Stop Listening

Sometimes, you have to stop listening to what your mind says you must do and listen instead to what your heart tells you to do.

You Have Exactly One Life

I first saw this a couple of days ago and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Colin Wright has a great website you should check out if you have the time. While you may think he is crazy or there is no way you could ever do anything of the sort, we have the chance to learn something from everyone. Poke around on his site and see what you think.

We only have one chance at this. Do we want to spend it bitching and moaning about how things are not working the way they should? Do we want to spend it toiling away at jobs bringing us no sense of happiness or fulfillment? Do we want to shy away from what scares us? Do we want to continue to believe that happiness comes from some external source? Or, do we want to go at things full throttle, do the things that are important to us, make our own happiness and live the life we want?

Business As We Know It

With so many advancements in technology, why are so many companies sticking to outdated business models?

With wireless, laptops, smart phones and tablets, we can work from anywhere. We no longer need to be present in a cubicle to get the work done. In fact, for many of us, getting out of the cubicle allows us to do more and better work. Why are companies stuck in the mindset that people need to be physically present to do the work?

In most companies, if you hire someone to do a full-time job and they are able to complete all the tasks in 30 hours a week, the employee is rewarded by getting more tasks added to their plate (tasks usually coming from someone who is not able to get their work done). Is this fair? If the employee wants more to do, then great. This is a win-win for everyone. There are a lot of people who will see this and then slow down on the work they do so they aren't given more and more. This doesn't benefit anyone.

We can talk about culture agreements and making the work environment fun and giving staff more privileges and the need for people to think and make decisions, but until we start treating employees as adults, none of it really matters. As employees, we are often stuck in the mindset that we come in at 9:00 and leave at 5:00 and other than those hours, we are free to do what we want. Yes, we may have some deadlines to meet and yes, we may work at other hours, but we have to be present between the hours of 9:00-5:00.

How would it change if people were actually allowed to figure out how to get everything done on their own time and in their own way? How much more could we accomplish and how many more ideas would come from staff who are fully engaged and enjoying their work (instead of just working for the weekend)? How much money would the company save if they weren't constantly tracking the hours and PTO of every employee in (or outside of) the building. How much more work would be accomplished if someone could work from home when they had a sick child or wanted to work from the beach on a long weekend?

We are stuck in a business model that may have worked 20 or 30 years ago, but isn't it time we started embracing a new way to do things? Sticking with something because it is the way it has always been done is a way to get left behind. I hear many people say they want to have a company where people are engaged, having fun and love their job. What happens if we started treating them like adults and stop running things with a factory mindset? Many companies continue to lose the best and the brightest because they don't fit in to the 9-5 crowd. They know they do their best work at night or early in the morning. Instead of being able to do their best work for the company, they start their own or find a place to go that will treat them like an individual and an adult.

The way we do business is going to change. Either you can help push the change, get the best and the brightest, make a difference and set the standard in your industry or you can continue to fall behind. It's your choice.

Stop Taking Things Personally

Too often, we confuse criticism or a comment on our work as criticism or a comment about who we are. We take things too personally and become offended because someone is pointing out a different way to do things or places where they see improvements can be made. We put a lot of time and emotion in to work and it often becomes enwrapped into our being. Separating this emotion when we receive the criticism or comments can be very difficult for most people.

When we take things personally, we find ourselves becoming depressed about the job, cynical and afraid to take chances. We don't welcome the feedback and we won't do anything that may invite it. Because we are afraid to take chances, we often become stuck doing the same things the same ways and improvements are not made. We all know people like this and many of us would honestly say we have been this person. I know I have.

As hard as it may sound, we have to get better at separating our emotional side from the work. We have to see the criticisms and comments as what they are, possible ways to improve our work and not direct attacks against us. The person commenting may not know exactly what you are doing or the complexities of the project, but eyes from the outside will often see things you can not see from the inside. Their comments or critiques can be very valuable, but you will never listen if you take them personally. When you start to get frustrated or angry, tell yourself this isn't an attack on you, but just a suggestion to improve your work.

If we all looked at these opportunities as chances to improve, instead of fodder for frustration and anger, would we be able to make great improvements to our work? Would we be happier?

Make Each Day Better Than The Last

Every morning, when you wake up, you have a choice to make. Are you going to dread what the day brings or are you going to attack every challenge with gusto and leave nothing on the table at the end of the day?

Too often, we dread what the day brings. We don't want to deal with what we do at work; we don't want to do the chores around the house we need to do; we don't think we have the energy to do everything on our plate. When we dread the coming day, we set ourselves up to be unhappy and unfulfilled. How can someone every find fulfillment in work when we would rather do anything other than the work?

