Happy & Healthy in Business and Life

You may or may not know who Serena from The Farm Chicks is.  She is a wonderful blogger and super creative person that has written cookbooks, is a contributing editor for Country living Magazine, founded The Farm Chicks Show (antiques and such) and lives way over on the opposite coast from me in Washington.  I follow her blog (and follow her on Face Book) and enjoy her craft projects, recipes, decorating style and tips and more.  But most of all, I eat up the business advice she offers.  Recently she had a blog post that really struck a note with me.  Titled, "On Being Healthy In Business and Life" it outlines this basic: don't compromise yourself and surround yourself with people that will hold you up not break you down. Do business with people that you respect and treat you well.  I have been personally struggling with some nay-sayers and running into a bit of resistance and some obstacles lately and this just made me feel soo much better!  I asked her if I could re post her blog post here on blog to share with you.  And she wrote back and said yes (she wrote to me!!!).

Here she is, and isn't she great!?

Find a link to her article within her blog here:  http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2012/02/on-being-healthy-in-business-and-life.html

"Oh Being Healthy In Business and Life

Today I wanted to talk about business as a creative person and being happy in what you do. There's so much out there in the way of magazines, blogs, websites, etc. And you know, it's easy to sort of feel like what you're doing just doesn't measure up.

I'm here to tell you that's not a good way to think. And it's not healthy for you.

I'd like to tell you my opinion: Visit sites that inspire you, make you laugh, or leave you feeling good.

Stop visiting sites that make you feel bad. Maybe they have a lofty tone or an air of superiority. Or maybe they're negative. And here's why I say stop. Would you be friends with someone who makes you feel that way? I wouldn't. Because we all just want to be happy, right?

Surround yourself with good. Do good. Be good to yourself, so that you can be even better to those you love. And then, they'll be better, and better to their friends too.

And the same holds true in business. Do business with people you respect. That treat you well. That appreciate your business, however small it may be. I love that I know my printer and his family, that my postman knows my name, and that my internet team is full of positive, good people.

And with others in your field, surround yourself with the ones who have ethics. Who build others up. When you're good, you attract good, and the negative weeds itself out. You'll find that it is possible to love what you do. And you know what? Pretty soon, your field will be free of all the bad seeds and will do nothing but flourish.

Happy = Healthy. I'm living proof".

As a quick update about some of "my team"...

Here in my small town of Freeport, MAINE my soap label printer does know my name.  And when I go in to pick up labels, they take the time to ask me how I am and what is new with my business and to tell me that they think they are printing more and more labels for me.  And when I order supplies from my raw ingredient supplier, Craig asks me "how is the soap business"?  He tells me that he really likes my soap and he needs to get down to the Farmers Market again to sniff some more soaps.  And Janet from the post office always is happy to see me and says "see you later, Shannon".  These are just 3 of the people on my "team" that I am happy to work with.