Mindset
5 Ways To A More Balanced Life
We all know that it can be difficult to have a good work-life balance. It isn’t always easy to strike a balance between a happy boss and a happy family, but there are some simple things that you can do both at home and work to enable you to find that balance.
Because this is so important, it has been covered by groups like Mental Health America, Web M.D., Forbes, and Business News Daily. Now you could Google all this information yourself but this article will condense all this information into 5 quick and simple tips that will enable you to create a more balanced life.
1. The Power Of Routine
One of the first things you should do every day is produce a to-do list and order things in priority. Doing this allows you to focus more of your energy on the most important tasks for the day and by using a simple checklist that you can refer to, you can quickly see what you have managed to accomplish druing that particular day. Having a daily routine can ne a quick way to reduce work-based stress and you will accomplish more so your boss will be happy too; a win-win situation.
You can also use the power of routines at home as they are a quick way to let everyone know what’s going on and when. But don’t forget that you need time to unwind and relax, so don’t be afraid to give yourself and your family some valuable downtime just to chill out and unwind from the stresses of the day. And this downtime is the perfect time to come together as a family and bond, so you will all feel even closer, so pleasae don’t neglect adding this to your routine; it is critical for your family relationships and will bring you all closer together.
2. Make Use Of Technology
Technology is so smart these days, so if you are sick, your children are sick, or the commute will be extra-long due to weather or outside circumstances, then make use of it to work remotely from home. Use Skype for conference and video calls, and this way you can still provide your employer with what they need while giving you some breathing room.
3. Learn to Say No
Most people are just downright uncomfortable with saying no at work but the problem with this is that it results in you taking on too many tasks, working overtime, and becoming increasingly stressed about not being able to get it all done. If there’s a job you know that you won’t be able to get done on time or that you are not suited for, be prepared to say no. You may be surprised at how well this is received by your employer.
You also need to be able to say no to social and home life events that could end up being too taxing as well. Do you have social obligations that are just too draining? Perhaps they don’t allow you to spend enough time with your family in the evenings. Cutting back on these social engagements will help you to have more family time and restore balance.
4. Learn Your Employer’s Policies And Know Your Rights
Learning leave, vacation, sick, and disability policies are paramount. Also, learn what telecommunication systems your company has in place. If there aren’t any, you may need to ask. This will alleviate any stress if you need to use vacation or sick days or if you need to telecommute.
If you have children, it may be beneficial to learn their school’s policies too. Knowing the procedure for turning in sick notes, calling out for the day, or showing up late can save a lot of headache for all of you!
5. Communicate
Let your employer know what’s going on. Let them know where you’re at on individual projects, if you’re going to be on time, ahead of deadline or behind on schedule. Communicating these vital elements to your employer will help you both as they know where you are and can allocate assistance if required and this can reduce stress for you too; just be honest.
Communication at home is probably even more critical than at work, especially if you are married with kids! Make sure you that everyone knows what is going on with you. And conversely, it is good to know what is going on with everyone else.
Why not have a family meeting once a week to discuss upcoming events, anything that is causing stress or friction, things that may need planning and other elements of life that could cause stress if not well planned? This simple act alone may help you to find that balance between work and home.
OK, so there you have it;these five simple steps can really help you find some balance in your busy life. Do you have your own ways that you use to strike work-life balance that weren’t on the list? If so, good for you and keep to them if they are working for you and your family.
How to Change Your Mindset & Turn Lions Into Kittens
It is not just our bodies that are a result of evolution. Our minds and psychology have also been shaped by the world that we evolved in and that is where many of our most unusual behaviors come from.
When we were evolving, we were in far more dangerous scenarios than we are now and we couldn’t afford to take risks. Only the psychological traits that made us most likely to survive were passed on and that means that they’re the only ones that matter. This is why we are risk averse by nature.
The Danger of Ambiguity
Imagine that you were in the wild, looking at the silhouette of some kind of animal sitting on the horizon. You don’t know if that silhouette is of a lion or a kitten… what do you do?
The best solution for survival is to assume the worst. Assume it’s a lion and either freeze or run. The people who take chances will most likely get eaten and thus not pass on their personality traits!
But the problem is that we don’t see lions any more. This is not the biggest threat to your life right now. Instead, the biggest stressors are things like debt, illness, relationship problems and career issues. These are the threats we face in modern life and that we now must overcome if we’re going to be successful in life.
It’s All About Perspective
But here’s the thing: it’s actually all about perspective and mindset when it comes to our reaction to threats. If we think it’s a kitten, then we will be able to remain cool, calm and happy even if it is a metaphorical lion. In other words, it pays for us to reassess our situations and to take control of our anxiety and our stress. When we do that, we remove the chronic anxiety that makes us perform and feel worse.
How do you turn your situations into kittens? Simple: you assess exactly why you’re afraid and whether or not there is a good reason to be. Remember: it’s all just perspective. Change your mindset and you change the reality!
Have a Vision, Not a Goal!
If you want to accomplish as much as you possibly can, the most important thing to get right is the vision or goal you have to begin with. This is essentially the same as setting your trajectory and without a trajectory, you don’t stand much chance of getting to your destination. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to correctly write goals and this can end up preventing them from achieving the success they so desire.
