Category Archives: Changing Your Life
November 16, 2016 Beat Procrastination in 2 Minutes
It’s easy to put things off. It’s easy to find reasons to NOT do things. Many of us fill our lives with excuses, opting to skip the gym, delay starting a difficult project, or avoid having tough conversations.
What holds you back from moving forward? Do certain tasks or activities seem daunting? Are you afraid of failure? Or are you simply having trouble rallying your motivation?
Step forward with excuse-free living (a concept I address in my book, The Ten-Minute Leadership Challenge) and take ownership of your future. You can do it in TWO MINUTES.
How? One of the most important steps you can take is simply starting a project. Put on your gym shoes. Set up a meeting time to have a difficult conversation. Write the first paragraph of a novel.
Starting is symbolic. It signals that you’ve put aside your fear and trepidation and are ready to move forward. Amazing things happen if you start something. You’ll likely find that the first steps aren’t so bad and you may even gain motivation to move forward and keep the momentum going. If you’re tackling a large project, create milestone markers for yourself along the way and once you pass each marker, treat it like having a fresh start, a new beginning.
If you fill your tasks with many new beginnings, they are less likely to feel old, stale, overwhelming, or unmanageable.
James Clear, expert on behavioral psychology, was my inspiration for writing about beating procrastination in two minutes. He asserts that, “Most of the tasks that you procrastinate on aren’t actually difficult to do — you have the talent and skills to accomplish them — you just avoid starting them for one reason or another.” He advises a two-fold approach for dealing with this reluctance to start something.
1. If something takes less than 2 minutes to do, do it now.
Clear says, “It’s surprising how many things we put off that we could get done in two minutes or less. For example, washing your dishes immediately after your meal, tossing the laundry in the washing machine, taking out the garbage, cleaning up clutter, sending that email, and so on.”
2. When you start a new habit, it should take less than 2 minutes to do.
This idea goes back to my “just start” philosophy. Although you certainly can’t complete a major assignment in two minutes, you can get it started. Use that kick start to motivate you into action.
What will you accomplish TODAY?
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: 2 minute procrastination solution, advice to get motivated, beat procrastination, career coach Margaret Smith, get inspired, get motivated, James Clear, Minneapolis career coach
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- Posted under Advice from a Life Coach, Changing Your Life, Goals
October 26, 2016 It’s okay to be afraid.
Halloween is right around the corner, so that got me thinking about fear and how we handle it in our daily lives. As a career coach, I often work with people who are afraid–afraid to quit their current job, afraid to ask their boss for a raise, afraid to open up and let themselves be vulnerable. While it’s a good idea to work past your fears and not let yourself become debilitated by them, the emotion itself is not a bad thing.
You feel fear for a reason. The reptilian part of our brain (primarily the amygdala) has a “fight or flight” instinct built into it that helps keep us safe. Even though we also have a logical area of our brain, governed by reason, the amygdala sometimes kicks in so strongly that we have an actual physical reaction to it.
Have you ever felt your palms sweat or your muscles stiffen when you’re asked to lead a company meeting or when you’re engaged in a particularly tense conversation? How about when your boss calls you into the office? The primitive part of your brain is likely screaming, “Run! Run far away!”
Sure, it’s a good idea to overcome that fear and step into your boss’ office, but it’s not a bad thing that you felt fear in the first place. In fact, fear can actually be a good thing. It can drive us to make big changes; it can warn us to move forward cautiously; it can motivate us to prepare for that company meeting. Instead of denying your fear, embrace it! Recognize that it exists because you’re willing to challenge yourself and do great things.
Part of being a leader involves fear and healthy risk-taking. Good leaders make tough decisions, instead of running from them or pushing them aside for someone else to deal with. And with tough decisions, comes fear.
Fear isn’t the enemy. It’s how you deal with fear that counts. Will you choose to let yourself be consumed by fear? Will you let it stop you in your tracks? Or will you face it head-on and figure out how to move past it? It’s only by challenging ourselves to move beyond our comfort zones that we achieve personal and professional growth.
Need help conquering your fears? Please do not hesitate to contact me today.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: benefits of fear, career blog, career coach Margaret Smith, career coach Minneapolis, embrace fear, fear and motivation, fear and your career, healthy fear, it's okay to be afraid
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- Posted under Advice from a Life Coach, Changing Your Life, Leadership
October 19, 2016 Learn, Build Expertise, AND Work Full-Time
Continued growth and lifelong learning is a not-so-secret priority of many successful professionals.
It can be difficult to give self-improvement the attention it deserves—with daily distractions and to-do’s constantly vying for your attention.
Growth and its requirements can be intimidating, often tiring, and rarely convenient, but if you’re committed to your true aspirations—to honing your skills or establishing a new set completely—there are a few key options for building your expertise while working full-time.
Get a mentor.
Connect with people who have the job or knowledge you desire and who epitomize “success” to you. Networking is an incredibly powerful tool for a variety of reasons, but especially demonstrates its value for people seeking direction and advice. Attend an event, preferably one that attracts the kind of professional you’re looking for—niche meet-ups work great—and be honest with your intentions. Get ready to ask the right person, “Can you offer any advice?”
Volunteer.
Many priceless learning opportunities are hidden under the veil of pro-bono work. Volunteering your time will give you some schedule flexibility, hands-on experience, and valuable connections with people in the field.
Study.
There are numerous flexible and inexpensive options for professionals looking to learn. Read books, listen to podcasts, subscribe to blogs. Get in a daily routine of discovering something new every single day.
In addition to publications, consider enrolling in a class. Whether it’s online, through Community Education, offered in seminar form, or part-time through a college, education can be energizing, fun, and necessary for professional growth.
Stretch yourself.
One of the best (and only ways) to improve yourself is to test yourself. Only by opening up to new (and often intimidating) experiences can you realize what you’re capable of. Say “yes!” to new opportunities, and uncover any necessary bravery later.
Making a commitment to self-improvement not only gives you an edge in the professional word, but carries over to everyday enjoyment. Finding great people to look up to, devoting your time to projects that energize you, growing your mind, and pushing your boundaries sounds like living to me.
MARGARET SMITH IS A CAREER COACH, AUTHOR, INSIGHTS®DISCOVERY LICENSED PRACTITIONER, FOUNDER OF UXL, AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE TAG TEAM. SHE HOSTS WORKSHOPS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED CAREER OR PERSONAL GUIDANCE. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT WWW.YOUEXCELNOW.COM
Tags: career coach Margaret Smith, continued learning, learning while working full time, Lifelong Learning, mentoring, Minneapolis career coach, stretch yourself, UXL blog, volunteering
