Hear Your Fear

It is common to hear people talk about what they’d like to do.  Whether it’s about finding the right job after unemployment, being able to do 20 push-ups at once, move to a new city or ending an unhealthy relationship, all of these things require a commitment.  Within each new commitment we make, we naturally have fears associated with them such as:  “There is too much competition, I am too weak, I’ll be far from my family, I don’t want to be alone.”

These are all legitimate reasons in your mind but reasoning keep you from what you want in life?  Even if you have multiple reasons, it’s likely they all stem from a similar fear within yourself.  

Fears are nasty little hinderances.  They can come from so many different places, too.  Some people may believe they come from a past life, a childhood incident or a major trauma.  Last week I finished reading, The Instinct to Heal by Dr. David Servan-Shreiber and he discussed something quite interesting that many of us don’t think about.  In our daily lives, we hear about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and many of us think this is only relevant to people who have endured a major catastrophe such as 9/11, a serious accident or witnessing some horrid event.  What he goes on to discuss, which I find to be far more interesting, is that all of us live through what he calls “small t” traumas.  These are traumas that aren’t life-threatening but do prohibit us from moving forward in life.  It’s that time you were made fun by your classmates when you got a word wrong reading aloud, a comment your parents made to you about your aptitude as an artist, a significant other who shunned your attempt at a sport, or harsh comments from a boss or co-worker, etc.  These “small t’s” hurt us.  We can read self-help books on how we should feel and deal with these issues but until we face the fears engrained in our brains from small t traumas, we will not be able to progress through our life.  These fears will hold us back.  

Hear your fears and understand the root cause of them.  I can help you do this through coaching and have been trained in very effective techniques which can help eliminate it for good!  

I'm offering a free 30-minute session for the remainder of January!  Sessions can be done by phone, video chat, or in person. Whatever is most convenient.

Dealing with the Plight of Today's Workforce...Before it's Too Late

A study released today by The Conference Board indicates only “45% of respondents are satisfied with their jobs...a sharp decline from 1987, when 61.1% indicated they were satisfied.”  The director of The Conference Board goes on to state a concern for those who are working; that they will continue to grow increasingly unhappy, leading to low productivity.  I believe this is highly probable, if not already happening all around the country.  Productivity and morale will continue to decline as long as people in the workforce evaluate their situation. 

There are far fewer people working to do the jobs of multiple people who have been laid off or if someone did leave willfully, their position was not refilled.  Increased stress, ‘survivor syndrome’, longer working hours, less social time and fun both in and out of the office, combined with less pay and unpaid time off as a “reward” for staying employed would make any individual feel unappreciated, exhausted, stressed and unsatisfied with their job.  I would know.  I've been there and saw it happen as my colleagues felt those who were laid off were luckier than the rest of us who were "stuck" working.

Employers need to realize that the negative position they are trying to avoid by cutting pay, making people work longer, etc. is the actually putting their employees in the exact negative position they wanted to avoid from the start.  If you’re a business owner unsure of what to do to keep your employees smiling and grateful instead of tired and spiteful, or an employee who wants to deal with your stress in a positive way, nudge is here to help.

New Year = Now What?

Sometimes, people get lost in the holidays and don’t recover from them financially or physically until sometime in February or March!  The combination of overindulging with food and drink with family and friends leaves people feeling fat and spending more than they wanted to on gifts, holiday travel, etc. may leave many feeling broke.  Then, we add stress by making resolutions during this chaotic time instead of waiting until the chaos has passed to start fresh.  Trying to enforce progress when you are experiencing regress will not result in success.  Don’t pressure yourself to achieve all you want to accomplish this year into the first few months.  Give yourself time to catch up if you need to.  You can begin making and executing your plans but be sure not to use time as an allowance for procrastination.  This is just one area where nudge can help!

On a personal note, I like to think of the first day of spring as my New Year.  My birthday is the second day of the season which helps.  I use December and January to really set my goals for I want to do for the upcoming year and start nudging myself into the right direction.  That way, when my New Year comes along, I'm already successfully implementing many things that will help me get even closer to achieving my goals.  Realistically, New Year's resolutions should be made in October or November so that come January, you're already implementing your plan, not just starting to create it.