Life Is A Test?
I rarely ever remember
a dream. Even when
I can remember what
I was dreaming about when
I have
to get up for a drink or bathroom break
in the
middle of the night, I have forgotten all about it by morning.
However, last night I had a dream that
made me analyze my
life and my thought processes on a day to day basis.
I was dreaming about taking a test. I am not sure the subject of the test. I do remember feeling under pressure and I was struggling a bit with the content of the test.
Now, I have taken my share of tests in the past and can recall having these types of dreams while in college; but, why now?
I jotted down a few notes
before going back to bed and did my best to decipher this brain spark this morning.
I am
into several projects right now in
which I am under the microscope,
so to speak. But, am I? Is this all in my head? Do I bring all this pressure on myself?
Probably.
I try to be the best I can be; mentally, physically, and financially. I try to learn as much as possible to improve my abilities in these areas. This is great as long as I don't spend so much time trying to improve me that it harms my life in these same areas; i.e. stress, family, friends, health, etc.
We all see the "burn-out" in the self-improvement entrepreneur; the sacrifices made in the "important things" in life such as relationships and peace of mind.
Peace of mind should be a top priority for mental, physical, and financial success. Living life as some sort of constant test will hamper this process.
Realizing that progress is a "you vs. you" phenomenon and that you don't have to please someone else on a day to day basis is a great start.
Bryan Tracy, in his audio
series from Nightingale Conant entitled "Action Secrets for Personal Achievement," talks about the need for certain people to get the approval of others. He calls this a symptom of Type "A" behavior.
Here are some of the other type "A" symptoms:
Having a sense of urgency to do more and more in less and less time.
Volunteering for more and more work
at the office.
Feeling under pressure to get activities accomplished.
Being obsessed with your performance and having high standards for such performance.
The type "A" personality can't relax and enjoy an accomplishment, they feel like they have never done enough.
Compare self with others.
More concerned with things than with people.
Brings home work.
Talks about the boss, what the boss said, what the boss did wants to please the boss at all times.
Has a sense of hostility towards those he or she feels to be competing against.
Type "A's" cannot admit that they are not in control.
If you fall
into any of the above categories, making a decision to change may be a great first step. This decision involves trying to relax and still be productive and effective without the added stress we type "A's" like to impart.
There are two things that have worked in the past for me (and my clients) that I am going to focus on after this "wakeup call."
One is a daily
exercise plan. Even when I am on the road, I usually do some exercise daily, but, there are times I get in a rut and don't focus on my planning and execution of a
said workout. A daily routine helps relieve stress and will bring out creativity and problem solving abilities like no other activity!
It is a "reality check" for me as well. Things are brought into a better perspective after a good workout, no matter how long the workout is.
This is Stephen Covey's take on exercise (from his book The 8th Habit): "I am convinced that exercise increases our own sense of self-control and self-mastery, which enhances the totality of our lives and truly enlarges the
space between stimulus and response."
The second concept is practicing daily solitude. This could be a twenty minute walk, a power relaxation/almost nap, hanging out on a park bench, etc. This is a time to let your mind "go" and let your subconscious work on goals, problems, and/or ideas that are filling your head - a "mind-cleansing" if you will.
I try to do two, one-hour solitude sessions per week to let my subconscious mind take over and do
its thing for me. This is a time when I just sit back and take in the world, usually outside in a fairly secluded place without interruptions. I sometimes think about a couple of goals or issues in my life ahead of time, then sit back and let my brain work on things.
I tend to find some answers to problems as well as some
pretty great ideas to take back to work with me. They not only help me achieve goals, but relieve stress at the same time. These two activities alone have probably added years to my life and helped me through some potentially stressful times.
Thus, the reason for my dream. I have been in situations recently in which I feel the need to "prove" myself. I am living my life as a series of tests daily. I have felt out of sorts, not myself, lacking confidence.
All brought on by myself.
Life is not a test. To me, it is a series of learning experiences.
My
goal is to strengthen the area between stimulus and response (see quote above and The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey) on a daily basis; mentally, physically, and financially. As that space continues to grow with experience and knowledge, my life and dreams will put a smile on my face.
Thanks for letting me think out loud today.
Sweet dreams.
John Perry
Are You Unconsciously Limiting Your Wealth Potential?
Unlimited
financial abundance is
your birthright!!
Sounds great doesn't it, but do
you really believe it? It's not surprising if
you don't.
Many
of us don't believe we have access to
unlimited financial abundance because we were raised in a culture that places severe limitations on our creative abilities to attract money. These limitations begin during early childhood when our basic beliefs
about everything are being formed.
Think back to when you were a child. What did you consistently hear and experience regarding money?
Did you hear that "money doesn't grow on trees" or "money is the root of all evil"?
Did
people in your household
fight about not having enough money?
Did your dad grow surly and silent when it
was time to pay the bills?
Was your mom afraid to ask your dad for more money if an unexpected financial emergency came up?
Were vacations eagerly anticipated or were they actually stressful because the family was going on vacation even if they "couldn't afford it"?
Whatever the situation, you consciously and unconsciously absorbed those beliefs about money and wealth. This became your belief system or paradigm.
