Just Because the Media Tries, in General, to Suck the Joy Out of Your Soul, Doesn’t Mean You Have To Surrender.
I don’t believe in quick fixes. In anything. That’s not to be confused with the fact that I would love them to be a real thing. I am human after all, and it is a perfectly normal human desire to want to fix problems over night. I just know better. Chalk it up to being in my 60th year on the planet, having fallen for the idea more than once, and having experienced the truth that everything worth doing, from fixing a problem to accomplishing a goal of meaning, takes time, difficulty, sweat, tears, growth, learning, and more, to make happen.
Why did I just say all that?
Because there’s a good chance that this year you have had a pretty rough road in some way. Your own unique way. In addition to whatever practical challenges you have personally been battling, you have had the emotional tidal wave of all the fear-mongering, sensationalism, politicizing, and uncertainty flooding over you.
There’s a good chance you are a bit emotionally fatigued. I can’t change the environment you’re living in right now, but I CAN give you a few things to help change YOU in the environment. And the fact of the matter is, that when you change you, and how you are thinking and seeing, the environment changes for you too.
This is NOT an Immediate Fix for External Results, But…
What I’m about to give you will immediately help you internally. Which will begin manifesting in external results soon enough. I’m only giving you five right now. I could give you many more, but these you can begin on instantly and if you want some more help, we can talk about coaching or you can start with the 3 Circle’s Living Book.
These five tips (although they are more like foundational principles) are simple to do if you commit to wanting a better life.
The First is to be true to yourself. It’s your life. No one else will live the result of your choices. Be clear that you choose each thing in your life, from your daily moment to moment choices, to your bigger decisions, based on YOUR values, principles, and beliefs. If you have not taken the time to get clarity on these, there is a section in the book, where I give you some ideas. When you operate this way, you take the uncertainty out of decision making. You can never take the uncertainty out of the future outcome of a choice, but you can make choices easy by being true to yourself first, and this helps instantly because it brings more peace and clarity.
The Second is to put others first whenever possible. Every day you have several opportunities to serve others in small ways. All you have to do is be aware of what is going on around you, and to be considerate of others when you are doing things for yourself. Here is a recent article I did on consideration. This one pays immediate dividends because serving others is a form of giving, and the act of giving makes you feel good because you are chemically wired this way. The same feel good chemicals your brain releases when you eat something you love or have sex, are released when you give.
The Third is to focus on the action and impact of your work and not the result. In many aspects of whatever you are endeavoring to do, the results take a while, the impact is not readily visible, and the difference you might be making is not always apparent. If you focus on the result, you end up having a high percentage of days where you feel frustrated or like your efforts are not being noticed or making a difference. If instead, you shift your focus simply to doing the best you can, working diligently, and accomplishing the activities with as much excellence as you have in you at the moment, you will have the gratification of a good days effort, and the knowledge of the truth that many days of excellence in effort eventually lead to excellence in results. This leads to more fulfillment and improves how you will approach the day in general.
The Fourth is Be You. This is a bit different than being true to you. This is about embracing who you are and accepting that no one is liked by everyone, and that you want people in your life that love you for who you are. While in general this one will take a while to become a deep tenet for you, the immediate effect is to eliminate the cognitive dissonance (stress) of living/behaving inauthentically. It’s hard to try to be who you aren’t. I spent my time in that world years ago so I get it. Actually, everything I am sharing here, I had to get wrong for a long time before I decided not to tolerate my own stupidity and live MY life instead of what others suggested my life should be. I KNOW you know what I mean.
The Fifth is to stoke your gratitude. When you take a few minutes (I do this as part of my morning routine) and recognize, give thanks, and really FEEL, all that you have to be thankful for, it completely shifts your perspective. There are truly BILLIONS of people who would trade places with you right now, including all your stressors, problems, etc. in a HEART-BEAT. And they would be overwhelmed with joy to be you. So how about you take a few minutes and focus on being overwhelmed with joy to be YOU too!!!
These five things will help you immensely. Now, just putting this out there…I know some people are jaded and cannot believe that this kind of stuff helps. They are fools. I am chemically wired to be depressed and anxious more often than not. I grew up with serious fear conditioning. I have dealt with a poor self-image my entire life. EVERYTHING I teach and share is to help others live a better life.
While I still deal with all the things I mentioned and more, I live an incredible life…because I DO exactly what I teach. It doesn’t mean I don’t have struggles, concerns, difficulties, and all the rest. There is a lot about being me that I would not wish on someone else. But…I live by a set of values, principles, beliefs, and priorities, that when put into practice daily, lead to an awesome life. And you can do the same.
I would be willing to be that there are people you work with or live with, that could use this message. Share it with them. You never know who it might help.
Here’s a little bonus video for you today. This is a strong lesson that will be helpful for you. This was originally recorded for people building a home business, but the actual content is applicable to all business as well as non-business endeavors.
If you need some Coaching, or Training for your organization, reach out to me.
Many Blessings, Todd
P.S. Getting the right nutrients for your body to function at it’s best is vital to a good life. In this video, I share insight into many of the challenges that are causing people to struggle with their health and energy, and then I share one of my secret weapons that I have used for 21 years. If you’d like to know more, shoot me a message. How to Manage Your Health Risk
