You've heard the expressions: "He lost his nerve;" "He doesn't have the stomach for it;" "No guts."

"As it turns out, those expressions are anatomically accurate," says Dr. Stephen Josephs. "The nerve that you lose when you're afraid is the vagus nerve, which runs from the belly to the brain. It transmits messages about whether the world is a safe or dangerous place. What we now know about the functioning of this nerve has direct applications making leaders more effective and all of us happier and more courageous."

Josephs, author of the new book, "Dragons at Work," (www.DragonsAtWork.com), teaches executives how to reliably create states of optimal performance by achieving control of the vagus nerve. When making decisions about resources, leading teams or talking with the board of directors, courage and poise in the face of rapidly changing business environments are essential for a leader.

"Rather than losing your nerve, you can strengthen it. Courage is a skill you can learn and a capacity you can systematically build. The vagus nerve has been linked to everything from digestion issues to stress and depression," he says. "A benefit of inner body balance includes the projection of true poise; authentic confidence from a leader is what can create a business culture that breeds financial success because employees and clients trust the person in charge to make important decisions from a stable perspective."

Using specific techniques from martial arts, meditation and other mind-body disciplines, Dr. Josephs guides executives to build resourcefulness and courage as a habitual response to challenge.

He offers tips for business executives to promote a healthy, vagus nerve-friendly environment:

• When angry or afraid, take a high quality breath: People might tell an agitated person to "take a breath," but it's the quality of the breath that makes all the difference. For someone who has practiced breathing has wired in an automatic relaxation response, one breath immediately begins to calm them. To practice do this when you're not under stress: As you inhale, relax your belly and the muscles of your torso, and soften your muscles on the inhale. On the exhale become still. Widen your peripheral vision - take in more of the room, and rest in a more wide open awareness. At this point, your vagus nerve will be sending you messages that the world is a safe place and your ability to respond intelligently will be greatly enhanced.

• Move forward with a relaxed vagus nerve. Now, in a calmer, more resourceful and masterful state, you can apply a saner perspective to a variety of tasks: connect with employees; complete the agenda; let good ideas emerge from employees, with less pressure from management, so they affirm their own competencies. Acknowledge what's already working well by giving individuals and teams credit. Enjoy your work, knowing that whatever emerges, you can handle it.

• Get over thyself and lighten up: See how much you can accomplish with the least amount of force. And drop self-importance. Remember, unless you're Donald Trump or Miss Piggy and self-aggrandizement is part of your brand identity, it's bad for business. It introduces unnecessary noise into the system and distorts communication. Drop self-importance and you'll hear critical bad news faster, and people will trust that you can handle it.

About Dr. Stephen Josephs

With more than 30 years experience as an executive coach and consultant, Stephen Josephs, Ed. D, helps leaders build vitality and focus to make their companies profitable - and great places to work. His doctorate at the University of Massachusetts focused on Aesthetics in Education: how to teach anything through art, music, drama and movement. Josephs is particularly interested in the intersection of business performance, psychology and mind/body disciplines. His new novel, "Dragons at Work," tells the story of a tightly wound executive - a fictionalized case study of coaching that produces fundamental changes in a leader. Josephs has also co-authored "Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery in Anticipating and Initiating Change" (Jossey-Bass, 2006) with Bill Joiner, which shows how certain stages of psychological development affect leadership.

Too many people end up getting less than what's due them from Social Security when they retire because they don't know the rules and the real financial impacts, says independent retirement advisor Gary Marriage, Jr.

"There's a lot of talk about the future of Social Security, but we still have this benefit and if you're 50 or older, you should be planning to make the best use of it," Marriage says.

Marriage, CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors (www.naturecoastfinancial.com), which specializes in maximizing retirees' finances, shares important facts to keep in mind as you plan for how Social Security will factor in your retirement:

•  "Can I convince you to wait a few more years?" Many people are understandably eager to retire as early as possible; others fear Social Security retirement benefits will suddenly vanish, so they want to get what they can as quickly as possible - at age 62. But if you're counting on those benefits as part of your income, you should wait until you're eligible for the full amount. That's age 66 if you were born 1943-54, and age 67 if you were born in 1960 and later. If you're in the older group, retiring at 62 cuts your benefits by a quarter; for the younger group it's nearly a third. "Chances are, you'll be better of mentally and physically if you wait anyway," Marriage says. "Many studies show that people live longer and are more vital the longer they remain employed; more importantly."

