Category: The Mashup … with Michelle Peña

Hot to the touch and rapidly reddening, the condition of my skin was a dead giveaway to my feelings of anxiety and embarrassment. I was about to face one of my silliest fears. “Hurry mom, we’re running late!” My oldest son quickly fired off the words, but they were ominously muted. My subconscious had shifted into denial. The roles were oddly reversed that morning; I was always the one hustling after the kids to get them out the door on time. …

Driving through the back roads on my way home from work, the check engine light illuminated on the dash again. The mechanic had repeatedly assured me everything was fine, but I worried about his comedic accusations that I’d lost my mind to some form of hypochondria. The mischievous light enjoyed mocking me and defiantly turned itself off when I made it back to the shop each time to complain. Feeling tense, I pressed the center of my glasses to nudge them closer to my eyes, turned up the music and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

Begrudgingly, I opened my eyes and emerged treading water in a sea of dizzy confusion. Disoriented and light-headed, I focused on slow, deep breaths to alleviate the pain. My vision was blurry, but the room came slowly back into focus as I scanned the sterile hospital walls for the loud-ticking clock. It was 2:30 a.m.

The fall holidays are often a special time for gathering with loved ones, focusing on our blessings and expressing appreciation for all of the people and opportunities in our lives. But the true spirit of gratitude is anchored by more than cozy celebrations and superficial generalizations. It’s an intentional way of living that persists 365 days a year.

Whether you’re blogging to support a cause, share a hobby, market a business, or other reasons, reader engagement is an important part of that landscape. To grow a lasting audience, plant these ten seeds in your mind garden …

To the tune of Pitbull’s “Fireball” or whatever gets you grooving, consider a time you stepped away from a negative and freestyled into problem-solving.

As I stand in awe of the cherry blossoms at Washington, DC’s Tidal Basin, my thoughts give way to the transience of time. If you could live your life over again, would you do anything differently? I describe my personal journey in this video. I’d really love to hear your thoughts, too. Please chime in the comments below.

While attending a recent networking event, I heard that “Sitting is the new smoking.” This triggered a dramatic visualization of my chair going up in flames, fire alarms and office evacuations. I quickly shook off the delusion, but the mental mini-movie still compelled me to investigate the health benefits of standing desks.

Business Management Daily editor Michelle Pena just got a nice big box delivered to the office. What’s inside is something a lot of people are ordering to change their experience at work. What is it?