add excitement to every working day

credit flying high

Let’s be honest, there are times in business when it’s all a bit of a grind; when every day feels like ground hog day. Add a crazy workload into the equation and life quickly becomes a blur. I would like to suggest a way to change this once and for all, and it’s kind of cool.

reframing is to change the way we look at things to find the positive to drive us forward.

I suggest that you come up with a theme for every day – as in a theme for Monday, a theme for Tuesday and so on. You put this theme in your calendar and then you make it happen. This doesn’t mean your whole day is spent working on these themes. It simply means you are mindful of them and act accordingly in amongst your regular daily tasks.

What kind of themes I hear you ask? Well, they need to be positive themes. They need to be themes that get you excited and looking at your calendar with a smile rather than trepidation. As an example, this is how my 2017 days are going to look:

"As much as possible I’m only going to schedule the projects I like, the clients I like and the meetings I like on Mondays "

Just the jobs I love Mondays

As much as possible I’m only going to schedule the projects I like, the clients I like and the meetings I like on Mondays so I really look forward to the day when I look at my list of commitments on the calendar in the morning.

 this page https://goo.gl/du7Ut9

Change the world Tuesdays

For me Tuesdays will be the day where I give back to others, acknowledge people who are making a difference, do my “give back” work, pay particular attention to making every interaction with other people meaningful and do everything I can to make the world a better place.

These are also the days where I will go out of my way to thank people and be appreciative and grateful for everything I have in my life.

Build my business Wednesdays

This is the day where I will be proactive about growing my business.

This means having more sales conversations, planning my products and services, talking to my existing customers about what they need and how I can better serve them – things like that.

Treat my body like a temple Thursdays

These are my health and vitality days where I will spend time really nurturing my body, eating well, exercising more than usual, doing some Yoga every hour and generally ending the day feeling fabulous and looking great!

Learn, grow and celebrate Fridays

Who doesn’t love Friday? When I make the time to learn new things, become better as a person, celebrate my successes over the past week and generally feel like I’m making progress – Fridays will become even more awesome.

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The interesting thing about having theme days like this is that they soon become a habit, and you automatically start doing all of these things on a regular basis, not just on the assigned day. Then you can set new themes and they then become a habit after time, which of course means that we are constantly getting better, staying positive, growing and feeling like we moving forward.

Sometimes the simplest ideas can have the most profound effects.


Related article/s

• A WOOP is better than Positive thinking

• Stressed out? Here’s how to be the egg, not the potato

 

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Stressed out? Here’s how to be the egg, not the potato

Stress and challenges are part and parcel of the life.

While we can’t control the challenges themselves, we can control our response to them.
Article Extracted from Flyingsolo 2015.08.11

short url this article http://goo.gl/reaQNF



 

Five years ago I had a complete breakdown. Several years of relentless stress from running my business had triggered extreme anxiety, which in turn triggered depression. The end result? I found myself in a very bad place.

It took a really long time to emerge from that bad place and by the time I did, I knew the equation was:

Stress = Anxiety = Depression

I never wanted to return there so I avoided stress like it was the plague.

My husband, who had taken over running the business, also knew the equation. So he began to protect me. Narky emails from unhappy clients? Worries about whether there was enough income coming into the business? Staff issues? For the past few years he’s kept them all to himself.

And I’ve been supremely grateful.

But recently, the Universe, as it’s wont to do, has been sending me a message. At least, that’s my interpretation of the fact that I’ve come across this quote in three places in two weeks:

“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances.”

Now, yes, like all quotes it’s a bit pithy and you can take it a few ways. But for me, I feel this quote is sending me the message that it’s time to put my big-girl-pants on. Time to stop running from challenging situations. Time to start sharing the stress load with my husband again.

I’m far more resilient now than I was five years ago and that’s not just because I’m in a better place mentally, it because I now know these five things:

1. Only the controllables can be controlled

In the early years of my business I’d gotten in the habit of thinking if I was really organised and able to anticipate what people needed before they even needed it, then I could effectively control stressful situations out of my life. Ha! All this line of thinking did was ensure when a stressful situation arose, I’d get angry at myself for not having anticipated that thing could happen.