If instead, you decide to attack each challenge head on, knowing you will give it your all, you set yourself up to enjoy the day. Although we may have difficult things happen each day, with the right mindset in the morning, we can keep these events from being as negative as they could be. When we choose, yes choose, to be happy with whatever the day brings, we will feel better at the end of each day. Choosing to do this day after day may be difficult at first, but is the only way to ever be happy and content with who you are and what you do. Each time you end the day feeling as if you gave it your all, it becomes easier the next day to choose the same path.

Stop spending time dreading the day ahead of you. The things we worry about rarely happen and when they do, they are rarely as bad as we imagined. Dreading the day sets us up to be unhappy and causes us to do poor work. Instead, choose to enjoy every day, knowing whatever the day brings, you will be able to handle it with grace and gusto. Choose to be happy. Choose to be fulfilled. Choose to make each day better than the last.

What's Next?

For many of us, this question can be caused by two different events. In one, we are trucking along and getting the work done and doing a really good job and we want to know what to move to when we have completed a task. This is a way for us to keep the flow do more work while we have the drive. In the other, we are looking for a way out, a way to stop doing whatever it is we are currently doing, hoping the next task will move a little more smoothly or bring more excitement into our lives. We are stagnate and need something else to do thinking it may give us that little spark.

Neither reason behind the question is particularly bad, as we need the spark. When we have it, moving on to what's next is a great use of the energy and drive we have. When we can't seem to find the spark we need, we aren't going to be able to do the work needing to get done. We just have to be aware of the reason behind our question. Constantly searching for, and never finding, the spark should signal to us we need to go about things differently or find something else to do for a while. Without it, we will continue to dread everything that comes next.

Monday Mornings

On Monday morning, are you excited to get back to work? Are you looking towards the week with a plan to get things done, to make improvements, to solve problems and to come up with new ideas to help make things more efficient? Do you start each week with a positive attitude, looking forward to what you are going to accomplish and enjoying what you do?

If not, maybe it's time to think, really think, about what needs to change so you can answer all three questions with a resounding yes.

Things Will Work Out

Although we may not understand or even want to understand at the time, everything happens for a reason. Of course we won't be able to see it as it happens, but every occurrence in our life changes the path we are on. Life is going to be full of ups and downs, we just have to keep pushing forward no matter what.

It's easy to see this when we look back on our lives. You can see points in your life when something major happens and then see how it leads to things you did later or even how it has led you to the point you are at now. You can see how relationships that ended have led you to your current relationship or how upheavals at work have led you to your current job. At the time, things which seemed like the end of the world probably opened more doors for you to get to where you are.

Remember this, when things seem to be bleak or you just can't make sense of where you are in life. We will never know the future and we will never know how what we do today will change what we do tomorrow. We can't connect the dots, except when we look to the past. Just keep pushing and things will work out, maybe not today, but if you give it your all, things will work out in the long run.

Get the Best Work

At work, many people are told they would do a better job if they just did this differently or if they acted a certain way more or if they showed more or less emotion. In some cases, this type of feedback is beneficial and can help people realize they are perceived in a way they didn't know. In other cases, this feedback is telling people they need to conform to something they are not, if they want to be good at their job.

In the second case, what would happen if we placed people into positions based on the reasons they aren't great in their current position? What if we embraced the differences instead of trying to make people conform to a mold based on the set beliefs a certain position should act a certain way? How do these set beliefs change from boss to boss? How do we really know one managerial style or customer service style is better than another? What do we need to do to get the best work from the most people? I think this last question is the most important of them all.  

Stressed and Overwhelmed

We all have days where it feels like the world is plotting against us, when nothing works and if something could go wrong, it does. We quickly become stressed and overwhelmed. This usually just makes things worse because once the stress sets in, we can't seem to make a dent in anything. Our mind starts whirling with everything on our to-do list, but we can't figure out where to start or what to do. We feel like we are drowning in work and will never be able to get back on top of things.

This happens to the best of us. It has happened to all of us in the past and we were able to get control and get things done. We just had to focus and start doing things one at a time. It may seem overwhelming at the time, but looking back, it probably wasn't that bad. It's our reaction in situations like this that makes it so much worse. Instead of allowing the hopeless overwhelming feeling to take hold, slow down and do anything you can to help eliminate the stress. This has been floating around on Tumblr for a while and can help you get through these tough days:

Relax. We have all been there and we will all be there again. Being overwhelmed is not the end of the world and shouldn't ruin your day. Put in the work, focus on the priorities and get as much done as you can. Once you take some deep breaths and slow down that overactive mind, things will become a little clearer and you can work your way out of the pile. Even on the worst days, when the world is plotting against you, remember tomorrow will be a new day. 

