Do you have a big goal? Do you want to make six figures this year? Run a marathon? Grow your business to seven figures? Quit Smoking?

The founder of Spanx, (the billion-dollar hosiery and apparel company), Sara Blakely’s dad asked her each night at the family dinner table “how have you failed today?” rather than “how was your day?” What an amazing mind-shift to remove the focus from the results of the day to the striving, trying and even failing in your day.

In today’s society, there is a bombardment of stimulus at every turn. A cell phone rings, an email notification dings, social media, text messaging, tv, kids, pets, employees, customers…the demands for our attention are almost limitless. But what we may not realize is how much time, energy and money we are burning every time we turn our attention to something new.

The average American adult makes 35,000,000 decisions a day. Yes you read that correctly and all of these decisions take a toll on your cognitive ability.

I’m not sure if it’s biologically accurate, but there’s an old saying that goldfish grow to the size of the tank it lives in. The larger the tank, the larger the goldfish. The question is how big of tank are you offering yourself as an executive, an entrepreneur and a leader? What about your employees’ tank? Is there room to grow? Expand? Explore?

Humans have an inherent need to connect with others. However, in a world that has moved online with remote workers and isolated leaders, the daily connections of the old office concept are fading away.

Music is a resource that has been used throughout time to communicate, tell stories and bring communities together. Research also proves that music can spark memories of the past, motivate us at the gym, and can help our productivity and change our mood.

Happier, Healthier and More Productive! Yes please—but how? Spending time around nature and water are two ways to boost your mental and physical health. There is similar research concluding the amazing benefits of having animals in your life. Want to improve company morale and your bottom line? Fido and Fluffy just may be your answer.

Podcasts are a great way to get information and tips while multi-tasking (for that read cleaning or working out). Here are a couple of my favorites. What I love about each of them is how they give you realistic bite-size ways to implement the research they present.

Most of us live on autopilot. We brush our teeth without thinking about how we are doing it. Drive to the store without realizing which route we took. Check our phone every time it makes a noise. This is often called “Unconscious Thought Theory” where the unconscious mind is capable of performing tasks outside of one’s awareness.

There is no shortage of studies and articles on the connection between business success and leadership mindset. However, with an abundance of “how to” books and classes out there the messages are getting louder but not clearer. I love these three books because they are a combination of research-based studies with practical tools to help you succeed in business (and life). And guess what they only additional tools you need, you already have.

As the year comes to a close many businesses (and individuals) will look back at the year and evaluate what worked (and what didn’t). As you start to plan for the coming year, turn your eyes from the market reports and bottom line and consider for a moment you and your company’s values. Can your employees Identify Your Company’s Core Values?…and are they on board to support them?

Next to Mindfulness, “Gratitude Practices” seem to get a lot of attention both in and out of the boardroom, and for good reason! There is actual scientific evidence that proves how gratitude can change your brain, make you happier, boost your immune system, improve your relationships, and make you more productive.

You want to be more productive, healthier and happier? Then you need to spend more time with nature.

Interacting with nature gives your brain a break for the constant stimuli which can have a restorative effect on your attention levels.

Your health, happiness, and job depend on it…

When was the last time you Played?

I’m not talking about when you were five years old swinging in the playground. As an adult, do you ever play? Research has shown that without more play in our lives our innovation, health, and relationships crash.

As high-achievers we often have our eye on the goal but are we missing lots of valuable information on the path to success? Do you have the right support network around you to help you stay focused?

Let’s test it out.

Growing up we have all learned certain “truths” that we have taken with us into school and the workplace. But how often do we challenge these long held beliefs and even question why we clung to them in the first place? These 4 Ted Talks will do just that- challenge the way you think about incentives and motivating your employees, adding play into the workplace, being vulnerable as a leader (and a human) and remembering how creative you really are.