Yes. I know! Even I can see that’s ridiculous now I’ve written it down!

Now I know that no matter how organised we are, shit can, and will happen. But the good thing about life is …

2. We can always deal with the ‘now’

A few years ago someone told me I had to read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now because it would be life changing. And they were right. Whenever I find myself leaning towards the fetal position these days, I return to a single line from that book: “You can always cope with the now.”

Tolle is right. My (and your!) strike rate for dealing with the ‘now’ is 100%. We don’t have to like dealing with the ‘now’. We just need to know that we can and will.

3. Stress isn’t necessarily ‘bad’

A few years ago I saw this TED Talk from Kelly McGonigal where she showed how stress is actually only as bad for us as we think it is. This was a big revelation for me because, (the stress = anxiety = depression equation aside), I’d always believed stress was physiologically bad too and it justified my avoidance of it. But McGonigal urges us to look at stress differently; to instead interpret the physiological reaction as an indication that our body is energised and ready to meet the new challenge head on.

4. Running a business is a privilege

Comparisons can be odious, but sometimes they can also be a nice reality check. I’m privileged to live in a country where a woman has the freedom and tools to start her own business. I’m also privileged to:

• Live in a country where the barriers to starting and running your own business are negligible;
• Have a business that is nearly nine years old given how many businesses fail in their first year;
• Have a business that’s surmounted many challenges and has been able to evolve in a world that is becoming increasingly digital.

But mostly I’m privileged because, despite the stress, my business ticks some really key lifestyle boxes for me and my family.

5. Surmounting challenges equals growth

Every challenge I’ve faced down since first starting my business nine years ago has led to learning and growth that I’ve been able to put to good use. These days I make better decisions. I’ve learned to spot the difference between an ‘opportunity’ and a giant time suck. I’ve become a better problem solver and communicator. In short, all those challenges have made me a better person!

So back to the potato and the egg.

It’s clear to see that I’m much better equipped to deal with the challenges of both business and life these days. And it’s clear to see that, in recent times, I’ve been taking the potato option more out of habit than necessity when presented with a ‘boiling water’ scenario.

So it’s time for that to change. It’s time to put that hard-earned, newly acquired mental-strength to the test.

From this point forward, if I find myself in a bit of hot water, I’m going to choose to be the egg.

How do you respond to stressful situations currently? Are you in a position to choose to take the challenge head on rather than curling up in the fetal position?

Article Extracted from Flyingsolo 2015.08.11

What they had to say 

Phill Smith Chairman Director  Linkedin

Founding Director of Central Insurance Brokers Perth West Australia
  
Excellent article
The journey quoted in the article is very real, I know of many business associates that have experienced similar turmoil, including myself; GFC, Culture differences ethnic and age in the workforce, market changes domestic and abroad...  but "that's life" you have to address "fight or flight" issues and get on board or sit on the bench.

Quotes for today:-
I "Solo work" If you want to go fast; go alone, if you want to go far; go with others
We "Team"work is about "Together Everyone Achieves More"
U "Leadership values" L.I.F.E. Leadership, Integrity, Flexibility, Efficiency and without Flexibility it's a L.I.E.

Seven Secrets to become a Successful Leader

Everyone has a New Year’s resolution they aim to stick to, whether it’s working out or learning an instrument, but do you have a professional aim this year?
 Improving your leadership skills could lead to great opportunities in 2015 and beyond and leadership expert Dan Rockwell could help you take the next step in your career.
 
With 35 years’ experience in public speaking and 15 years’ experience as a leadership consultant, Rockwell has a wealth of inside information and often blogs about the industry. Here, he offers his seven secrets to success.

Suggest a solution, but always begin with problems.

“Every time you say, ‘It’s not that bad,’ you minimise the value of any solutions you find,” says Rockwell. “Never minimise the pain and frustration of others, even when it seems small to you.”Stop thinking about perfection

“Don’t talk yourself out of imperfect solutions unless you have better ones,” warns Rockwell.

