7 Ways to Turn Worry into Excitement about Getting Things Done

Everybody worries sometimes. Right now, you’ve probably even got a few worries on your mind: you might be thinking about a relationship or a situation at work that you’re struggling with; maybe you’re worried about your health or whether or not you’re going to have enough money to pay the bills at the end of the month; or you might be worried about the future for you and your family or the state of the world today.

Whatever the case, worry happens whether we intend for it to or not. This becomes a problem, though, when worry starts to take over your life, as it can creep up on your without realizing.

So, what is the goal? Is stopping worrying enough to put you on an even keel, or are you hoping for something…more? What if, instead of worrying, you could become excited, then use this excitement to get more done?

Let’s look at seven ways to achieve this:

Be Here Now

Worry has a way of trapping you anywhere but here. Either you’re worried about something which happened long ago, or you’re caught up in fretting about something still to come.  Neither is going to get you anywhere. To stop worrying, you need to focus on the present. What interests you right now? What do you have control of today, versus tomorrow?

Realize This Gets You Nowhere Fast

Worrying stops you cold. In fact, most procrastination is caused by worrying. With this in mind, why are you wasting your time and energy on worrying? Sometimes just recognizing what a waste worry is, will be enough to derail it altogether. Especially when you have better places to be.

Throw Yourself into Something Interesting

Worry needs your attention to survive. Get busy doing something engaging to your mind, and you’ll find you forget all about worrying. Focus on a project, reading a book or a hobby, or being with friends.

Rewrite the Script

If you’re seeing everything blow up around you, maybe you should try focusing on the perceived disaster. Ask yourself how you could do things to handle the situation were it to happen. Once you have it, practice the scenario in your mind and picture yourself handling matters – always be solution-focused.

Practice

Worried about something you need to do later? Having a dress rehearsal in your head will make things go smoother and keep worry at bay entirely. Often, imploding a bad situation will stop the fears that surround it.

Ask

Challenge your worry. Dig in and get to the roots until you understand your worry intimately. Ask yourself where the negativity came from. Peel back the layers until you get down into the heart of the matter. Try the ‘what if’s’ of the situation so you can look at solutions and challenge thoughts around it. Worry really starts in our head.

Try a New Path

In the end, worry can become very attached to the familiar. It can feel ‘comfortable’ so, when you want to move out of this space, your fight-or-flight will go off, leading to more worry. Challenge yourself; find a different way to do things explore where this new path takes you.

Coaching Tip:

The main point in all of these is to enjoy the journey. This is where you find the excitement and enthusiasm, which leads to getting things done. The rest is all momentum and a whole lot of brand-new accomplishments just waiting to happen. Change takes time so be easy on yourself but be consistent in your efforts so you can deal with any worries you will face.

 

“Worry is like a rocking chair: It gives you something to do but it never gets you anywhere.”  (Erma Bombeck)

 

 

 

If you’re feeling worries, anxious, or overwhelmed by life circumstances, you don’t have to suffer or go it alone. Reach out for help to get started living a freer and calmer life.

 

 

Mind over matter –  You are what you believe

 Happy September! As we star a new month, and moving to the last part of the year, the time is now to set plans in place for how you want this time to go. But, no matter what steps you plan to take, the most important factor is mindset.

What you may not realize is that your mindset – your thoughts, feelings, attitudes – all determine your interactions daily, with your situations and the people you interact with. Do you ever feel that your plans or goals are ‘hard’ or not obtainable, for whatever reason? Well, there is a saying to consider: mind over matter.

What is mind over matter? We like to think of our minds as something intangible, a sort of spiritual phenomenon. The truth is that the mind is a result of the processes of the brain and the brain is very much a physical part of the world.

The human mind is so powerful and it can change your world in surprising ways. “Mind over matter” is a scientific fact:

Mind Over Matter No 1. The Healing Power of Thought

Most of us don’t pay attention to how our mind thinks, what it fears, what it say to itself and what it brushes asides. Pay close attention, as our mind and our thoughts is one of the most powerful forces. What you think you believe, both positive and negative. Behaviors result from thoughts.

