Janine is interviewed on Season 12, Episode 5 of The Creative Genius podcast by Gail Doby. Interior design is demanding work, involving thousands of detailed decisions, project challenges and competing personalities. That can give rise to a lot of friction and stress. While you can’t eliminate every stressor, you can minimize them by establishing good project management practices and cultivating mental fitness.

Happy holidays! For some, this time of year is not that happy, and it’s difficult to feel joyful or playful. I get it. For me, years of stuffing my difficult feelings (fear, shame, grief, anger, etc) came with the unfortunate result of stuffing my joy. You see, you can’t just stuff the hard feelings, they all get stuffed. And there’s the rub.

Your mind can be a great asset. It can also be your greatest enemy. Most of us are surviving, with our “survival brain” on co-pilot, fueled by fear and judgment, and generating a negative mindset most of the time. There is a solution!

We still have the same twenty-four hours we always had, but it feels like less and less; doesn’t it? There are probably several factors, technology being one of them, with so many ways that people can demand our attention. And then there’s social media (don’t get me started).. You can’t do much about the external factors, but you can reign in your thoughts and habits that are contributing to the problem.

Acceptance is the answer. Acceptance doesn’t mean condoning bad behavior, or hitting ‘snooze’ again because there’s nothing you can do about the situation. It’s about looking reality in the face and admitting, “Yup, it is like this right now.”

Join us as we delve into the world of stress-free projects with Janine Aurichio, a mental fitness coach specializing in the construction industry.

In The Blue Zones project by Dan Buettner, one key component of people living to 100, and living well, is that they have sense of purpose and deeper meaning in their lives. In Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit 1 is to be proactive, to have a personal vision. Navigate is one of the five Sage Powers in Positive Intelligence®. The four pillars of my business are Beauty, Wisdom, Purpose and Practice. What’s all the fuss about?!

Appreciation, compassion, awe, play, curiosity, and meaning are all powers of your Sage that can help you navigate challenging times and turn that frown upside down. This time of year can be one of those challenging times for a lot of people. Here are a few helpful strategies and tips based on the Positive Intelligence® operating system.

Perhaps someone comes to mind when you read “Difficult” people. Chances are, you find this person “difficult” because they have strong Saboteurs. When our Saboteurs are driving the bus, the ride is bumpy, unpredictable, volatile, and chaotic. When someone is hijacked by their Saboteurs, they are coming from a place of fear, reactivity and habit. If we’re not careful, we will quickly devolve into Saboteur mode as well because of mirror neurons (our nervous system starts to reflect the nervous state of those around us). Do not fuel their Saboteurs with your fear, negativity or reactivity! There is nowhere to go but down from here.

Have you ever noticed that when someone tells you they have been really productive, they’re usually not happy? Or worse, they are downright exhausted or stressed. Let’s take the glory out of productivity.Prosperity is about meeting your external goals with lasting happiness and inner peace. This comes from the Sage space of expansion, ease, clarity and meaning. Creatives don’t produce, they create. Do you think Matisse, Alvin Ailey or Sister Parish talked about being productive? I doubt it. Creativity is inspired, flowing, energizing, and mysterious.

Do any of these ring true? You don’t bill all of your time (or worse, maybe you don’t even track it). You consistently send invoices late. You haven’t raised your rates lately (or ever). If so, your Imposter (aka The Judge) is at work. This post discusses strategies to shush your imposter, lower stress and grow prosperity.

Janine Aurichio on A Well Designed Business podcast Power Talk Friday with LuAnn Nigara, discussing mental fitness, saboteurs and sages, and the simple operating system to take back command of your mind.