Taking action and improving the situation is better than doing nothing and letting it be idle. According to Rockwell, it’s better to talk yourself into action, rather than out of action.

He urges leaders to consider these three questions before they talk themselves out of taking action.

Will it help?

Will it harm?

What happens nothing is done?

Learn while you take action
“Don’t talk about it unless you plan to do something about it,” says Rockwell.

“Welcome those who point out troubles. They aren't the enemy. The enemy is talk without anything being done.”

Focus on getting people in the correct roles
“Successful leaders understand and influence the talents, skills, and drives of team members,” says Rockwell. He suggests providing leadership and personality assessments to gain a better understanding of what motivates your employees and find out what they’re best at.

Energising environments

In other words, be positive! “The most important thing is about the way we treat each other while we do the work,” says Rockwell. “Spend more time affirming than correcting.”

Embrace forward facing contrarians

“Conformists don’t build the future,” says Rockwell – forward facing contrarians do. “Protect them from the frustrations of others, as much as possible.”

Results don’t define you
According to Rockwell, “The road to great results is more important than results themselves. Honour behaviours that get you there.

A WOOP is better than Positive thinking

We were told for years, by Oprah and others, that positive thinking was the key to achieving our goals. 

Now mounting evidence suggests exactly the opposite: that spending a lot of time thinking about your hopes and dreams may make you less likely to put in the work required to actually achieve those dreams. So if positivity is out, what should goal-oriented people replace it with? 

This week on the "Psychology Podcast" — a newish venture from cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman — New York University psychologist Gabriele Oettingen talked about a four-step plan she's come up with from her years of research. 

(Oettingen is the author of the new book Researching Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation, which Science of Us ran an excerpt of in October.) Oettingen explained the plan to Kaufman; it's a delightful little acronym that spells WOOP. 

Wish: First, define your goal."Think about a wish that is dear to you," Oettingen said. "What is it you really want? This could be a big, New Year's–resolution-type ambition, like running a marathon or losing a certain amount of weight, but it doesn't have to be. "I do it every morning for the next day," Oettingen said on the podcast. Your wish doesn't have to be huge; it just has to be real, something you truly want. 


Outcome: Here's where a little bit of positive thinking sneaks back in. Keeping your goal in mind, ask yourself: If this wish of mine is fulfilled, what is the best possible outcome? "Very often, it is a feeling," Oettingen said. "You define that outcome, and you imagine that outcome. And once you've imagined the outcome, really immerse yourself in these daydreams." 

Obstacles: 

The previous step tends to be where people naturally stop — daydreaming feels pretty nice, after all — but Oettingen isn't done yet. After you've let yourself fantasize for a little while about what it will feel like when your goal is accomplished, bring your mind back down to reality. "Then you say, What is it in me that holds me back from experiencing that wish, that outcome? " Oettingen said. "Very often it's an emotion, it's those same old habits. ... And you imagine that obstacle."

Plan: 

"Once you've imagined that obstacle," Oettingen said, "you'll understand what you need to do to overcome it." Come up with an if/then plan — if this obstacle pops up, then you'll do X to get around it and keep going after your goal. Oettingen's research has shown that this method has helped people eat more fruits and vegetables; it's also helped students achieve better grades in school, and it has even helped people act less insecure in their romantic relationships. Added but important bonus: It's just kinda fun to say. WOOP!

Article extracted from StumbleUpon 2014.12.09

When someone holds up their hand to start WoopingTrust only movement!
Life happens at the level of events, not of words, trust only movement.

Phill Smith - Director Central Insurance Brokers

I agree with the author, bring on the "Woop" force
Visualisation is the key; to find the dream and have the inspiration and desire, then you Enthusiasm and Perseverance to keep the world from changing from challenge to a legacy of problems.
Having 30+ yrs experience in Insurance risk management I've seen an enormous cross section of workers, business models and SME operators.
In order to succeed you need to find the trigger that floats your boat, that comes in many shapes and forms, each is different because we are individuals.