Tag Archives for " reduce stress "

You – Know Your Many Parts

Know your very many arts – especially those you wish were not part of you.

Huh?

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Reduce Stress By Knowing Your Life’s Direction And How To Measure Your Progress

To reach your desired destination in life you need to know where you want to wind up AND you need to know your starting point. The drive to Manhattan follows a different route if you start out in Texas than if you start out in Idaho, right?

Planning your life is like planning a fun trip. The big difference is that most people spend lots of time and energy figuring out their vacation trip but no time planning their life’s journey.

Interesting, huh? Of course you would not be reading this article right now if you fell into that category of people who fail to plan for living their Very Excellent Life.

Okay, so you know your dream life style, right? If you don’t then start there. Make the time to write about how you want to live, what you want to have, where you want to be and what you want to be doing when you live your dream life.

Fill in as much detail as possible AND leave room for the Universe to fill in even greater detail so you do not limit what you can be, do and have.

Done? Great. Now move to the next step.

Look at your life. Write down your current situation in each of these areas: physical health, emotional health, relationships, money matters, spirituality, fun and recreation, self image, living in the now.

Next, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being ”I need lots of help to reach my dream goal in that area” and 10 being “I am right there at a ten now,” assign a number to each life area based upon your description of your current circumstances.

Take your time making this assessment. The more accurately you pin point your current situation the easier you will find marking your progress toward your goal.

Realize that nothing is ever set in stone. As you gain life experience and move along your path to your Very Excellent Life you may find new directions and set new goals for yourself. In fact is you may alter your definition of your Very Excellent Life significantly, That is okay. When and if that happens for you then you will make adjustments. Right now your job is simply to note where you are today.

You will notice narrow gaps in some areas between your current and desired states. In other areas your gaps may be huge. The size of the gap makes no difference. You can close all of them. Only you will do so by working in only one area at a time.

Core Values: Core Values Drive Your Success or Failure

Core values are your beliefs about what is important to you. They operate as integrity checks for how you live your life all across your life including both personal and professional areas.

Ultimately your success or failure in life depend on whether or not you live in alignment with your core values.

Most people never stop to actually think about what their core values are. Those who do fail to question exactly why those are so important to them. They also fail to list them in a priority order.

Why do your core values matter? Even more important, what role do they play in your life?

Did you ever do something that didn’t feel quite right? Do you work in a job you really do not like? Do you work every hard yet produce little forward progress in your life?

Your core values are those that matter most to you. Acting as a sort of sentry, they nudge you when you take actions that run contrary to what you believe is right for you and in your highest and best interest.

What do I mean? Someone who truly believes in recycling and living green yet works in an environment that wastes natural resources or, even worse, pollutes the world, constantly battles their core values. That kind of stress (going against one’s natural grain) leads (slowly but steadily) to emotional and physical health issues.

The stress usually happens in small increments and goes unnoticed until the major illness or condition stops them cold! Even then, people tend to blame other environmental issues for impacting their well being and never recognize the basis of their suffering, the true cause, is living a life that contradicts how they feel, deep in their heats at their core, how they want to and “should” live.

When you stop and look at successful people you discover they live in harmony with their core values—whether or not they are aware of doing so. Similarly, when you observe people who consistently fall short of the success they seek you see that they live a lifestyle that is blatantly out of alignment with their value system.

Health, as a physical, emotional, and spiritual concept, demands harmony across the board.

People who choose a job simply intent upon creating an income will not succeed to the degree they would if they choose to perform a job that fits their value system.

Performing tasks you do not believe in, feel strongly against doing, or weigh on your heart pose perpetual obstacles on your forward path. To end stress and live your Very Excellent Life learn how to know what your core values are and their order of importance to you.

Reduce Stress By Working in Your Area of Expertise

When you work in alignment with your talents and skills, doing something you love and truly value, then and only then will you eliminate stress and find the success you desire. And that success will  improve your life as well as benefit all people and the planet itself.

Everybody is an expert at something. When you stop to really look you will discover there is something that you do better than most people.

It may be something very simple like smiling just the right way to bring a smile to the face of someone too shy to look others in the eye. Or maybe you prepare the most amazing cranberry buckwheat bread on the planet.

