It’s Monday. Often, a tough day for many of us. What we need is tools and strategies that can give us that extra boost we need. This can be a motivational Playlist, affirmations taped on our mirror, pictures of loved ones or anything else that works for you.
Ideally, these should be put together when we are in a good state. That way we can think more rationally. What is your motivational tools and strategies? Share with all of us so we may have more at our disposal
It is Saturday, the start of the weekend. For most of us, we are looking for relaxation and sleeping in. If we are feeling a little industrious, we may try to get caught up on all of the household chores we let slip during the week. These are all good options, but I caution you on leaving out one very important item.
A recent survey showed that 87% of people are unhappy at their job. It is easy to see why this happens. You start to get seniority, maybe save up some vacation and even invest in a retirement program. It is vital to remember that we were not born to wake up, pay bills and die. No! We were meant to bring to the world the happiest, most joyous version of ourselves.
How can we do that while going to a job that sucks the life out of us? By pursuing and engaging in a passion project. You may be thinking, “I have too much on my plate now! I just want to relax.” The truth is complicated. Have you ever slept only to wake up still exhausted and uninspired? We need to stoke the fire in our soul.
Adding a project you are passionate about may seem like something that will only drain you further, but the opposite is true. Working on something you enjoy, something you’re excited about, will give you more energy. It will give you hope and something to look forward to. Who knows, you may even end up making it your career! Whether that happens or not, just having that joy is life-changing.
This weekend, what actions are you going to take to build both your life and your confidence? Remember, these don’t have to be completing a project, or achieving a goal, just taking actions to propel yourself forward. It is getting in the gym to get that workout done. It is spending time on that meal prep. It might not get you in shape, or help you drop that weight that day, but it will give you the confidence to keep going.
Just a quick reminder on your Sunday, that you should make a point to be kind to the person in the mirror? How often do we give ourselves a compliment? When we do, does it feel awkward? If so, that is a sign that we need to do it more often!
Realizing that there are awesome things about us, and mentioning them to ourselves, does not make us arrogant. We seem to mention and discuss what is wrong with us and not working in our lives quite often. How does that make us feel? Try saying something good about yourself. Even though none of us are perfect, we all have some amazing things inside of us. Let’s appreciate a few today. 😃
This week, let us do exactly what this picture says. Find one person a day to find something beautiful in, and tell them. Just one person, one thing, once a day. That’s not so hard, is it? What is amazing is the effect you will have.
You can start easy. For me, that would mean telling Margie one of the million things that are beautiful about her. However, I would ask that you pick different people each day. Also, maybe people who wouldn’t quite expect it. In my case, there are several. My friend Julie, it is beautiful how strong she is in her faith. My friend Nick has a beautiful way of being compassionate to others. My friend Nicci is an art teacher and positively affecting young people is beautiful. Her husband, Chris, really cares about the condition of the world and the people in it. That is a difficult, yet beautiful thing. There are so many people, with so much beauty in them, they need to hear it!
How about you? Who are some people in your life that are beautiful? What is beautiful about them? Make sure you tell them! 7 days, 7 people! Let’s do this and change some lives!
Why do we do the things we do? Is it for gain, be that personal or professional? Do we do things based upon who the receiving party is? That is to say, if they are nice, we will do more for them.
I say we should take a hard look at our motivation for what actions we take. Just like we should not let our emotional state be dictated by outside sources, nor should we let those circumstances dictate the actions we take.
Think of your legacy. Think of how you would like to be remembered. What would you like people to say about you? Base your actions on your values. What is your character and who is the person that you want to be? This is what should determine our actions.
Remember to exercise this freedom. Our circumstances may be beyond our control. Our spouse, our boss or the person driving next to us may not act as we wish them to. Trying to control that is a waste of time. What would serve us better is to work on controlling our response to their actions. There is a big difference between giving someone the finger and laughing at their lack of consideration and saying, “thanks for helping me practice controlling my anger and growing my patience.”
In case this sounds like something that is only possible to people is easy situations, let’s look at the man who gave us this quote. Victor Frankl was a Jewish psychologist who was imprisoned in a concentration camp. He had his entire family killed, yet still found a way to give himself the motivation to continue. Knowing by surviving, he would be able to tell the story of what happened to him and help prevent it in the future, he was able to endure. His book, Man’s Search for Meaning is a must read.
Next time we think controlling our reaction is beyond our control, remember a man sentenced to death in a concentration camp could manage, so can we.
Friday, we made it through another week! In all of our lives we have those monsters. It could be a demanding boss. It could be that relative that looks down on us. Anyone in our lives looking for us to fail. Those who are jealous of us. Those who are just unhappy with their own lives. Maybe it is just our inner demons, telling us we can’t succeed.
Like Frank Sinatra said, “The best revenge is massive success.” Of blue eyes was on to something there. Smiling in the face of any monster, be it internal or external, is the greatest victory. You might be asking, “Neil, what if my week was not a success?” Great question. Even if your week has been a total dumpster fire, you are still here. You made it through and there is still the potential for success.
Earl Nightingale gave us this definition of success, “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal.” The key word is progressive. As long as you are still working towards your goal, YOU are a success. Enjoy your Friday. Smile at the monster.
Here is a simple strategy I highly suggest all of us should do. It takes one of the more difficult decisions we have to make and turns it into a fun activity. What is this decision? Better yet, what is this activity? Let us take a look.
Have you ever felt stuck at your job? Have you ever found yourself asking, “Isn’t there something better for me?” Maybe you are one of the lucky people who really enjoy your job. Still, you feel there is something that could be more fulfilling? Something that is more in line with your life’s purpose. What then?
I often find myself sitting in my car outside of work asking these very questions. That actually is a picture of me sitting in my car. Here is what I suggest we do. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle so you create two columns. On the top of one, write “things I really enjoy” or something like that. On top the other write “things that suck my soul” or something like that.
Now simply list everything that you do that really brings a smile to your face and heart. In my case, drinking coffee, listening to classic jazz, taking to people about themselves and encouraging them. List as many as you can think of. They don’t have to make sense to anyone but you.
Now, on the other side, list all of the things that seem to drain the very life from your soul. For me, it is being around drunk people, negativity, and being outside in the cold. Again, they don’t have to relate to each other. Just any thing that you really don’t enjoy.
Take a look at your list. The agragete of which should hint as to what kind of occupation may serve you well. Even if you want to keep the job you have now, it may give you an idea of a hobby or side hustle that could give you more emotional fulfillment. In my case, drinking coffee while talking to, and encouraging, others has me thinking talk show host would be the perfect job. Sadly, I can’t walk into a major network and get my own talk show. What I could do, is start my own podcast! I created the Living The Dream with Neil Panosian podcast. I highly recommend checking it out wherever you stream content.
The second list will give you an idea of what to minimize in your daily experience. Reducing these can increase your feelings of vitality and life satisfaction. Writing it down is the key. If we try bouncing this around in our noggin, we will just end up creating more stress for ourselves.
I’ll be interested in hearing what some of the things on your lists are, and what career, side hustle or hobby you come up with. Please feel free to share yours in the comments!
For those of you who might not be aware, I also have a podcast! It is called Living The Dream with Neil Panosian. You can find it wherever you stream content. Free on Audible, Amazon Prime, Apple Podcasts and of course Spotify.
I’ll give the Spotify link below, but feel free to follow me wherever you stream! I look forward to hearing your feedback!
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 