And actually, if you’re starting off with writing a goal then you’re starting out with the wrong intent to begin with. And this is because ‘goals’ aren’t really as useful as visions or visualizations – and that is what we’re going to explore here.
The Difference Between a Goal and a Vision
So what’s the difference between a goal and a vision? Basically, a goal is something that you write down and that is very concrete and simple with a pre-determined endpoint. A goal may for example be to ‘lose 10lbs in two months’. That’s a goal but it’s also not as effective as a vision designed to the same end.
This same ambition posed as a vision rather than a goal would instead be more the idea of being in shape. You might visualize yourself looking ripped and feeling healthy. You might imagine yourself going for jogs on the beach with your top off in summer and feeling great about yourself. That’s your vision.
A vision can also be an image of yourself standing in an office block and looking out over the world, knowing that you’re in a position of great importance and power.
This is a much more abstract concept that nevertheless helps you to get a picture of what you want and what the emotion behind that goal is. It is the motivation behind the goal
Why Visions Are More Effective Than Goals Alone
Why are visions more successful than goals? For one, goals are not nearly flexible enough. If you have a goal, then this gives you one thing you’re trying accomplish and only one idea of how to get there. If it doesn’t go to plan then you have the freedom to change the steps you’re going to take to get there, or to bend them to fit your current lifestyle, plans and free time.
Another reason visions work better is because they have more emotional content. When you visualize something, the same regions fire in your brain as though it was actually happening. This in turn means that you can actually trigger the emotion as though it were happening. And it’s this emotion we can use to motivate ourselves to go through with plans!
You Have To Take Action to Hustle
Everybody dreams but few people act to make those dreams come true. Success doesn’t just happen; it has to be worked for. All successful people were not born successful and most of them had to hustle, consistently working harder than everyone else to get to the top.
What makes achievers different from everyone else is the hustle, the hard work and the long hours and efforts they put into their work. These people are willing to make sacrifices that other people cannot and this is why they succeed. Achieving success takes a conscious effort but the best thing is that every single person has an opportunity to succeed but only if they want to bad enough.
Get Up and Get To Work
For you to hustle and be good at it, you must stop wishing things could get better and waiting for a miracle. You must get up and decide to put in the long hours and all the effort that it will take to achieve your dreams. If you cannot do this, those dreams will never be real. You see, many people make excuses for their situations and they get stuck in a rut because they are not willing to make the sacrifices or pay the price, so to speak.
Take Risks
In order to be a hustler you must be willing to take risks and not be afraid of failure. Many successful people failed severally before they made it. Failing actually makes you better and wiser because you get to learn from the mistakes you make. The secret to achieving success is getting right up and getting on with the hustle.
Commitment
In order to be a successful hustler, you must make a commitment to yourself to succeed. Hustlers face many challenges and obstacles along the way but instead of giving up; they continue knocking and go at it until they succeed. Other people simply give up too easily and fail to make dreams a reality.
Discipline
All successful hustlers are disciplined people who are self-motivated. The problem is it takes conscious effort to be disciplined and most people just don’t have this discipline. They work for a few days and then they get lazy and sloppy. These people cannot become successful hustlers because without discipline, you cannot be consistent at what you do. If you are not consistent, your results will not be consistent either. To be a good hustler, you must be disciplined enough in order to focus and achieve your goals.
Michael Jordan The Hustler
Michael Jordan is definitely one of the most successful men in the world. Apart from being a successful businessman, he is regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time and has won so many awards and titles than any other basketball player. With all these achievements under his belt, one might assume that Michael was born with natural talent and that he has always been good at the game. Contrary to this, Michael Jordan is a hustler who worked his way to become a legend in basketball.
He is Not Afraid to Fail
Although Michael always had a passion to play basketball, his coaches didn’t think he was good enough. His height did not reach the minimum height that was required and he failed to make the team. Instead of giving up, Michael refused to stop playing basketball. To cut the story short, he made the team and began his great basketball career always seeing failure as just another reason to succeed. Now this is the spirit of a true hustler. If you are told you can’t make it, you push yourself harder and harder still until you make it just to prove to that you can do it.
He Was Highly Determined and Very Competitive
Michael attributes his competitive nature to the way he was brought up and partially to sibling rivalry. His parents demanded discipline and had great expectations from him and his brothers. Michael hated being defeated by his younger brother, Larry and became more and more determined to be the best. He used this determination and competitive streak to become the best basketball player in his team in college and throughout his career.
Consistent Practice
When you do something repeatedly, it gets easier to do. When Michael tried out for his basketball team, he was not picked to play the varsity team and had to stay on in the junior team. Embarrassed and disappointed, Michael decided to practice every single day and he only became the best when he had learnt to practice better than all his team mates.
Eventually, he got so good that he became everybody’s favorite player in the team and the varsity team would come early just to watch him play. Soon enough, he had impressed the coaches and was selected to join the varsity team. His resilience and hustling spirit enabled him to become better than anyone else and until the end of his career; Michael was always the first to arrive at the gym and usually the last to leave.