• The reductions in Social Security add up to a considerable sum. The average retirement benefit in June of this year was 1,222.43, according to the Social Security Administration. People born in the 1943-54 group who are eligible for that amount at age 66 will get just $916.82 a month if they retire at 62. If they live to age 90, that's a total of $308,052.36. By waiting just four years, they'll net an additional $44,007.48. Waiting until age 70 can make you eligible for a bump in benefits - up to 8 percent a year - but there are no increases if you delay longer.

• If divorced, were you married for at least 10 years? Were you married for a decade and aren't currently remarried? You may be eligible to received benefits based on the former spouse's work record. Here are some of the other requisites: you must be age 62 or older, and the former spouse must be entitled to receive his or her own benefits. If the former spouse is eligible for a benefit, but has not yet applied for it, the divorced spouse can still receive a benefit. Additionally, two years must pass after the divorce.

About Gary Marriage

Gary Marriage, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Nature Coast Financial Advisors, which educates retirees on how to protect their assets, increase their income, and reduce their taxes. Marriage is a national speaker, delivering solutions for pre-retirees, business owners and seniors on the areas affecting their retirement and estates. He is an approved member of the National Ethics Bureau, and is featured in "America's Top Hometown Financial Advisors 2011." Marriage is also the founder of Operation Veteran Aid, an advocate for war-time veterans and their families.

No matter your politics, religion or lifestyle, the maxim "all of life is a wager" is a reliable one, says Marshall Chamberlain, a self-described recluse and, by many standards, modern-day Renaissance man.

"It seems to me that most people live in a state of inertia and pursue only the most prescribed avenues. To me, the world is much too rich not to sample what life's buffet has to offer," says Chamberlain, who has experienced life as a businessman, an officer in the U.S. Marines, husband (and divorcee), father, world traveler, boat dweller, writer and all-around adventurer. He's also the author of "The Mountain Place of Knowledge," the first book in the Ancestor Series of adventure-thrillers (www.marshallchamberlain.com).

"Spend your days putting off your dreams, and the time to realize those dreams can easily slip away. Considering time and the unknowable nature of one's expiration date, all of life is a wager. I say the time for taking action on those ideas - usually relegated to daydreams - is now."

If the weekly working grind has got you feeling like a drone, Chamberlain offers the following tips on the way to becoming a true adventurer:

· Parlay your strengths into new adventures. With a period of his life invested in the USMC, Chamberlain became accustomed to a largely physical, Spartan-like existence. After his divorce, he decided to simplify the needs of his everyday life, so he became self-sufficient, living aboard a 30-foot sailboat for the better part of 10 years. He also traveled the world, participated in activities communing with nature, and pursued his passion to become an author of adventure-thrillers.

· Make a list of what's really important to you; trim the fat soon after. To put it simply, most of us will not know in advance of our death. We know one thing: we will one day die. With a finite amount of time to wager, we simply don't have the time to watch the same bad movie every Friday night. Go big! Lose 20 pounds of fat and gain 20 pounds of muscle; or take a chance with that crush you've been nursing for six months; or buy a guitar and learn how to play it! You don't have time for a banal life.

· Become fluent in a second language (literally and figuratively): Indeed, become familiar with Spanish, French, Italian or some other language. More importantly, become fluent in a new language to approaching life. Start saying yes to ideas that you've harbored for a long time. One thing leads to another; perhaps in learning Italian you'll develop a passion for the language's rich culture. This could lead you on a trip to Italy. Who knows? The important takeaway is: Don't fear a new kind of fluency.

· Confront your fears. Are you sick and tired of the sheer predictability of your 9-to-5 existence? Nothing shrugs off the dreary residue of the daily commute than jumping out of a plane to put things in perspective. If you have a fear of heights and skydiving is too overwhelming, consider going to the top of the tallest building near you. Confronting fear not only fills you with adrenaline ... you will also likely walk away filled with confidence. But don't let the adventure stop there! Let this be a lesson in affirming life's exciting potential; keep the adventure going by testing your limits.

