by Alyse Hart

Force yourself to have fun and pleasure for your sake and everyone around you—your boss, employees, lover or kids. Paradoxically- the more delight you have the lighter you feel about biz and the better it gets. Creativity is juicy; it needs to be nourished with time and space to satisfy you. Make time for it. After immersing yourself in something delightful you will return to your “normal” life full of fresh new ideas and energy. That’s when the good stuff pops.

But if you can’t give yourself permission to relax or play because it feels non- productive, chew on this: you must empty your brain or distract it so you can reboot and be more brilliant. Your edge depends on consistent small or big doses of fun and soon afterward you will receive new inspiration, ideas and visions downloaded from above.

Full emersion is required; obsessed as you are with your blackberry- that’s how deep you have to be with an activity. It quells your mind soundtrack and you will be free. You will find your “off” switch and wonder why you didn’t do ballroom dancing, painting, chi gong, playing video games, hiking, knitting, sculpting, karaoke, or playing piano sooner.

You aren’t just a human doing you are a human being.  Everyday do something that will make you smile.  Call a friend, brainstorm chore sharing, take a walk with a silly friend and watch Comedy Central before bed. The lighter you can be the greater a gift you can offer the world and yourself. Give yourself permission to feel good. You will like yourself better and your clients and everyone you know will too.

Alyse Hart is the Chief Sales Muse, General Instigator and Storyteller at her company, Sell it Like a Woman. She spent over 20 years refining her skills and quickly worked her way up the corporate ladder to become one of the youngest female VP of sales in the trade magazine advertising industry. Alyse inspires women to rethink and redefine their relationship to sales. Visit www.sellitlikeawoman.com for more tips.