Tag Archives | attitude

Create a Life Plan in 30 Minutes or Less…and Why You Need to

By on January 2, 2012 in Happiness, Life Balance, Personal Growth, Questions

Do you have a life plan? If not, it’s time to think about creating one. We are not talking about some 20 page research paper with charts and graphs and maps. Just a general snapshot of where you are right now in all the areas that matter and where you’d like to go in the future.

This should take no more than 30 minutes. This is your life we’re talking about…you can find 30 minutes. And if you can’t …we need to talk, you and I.

How would you rate your life on a scale of 1 – 10? – Are you satisfied with that rating? What would you be satisfied with?

Write a brief description of the current state of your life. – Health, relationships, work, finances, spiritual or emotional well-being, community, etc. Whatever is going on. Just briefly jot it down.

What makes you happy? – There must be some good things, some things that bring you joy and make you laugh.

What are the drains on your energy and happiness? – What people, situations or behaviors are your kryptonite? We all have these things (or someones) that suck the life out of us like vampires draining our life force.

What isn’t working in your life? - These are the obstacles to living a satisfied life of fulfillment…Do you need to lose weight, be more organized, find a different job, end or change a relationship, manage your stress better or maybe just learn to laugh again.

Now describe your ideal life. - I’m not talking about a commercial for the “Rich and Famous,” some Hollywood fairy tale. I’m talking about what kind of life would truly make you happy to get out of bed in the morning. What would you be doing? Who would you be with? How would you be feeling?

What do you need to do to get that life?  – What needs to happen for you to get from point A to point B? Again, not a detailed outline of actions for the next 20 years, just some general goals to work toward, a few habits to adopt or a change in attitude or surroundings to adopt.

Something to think about…Why? Why do you want whatever it is that you want? What do you really want to accomplish in this life? What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be remembered for?

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Why Light May be the Key to Happiness

By on December 14, 2011 in Happiness

Everyone should have one! If only a blindingly bright spray of white artificial light could give us the secret to happiness. That would be wonderful and…well… fanciful. But the truth is, if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or “winter blues” a White “Happy” light might help.

According to Familydoctor.org

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that is triggered by the seasons of the year. The most common type of SAD is called winter-onset depression. Symptoms usually begin in late fall or early winter and go away by summer. A much less common type of SAD, known as summer-onset depression, usually begins in the late spring or early summer and goes away by winter. SAD may be related to changes in the amount of daylight during different times of the year.

How common is SAD?

Between 4% and 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD. Another 10% to 20% may experience a mild form of winter-onset SAD. SAD is more common in women than in men. Although some children and teenagers get SAD, it usually doesn’t start in people younger than 20 years of age. For adults, the risk of SAD decreases as they get older. Winter-onset SAD is more common in northern regions, where the winter season is typically longer and more harsh.

What are the symptoms of SAD?

Although your symptoms are clues to the diagnosis, not everyone who has SAD experiences the same symptoms. Common symptoms of winter-onset SAD include the following:

  • A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods
  • Weight gain
  • A drop in energy level
  • Fatigue
  • A tendency to oversleep
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Irritability and anxiety
  • Increased sensitivity to social rejection
  • Avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in the activities you used to enjoy

If you don’t work near a window or getting outside isn’t possible or practical, it can affect your mood, energy, sleep, appetite and more.

Daylight gently helps the body recalibrate and stabilize, improving focus, concentration and productivity. It also prompts the body’s natural sleep patterns to help with jet lag and shift work.

If you’re interested, you can find these lights on Amazon.com and most likely at your local department store.

 

Further reading
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thank you note for every language

Who Needs Thanksgiving Anyway?

By on November 4, 2011 in Personal Growth, Wisdom
thank you note for every language

Image by woodleywonderworks via Flickr

We do.

Because without it we too easily slip into the complacency of taking life’s treasures for granted and complaining about petty inconveniences.

I’m not a huge Thanksgiving connoisseur; vegetarian, don’t watch football, hate cleaning up the kitchen and so on, but what I do like is that it gives us a chance to slow down for just a minute and think about those things little things that together combine to make a life worth living, a business worth growing.

Quickly, off the top of your head list 10 things you are happy to have around you; that you would hate to do without.

 My 10 things I’m grateful for right now:

Good health – Though I have my aches and pains like everyone else on the other side of 40, I am alive and fully functional.

Family – A husband who is not deployed this year, a mother and sibling who are close by, children I adore and a new grandson who I absolutely cherish.

Good friends – Steady, wise old ones and wonderfully witty new ones.

A house over my head and food on the table – In this economy…enough said.

Technology that allows me to play “Words” with my friends and family in different cities and see photos and videos of my grandson in the palm of my hand.

A good book…or 10 or 20,000. Words have power – humor, knowledge, comfort and inspiration.

Online shopping – For a busy mom, it is a lifesaver!

Music – Whether working, relaxing, dancing or even exercising, music soothes and energizes at the same time.

Laughter – Smile and brighten someone’s day; laugh and the world laughs with you.

A really good movie – Having recently been disappointed by some of the not-so-well-done productions churned out by the movie industry, I am ever so grateful for the wonderful ones that make me laugh or cry or get angry, especially a masterful work that can do all three.

What’s on your list?

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Why Most Productivity Systems Don’t Work!

