The Partner Channel Magazine Summer 2017 Final 2

Are they ready
for us yet?!
Instead of
complaints, I’ll share
videos of baby goats
jumping over things.
Everybody loves those
baby goats!
They found that naturally arising time markers, like
the first day of summer, New Year’s Day, and even just
Mondays, help us disconnect from past imperfections,
making it easier to leave bad habits behind. They also posited
that these time markers disrupt our focus on the minutiae of
our daily routines, triggering us to step back and take a big-picture
view of life, helping us make decisions about what we’d like to change.
To prove their theories, the authors systematically studied the habits
of thousands of their fellow students and found that gym attendance is
higher on Mondays than on all other days, and that students exercise more
both at the start of a new semester and on the first day after a school break.
And so, I think it’s safe to say that new weeks, seasons, and semesters give
wind to our fitness fresh starts, giving us higher chances of success.
But, what of our fitness in so many other important areas of our lives,
like our emotional well-being, our relationships, our professional success
and growth? If there were a Fitbit®-like device I could wear to track
my temper flare-ups, sarcastic remarks, or misaligned prioritization
decisions, I’d strongly consider wearing it daily, even though the readings
might be daunting. As a society, we’re not shy about announcing to our
friends and colleagues when we’re trying to “get fit” or “in shape.” We
post details about our amazing workouts and clean eating recipes until
even our real-life friends want to unfriend us. But, when it’s our attitudes,
emotional intelligence, or ability to manage stress that is in most need
of improvement – mum’s the word. And that’s too bad, because our
hesitancy to be open about these universal struggles is causing us to miss
out on the proven benefits of fresh starts.
It’s time for a mindset reset. Let’s take a cue from my friend Lynette
and more frequently start our accounts anew. For those of you who
don’t know Lynette, here are more reasons: In his book “Understanding
the Entrepreneurial Mind,” author Alan L. Carsrud states that negative
thinking from entrepreneurs in a negative mood could lead to decisions
which are more likely to be poor for their venture. The book also highlights
that positive-thinking entrepreneurs who have direct contact with their
customers are more likely to persuade a potential customer to try a new
product. That’s because positivity is contagious. In an article published in
THEPARTNERCHANNEL.COM | SUMMER 2017 31