Whether you are a business mogul or a stay-at-home parent you are an expert in some aspect. That is fact. Every person has a gift they came here to share.

Okay. The thing is no one is an instant expert at everything.

I have a tad of difficulty writing that sentence. While I am not the best at everything I am really good at very many things and an expert in many fields.

People born with multiple gifts, like Leonardo Davinci, were not limited to the Renaissance, you know. Many exist today. You likely know at least one person to whom you go for advice on very many different topics, right?

Fine. Some people have many areas of expertise.

However, I want to through a caution your way… many people pretend to be gurus because they see a new business opportunity. So they jump on the bandwagon. They really have no expertise but they say they do!

So how do you know who to follow?

You certainly cannot choose a guru by the letters after their names. The most gifted healers I know are not the ones with college degrees and fancy letters (no one can decipher) awarded by smart business people who decided to open a school and accredit people with letters after their name because they paid the smart person money to do so! (Lots of that going on these days!)

You decide on whose advice to take by following their specific advice in one incident and noting the results. If you got your desired results then the teacher knows what they are doing. If you failed to reach your desired and intended goal, and you did what the so-called guru said, they are not the right person – at least not for you.

Remember the college professor teaching business out of books in a classroom with no business experience will not make you a successful person out in the real business world.

In the world of entrepreneurs there is a standing joke that you just gotta forgive the poor guy (literally after paying for the degree in time and money) with the MBA.

When you choose your area of expertise really do what you know and not what you think will make you money. Doing work you love will reduce your stress. In fact, you will not work at all. When you love what you do you do not have a vocation but rather an avocation.

Stress: This Tool Knocks Out A Boat Load Of Stress (No Kidding)

We live hectic stressful lives today. This tools serves to keep us organized and sane in a world of overwhelm.

I received my very fist day planner when I graduated from the rehab program following a brain injury. Since I had no short-term memory they gifted me with some place to write down everything I needed to note and every appointment I needed to keep—and keep it all organized in one place so I could easily find what I wanted when needed.

The brain injury left me with no short-term memory and no ability to organize anything. So this gift made life doable for me.

After receiving the book I discovered the company that made it taught organization classes that showed you how to use the planner effectively. I took advantage of the opportunity to maximize my use of the day planner by taking that class.

In that class I learned a clever and simple system to organize my day, track what was important to do as well as what I wanted to accomplish and when.

That system seemed wonderful. I definitely adapted parts of it that fit my learning and life style. I recommend taking that class if the company still offers it.

However here is a huge drawback to what they teach, in my opinion.

They teach you how to make “to do lists” every day. They recommend making three lists of what needs to be done. Then they instruct you to label the tasks that must be done that day as “A” priorities. Next, mark the items B that would be nice to get done that day but can wait until the next day, if need be. Finally, they say to make a list of things you would like to get done – someday – and mark those items with a C.

At the end of each day they tell you to mark off what you did accomplish and move the left over A and B and C items to the next day.

DO you see any flaws in that system? Here is what I found.

I kept myself busy doing the B items and some A items. The most important A items, the ones I actually had some silly fears around – those items got moved to the next day – repeatedly.

My advice to you is always always always do what you most fear, the hardest task first. Once that is out of the way your stress level plummets freeing up your energy to zoom through more tasks more efficiently.

When you leave something you know, deep down, is very important you stress yourself Seeing that same task on your daily list raises your stress level around it.

So moving an A task from one day to the next reflects a fear that is causing you great stress.

Looking at that list of B and C items – undone – every day adds to your stress level. Right in your face you see reminders of what you failed to accomplish!

Let’s be honest here. Does a “To Do” list help you remember what you say you want to do OR does it remind you how much you didn’t do?

Seriously, do you need a reminder of the zillions of things you want to get done – someday? Don’t you know that list inside out and upside-down?

I propose a better idea than a to-do list: make a “Who do I have to be to do ABC” list.

People who accomplish certain kinds of tasks possess the same inner strengths and knowings. Maybe you have to be someone who easily and comfortably talks on the phone. Maybe you have to be someone whose self-confidence bursts forth without you ever saying a word.

Once you discover the traits you need to possess to do what needs to get done then you will sail through that kind of task every time it arises for the rest of your life!