What are positive affirmations?
Positive affirmations are a daily self-talk technique that build us up and make us strong. They are positive, present-tense statements or thoughts that your tell yourself regarding you, your behavior, or the situation you find yourself in.

What can positive affirmations do?
Positive affirmations help us to develop overall positive attitudes. These statements empower us to take chances and be our best. Positive thoughts about our work situation help us to challenge those self-doubts and fears we have about ourselves.

Tips for Positive Thinking

1. Get over feeling funny! – Doing something new takes practice. Positive self-affirmations can feel unfamiliar and so it may feel funny at first. Get over it. It doesn’t usually feel funny to talk negatively to ourselves, but praise can feel awkward. Don’t worry if it feels funny. In time, this feeling will diminish.
2. Begin your affirmation with “I.” – The more personal you make the message, the more you will begin to believe it.
3. Use the present tense. – Positive self talk should be in the present tense or in the “here-and-now”. This gives the statements more power. Avoid words like can, could, or should.
4. Focus on behaviors you can control. – It’s not possible to change or control a co-workers behavior. Focus positive affirmations on you and your goals, rather than waiting for someone else to change.
5. Repeat them often. – Repetition facilitates learning. The more positive self-talk you do, the more it becomes a part of you. Writing these down helps ingrain these thoughts as well.

Examples of Positive Affirmations

• “I feel great about the way I do my job.”
• “I am in charge of my life.”
• “I deserve to be happy.”
• “My career lets me express who I truly am.”
• “I am proud of myself for the accomplishments I have made.”

Relax, De-stress, and Think Positive Thoughts!

Ways to distress and have a positive experience during a long work day:

• Positive Affirmations- They are positive, present-tense statements or thoughts that your tell yourself that build us up and make us strong.
• Maintain a sense of humor! – Actively look for humor in the daily stresses of your life. This is positive way to cope with stress.
• Eat a York Peppermint Pattie! – The peppermint can help you over come fatigue, and the dark chocolate causes your brain to release endorphins which have been called the “happy chemical.”
• Add Some Green to your workspace- Bring a plant or flowers to your workspace to help brighten your mood
• Stretch it Out – If you sit all day long, stretch your muscles to relieve any built up tension.

Feeling stressed out? Are you or a family member having trouble finding the good in work or life? Mercy EAP is here to help! Call 319-398-6694 or 1-800-383-6694 for free, confidential counseling.

Last Thursday we celebrated Chevrolet’s 100th Birthday and many were in attendance to enjoy the food, fun and atmosphere at Pat McGrath Chevyland! We’d like to thank everyone for coming! Here’s to 100 more years of great American automobiles!

Enjoy some photos from the event and be sure to visit our McGrath Auto Facebook page and share your thoughts!

Want to know what real people have to say about the Chevy Cruze?

Amber Mussman (AMussman) started test driving our Chevy Cruze Wednesday, November 2nd and will be ‘cruzing’ around until Thursday, November 10th.  She will be giving her own opinion about what it is like to drive the Cruze!

You can find Amber’s comments about the Cruze on our McGrath Auto Facebook Page and our Twitter page @McGrathAuto.

Check out some ridiculous photos of our McGrath Auto staff celebrating Halloween!

As part of our 100 Years of Chevy Birthday Celebration, Bob James of KHAK will be broadcasting live from Pat McGrath Chevyland in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!  Stop in, meet Bob and stick around for our big bash to get in on all the free food, fun and prizes!

You can also chat with our sales staff to find out how you can get $1,000 cash back on every new 2012 Chevy Cruze and Equinox!  Plus, save 4-grand off every new Malibu in stock!  We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

Directions to Pat McGrath Chevyland

Next Thursday, November 3rd at 5:30PM to 8:00PM, Pat McGrath Chevyland is throwing a Birthday Bash of epic proportions!  Food, fun & prizes will be in abundance with hot dogs, popcorn, pop and apple pie for everyone!  Door prizes will be given away all night and there will even be entertainment for the kids in our Kid’s Corner!  The wee ones can color, take pictures with Mr. Big Volume, and get free Chevyland temporary tattoos!  Sounds like a pretty good party, but we wanted this one to blow the roof off!  That’s why we brought in the famous Money Machine!  Step inside for a chance to walk away a bit richer!

In addition to all of the festivities, you’ll also have the opportunity to check out the all new plug-in hybrid electric Chevy Volt, which is on display at Pat McGrath Chevyland!  Feel free to mingle with guests and our sales staff!  Learn a bit about the current 2012 Chevrolet vehicle lineup, take a walk around the dealership, browse our used car inventory and enjoy the evening!  We look forward to seeing you all there!

Tuesday, October 4th, Gavin and Audrey McGrath welcomed their first child, Hayes Bernard McGrath, into the world! Gavin is the General Sales Manager at Pat McGrath Dodge Country and Pat’s only son of three children. Hayes was born at St. Luke’s Hospital at 11:32 am. He is Pat and Mary Kay McGrath’s first Grandchild. Gavin and Audrey decided to Honor Gavin’s grandpa Horace Bernard by giving Hayes the same initials so he would also be H.B. McGrath, which is was Horace was most commonly called. Hayes will be three weeks old next Tuesday and is already spoiled by his parents and grandparents! Congratulations to the McGrath family!

You may have noticed that the past couple of Saturdays our Service Department at our Dodge Country store has been closed. Sorry for the inconvenience, but there are some great improvements that we know our employees love and think you will too!

We had the floors cleaned and painted. We also put in new light fixtures and put in florescent lights. This makes the room a lot cleaner and brighter to make sure our technicians can get the best lighting while working on your vehicles! Check it out, you could eat off of that floor!

Schedule a Service Appointment Now!

Marion Used Car Superstore is officially one year old! We’d like to thank our wonderful, dedicated staff and all our past customers for trusting us to get you behind the wheel of your dream car! We will continue to strive to exceed your expectations and maintain the confidence you’ve instilled in our company! To those who haven’t had a chance, visit us today and check out our extensive inventory of quality used cars and trucks! We look forward to your visit!

McGrath Automotive Group was nominated for the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. This is the highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving the Guard and Reserve by the U.S. Government.

The Freedom Award is known to be particularly significant because only members of the National Guard and Reserve or their family members are eligible to nominate their employers for the award. Employers are nominated for many reasons, such as, provided continued benefits, differential pay, family assistance and additional support.

McGrath Automotive Group currently has 6 employees who are, or have been, active in the Guard or Reserve. Justin Otto (Sales Person who is currently deployed), Robbie Otto (Sales Manager), Jeremy Fields (Technician), Jeremy Richardson (General Sales Manager), Adam Young (Sales Person) and Tim Dea (Finance Manager).

The Iowa Committee for the ESGR announced that 15 of the 74 Iowa nominations came from Area 6 which encompasses the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. A national selection board will select up to 15 recipients for this year’s award. The 2011 Freedom Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., September 17th at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center.

Thank you to our 6 employees, and all of our troops, for their selflessness in supporting our country!