Mind Over Matter No 2. Meditation: Not Just for Monks

Meditation is becoming popular and widespread like never before. It is seen that people who practice it consistently and correctly enjoy host of benefits, such as: they sleep better, feel more energetic, less stressful and have a strong immune system.

Some super advanced practitioners of meditation, even take control of their body functions such as their heart rate, blood pressure and control it on command. Meditation does take practice to quiet the mind and become a habit; start small, such as 2 minutes, focusing on your breathing. Keep increasing your time to experience the true benefits of calming the mind and body to handle anything in your life.

Mind Over Matter No 3. Rid your mind of toxic thoughts

Toxic thoughts are extremely poisonous and can cause us to subconsciously sabotage our progress. Therefore, you must learn how to deal with these negative thoughts and let them go; otherwise, they will slowly take their roots and start controlling your behaviors.

Get rid of such thought patterns and eliminate them which prevent you to make progress in your lives; however, it’s not easy to eliminate some thoughts at first; the more you focus on a thought the more you actually attract it. Whenever you find such thoughts arising replace them with some positive and supportive thoughts; neuroscience says that for every negative thought, you need at least 3 positives to override it.

Mind Over Matter No 4. Meaning and Having a Higher Purpose

For many people, having a high purpose means going above and beyond what they normally do; it means challenging your knowledge, skills, and abilities (SKAs) to uncover more than you believe you can; it’s digging deep and recognizing the strengths your have and use them for higher purposes, such as in your job.

For example, Mary has been tasked to work on a project but holds herself back, with thoughts of “I can’t do this;” however, if Mary were to assess her SKAs, she would realize that she does know and is able to focus on the task. (If Mary were to recognize that she was given the task – her boss recognized her ability to get the job done).

Mind Over Matter No 5. Learn to focus

A focused mind directs your actions to a given outcome, it directs your thoughts and actions on your aims. If you intensely focus on something, you will attract it in one way or the other. If someone is concentrating more on their fears and anxieties they are most likely to attract them. Similarly if person focus more on success, joy then happiness will be attracted more. Let go of unjust, unbeneficial, and toxic thoughts.

Final thoughts

We spend the majority of  our time concentrating on our physical appearance but less attention to our mental hygiene. What you think is just as important as getting exercise, eating right or taking your prescribed medicine. It’s all about the power of mind over matter. Take care to practice mental hygiene. Of course, you should not hide away from all the bad stuff in the world, but you should practice moderation when it comes to negative mental “energy” in your life. That’s the key to true mind over matter.

One last thought: ‘take care of your brain and it will take care of you!’

 

If you’re struggling with negativity, stress, anxiety or other issues that hold you back, isn’t it time to do something about this? Reach out to get help today    https://cyscoaching.com

 

Monday Motivation: Old Stuff Day – Unclutter Your Space, Unclutter Your Mind

Today is “Old Stuff Day.’ Yes, there is literally a recognition for just about everything. But this day can recognize getting rid of old stuff that no longer serve you.

It is widely believed that if your surroundings are cluttered, you will not be as productive. It has an impact on your psyche which means if you unclutter your space you will also unclutter your mind. When you open your mind, your thoughts and ideas will flow more smoothly. This is one of the major ways keeping your environment clutter free will lead you to be more productive.

I have found that when my space is overly crowded, it creates frustration and stress. I often get torn with dilemma of keeping or throwing away as well as where I will put my ‘stuff’ so I don’t forget about it. As a visual person, I need to see things in front of me so this last point adds to my stress.

Why is it so difficult to unclutter? Why do people collect and hoard things? There are psychological blocks that keep someone in this state. It tends to having either an emotional attachment to an item or another fear, such as ‘what if I need the item later?’ or ‘when I lose weight, I’ll be able to fit into those jeans again.’ But how long do those items stay on the shelf?

After doing a deep purge last year, here are some tips to help get rid of old stuff and live more peacefully:

  1. take inventory – you have to know what you’re dealing with. Having a checklist or some type of listing will let you know what you have used frequently and what you haven’t. This action can be the start of letting go.

2 Put items into categories – used/keep; not used/discard; on the fence/maybe pile (to go through again later); donate. This is an eye-opener on what you have been using or, more importantly, what you haven’t been. I found this a good exercise to let go.

