Change is Quiet…

When we are altering something, it can be a policy or the way we dress, or the way we behave. 

We imagine that everyone will notice it, but almost no one does. That’s because no one cares about the noises we have in our heads. 

We might think there will be a lot of commotion for doing something which is inconsistent, but if it’s useful, it will happen quietly without noise.

You Need a Bedtime, Too

Have you felt tired this week? If so, the problem might not be that you’re getting too little sleep—it could be that you’re getting the wrong kind of sleep. Disorderly sleep (not enough some nights, too many others) is a recipe for exhaustion, volatile moods, and unproductive workdays. 

How can you establish a more consistent sleep schedule? 

The answer is painfully simple—and for many of us, painfully difficult to implement: You need a bedtime. The good news? Choosing the right bedtime only requires some quick math. Start by deciding when you need to wake up most days. Subtract seven or eight hours, depending on how much sleep you think you need. If you want to get up at 7 am, your bedtime should be 11 pm or 12 am. 

To hold yourself accountable, set a “wind-down” alarm for 30 minutes or an hour before your bedtime. Stick to it for a week. This week’s fatigue will be last week’s problem.

4 Signs That You’re Too Emotional…

Being highly emotional towards something is a double-edged sword. On one hand, your passion propels you to perform and succeed. On the other, feeling too tethered to perform can drag you down, draining your energy and confidence. Here are some red flags to watch out for—and what to do about them.

You take criticism personally. 

If you’ve found yourself feeling angry, insecure, or demoralized after getting tough feedback or a minor setback, it’s time to take a step back. Remember, criticism of your work or interest is not a criticism of you as a person.

You are always working on it. 

Ask yourself: Am I overcompensating, working more hours in order to to be perfect in that thing? If so, try to shift your mindset to view rest, relaxation, and boundaries as necessary parts of your life—not just rewards.

Your mood swings very frequently.

You are very moody, suddenly getting angry or happy and immediately getting sad imagining something or the other. Next time this happens take deep breaths and calm yourself.

You’re a people-pleaser. 

Do you put others’ needs ahead of your own? If your kindness and generosity leave you feeling depleted rather than gratified, reflect honestly on your behaviors. When are you left feeling underappreciated? When does resentment start to bubble up? Identifying your people-pleasing triggers will help you mitigate them.

It doesn’t matter how hard you work…

Have you worked really hard for something and still haven’t got it? Ever wonder about the reason for not getting it?

There can be many, maybe you are too early in the time, maybe your partner or team goofed up, maybe you fear froze at the last minute, or maybe you were not good enough as others were.  Your hard work and their hard work were different, they were more focused, and they had luck.

But it still does not mean that hard work doesn’t work. It means that hard work only works in comparison with others. So if you are judging yourself, judge your competitors too. 

And if hard work has worked 80% of the time. That’s good enough for most of our life, and if you work in an office you could use resources from this https://www.movablepartitionwalls.co.uk/ to organize the work space.

So it doesn’t matter if hard work hasn’t worked, still need to work hard, as that’s the only factor in our control.

Tuning Your Breathing to Help You Feel Better…

Stress is part of our life. We all have to live with it and manage it. But there is a tool we all have access to which we forget: breathing

It might sound simple, but when done properly, breathing can make the difference between panic and resilience. Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing. For example, when you feel anxious or angry, your breathing becomes irregular, short, and fast. When you feel joy or relaxation, your breathing will be regular, deep, and slow. And believe it or not, when you follow breathing patterns associated with different emotions, you begin to feel those corresponding emotions. 

So next time you’re feeling stress start to bubble up, try changing the ratio of your inhale to exhale. When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up. When you exhale, it slows down. Take a few minutes and breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of eight — this will calm your nervous system and keep stress at bay. By tweaking your breathing, you’ll start to feel better.

Are you satisfied with your career success…

How do you define your career success, even with all the achievements we rarely pat our backs and say we have done well.

So, why does career success so rarely lead to satisfaction? If you’re prone to dissatisfaction in moments when you expect to finally feel satisfied (after a raise, promotion, or award, for example), you can shift your mindset in three ways to achieve a more sustainable inner peace. 

Stop counting – First and foremost stop counting what you’ve accrued (money, awards, followers, etc.) and start measuring what you’ve contributed (Whose life have you positively impacted? What ideas have you generated?). Lasting joy comes from giving, not taking. 

Comparison to Compassion – Secondly, start by shifting from comparison to compassion. Rather than chiding yourself for what you haven’t achieved, show yourself kindness for the progress you’re making on your own journey. And instead of resenting someone for what they’ve achieved, acknowledge that their success doesn’t come at the expense of yours—they’re on their own journey, and being happy for them won’t cost you anything. 

Contempt to Connection – Finally, shift from contempt to connection. Growing insatiably ambitious, no matter how much money or power you earn along the way, will lead to bitterness and loneliness. Remember to appreciate the relationships in your life—especially the ones that have nothing to do with your career success.

Asking for help…

Reluctance to ask for help when we need it can keep us bogged down in more work than is necessary—and ultimately lead to burnout. Moreover, it closes a lot of avenues be it job options, alternate careers, and getting more business. 

Whether we are afraid of seeming needy or incompetent or just don’t trust others will help, here are some strategies that can help.

Be open. 

First, let’s be open to ourselves and others that we want to improve in this area. Talk to trusted colleagues informing them that we are working on getting better at asking for help. 

Being upfront will make it easier to actually do it when the time comes. It will also prime them to be more receptive to these requests, reinforcing our help-seeking behavior and reducing reluctance to reach out for support.

Identify and unpack your limiting beliefs. 

Ask yourself: What am I afraid will happen if I ask for help? These fears are likely emotional, not rational. Reflect on what’s underlying them.

Try small experiments. 

Make small behavior changes to see the impact on how you feel and the response you get from others. It can be as simple as asking, “Can I brainstorm with you for five minutes?” or “Would you be willing to take a look at my client proposal and share your feedback with me?”