By on October 20, 2011 in Productivity

Watch and find out…

My first try at a video blog…still getting the hang of recording and editing…and had trouble changing the snapshot, but oh well, you’ll get the productivity substance at any rate. I decided to tackle the hardest question first…

Why do so many people struggle with productivity no matter which system they use?

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calm sea

Why Productivity and Success Start with a Quiet Mind

By on October 7, 2011 in Personal Growth, Sanity Savers
calm sea

Image by 'eindzel via Flickr

Life is so much easier when you have a quiet mind. The chaos that surrounds you doesn’t affect your sense of balance as much if you have a sense of “internal order.”  When you can operate from a mental place of calm and peacefulness, you are better able to view the big picture and are much more effective at setting your priorities and in achieving your goals. Think of yourself as the calm in the center of the storm.

One of my successful coaching clients who struggled with her ability to perform in the middle of chaos discovered that once she learned to quiet her own thinking and set up personal boundaries to ward off outside drama both in her business and her home that she was able to cultivate a sense of internal calm. If you can stop yourself from getting caught up in the busyness, external disorganization and drama around you, your ability to focus and take action toward your goals will skyrocket.

We generally focus our efforts on trying to change what’s going on around us, when instead we need to focus on what’s happening within us. That is after all the only thing we can actually control.

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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"Black-white 2 Vista" icon theme

What’s On Your Sticky Note – Love This!

By on September 14, 2011 in Personal Growth, Questions
"Black-white 2 Vista" icon theme

Image via Wikipedia

Question

How do you motivate yourself?

Keep yourself on track and on task?

Do you use reminders, affirmations or maybe a sticky note as suggested in a recent post from Rachelle Gardner!

We all have our daily challenges, and I think most of us have certain things we struggle with over and over. My biggest day-to-day difficulty is the sheer number of things that need to get done. Sometimes the to-do list is so long, I get paralyzed. So I have a sticky note right by my computer. It says:

One thing at time.
First things first.
Start now.

Over the years, I’ve had various sayings that have motivated me or helped me stay on task, but this is the one that works right now.

 

To those of you that know me, it will come as no surprise that I have little signs hanging on the board above my desk that serve as reminders. some of my favorites:

Get your nose out of everyone else’s garden.

Stop! Focus on the present.

Do it and let it go.

Take a break.

Smile. Life doesn’t have to be so serious.

Do you leave yourself reminders? do you have motivational notes?

Question everything, move forward, enjoy the journey.

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Work Doesn’t Have to be “Labor”

By on September 5, 2011 in Personal Growth, Success

In honor of Labor Day, let’s talk about whether work really has to be “labor.” Maybe not.

Do you ever have those moments when you make a snap decision with no forethought or research; you just somehow know the decision feels right?

When that happens it seems so effortless to move forward. The task may not be simple or easy, but without all the mental questioning and angst it flows more easily.

We need to question our belief that decisions need to be hard…or stressful…that work or change must always be a “labor.”

If we know what we need to do and we just go ahead and do it without all the inner dialogue, we can be so much more productive and successful without all the unnecessary stress.

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laughing

Where is Your Sense of Humor?

By on August 19, 2011 in Happiness, Sanity Savers
Smiling can imply a sense of humour and a stat...

Image via Wikipedia

Where is your sense of humor?

If you’re like me, sometimes you get so wrapped up in the daily grind that you forget to laugh…especially at yourself.

Every day so many things don’t go the way we’d like them to. We can’t control it, we can’t change it; sometimes all we can do is laugh at it. You have to have a sense of humor if you don’t want to be frustrated and angry all of the time. Very few things or situations are worth the aggravation we allow them to cause.

Ask yourself, “Is this really important?” and if it’s not try to find the humor in it.

Don’t take life so seriously!

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A female acrobat next to a potter

Why Flexibility Might be Your Most Valuable Strategy

By on August 8, 2011 in Personal Growth
A female acrobat next to a potter's turntable....

Image via Wikipedia

Be flexible.

Once I get something in my mind, a plan, a decision, a thought, I can be like a dog with a bone. It can be tricky to let go of it and go with the flow. I was taught, and to certain degree it’s true, that success and responsibility require perseverance and adherence to the plan.

At the same time however inflexibility creates an enormous amount of inner stress and is often insensitive to other people and their needs. You’ll find that if you adopt the goal of becoming more flexible, some wonderful things will begin to happen. You’ll feel more relaxed, yet you won’t sacrifice any productivity. You may even become more productive because you won’t need to expend so much energy being upset and anxious.

I’ve learned to trust that I can meet my deadlines, achieve most of my goals and get what needs to be done completed without stressing about sticking to the plan. And quite honestly, it’s a lot more fun!

Give it a try! What have you got to lose? Except some Stress…

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ruthless

How Ruthlessness Can Actually be a Good Quality

By on August 5, 2011 in Life Balance

ruthlessBe ruthlessly selective, both in life and in the workplace. If you want to cultivate a fulfilling, satisfying and productive career or home-life you must carve it out for yourself. You need to be careful to make choices that take you closer to the life you want to live or to the career that is most fulfilling to you.

And sometimes those choices may be difficult. You may make people angry. You may let people down. But in the end if you want to achieve your best life, your best career, your best balance between the two, then you must be brave enough, bold enough and sometimes ruthless enough to make the difficult choices.

This is your life! This is your career! Isn’t it worth a little bit of ruthlessness?

 

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