Archive for time management tips
Stop to Smell the Roses While In Pursuit of Happiness
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Stop to smell the roses
Are you waiting for your situation to change so you can be happy? Many people are waiting for that illusive dream to manifest, the great idea to be implemented, the new house, car or some other tangible evidence that says they are Happy.
Stop to smell the roses while in pursuit of happiness!
Happiness is a state of mind based on how worthy you feel, how deserving you think you are of good things coming your way.
Your internal critic (the negative messages received and embedded in your subconscious) may attempt to sabotage your happiness quotient which will in turn affect your level of self-confidence and self-esteem.
Self-confidence is the realistic and positive expectations you have for yourself, your abilities and others. Self-confident people exude a sense of control in their lives.
Self-esteem is what you think of yourself. If you think you are insignificant, unworthy, devalued, that is the perception you will also present to the world. How you allow yourself to be treated and the way you show up to the world has the greatest impact on your self esteem. No one can make you a doormat unless you willingly lie down.
Your happiness depends on the expectations and mindset you have about how happy you are.
To quote the actress, Betty Davis – “You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.”
Here are some tips to get your happy dance on…
- Trust your feelings – Life is about trusting your feelings and taking chances, appreciating the memories and learning from the past. Take time to experience to the utmost the little things that bring you joy.
- Be grateful – Gratitude is a powerful state of mind. It shifts your focus from lack to abundance and gives you a sense of contentment.
- Lower your worry quotient – Worrying about things over which you have no control will overwhelm and deplete you. Concentrate on the things you have control over. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
- Be flexible – Things will not always go the way you want but if you are adaptable, you won’t raise your blood pressure by trying to have it your way. Allow for a change in plans.
- Stop to smell the roses – In our hurry up, multitasking and over scheduled lives, we don’t stop long enough to relax, dream and enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Don’t add more things into your day than you can reasonably handle. Take time for a leisurely walk, read an uplifting book or sit quietly listening to your favorite tunes.
Moment by moment, you can make a choice to be happy. More often than not, it’s the little things that annoy, frustrate and derail happiness. Expect happiness, embrace it and stop to smell the roses along the way.
Gladys Anderson - Life Coach, Therapist, Author
Certified Life Coach, Family therapist and Group Coaching Specialist, Gladys M. Anderson, helps nurses, teachers, social workers, therapists and other care-giving women to set limits so they have more time, more joy and more energy for self-care. To get tips, start living out loud with enthusiasm, energy, passion, and self-confidence now, get your FREE copy of Building Strong Boundaries to Create More Breathing Space in Your Hectic Life
How to Maintain Self-Care and Keep an Emotional Healthy Outlook
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From time to time, most of us get over-shadowed by a less than healthy emotional outlook. Yet, that does not mean we have to dwell in it or accept it as our reality. When your emotional outlook is cloudy, it’s important to allow the sun to shine through by taking some well-deserved time for self-care.
Many women today lead lives punctuated with to-do-lists, decision-making, family obligations, social and community activities, chauffeuring, appointments and a host of other to-do’s.
Yet, while all this “busy-ness” may give you a sense of accomplishment, purpose, validation and acceptance, it comes with a high price. The price you pay is in lack of consistent self-care and that takes a serious toll on your emotional and physical health.
Oprah once said, “I don’t have a weight problem – I have a self-care problem that manifests through weight”.
Because Oprah is another very busy woman who neglected to take time for herself, she fell prey to heart palpitations, a thyroid condition and weight gain and emotional drain.
Here are some clear indications that you may have an unhealthy emotional outlook and what you can do about it:
Worrying over things outside of your control – When you worry you are trying to prevent those nasty little surprises that catch you off guard. Or another way of putting it is, you’re trying to control the outcome of something or someone else. Whenever those irritating thoughts pop up, write yourself a “worry list”. From your list, pick one worry and devote 10-15 minutes to it. Once the time is up, immediately engage in another activity that will keep your mind occupied. Doing this puts you in control and minimizes the amount of time you spend worrying.
