There is a natural tendency to shy away from people or situations that you don’t prefer. Avoiding the uncomfortable is a normal thing. In psychology, this is known as the pain pleasure principle.
From a commonsense point of view this makes sense, doesn’t it? You avoid touching a hot stove because of the pain it will cause. You indulge in your favorite comfort food because it gives you pleasure.
But there are challenging conditions that seem unavoidable. One realm involves human beings. You can’t exactly avoid your employer. Try as you may, that would only cause you further pain. Then there are people you just don’t resonate with. Funerals of loved ones take place. Health challenges unfold sometimes. Difficulties do arise in various facets of life. How can you face these circumstances thoughtfully?
Incorporate these four steps, known as the acronym STAR, when you find yourself in uncomfortable positions:
Stop: In many situations a knee-jerk reaction is ineffective and not required. Pause, even for a minute, when possible.
Think: Typically, difficult circumstances are emotional. Emotions can hijack the prefrontal cortex in the brain which is responsible for planning, organizing and decision-making. This is where your best thinking takes place. Breathe. Take some time to reflect on your best response.
Act: Make a step based on your own best thinking. This may be a small step. Small steps add up over time though. It may be an imperfect step, but that’s OK. You can adjust later. Sometimes, you must act like you are being confident or courageous. It’s mindful to “fake it until you make it” when needed for your greater good.
Reinforce your best efforts: Mentally applaud yourself for your successes. Feel the pride inside for effectively navigating the tough situations.
Do you have projects you’d like to complete but don’t know where to begin? Do you have deadlines looming but feel overwhelmed thinking about the task at hand?
When a project seems daunting, people tend to procrastinate. It doesn’t have to be that way.
One productivity method, known as the Power of 10, requires breaking a project down into more manageable tasks and regularly dedicating small chunks of time toward completing those tasks.
Are you ready to chip away at a project 10 minutes at a time? Here’s how to harness the Power of 10:
Identify your top 2-3 projects to prioritize.
Put the other projects in a “someday” file to review once your prioritized projects have been completed.
Break the identified projects into tasks.
Schedule your tasks in a calendar in 10-minute segments.
Set a timer during these 10-minute work sessions.
Do not allow yourself to go over allotted time as this is what tends to overwhelm people.
Be clear with yourself about what “finished” looks like.
Once a project is completed, you can move a new project from the “someday” file to the priority file.
This system has helped so people complete an array of projects. They’ve written books, cleaned out closets and sold their homes. They’ve started an exercise program, gone back to school and finished their taxes on time.
No matter what you want to accomplish, the Power of 10 provides a structure of small, consistent steps that will help you achieve your goals without feeling overwhelmed.
How many times have you sacrificed your peace for peak performance? How often have you put your well-being on the back burner? You don’t have to sacrifice wellness for performance or productivity. You can have it all.
In fact, when you take care of your well-being, you perform and live better. Unfortunately, our culture often tends to overvalue productivity and performance to the detriment of wellness, and you can get caught up in that hypnotic trance. The opposite philosophy is much more powerful.
When you meet your needs for well-being first, you will outperform and produce the yesteryear of you. When you feel your vitality and strength, you enjoy energy, creativity and clarity. You feel unstoppable.
How can you shift this habit of putting wellness on the back burner? Here are a few strategies:
– Make yourself and your mental and physical health a priority. Schedule activities and downtime on your calendar.
– Check in with yourself in real time. What do you need today? It may be different than what you had planned, and that’s OK.
– Remind yourself of the times when you’ve invested in your well-being and the return on investment you experienced when you did.
– Find your tribe that values feeling, performing and living at your best and believes you can have it all. The people you surround yourself with have a major impact on your mindset and habits.
When you trust that it is possible to feel, perform and live at your best, the transformation is astounding!