About Marshall Chamberlain

Marshall Chamberlain is a man focused on his passions, with no time for extraneous niceties like pets, lawns, mortgages or plants. He has a Master's Degree in Resource Development from Michigan State University and a graduate degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School, just outside of Phoenix, Ariz. He was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent many years in investment banking, venture capital, and even as a professional waiter. He is obsessed with preparedness, survival and independence. This combination of traits leads him to all manner of adventure, including serious Stone Age survival classes. Chamberlain's primary worldview is simple but profound?"I'm in awe of the magnificence of this world," he says.

Lighten up!!

That's the buzz phrase for fall as a recovering economy fans a collective determination to put the bad news of recent years - from layoffs to natural disasters - behind us, says Roy Joulus, CEO of the award-winning, design-forward Greenbo, LLC, (greenbo.co).

"We'll see an insistence on hope, optimism and joy in the simple things in life reflected in bright, happy colors and clean designs with strong lines,'' says Joulus, whose innovative new railing flowerbox, Greenbo XL, won the prestigious international Red Dot Design Award for product design in 2012.

As a manufacturer of high-quality products for urban homes, Joulus says he and his team must forecast global style trends two to three years out. That's why their new line of garden containers is made from sustainable and recyclable materials in uber-upbeat colors, with attached drainage trays that can be mixed and matched for custom color combos.

The Greenbo designers also see a growing demand for products whose form is as appealing as their function. That's why the Greenbo XL railing planter is a flowerbox "that you don't have to hide with flowers,'' Joulus says.

"Consumers' desire for sustainability and 'green' products is only going to continue to grow; in fact, that was one reason we launched our company in 2008 even though the global economy was tanking at the time," says Joulus. "The interest in gardening will continue to grow, as will demand for high-grade products that can either be recycled or are made from recycled materials."

The fall colors, which you'll see in everything from fashion to furniture to the garden, include bright greens, deep fuschia, bright orange, fiery red, ochre yellow and violet. How can you brighten your garden with these colors? Joulus offers some tips:

• Forget terra cotta - use containers that offer a vivid pop of color. Colorful containers add a carefree, cheerful element to any garden - whether it's a full yard, a patio, a balcony, or a cluster of plants indoors by a south-facing window. "Plastic containers require less watering than terra cotta or unglazed ceramic, but be sure to get a very high-grade plastic," Joulus says. "Nothing looks worse than plastic that has faded and cracked, which will happen quickly when low-quality plastics are exposed to the elements." Mix up the colors, just as you would wildflowers in a garden, or use all one color for more impact."

• Coordinate plant color and pot color. Play with different combinations to see what you like. One extreme is the monochromatic approach - where container and plants are all the same color, although shades may vary. On the other end of the extreme, a "cottage garden" with a jumble of colors (polychrome) will work beautifully, too. You might try pairing containers and plants from opposite sides of the color wheel, such as red and green, violet and yellow, or blue and orange. Or use colors that reside side by side on the color wheel, such as salmon and violet or fuchsia and bright red.

• Create a pattern of repeating colors and textures. Containers and plants with different colors can create an eye-catching display when arranged so that each color repeats at a regular interval.  For instance: blue, purple, violet, green, blue, purple, violet, green. This technique is sometimes used with border plants, or plants in linear beds. The addition of colorful containers heightens the effect and adds to the options for placement. Create a repeating pattern on a railing, along a patio or even using hanging containers.

About Roy Joulus

Roy Joulus is CEO of Greenbo, which was founded with a focus on simplicity, efficiency and innovation in creating urban agricultural products. Its Greenbo XL flowerbox, designed to hang securely on any balcony railing up to 6 inches wide, won the prestigious 2012 Red Dot Design Award. Greenbo products are manufactured in a multi-cultural Israeli-Arab setting using sustainable and recyclable materials, and with safety the No. 1 priority. Find Greenbo products at garden centers and independent nurseries in the United States and Europe, and online at amazon.com.