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Tag: awareness

What if nobody knows?

What if nobody knows you’re the one who dropped the ball?
What if nobody learns about the mistake you made?
What if nobody finds the great work that you’re doing?
What if nobody compliments you?
What if nobody knows you failed?
What if nobody clicks “like” or responds to your email or answers your call?
What if nobody sees the progress you’ve made?
What if nobody buys your product?
What if nobody recognizes your worth?
Would you switch your goals? Would you make different decisions? Would your behavior change?
You’re the one person who knows all of your mistakes, all of your successes, all of your growth and progress and milestones.
Remember whose opinion matters most.

Alone: fuel for you

A client asked me for my top recommendation for those feeling lost and seeking direction. My answer is simple: be alone. Being alone is one of the best steps you can take to improve yourself, your relationships, even your business. Making time to be by yourself can give you new energy to bring to your work and your loved ones, and the revelations that come in quiet moments often have huge implications. Space alone can be the fuel you need to tackle projects with zest and be the best partner you can be.
But it can be tricky to carve out time for yourself, especially with family and work obligations. Be gentle and honest when you ask for this space. You don’t need to go into details with your boss; a simple “I need to take tomorrow morning for myself” is fine.
Please don’t confuse “loneliness” with “time alone.” Moments by yourself on a walk, in the car, at the library can bring to you answers to questions you might not find when surrounded by others. Some people crave alone time more than others and enjoy independence; others need less of it. Remove judgement and revel in the time you’ve carved out for yourself, and if you can, take away any expectations for what the time should bring. Often, answers come when you least expect it.

The danger of waiting for miracles

What if the miracle never happens?

What if while you’re waiting, something better comes along but you miss it because you’re too focused on waiting for the first miracle to happen?

What if instead of waiting for the miracle, you took concrete steps towards making a dream come true?

What if the miracle isn’t what you need in the first place?

If you are counting on a miracle for your plan to work, chances are you should focus your energy elsewhere.

A recipe for finding answers

Go someplace quiet
Where you are truly alone
Turn off everything
Your phone, especially
And sit
Listen to your thoughts
Five minutes
Where does your mind take you
Ten minutes
Where does your heart take you
Fifteen minutes
What do you really, really want?
Be still
Be quiet
Repeat once a week (at least!)
And watch your life unfold

Are you spending too much time at work?

The eight-hour workday was designed to get the most out of workers in order to run around-the-clock business. After observing inefficiencies of exhausted workers, Robert Owen split the day into three eight-hour blocks: work, play and rest. Even Henry Ford mirrored this formula. Yet bonuses, overtime pay, and office bragging rights have incentivized long work hours. As a result, fatigue is common in workplaces across America.
Are all those hours at work really beneficial?
Research shows that after hour fifty, workers burn out, make mistakes and get hurt. The more hours spent at work, the less work actually gets accomplished. Overtime nurses misdiagnosed patients, and hospital interns were more likely to be involved in automobile accidents after long hours on the job.
Mayo Clinic recognizes the dangerous combination of exhaustion, insecurity and hopelessness; job burnout is a big problem, even resulting in depression and insomnia. If projects are piling up on your desk, if you’re feeling irritable or dissatisfied – even work is going well – take a step back. You’re worth way more than OT.