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A Crazy Busy Week

Posted on February 7, 2021

Ever had one of those? I am sure you have. Trying to jam in so many things. Some were booked, some were not. Regardless, a crazy busy week was had.

Many people will start out with a good plan. Well paced workloads will have a certain set of expectations around them. We might even add in some contingency time for unexpected items that pop up onto our radar. Despite all that good planning, sometimes things go south. Or great opportunities arise.

Either way, we can find ourselves up against the clock and burning the candle at both ends. Not the best situation but sometimes you just have to make hay while the sun shines. (I couldn’t resist an old farming reference).

How do you deal with a week like that? Do you re-book meetings, delegate workloads, drop things or recalibrate the priority list? Perhaps you do something completely different. Let me know in the comments below as I am genuinely interested in hearing the myriad ways that different people navigate a busy week.

I think I did a combination of all of the above. In addition, some things were simply forgotten in the mad rush. It is not ideal but sometimes life is just like that.

Hopefully next week is not such a crazy busy week.

Action Gratitude Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time Video

It Is Done!

Posted on February 5, 2021

That feels so good. That moment when you have completed the task. You cannot control it anymore. It is out of your hands. It is done!

It is an exciting and glorious feeling. When all the tension and build up can drain calmly from you, it is a tremendous feeling. Some feelings will be of relief and some will be of pride, confidence or joy.

Think back to when you have completed a big project. Or even think of a little one that you felt was important and worthy of your time. Maybe it was after completing an exam, driver’s licence test, or first overseas trip. For many, the feeling of relief is large after a public speech.

There is often an adrenaline rush and then a calming moment of satisfaction. In addition, you know you do not have to do it again soon, so there is peace in your heart.

I felt the calm satisfaction on Wednesday evening when I completed my first YouTube Short. Thanks to Alex, Roxane and Jaime for guidance on technical aspects. Thanks also to the many people in the YouTube and social media rooms in Clubhouse who gave great information. Also, a thank you to the How To content creators on YouTube. In particular, Sean Cannell’s comments in Clubhouse and his videos at Think Media. Naturalvita Tutorials also had a good tutorial.

It is done!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Shine On!

Posted on February 4, 2021

Life is full of ups and downs. So when you are on the way up, enjoy every minute of it. Enjoy the excitement and exhilaration. Shine on!

The compound, or snowball effect, works both ways. If things are getting worse, it can continue getting worse at an accelerating pace. However, if things are going well, life can explode in an upward trajectory.

Tuesday was one of those days. There was a mix of things happening. Though, I did have some great things happen and it seems to be snowballing upward so far. Long may that continue!

It is easier to maintain higher energy and an upbeat vibe when things are going well. This in turn will also attract other positive things and people toward you. People like to be around someone who is winning. It is a fun and wonderful thing to be a part of.

So throw on a smile and walk with your shoulders back. Get a little swagger going too. Feel like you are having the best day of your life. Breathe it in. Hold on to that feeling.

If you can keep your thoughts positive and your body strong, you will win the day. Try it.

Shine on!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts

Change It Today

Posted on February 3, 2021

There is something that you have been putting off. You know you want the outcome but something holds you back. Change it today.

Get your own attention and focus on the matter. Break it down into tiny steps. You do not need to live like this anymore. There is an alternative. So find that other path, get better people around you and thrive.

It could be that the hardest part of changing something is the people you can’t bring with you. You would like them to come with you. However they do not see your future in their future. And that is fine. But do not let it slow you down or stop you.

You must barrel along as if your destiny depended on it. Is the path you are heading along really leading you to the place you want to end up? What will your life look like in 20 years if you do not switch tracks? Is it really the life you want? Because you can change the track you are on.

You can make a hard turn or you can adjust slowly. Both can work. But you need to be sufficiently comfortable with the initial discomfort. Then it will continue to be uncomfortable until your mind can adjust and feel fine with it.

Make the decision you need to make right now.

Change it today.

Action Health & Fitness Time Weight loss

Get Good Sleep

Posted on February 2, 2021

Staying up too long can be devastating. You can start to weave, get the head nods, fall asleep and feel pretty bleh. Get good sleep. It is very important though often the first item to let go.

I do love sinking into bed after a long or tiring day. It could be physically tiring or it could be mentally tiring. Either way, it is nice to lay back, dream away and then get some good shut eye.

Keeping someone awake for too long can become a brutal weapon of torture. It doesn’t even take that long. Sleep deprivation is a real thing and can lead to unfortunate and even severe consequences. Be smart with the amount of sleep you get.

You generally need 7-8 hours of sleep per night. You should aim to get to bed earlier than later. Sleeping hours before midnight seem to be rated higher than those after midnight. In addition, try to get to bed at the same time every night. This is assisted by having a consistent bedtime routine. This winding down routine should not involve any screens (tv, phone, computer).

Drink your eight glasses of water earlier in the day. It will help you stay hydrated but also keep you from waking up to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. No one needs that kind of unnecessary sleep disruption.

