There are two steps to living a “no excuses” life and working/winning your goals. Step 1: No excuses from yourself. Excuses are different from reasons. Make sure you tow the line and prioritize your dreams over your excuses. Step 2: Quit excusing others bad behavior. Surround yourself with those who support and contribute to what your goals are, not provide excuses on why they can’t (or won’t.) Find a way or make your way, either way, eliminate excuses. You can have forward movement and results or you can have stagnation and excuses. Your choice.
What Is Your Return On Investment
Return on investment (ROI) usually conveys a corporation’s return, but what return on investment are you being provided and/or seeking by investing in your job? The following are a few indicators regarding the matter. 1) Are you invested in your job at all? If not, clearly there will be no return other than your pay. Studies have shown most people don’t work for pay primarily, they seek additional means of validation so be careful not to fool yourself into settling for less. 2) Are you even thinking about what you get out of your job? This one can go either way. Either you are so blissful in your position you never consider it. Or, you have given up and never consider it. 3) Do you have a personal barometer you’ve created to even measure what a positive ROI would look like to you? Why are these factors important? You can’t grow as a person or professional if you have not yet identified what a positive ROI would be for you and your career.
Draw The Line
I’ve always tried to live being so busy improving myself that I have no time to criticize others. A practice I highly recommend. Even so, while I can do my best to control my thoughts and verbal output, I can’t control others. Along those lines I share the following which I believe to be quintessential advice to anyone no matter what you are doing and/or where you are in life. Enjoy! “Avoid head trash. Don’t be a garbage can for anything that does not feed your intellect, stimulate your imagination, or make you a more compassionate peaceful person. Refuse to open your mind to other people’s trash.” ~ Les Brown
Change
Change is no longer optional. We live in a society that remaining static and/or not being open to change equates to no longer staying the same, but rather ending up worse. Change can be challenging, it can be intimidating and it can be hard. But change along with everything else is subject to how we decide to perceive and/or frame it. How will you frame yours?
Ask vs Tell
Asking vs Telling… Which do you believe will receive the more cooperative response? When you ask you are pulling knowledge from another. When you tell you are pushing knowledge at another. So again, take a wild guess on which creates the better dynamic, especially if you are trying to work with others and build relationships. And here is one last helpful hint if you haven’t landed the answer… When was the last time you thought it would be awesome to have some shove their knowledge in your face?
The Benefits Of Multitasking Are Fictional But It Feels Good
Multitasking is something so many of us are proud of being able to do. We live in a culture that creates environments that are not sustainable. So rather than demanding more realistic environments we are predisposed to believe it must be our failing that all is not possible. The following is a great article on a media multitasking study done at The Ohio State University. It aptly conveys that there is a difference in the emotional boost we get from multitasking and the actual productivity that comes from it. Spoiler alert…no productivity comes from it. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/multitask.htm
The Choice Is Yours
Whether it is Monday, or any other day. The choices you make are yours and yours alone. We have a propensity to want to say things like “I have to because…” This is not the truth. It is an excuse. You always have options. Always. “One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes … and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Your Thoughts-Simple Mindfulness Exercise
Try this experiment, whether for an hour, a day, a week or more. I think you will find it interesting. Be mindful of your thoughts and take note of every time you are focusing on something you don’t like or want. When you catch yourself focusing on what you don’t like or want immediately replace it with what you do like or want. It is akin to brushing off a red hot cinder before it burns. I think you’ll be surprised on how often you think of the things you don’t like and/or want. The good news is, being aware is the first step to changing the pattern.