808 by #trevordrinen 

When The Sun Comes Up

01.24.14 

When the sun comes up, it's radiant colors stretch across the morning sky, 

and it's gentle embrace warms my skin.

When the sky is grey, 

and the rain comes down, 

I'm chilled and quickly take cover.

Each sunrise brings a time when the air is clean, my mind is at peace, and all truths seem clear.

-Trevor Drinen

sunrise, olomana, kailua, hawaii, oahu, tgif, alohafriday, by trevordrinen

Wake, For The Sun

01.23.14

Wake! For the Sun, who scatter'd into flight

The Stars before him from the Field of Night,

Drives Night along with them from Heav'n,

and strikes

The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light

By Omar Khayyám

Peaceful Silence

01.22.14 .... peaceful silence.... Sometimes walking alone and simply taking in ones surrounding is just what the doctor ordered

Discovering Timeless Treasures with Others

01.21.14 Sharing a sunrise or sunset with someone is like discovering a timeless treasure.  It requires us to breathing deeply and be 100% in the moment at hand or we'll end up in an amazing moment only to see it as a common.

 

Why NOT play in the sand?

01.21.14 why play in the sand? There is no right way to use sand. There's no rules, guidelines, or limitations to the sand.  It calls ones imagination and invites total participation; it permits children to make and test hypotheses; while, testing each adults ability to be a child again and have fun. 

It stretches the imagination; it provides a potentially soothing sensory experience; and it is an excellent avenue for developing deeper physical, cognitive, and social skills. 

Why? How? Because sand play is open-ended, each individual determines the direction and path of his or her own play. This freedom then clears the way to unbound creative concepts each time we dare to engage.

Here's to getting airborne and launching off the sand hills with all it's screams and thrills!  To rolling down sand covered hills!  And to deeply enjoying each sandy thrill - young and old alike the sand calls us out to play, create, and test or limits once again.

What's your favorite moment about playing in the sand? 

#sand #oahu #hawaii #kailua #kailuabeach #selfhelp #randomthoughts #questions by #trevordrinen 

Martin Luther King Jr. 9 Inspirational Wallpapers & 25+ quotes

01.20.14 Playing a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired a generation with his stirring lectures, speeches and dialogues.  Today, January 20th, 2014 we honor his memory, Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983 and was observed for the first time three years later. It is celebrated on the third Monday in January, to mark King’s birthday, January 15.

Thousands if not hundreds of thousands across the nation will attend church services, tributes and service projects to honor Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory on January 20, a federal holiday.

In 1994, legislation was passed to create Martin Luther King Day of Service – to encourage citizens to use the federal holiday as an opportunity to give back to their communities. Considered a “day on, not a day off” individuals are encouraged to work towards King’s vision of a “Beloved Community.”

“As I reflect on the legacy of my father, the greatest aspect is his legacy of peace. He reminded us that ‘the choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence; it is between nonviolence or nonexistence,’” Bernice A. King, wrote about her father in the Huffington Post, adding that this year commemorates the 50 year anniversary since King received the Nobel Peace Prize, and the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

“Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence is more relevant, I believe, than it was 10 years ago,” King told Reuters referencing the number of school shootings and increasingly violent movies, television shows and video games. “America has an enormous appetite for violence. I don’t know why we have such an affinity for that, but I do know it has to stop,” she said.

King was the youngest man to be selected for the prestigious honor of the Nobel Peace Prize at 35 years old .  At the time, he announced he would give the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. MLK was assassinated four years later in Memphis, Tennessee.

For those wishing to pay tribute to King’s message and legacy, below are 9 inspirational quotes from the civil rights leader.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” 

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to Justice, Peace and Brotherhood.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

“Everything we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve.  You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.  You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love.”

“We may all have come in different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

Here are some additional MLK quotes of various subjects:

On Leadership

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”

On Love

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

On Helping Others

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

On Faith

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land.”

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

“Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.”

On Tolerance

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

May we each aspire to attain such great heights.

Enjoying the moment at hand

01.15.14 some moments seem longer and than others. Somedays seem to pass bye within the blink of an eye.  

Here's to pausing, unplugging, and enjoying a moment in the day: a sunrise, a gentle breeze, a cloud passing over head, a bird singing, a refreshing rain, the warmth of a fire, a saltwater bath, a drink, a meal with a friend, solitude, a sunset, a good night story or day closing night cap.... 

good day & good night.

The "Happiness" and Self-Help Industry is a multi-million dollar business By Guest Writer Gabe Cabagbag!

I recently wrote a post titled,<a href="http://trevordrinen.wordpress.com/2014/01/14/lost-in-my-mind-self-help-happiness-vs-sadness/"> Lost In my mind: Self-help, Happiness vs Sadness</a>.  

The following was taken from a conversation with a friend Gabe Cabagbag.

Realizing how much I define things through cultural translations and generational expectations (said / unsaid)

 I think it's perfectly healthy to feel all aspects of emotions, especially during major season changes in your life. Like everything else in life, it's about a balance. 

Grieving when you're sad, being pissed off when something bad happens- all emotions that make us human-  are necessary in dealing with real-life situations.

I personally think the notion of happiness is very subjective. If you continually have the need to keep seeking it out, you will never find it. 

Much like success, how does one define being "successful"? Is it in the achievements they have? The material possessions they own? Or is it in the meaningful relationships they have with others. Or maybe their own self-worth and contentment in their lives.

The "happiness" and self-help industry is a multi-million dollar business and it's no surprise that we constantly see advertisements, books, and seminars everywhere aiming to make us feel better about ourselves.

I think if we are able to just deal with stressful situations in a positive way and find inner peace we are able to live healthy, happy lives. 

Keep it simple. Do what you love. Believe in what you do. Love on others.

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