The Little Things

I know it's cliche, but the little things in life really do matter. Yes, the big things are wonderful and amazing, but they happen so rarely and the time between them is often so long. When you focus on only the big things, you spend so much time feeling anxious or nervous or stressed or nothing. Slow down and focus on the little things. Take deep breaths and notice the world around you. Notice the people around you. Do something that makes you happy because it makes you happy. Express your love and gratitude to the people who deserve it. Spend some time reading a good book. Listen to music you love.

The little things add up quickly and once you start to notice them, you will also notice the stress, anxiety and nervousness lessen. They will never completely disappear, but when they compete with the joy and happiness the little things bring, they will be easier to ignore. We all want to be a little happier and more fulfilled and by noticing and appreciating the little things, we are well on our way.

The Life You Want

We only get one try at this thing called life, so what is holding you back from living the life you want? For many of us, I think it all boils down to being afraid. We are afraid to try something new. We are afraid to go against the grain. We are afraid to take risks. We are afraid to upset the status quo. We are afraid to step into the void, without knowing the outcome. We let this fear hold us back from becoming the person we are supposed to be.

We don't have to settle for less than we want. We don't have to do what we are told to do. We don't have to follow the path laid out in front of us. We don't have to do what is expected of us. We can do what we want and follow our dreams. We can reach for the stars. This isn't the easiest path, otherwise everyone would be following their dreams instead of being trapped in the cubicles they dread. It will be scary, but do we really want to allow fear to hold us back?

There are many stories floating around of people who completely change their lives when they are told they have cancer or any other illness that may kill them. We are all going to die, do we need to be told it is going to be sooner rather than later before we start making this life meaningful for us? Start small, if you want. Do something every day that scares you. Try something new. Most of the time, the things we fear never happen. Even when they do, we find it is hardly ever as bad as we thought. Let go of these fears and start living the life you want to live.

Plans, Ideas and Solutions

Preparing a plan, developing an idea and coming up with solutions are all important, but unless you do something with them, they don't really matter. The best ideas remain only ideas unless they are put in to action. The best plans remain only plans unless they are put in to action. Solutions will only work when they are put in to action. Many of us stumble on the last step because it is the hardest to do. 

Doing requires all the risk. Your plans, ideas and solutions can all look amazing on paper, but there is no risk involved until you take action on them. We need people who can come up with them, but we really need people who can act on them. Take the risk and see if they actually work. If they don't work, you have to come up with more plans, ideas and solutions, but you'll have a little more knowledge when developing them. Keep pushing until you find some that do work. Implementation is much more difficult, but is the only way your plans, ideas and solutions will have value. Otherwise, they are just words on paper.

What To Do With 2012

Well, 2012 is upon us and if you haven't already, it is time to figure out what to do with this year. We can continue along the same way we have lived 2011 (and probably 2010 and 2009), or we can try something new. Even if 2011 was a banner year for you, is there something more, something different, something interesting you can do in 2012?

For me, and I believe for many, there is a list of things waiting to be done. I have physical lists and mental lists of things I have always wanted to do but have not. I want 2012 to be the year I stop procrastinating and start checking things off the list. I know this sounds easy, but there is a reason I haven't checked them off the list yet.

It is often easier to continue doing the same things day in and day out and never push forward to complete things you really want to complete. We have structured our lives in a way that makes accomplishing them very difficult. We have a groove we follow and it is usually easier to keep following this groove than to pop out and change our routine.

I hear a lot of my friends talk about how they don't have the time or the money to do things they want to do. They make resolutions each year to do them and by the end of January, these resolutions have fallen away as they continue in their previous groove. Once you are in your groove, physics works to keep you there. For many of us, the forces acting upon us are the same forces acting upon nature. Just like it was easier for the Colorado river to stay in its groove for years and years, our groove keeps us where we are.

Starting a new routine can be difficult, but once started it becomes easier and easier to follow. Do you want to continue in your current groove or would you like to start a new groove, a new routine to help you accomplish things you haven't been able to accomplish just yet? In 2012, I plan on checking off some of the items on my to-do list. It's going to take work, but if these items have been sitting there for years and haven't disappeared, I think the work will be well worth it.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! In Kansas City, 2012 has dawned with beautiful blue skies and chilly temperatures (though by chilly, I mean cooler than it has been, but much warmer than usual). This year is going to bring many changes to all of our lives and I am sure we will all have our share of happiness and sadness.

Sitting here, drinking coffee on the morning of January 1, I think about everything 2012 has to offer. This is a year of endless possibilities. We may not be able to control everything it will bring, but this morning, we have a choice of which path we are going to start down. Do you want 2012 to be a repeat of 2011? Or, do you want to do something else, something different, something new this year? Whatever you decide to do, start moving forward today and let nothing stop you. Let's all make 2012 a year to remember!