A few years ago there used to be a conference on Business and Consciousness. It was one of my favorites as both a speaker and attendee. So when I started thinking about people (and the people that lead them) becoming more conscious, I went back to my notes from the last conference for inspiration. And that's just what I found.

Each and every one of us bears the responsibility for adding to (or diminishing) the overall optimism of this economy. While a reasonable amount of pessimism is justified, there are several ways to look at the situation and here is how I am thinking about it - let me know if you agree.

All over the world the eyes are on the US. This is truly a day in history. Today we swear in our new president and a new era. Our first African-American president, our first internet president, a president so smart that he has the wisdom to put his former adversaries in his inner circle of advisors - his brain trust. The whole world is watching and it's thrilling.

I’d love service to be better - and it’s my goal to transform the mediocre customer service we see in most companies today into “Exquisite Customer Care” - but in the meantime if you want better service - be a better customer! At the very least - meet the service giver half way. And who knows, maybe after having such a wonderful interaction with you, the service giver will be inspired to do better with the next person.

While taking a walk over the weekend I discovered a mermaid down the beach a bit. Some extraordinarily talented person sculpted a ten-foot mermaid lying on her side, head resting back on her arm, staring out to sea (somewhat wistfully as if she had lovely memories there.) I wonder if the mermaid-maker had any idea at all of how much joy s/he had left behind on the beach that day. The mermaid reminded me that we all have a chance, every day, to leave a little joy behind. It’s not always as tangible or spectacular as a ten-foot long sand sculpture but it can be real and it can be lasting. A little joy can make someone’s day real special.

A day doesn't go by without me thinking about the power of appreciation. That's because I have trained my mind to look for the good things in my life, focus my attention on them and take a moment or two to deeply appreciate the things that matter to me. And even with that, I don't do it often enough.

Psychologists studying stress in the workplace have done over 400 studies on “Resilience” and what keeps individuals in a company healthy despite adversity. Here is a summary of their findings you can use as a checklist to get through this next wave of business.