  1. For items that you are on the fence about or feel some anxiety of discarding, sit in the space and identify what the thought is for you; is there a sentiment attached to it, perhaps given to you by someone meaningful, does it bring back a happy time, and the like. Identifying the thoughts behind our emotions helps us to begin to find solutions to turn them around.
  2. Do it quickly – it’s amazing when pressure is given to see how fast we move. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is not to think and just do before any intrusive thoughts occur. Set a time for 10 minutes to start and see what you can remove from your life. If there is an emotional attachment, you will know but, most likely, you will have them sitting in the discard or donate pile.
  3. Remove the mental chatter and replace with positive self-talk – when a negative thought arises, stop right away, before it fully emerges and then replace with 3 positive ones; use self-talk to affirm that you are going to be okay and how much better you will feel when you are in a calmer environment. Applaud yourself for these actions and revel in accomplishment.

I remember when I was in a major purge when selling my house, which had to happen quickly, They buyer wanted to move up the date which, at the time I agreed, seemed easy to do; however, people who were to help me move were unable to come through so I essentially had to do all the moving myself. The step on taking quick action really was impactful as things went. But, how freeing it was once they were gone, which I don’t miss. In looking back, I am amazed at how long I held on to certain items which I realize were stifling for me.

You will reduce your stress levels when you create an uncluttered environment. You will be able to find things faster which gives you the time to work on important items. Even if not for work, you will have more time to spend with your friends and family. Take time each day to get rid of one thing – you will be amazed at how peaceful your life will be.

Mindset matters, so if you’re feeling stuck in your business or life, contact us to moving forward.

8 Little Changes to Make You Feel More Energetic and Productive

Here Are 8 Great Little Changes to Make You Instantly Feel Healthier,  More Energetic, and Productive

What does optimal performance feel like? How do you feel when you’re performing ‘at your best’?

For many of us the answer would be a combination of energy, focus and good mood. If you’re interested in being healthier then you should focus on these things because not only will you feel healthier immediately, but you’ll also then have more energy and drive to stick to whatever other health programs or objectives you’re setting yourself.

In fact, a new study by Rand and Vitality, a nonprofit research company, activity is correlated with productivity, which leads to higher performance; it reduces absenteeism from health issues, in addition to improving sleep and mental health.

To achieve these kinds of small improvements, the best strategy to take is to focus on making small, cumulative changes that will build up over time. By gradually improving yourself with smaller goals you will find each change is easier to make and that you experience less resistance. These small changes then add up and provide you with more large scale success.

So what are some little changes you can make to start enjoying more energy, drive and health right now? Here are just a few:

  • Swap your coffee for a health drink – Do you drink coffee every morning on the way to work? Not only is this likely to cause tolerance and dependence for caffeine (making you groggier in the mornings) but it also means you’ll be missing out on the opportunity to get some health drinks in you. Try swapping this for a vegetable juice and see how much better you feel for all those vitamins and minerals.
  • Remove the sugar from your tea – This will not only reduce your calories and carbohydrate intake, it will also help you to get rid of your sweet tooth.
  • Set the alarm forward 10 minutes – Ten minutes more sleep makes all the difference in the world. It’s hard to convince yourself to go to bed earlier, but giving yourself an extra ten minutes in the morning can make all the difference.
  • Sit at the table when you eat – Sit at the sofa when you eat and you’ll feel lethargic and not want to get up.
  • Swap your socks – It sounds funny, but swap your socks for fresh ones halfway through the day and you feel energized!
  • Take calls outside – If you’re on your mobile why not use this opportunity to pace around a little and get some fresh air? Just a little fresh air makes a huge difference.
  • Wear brighter colors – Bright colors make others see you as more energetic, which means they treat you as more energetic, which makes you more energetic. That’s the law of attraction in process…
  • Breathe – even taking small, deep breaths will give you an instant energy booster as it calms your mind and body

Taking time to implement some of these changes will change your life overall. Not only will you have more energy but will be more accomplished as you tick off tasks on that ‘to-do’ list. I would add in there an added benefit and that is living longer – what more do you need!

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