Putting your needs on the back burner – Giving up your precious time and energy to worry, predicting, and project leaves you little time to exercise, relax and refresh both your physical and mental health. This often leads to physical ailments, burnout, irritability and an inability to take care of you and the people you care about. Make sure you schedule some time to rejuvenate and relax so that you have the energy to take care good care of YOU while taking care of the other people in your life
Build Resiliency – Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from adverse circumstances. For example, this is what Michael J. Fox said about having Parkinson’s disease, “If I let it affect me, it’s gonna own everything. I don’t deny it or pretend it’s not there, but I don’t allow it to be bigger than it is. I can’t always control my body and I can’t control whether or not I feel good…but I can control how clear my mind is and I can control how willing I am to step up if somebody needs me.” Having in place the emotional stamina to withstand life’s setbacks, not only builds resiliency, but keeps you out of the role of victim, and also helps you to control the things within your power to control”.
Whatever thoughts or beliefs you hold, your mind will believe it because your brain only responds to your subconscious voice.
So when the clouds of “busy-ness” threaten to color your life, remember that the answer is self-care!
And, in the meantime, if you are serious about setting strong boundaries, clearing more time in your busy schedule for self-care and want to live a harmonious life then I invite you get my FREE Special Report, Building Strong Boundaries to Give You More Breathing Space in Your Hectic Life
Until next time…
Gladys Anderson - Life Coach, Therapist, Author
Gladys Anderson, founder of Coach for YOUR Dreams, is a certified life coach, licensed marriage and family therapist, writer and speaker. Gladys combines years of experience, training and a genuine commitment to helping nurses, teachers, therapists and other care giving women to set limits so they have more time, and energy to devote to self-care.
Spinning Wheels Get you Nowhere Fast
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Chugging along continuously, feeling just like a hamster on a wheel – spinning, spinning but going nowhere fast. That’s how a lot of women feel.
I often hear women say, “there’s just not enough hours in the day”, “where did the time go”, “it seems the more I do, the less I get done” and my favorite, “I just need more time to get everything done”. Have you ever found yourself saying any of these things?
How do you slow down the spinning wheels of your life? Most women place time high on the priority list of what they want. The reality is we all have the same 1440 minutes or 24 hours in a day. It’s more about how you use the time you do have versus the amount of time available.
When you believe you must handle everything yourself or it won’t get done (at least not the way you want it done), or it must be done just so and no one can do things that satisfy you, then what you are really looking for is control and perfection. No one (including you) is perfect. Your dinner party does not have to rival a Martha Stewart event. After all, she has staff to perform a multitude of tasks; she delegates and uses the resources available to her.
Oops, I used the “d” word. Usually when I suggest that women delegate, they think about delegating inside the cubicle of family. Step outside the box for a moment and look at the things you do on a daily basis, things you enjoy doing, things you absolute wish didn’t exist and the things that you don’t love doing but do not create anxiety for you. Think about who you can use as a resource. If you are stuck, consider some of the following to get you going:
Laundry - If laundry is interfering with your personal time and it’s not something you enjoy doing, investigate one of the wash and fold laundry services. You can either drop your clothes off or some services will pick up and deliver. How much time would that free up for you?
Housecleaning – Is housecleaning just another chore that eats away at the time you could be using for other pursuits? Why not consider having someone who enjoys this work do it for you? And, don’t use the excuse, “I can’t afford it” – remember the law of attraction – if you think you can’t afford it, you can’t.
Grocery shopping – Are you aware that a lot of supermarkets deliver and you can order via the internet? This just may be the time you need to exercise or join a class.
Yard work – Mowing the lawn and other weekend chores may be getting in the way of spending quality time with your family or taking time to pursue pleasurable activities for yourself. If so, you may want to enlist a high school or college student to mow the lawn instead of hiring a lawn service. Maybe there’s a master gardener class held in your community. Often, these students need to earn hours by doing gardening work.
Use these tips to free up more time to do the things you want most.
Please feel free to leave your comment below on how you slow down and get off the hamster wheel
Gladys Anderson - Life Coach, Therapist, Author
Gladys Anderson, founder of Coach for YOUR Dreams, is a certified life coach, licensed marriage and family therapist, writer and speaker. Gladys combines years of experience, training and a genuine commitment to helping nurses, teachers, therapists and other care giving women to set limits so they have more time, and energy to devote to self-care.