You have heard it many times: "Don't worry about the small stuff....and it is all small stuff" There is wisdom in those words and we should listen more carefully.
When I am having a bad day and I just don't think things could be much worse, I have to take a deep breath and almost laugh at myself. My "bad" day is some people's best day, so I try to keep things in prospective. For those of us with good health, we should consider ourselves incredibly lucky. Because once you lose your health, the rest of our problems just won't seem as big anymore......
In This Article
- There is nothing you have to do but die....
- Find your motivator
- Reward yourself throughout the day
- Reduce stress - stop reading newspapers!
- Words of Wisdom
I believe that we all need an empowering set of beliefs in order to motivate us each day. The world is full of self-proclaimed victims, and sadly, it has become the cancer of our times. An empowering set of beliefs can help us create our own destiny, and put us firmly in charge of our future.
About 20 years ago when I was managing a retail store, my General Manager was asking me why some things were not getting done in a timely manner. I found myself trying to make excuses by saying: "Well I have to do this and I have to do that." He stopped me and offered me an empowering set of beliefs that I shall never forget: "Once you are walking on this earth, there is nothing you have to do but die, because everything else is a choice."
Well it seemed like a morbid statement and one that I was sure I could argue against. I told him that you "have to" pay taxes. He said, "No, that is a choice. But if you choose to not pay your taxes you may go to jail or pay a fine." I then told him that you have to breath, and he responded: "No, that is a choice, but if choose to not take a breath, you will die."
His message became clear: Everything in life is a choice, but if you make a poor choice, there could be consequences. So I realized that I did not "have to" come to work each day, but it was simply a good choice of mine. I did not have to listen to his advice or learn, but if I did, I might improve my life and profit from the education. Life is truly full of choices - empower yourself!
Find your motivator
Think about that vacation you took last year to that tropical island where you woke up to the smell of fresh pineapple. Remember how easy it was to go to the gym and workout the few months before your trip? Think about what drove you to work out harder than normal.
We all need motivators, and for most of us, it is that carrot sitting just out of reach. As in the case above, it is January, and you are very excited about your trip. You can envision yourself in your bathing suit, sitting on the beach with your sculpted body. But you just came out of the holidays and consumed way too much food, so there is urgency for change.
Your self-image of sitting on the beach, in the sun and looking good is your motivator. So why not give yourself other carrots throughout the year? They don't have to be huge or expensive, but they do need to reward you for your efforts.
Set some goals for yourself or your family throughout the year, and then decide what your motivators are going to be, and put them in writing. Post them on the refrigerator, your office, or wherever you will see them frequently. You will be amazed at your results!
Reward yourself throughout the day
If you want to improve your productivity and reduce stress, try the checklist method. Buy a steno notepad and write down all of the personal and professional tasks that you need to accomplish in the near future. Start each day by taking a pencil and prioritizing the top 5 items that you want to tackle (1 through 5.) As you complete each of the tasks, cross them out with a yellow highlight felt tip pen. You will be delighted with how good you feel each time you get to cross the items off. As new tasks evolve, simply add them to the list.
Each day you should erase the previous day's priority rankings (1 to 5) written in pencil, and you will create a new priority for each day. You will find that this method reduces stress dramatically because a big part of stress is trying to retain all the tasks you have to perform. Writing them all down allows your mind to find "down time," which will also allow you to sleep better at night. Always keep a notepad in your nightstand or near your bed, so if you think of something important, you can write it down and get back to a peaceful night sleep (and not worry about trying to remember it until morning.)
Reduce stress - stop reading newspapers!
So much of our day-to-day stress is actually a matter of our environment and we don't realize it. One way to reduce stress for many of us is to stop reading local newspapers.
Local newspapers are always full of child abductions, rapes, murders, beatings, carjackings, fires, and other dramatic events. They also seem to get sensationalized too much since that is what the readers seem to gravitate to. Whether we subconsciously know it or not, we internalize these tragedies and retain them in our knowledge base. This adds a ton of stress to our lives.
I stopped reading local papers 15 years ago and the results were immediate in terms of me sleeping better. However, when I am traveling, I do read the USA Today newspaper, which is more global and papers like Wall Street Journal, which are focused on business. Next time your dog brings you the local paper, tell him to go bury it in the backyard.
Words of Wisdom
"Determination is that extra little push that sets you apart from the crowd. With enough determination, goals never before thought possible can be achieved."
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