Jingle Bells, Jumping Sales
Retailers can expect to see solid sales gains this holiday season, according to the Chicago-based research firm ShopperTrak. Merchants are predicted to see a 3.3-percent revenue increase in November and December, just slightly below last year’s holiday boost of 3.7 percent. But it’s not like it was in the good ol’ days. During past economic booms, the biggest shopping season of the year often brought revenue increases of five percent or more.
Stop and Smell the Roses
According to a study of more than 68,000 people from the University College London and the University of Edinburgh, those who reported experiencing anxiety were significantly more likely to die over a 10-year period than those who did not. Even those with low levels of psychological distress were 23 percent more likely to die from accidents or injuries, and 25 percent more likely to die from heart disease, stroke or heart failure. A good night’s sleep, a healthy diet and exercise can all help reduce your stress — and potentially lengthen your life.
America’s Expanding Waistline
By 2030 more than half of the country will be obese, according to a recent projection from the nonpartisan policy group, Trust for America’s Health. About two-thirds of Americans are currently overweight, 36 percent of which are obese (defined as having a BMI of 30 or more). In less than two decades, it’s predicted that 13 states will have obesity rates above 60 percent, 39 states will have rates over 50 percent, and no state will have a rate less than 44 percent. Illinois’ obesity rate, currently at 27 percent, is expected to jump to 54 percent. Medical costs from treating obesity-related diseases are also likely to increase to $66 billion annually by 2030.
Young Leaders’ Young Dreams
What do you want to be when you grow up? When you pose that question to children today, you’ll still get some classic answers (firefighter, police officer) while others will come up with a more unique, sometimes impossible response (Spiderman, SpongeBob SquarePants). This year’s class of 40 Leaders had big goals and aspirations as children… some quirkier than others! Here’s what they wanted to be when they grew up:
- Brian Johnson: “Professional bull rider…and [I]ended up doing it twice when I was 18.”
- Travis McGlasson: “A lawyer, astronaut and president of the United States.”
- Ashley Spain: “An Avon lady. My grandma sold Avon and I loved to play in all of her merchandise when I’d visit her, putting makeup orders together for customers and totaling up their bills.”
- Michelle Agnew: “A ‘lawer.’ [I] misspelled intentionally because that’s what I listed in the fifth grade on my ‘all about me’ poster.”
- Stephen Peterson: “Up until I was five to six years old, I wanted to be a garbage man/trash collector. I thought they only worked once a week.”
- Cori Rutherford: “As a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be a criminal psychologist when I was in high school. Then in college, I wanted to be a funeral director. I guess you could say that I ended up with a lot more lively career path. ”
- Lisa Schwab: “When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist and find buried treasure like Indiana Jones. I also had a brief stint of wanting to be a truck driver with a sidekick monkey, like BJ and the Bear.”
- Jennifer Jones: “A cartoonist. I loved to draw, and I’d try to come up with funny captions for my sketches. However, I didn’t inherit my mother’s amazing artistic talent, so it’s probably a good thing I pursued a different field!”
- Aili Tran: “Steffi Graf.”
- Jared Woiwode: “An engineer for NASA.”
- Gretchen Wirtz Primeau: “A lawyer and a movie star.”
- Dr. Asim Jaffer: “I have always wanted to be a physician. I imagined myself as a doctor out of a Norman Rockwell painting.”
- Bart Rinkenberger: “A car dealer. I watched my grandpa [Bob Grimm] have success in the car business and wanted to be like him.”
- Brett Ellis: “I wanted to be a professional baseball player growing up. My favorite team was the Kansas City Royals… I was named in honor of… No. 5, George Brett.”
- Tara Gerstner: “Cinderella: glass slippers… need I say more?”
The Key to Happiness
Self-pity. At times, we’re all guilty of it. A bad breakup, a terrible day atthe office… even just losing our car keys can spin us into a tirade of negativity. But in times of stress, the best support often comes from within. Instead of burying our emotions, paying someone else to listen or resorting to medication, experts suggest first trying self-compassion. Instead of beating yourself up over every little mistake, build yourself up with encouraging thoughts, as studies indicate that self-compassionate people generally cope better with anxiety triggers and life’s little stressors.
Even if you are a notorious pessimist, experts say anyone can rewire the brain to focus on the positive by changing the way you interpret your experiences. Try turning your thinking around with these tips:
- Write down all the good and bad things that happened in your day. For every negative, think of four positives.
- Make yourself a valentine and display it somewhere you will see it every day.
- Turn your computer passwords into self-affirmations.
- Every time you start to be self-critical, stop and write down one thing for which you are grateful.
- Talk to yourself about your accomplishments and go over all of the positive things you have done recently.
- Make a scrapbook of all the “thank you” cards and letters you receive from clients, business contacts, family and friends.
- Call a friend to vent… and offer to help. Limit yourself to 60 seconds for a rant about what is bothering you, then ask your friend about his or her problems and offer to help.iBi
Source: The Wall Street Journal