Get good sleep.

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Give That Extra Push

Posted on January 31, 2021

You’re exhausted. It is the end of the day. Your bed is calling out to you. You want nothing more than to collapse. Give that extra push at this point. Take 10 more minutes to get one more thing done.

Push through and get that tough task started so tomorrow morning it is already underway. Or write out the goals, key elements and times for tomorrow. Alternatively you could get that one extra, easy item off your to do list. It shows up everyday and you never really notice it or find the time to do it. Tonight is that time.

Do this extra 10 minutes of effort five nights a week for one year. That will get roughly 250 items off your list. Or it will help streamline your life.

You will also feel much better for having got it off your list. It will lighten your mental load. As you get 4 or 5 done next week, you will feel like you’re making progress. The pride in doing that little extra will shine through. You will stand a little taller as you build goodwill with yourself.

This tactic will also help you push through further in other areas of your life. Your resilience will grow. Your determination will strengthen.

Give that extra push. It will be worth it.

Action Progress Think About It Time

Be Obsessive

Posted on January 29, 2021

This is a great way to approach things in life. Why do anything half-hearted? If you are going to undertake anything, be obsessive.

It has been awhile since the last time I heard this phrase. However, I heard it the other day when I was on the new Clubhouse App. Mr Beast, the young YouTube sensation with over 50 million subscribers was using it to note how to gain success. He told the person in question to be obsessive. It is a philosophy that he uses too.

Essentially, he gets up and spends every waking hour being focused on improving his craft and planning or creating content. Then he goes to bed. That seems fairly obsessive to me.

It makes me think about the book, The Zulu Principle. The premise of the book is that you can learn anything and become a world class expert in anything pretty quickly. If you focus on one topic and read three books on it, you’ll be well ahead of 96% of people on that topic. Then if you network around people who are experts in that field, you will rapidly absorb their additional knowledge.

So in a few months, you really could be world class in just about anything.

And I get it. I don’t want my brain surgeon to have just read a few books and gone to a few Medical wine and cheeses.

But for most things, just be obsessive.

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

When The Stars Align

Posted on January 24, 2021

You push and grind and patiently wait. One part of the puzzle is all it will take. Twisting and turning until everything’s fine. That’s when the stars align.

I love the visual I get when I think of stars aligning in space. I see maybe 10 or 12 massive bodies of matter moving into a straight line with millions of miles between them. It’s quite awesome to behold. It’s like giant tumblers inside a massive combination lock.

All the tumblers need to be in the correct position for the magic to happen and to unlock the mystery. When the stars are in just the right position, the world is your oyster.

It is such a wonderful feeling to have everything working out. Think about how many millions of things have to be working together for an amazing day to happen. Your arms, legs, heart, head, speech, movement, temperature, community, etc must all be in ideal conditions. Simultaneously!

That may be why it feels so special when those types of things happen. Whether it is for a minute or a whole day, it is simply the best feeling. Everything is in unison and giving off a glow. It might convince some of a magical force in the universe.

There is a powerful beauty when the stars align.

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Looking Back

Posted on January 23, 2021

Did you spend your day well? What about your week? How well did you spend your time in 2020? Or 2019 for that matter? Looking back is a useful exercise, especially if you do it well before the final curtain.

There are days that seem to slip through my fingers. Like yesterday. I had planned out the whole day before going to bed the night before. From my alarm ringing in the morning, until my head hit the pillow in the evening, I was scheduled.

But some random events threw me off course in the morning. Then the afternoon was all playing catch up. But then a couple of other unexpected situations arose. Some of these I could have averted with slightly better communication and time management. However, the others were just a little dose of, “That’s life”.

I really only got back on track at 7pm. Yet, I had missed so much in the day. Even with decent planning, you can be blown off course occasionally. But try to resist. Set your environment up in a better way. Then you can stick to the plan and make great progress.

This is a good analogy for life. You don’t want to get to the end of a time period and wish you had been more efficient with your time and more focused with your intent.

Looking back helps us look forward.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Time

Get Moving!

Posted on January 22, 2021

We all need to move in life. It is very good for our bodies and minds if we get the heart rate up. The blood in our bodies needs to circulate. Get moving!

I can sit on a comfy chair for hours. In addition, I find lying in a comfy bed very relaxing. And some mornings I can find it a little more difficult than others to get up and out of bed. This has almost nothing to do with my body and nearly everything to do with my mindset in that moment.

There are days that I slowly get my running clothes on, secretly hoping for a torrential storm to give me a reasonable reason not to go. However, I can’t recall a time that I wasn’t delighted with going, once I was seven minutes into the run.

The physical and mental health benefits of exercise are many. Going for a walk or run, or doing some press-ups, star jumps or squats all have beneficial qualities at zero cost to participate.

I know it’s easier to stay under a blanket and in a warm house. However, your mind and body don’t get the true benefits for doing that.

Start today. Do something for five minutes. And commit to doing that same thing for seven days straight.

Get moving!