Many of us are completely unaware of the unconscious belief systems that are governing our attitudes, behaviors, expectations and comfort level regarding how much money we think we deserve and actually attract.
Do this little
exercise with me.
Imagine for a moment that a complete
stranger walks up to you on the
street and hands you a cashier's check for one million dollars. This stranger tells you that the money is a special
gift and is unconditionally yours-no strings attached.
How would you instantly react?
1.
Would you nervously look around for the hidden cameras?
2. Would you absolutely refuse the gift and even feel some
resentment towards the stranger for putting you in such a predicament?
3. Would you
accept the gift but then feel
guilty and make immediate plans on how you were going to give the money away?
4. Would you graciously accept the money with heart-felt thanks and happily go to your bank cash the check and
enjoy the money?
Your initial "gut reaction" to the above scenario allows some of your unconscious core beliefs about money bubble up to the surface.
If you picked one of the first 3 answers you definitely have some inherent beliefs that are severely limiting your birthright of prosperity. But the good
new is-they are only beliefs. Keep in mind that beliefs are not
truth. They are just a perception and an acceptance of the truth. What's great about beliefs is that you can change them and choose ones that support you and are in alignment with unlimited wealth potential
If you picked
number four, congratulations!!! You're well on your way to unlimited financial abundance!!!
Becky Kimes is a professional coach, speaker and author
who specializes in helping women break through the invisible barriers keeping them from manifesting their dreams.
Business Results - Four Critical Success Factors
Scenario One
During a recent presentation, a business owner was given the following challenge. If 10 of his 100 employees were asked to name the top 3 organizational goals for the current year as they perceived them to be, would he receive the same 3 goals from everyone or would he receive 5, 10 or even 25 different goals? The business owner shook his head and thoughtfully responded, No, I am sure that I would receive more than 3 goals. He was then asked to consider what these misdirected actions from his employees were costing him in terms of missed opportunities.
Scenario Two
At another presentation, a business owner was asked if she set goals? She responded quite enthusiastically, Of course, I set goals. She was asked a follow-up question: Can you state with 100% conviction that your employees know how to consistently achieve both their personal and professional goals? After a few moments, she replied No. She was then asked how this lack of knowledge potentially affected her bottom line?
Scenario Three
A president of a company was asked: Have you ever seen behavior inconsistent with your strategic plan? He quickly answered Yes! A second question was asked, What did you do about it? Well, we sent them to training and within 6 months we had to send them back again? A new question was then posed to the President. Are these performance failures a result of a lack of knowledge or skills or due to poor attitudes and habits? The president immediately said Why bad attitudes and poor habits. Again, the facilitator asked another question: What are all these re-dos costing your company?
Scenario Four
During the annual meeting, the CEO of a manufacturing company informed her executive team that she wanted to achieve a 10% growth during the next 12 months. The VP of Operations made plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment for some new products while the VP of Marketing & Sales began to implement a plan selling existing products. The CFO decided to cut budgets to capital improvements and marketing. All three executive team members believed that their actions would help achieve the 10% growth.
These scenarios shared four critical success factors (CSFs) that impede all organizations from achieving consistent results: communication, goal setting and goal achievement skills, attitudes and alignment.
Critical Factor #1: Communication is the key to unlocking the potential within businesses as well as individuals. When the goals are in alignment with the vision and consistently communicated from top down, then performance excellence is much more likely to happen. Inconsistent communication contributes to missed targets and lowers the performance for the entire organization.
Critical Factor #2: Goal setting and goal achievement are learned skills. Unfortunately, many presume that these skills are acquired during the K-12 educational experiences through the Osmosis Process. Also, these skills are not actively taught in the corporate setting. Yet, consistent goal achievement or the results are what every organization seeks.
Critical Factor #3: Attitudes drive behaviors that result in change. Many companies focus on trying to change negative behaviors because they are experiencing negative change. However, when the negative attitudes are replaced with positive attitudes, those attitudes will drive positive behaviors creating positive change. By failing to address negative attitudes, new trends, changes or initiatives, the result is wasted resources creating a negative drain on the KASH Box.
Critical Factor #4: Alignment is necessary to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Performance excellence happens when the strategies, systems and people are working together to build loyal internal customers that drive loyal external customers. The much heard adage about Getting everyone to row in the same direction is true, but probably should be amended to include the following by using the same paddles.
When these four CSFs work together, results happen quicker and create a culture of working smarter and not harder. The following questions may help you to achieve the consistent results that you desire as you work your strategic plan:
1. Do I know with 100% accuracy that every employee can clearly articulate the top 3 goals for the organizations?
2. Does every person within the organization consistently sets and achieves all of his or her personal and professional goals?
3. Does everyone within the organization at ALL times consistently demonstrate positive attitudes?
4. Are the strategies, systems and people in alignment to build loyal internal customers?
Do you want to learn more about how to get to where you want to be? I have just completed a FREE 7 lesson on-line email course. Sign up here and now Building Your M.A.P. (My Action Plan) to Success.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a speaker and Indianapolis business coach & Chicago business coach who has written hundreds of articles with a focus on improving individual and organizational performance through excellence in leadership to executable strategic plans.
