7 Things I use to thrive in business & life that I learned from seeing my own heart monitor go flat

People always ask me how I can stay so positive even when times get rough or adversity knocks on my door. Well the answer is simple: It’s my conscious choice to do so! Why? Because, as a former top sport athlete I really hate losing a game. Or better said, I hate losing a game when I did not do all I could to win it. I don’t mind losing (I call it learning) when I gave it all I got, but things did not work out the way I planned them to be. So I either win or I learn.

Being deadly allergic to some food and other medical fluids, got me on the ICU on life support a few times in my life. At one of these anaphylactic shocks as they call it, I was in the ER fighting for my life, when I heard and saw my own heart monitor go flat. The first thing I remember myself thinking was: ”Hey that’s funny, that’s me, I’m dying!” and I remember myself smile (which the doctors confirmed afterwards! And that is so typical of who I am and how I live my life. Humor has it! Positivity Rules! Possibilities are endless! So those are three things I learned as I survived what they call a near death experience and which I use to thrive in business and life.

1) Humor has it

Humor for me is a way of life. It keeps me going in hard times, it makes tough subjects less tough and it has the ability to break the ice in odd situation. I know that not in every situation humor is appropriate and not every person can deal with (my kind of) humor, so I mainly use it for me. To keep me positive and motivated. To not take myself nor my life too seriously, but on the other hand never losing my business focus, my life goals or the respect for myself and the people surrounding me. This little touch of humor, gives more spice to my life and makes it lighter and for me more comfortable.

2) Positivity Rules

Being positive is a conscious choice I make in life. It creates the right mindset, it helps to reduce stress and it benefits my overall health. It kept me going when time were tough. Being positive does not mean that life is perfect. In my opinion it simply means you make a conscious decision to focus more on the good than on the negative things in life. And what you focus on, expands, so you do the math! To be honest we all have something we were or are working through, facing or fighting with, which has the potential to make us stronger. A positive mindset can help you become stronger due to these adversities. So carry all your scars (invisible or visible) with pride as it shows that you are stronger than whatever tried to hurt you!

3) Anything is possible

If you have a positive focus and mindset like I have, than anything is possible. If I can survive this near death experience and look back at it with a smile of gratitude and feeling blessed, instead of fear and frustration, than what else is possible. Next month I will write to you about my road to the Word Series with the National Team after a severe accident in which I broke my neck. I never ever use the word ‘impossible’ as the word itself even says I’m possible! For me anything is possible, as long as you make the choice go really go after it and do this full heatedly and with the right positive intentions! Follow you long longed dream, passion and intuition! It will bring you there.

4) Every second of the day you have a choice

Every day when I work my amazing clients I tell them that every second of the day they have a choice. A choice where we focus our attention on. A choice in how we feel. A choice on what we set our minds to. A choice on how we consciously behave. I always say: “You can either choose the cake or choose the poo, the choice is yours as long as you do it with a purpose, consciously and in a time frame.” Sometimes we just have the need to be in our “poo of life”. Sometimes we just need to feel sad, bad or miserable, so we can feel happier again afterwards, and that’s perfectly fine! As long as you know that you are not what you think, you can decide by yourself every second of the day to choose what you consciously want to think about and focus on. I choose the cake!

5) Mind over matter

The body achieves what the mind believes! If you think you are done, your body will stop and start to give you all kinds of little ‘pain’ signals. Strength does not come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you could not do. I definitely learned that you never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have! I wanted to live, I wanted to see my kids grow up and I wanted back out of that dark pit hole the allergy attack got me into! And so I did! Research has shown that when e.g. if you are an athlete and you think you can’t go any further, you are only at 40% of your abilities! So that means you have not even used half of it!!!! Go the extra mile and stretch your limits, dream big and get out of your comfort zone!

6) Balance is key!

When you want a life that is healthy, serving you at its max and fulfilling, then you have to take care of balance in every sense and meaning of the word. Work-Life balance is one, but how about the balance in giving and taking? You can’t poor from an empty cup. I used to give, give, give and give all the time, all day long and go the extra mile to prove my worth every single day. It’s not healthy for yourself, but also not healthy for the people you live, work or interact with. Taking good care of yourself and keeping the balance, is something my time recovering from the allergy attack definitely taught me. As I had zero energy I had to learn to take care of myself first, before I could take of others. I had to learn to ask for help and I had to learn to say no when my energy limits were popping up. Smiley moments, me time, digital detox, exercise and meditation are just a few things I incorporated in my daily routine, to keep me balanced mentally, physically and emotionally.

7) ENJOY every second you have on this planet

Of course this is such an obvious thing I learned, but it’s so true. It keeps me grounded, mindful and happy with all these little things (miracles I call them) I see in every day. Every day I am grateful to be alive, to hear my daughters sing or laugh, to work with amazing clients and to be able to just breathe ( when I have this allergy attack I suffocate do the reaction the substance has on my body, so being able to breathe is then a wonderful feeling!) or hear my own heartbeat. How bad the day may seem, I discovered that in every day there is a little miracle to find that can make you happy, as long as you take the time to look for it focus on it and really enjoy it. Don’t waist your time on this planet as it can be over in just a second!

Enjoy your day and thank you very much for reading this story, which I hope will give you inspiration, motivation and joy! Live, Laugh, Love, be Happy and Never Give Up!

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About Drs. Joyce Carols

Drs. Joyce Carols (www.JoyceCarols.com) is the Founder of Enjoy EsC. A training & Coaching Company specialized in Personal Growth, Effective Communication and Vitality Programs. She helps female entrepreneurs and top managers to balance professional success with personal energy, vitality and happiness.

She’s a proud foster mom of two beautiful girls, a former international in both Field Hockey and Acro-diving. She has worked for well-known global brands and worked/lived all over the globe.

As a Leadership Coach & the worlds’ fist Vitality Performance Coach© she supports Top Managers worldwide with her special “Private Coaching Program", her “3 Day Mastermind Elite Program” and her "10 for 20 in 30 Vitality Group Program". Her over two decades of experience, a hands-on mentality, enthusiasm, fun and a great amount of knowledge, makes her unique and the Leadership & Life Coach that motivates & helps you to achieve your goals. She’s frequently asked on staged as a Motivational Speaker as she is truly inspirational through her astonishing life story!

Click here to learn more about Joyce Carols and her remarkable story of overcoming a broken neck and being paralyzed, but still managing to beating the odds and play in The World Qualifying Series for the National team a few years later. Plus surviving a near dead experience!

If you immediately want to say Hello to Happiness and bye bye to Hard Time and Hassle, you can book your Free 30 minutes Happiness Clarity Call here.