D. Sweeney, COO, EnergyWatch Inc.

Alina R. Haitz

Dennis Schwandtner, Line Manager, YES Inc.

His most important tip: take the first 90 minutes of your day to focus on the most important project on your plate. This is a high performance part of the day and we work in natural cycles of 90 minutes.

Renew your Business through Innovative Thinking:
Moving from Surviving to Thriving in the New Economy
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Kurt Vonnegut said, “I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”

It’s pretty clear whether we like it or not, a lot of us are on an edge we didn’t ask for.

So now what do you do?

Do you shrink back in fear or do you get curious, even a little bit excited, and look over the edge into the precipice. That’s what some fledgling, but insightful companies did in previous downturns — and today they are the ones you remember, like Apple and Microsoft, both founded in the middle of an oil crisis and the terrible recession of the mid-1970s.

Similarly, this moment in time presents a vast opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business people to think different and to think big. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates didn’t make the mistake of postponing innovation initiatives until the worst of the storm blew over, and you shouldn’t either. In the current “changing of the guard”, as some of the bigger dominant businesses fall away, those of us willing to innovate and produce new kinds of goods and services in new, economic ways – will have a much clearer field in which to grow.

Well, the what if, up! game takes a new approach. Instead of “what if, down…” you can play “What if…something wonderful occurs.” So, fed up with all the negative news about “the economy”, I decided to play “What if…Up!” instead.

What if the changes to our economy make me a more thoughtful purchaser of goods and services?

What if this environment makes me more innovative in my business? A better negotiator? A stronger salesperson?

What if I’m able to tap more resources of courage, resiliency and creativity than before?

What if I bring my spending in line with my most important values?

What if I now take time to enjoy the parts of life that don’t cost anything?

What if this “correction” allows me to make better choices for myself?

What if these changing times bring me to a simpler existence that gives me more space and less stuff?

What if it challenges my creativity in the kitchen?

You get the idea! If it has come to you, it has come for you. (Not against you.) I can hardly wait to see what good is coming from the changes of 2009! There, I feel better already.

Here’s how it works.  Use a timer and grab a notebook and a pen. Set the timer for 7.5 minutes. Write at the top of a page: I am so happy and grateful for: and keep writing until the timer goes off. It’s amazing to me how many wonderful things occur each day that may escape my grateful attention until I start writing. For example, today, I am grateful for a lovely visit with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law for lunch. We caught up on family and enjoyed each other’s company including meaningful conversation. I’m grateful for my local florist who created two lovely bouquets for me today, one of which was free as I’m a frequent shopper! I appreciate the hug I got from my 3 year old neighbor, John, who is delightfully curious about all of our activities and for the welcome home greeting from another 3 year old in the neighborhood named Gavin. I appreciate speaking with my brother on the occasion of his birthday today and the memoires I have of meeting him for the first time when I was five. And so it goes for 7.5 minutes. Then I turn the page, set the timer for another 15 minutes and start writing about the future things I want to bring into my world: I am so grateful that I now attract: Tickets to Spain at a wonderful rate, a business manager for my business, the perfect attendees to join me in my new venture called “Harmony in the Home.” Continue writing for 7.5 minutes getting into the feeling of having those items right now.

What I’ve noticed since I began this practice is that my wish list comes down to some basic essences. It’s not the stuff but the experience. So, I want freedom, expansion, fulfillment, etc. And when I’m clear about the essences, I can focus on the areas in my life where I already have those essences. Vibrating in those essences today, I more easily attract more of the same in the future.

Try it! It’s only 15 minutes and it feels great!