Spirit – Page 39

How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done Now

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. – William James

It’s midyear exam time for students around the world. I thought I’d do a post on procrastinating to hopefully help some of them out. If you know someone studying at the moment why not email them this article as a friendly reminder to work harder!

Procrastination is the art of putting things off until later. Many people are notorious procrastinators; their entire life is wasted putting off projects until a later time. The thing about procrastination is that is causes stress and anxiety. When we don’t get things done right away we think about it over and over again. In this post I am going to talk about how to beat procrastination and get things done now.

Why do we procrastinate?

Before you can solve any problem you need to know the cause of the problem. It is like treating a disease. If you do not know what causes the disease there is no way to find a cure. Procrastination is the same. We need to know what causes people to behave like this. Once we know that we can attack the cause instead of running around trying to deal with every symptom that procrastination causes.

Many psychologists belive that people procrastinate as a way to cope with the stress that is associated with beginning a new task. This makes good sense. If you have a major thesis due it is much easier to find excuses as to why not to start writing than it is to make a plan, do research, write a draft, etc.

I have noticed that I do this many times during a day. For example, if I have just had a half an hour off work to have lunch I will put off going back to work for as long as I can. If I really think about this behavior it is probably because I am avoiding the stress of starting work again.

Psychologists cite a whole host of others reason as to why we procrastinate. Some say it is a fear of big tasks while other say it is about not wanting to interrupt the natural flow of life with “less meaningful” tasks. Others say it is a form of laziness. Still others say it is about impulsiveness meaning that the person gives in to every little impulse thus never getting around to starting those big important ones.

However, I believe there is one bigger cause. [Read more…] about How to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done Now

Originally posted on July 1, 2008 @ 1:12 am

The Benefits of Having an Inspiring Image at Work

Inspiration

photo credit: Carlos Y.

Work can drain your inspiration. The daily grind can break you down so that after a few months and years you have forgotten about your long term goals and dreams. One way that you can help prevent this is by keeping an inspirational image on your desk.

Why keep an inspiring image at work?

Images are used everywhere. We use them in advertising to entice people to buy a product, in religion to inspire faith and trust, in magazines to illustrate a story or experience, etc.

For example, I could tell you a story about a young starving boy I met in the slums of India. I could talk about how his face was gaunt and his ribs protruding through his skin. Whatever I said, however, it would never have the same effect as one photo.

A picture really is worth a 1000 words – it can conjure up emotion and transform your mental state – and that is why you should keep one in your work space.

Here are some ideas for inspiring photos you can keep on your desk:

A personal hero

Michael Jordan from the famous dunk contest

“As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.” – Ernest Hemingway.

The most common and probably the most effective photo you can keep on your desk is one of your personal hero. As a Buddhist I have a small picture of my teacher in my office. Whenever I get stressed or start to lose motivation I look over at the photo and it reminds me why I am working and gets me back on track.

The photo of a personal hero should be of someone who you want to become like. It might be Bruce Lee or Michael Jordan. It might be Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi. It might be Jesus or Buddha. It might be your father or mother. Who ever it is you should make sure it is someone you want to become like. This will inspire you when things get tough.

Photos of our hero help us connect with a deeper part of ourselves that our job quite often suppresses. This is one of the most important things you can do for yourself – connect with your deep sense of potential and hope.

An inspiring landscape

photo credit: bbjee

Another popular image to have in your workplace is an image of an inspiring landscape. My father has worked in real estate for over 40 years and in his office is a photo of the first commercial property that he ever sold. He says it reminds him of the good old days.

For me it is mountains. I love the Himalayas and so a picture of some snow capped mountains with a surrounding forest or waterfall really makes me feel good.

A photo of a wide open space is the best thing to have in your office because it makes you feel less trapped and confined.

A negative event

Tiananmen Square

Sometimes I think that it might be a little depressing to have a negative event pictured on your wall. However, I know a lot of people who have something horrible up on their wall as it inspires them to work harder and stay focussed on their goal to help.

For example, I know someone who works for an animal protection service and she has a picture of a dog that is near death from abuse and starvation. The photo is of the dog’s eyes and the sadness it is communicating is palpable. She says when she looks at this photo she is able to put aside all her selfish ambitions and problems and just put all her energy into the cause. This is quite a powerful thing.

I think if we are going to have a negative thing pictured on our wall we should also have something positive. For example, if you have sick dog on your wall you might also put a healthy and happy dog on the other side to show that you are making some progress. If you don’t you might find things get a little bit depressing.

Your family

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu

Having a picture of your family on your desk is probably the most common. It reminds you of why you go to work in the first place and gives you something to look forward to as you know you are going home to them at the end of the day.

There is something extremely comforting about having a photo of your family at work. Your family is your clan, your team. They are people who will always accept and love you. This is a good thing to be a part of when it seems like the world is all about competition, speed and stress.

Can anyone think of any other good pictures or images to put at work?

Originally posted on June 17, 2008 @ 4:24 am

How to Get Interested in Your Job Again

Inspiration, Life, Spirit

photo credit: purpleprimate

“When people are bored, it is primarily with their own selves that they are bored.” – Eric Hoffer.

Over time we all seem to lose interest in our work. The first month on the job is characterised by good work ethic, motivation and friend making. But as one month fades into two we slowly start to get bored. After a year or two we wonder why we ever took the job in the first place. In this post I want to look at a few ways you can get interested in your job again.

1. Look at the jobs other people are working
One thing I like to do from time to time is take a look at some of the other jobs in the world. When you look at the jobs that other people are working you can inevitably find some interesting aspects about your own work. For example, if you work a desk job you might realize that it is much more interesting than being outside in the heat digging up roads and paving streets. Or, if you work outside you might realize that being out in the sun all day talking to your work mates (while you dig up that street) is more interesting than sitting behind a desk.

2. Study the history of your profession or firm
Sometimes it is really interesting to discover the lineage of your profession or firm. If you feel like you are a part of something bigger you quite often become more interested in it. This is why people follow sporting teams. Take a few minutes each week to look into how you firm got started, who started it and so on. You might find you have a really interesting history at your workplace.

3. Find new and interesting challenges

photo credit: ninkinanka

Mrs. Daily Minder remarked on her way to work this morning that she always finds work interesting when she gets new challenges. Even though they might be difficult or sometimes frustrating it is better than sitting at your desk all day doing the same thing over and over. If you find work is getting a little boring then perhaps ask your manager for some new challenges. They will be extremely impressed that you have asked this and, even though it means perhaps more work, it might mean you have a lot more interesting things to do.

4. Remember why you started
Most of us have some sort of positive motivation for starting the job we are at now. Some of us might have taken it because we needed more money to support our family. Some of us might have taken it because we thought we could help a lot of people. Some of us might have thought that the subject matter was really fascinating. But, as always, this motivation drifts away as time goes on and before we know it we are bored again.

If you can re-connect with that initial motivation you might be able to make your job more interesting again. Finding a lasting motivation for work is extremely important for your long term satisfaction. Sometimes when I don’t feel like writing an article for The Daily Mind I always remind myself that thousands of people encounter this blog and something I write might help one of them. This motivation always gets me going.

5. Make new friends
Whenever I listen to my friends talking about their work they are always at their happiest when they are talking about things they have done with their workmates. Making friends at work is one of the best ways to get interested again as these people will help you get through the workday – everyday. We are at work for eight hours a day, five days a week. If my maths is correct this means that we see our workmates even more than we see our own family! Try and make friends with the people around you at work and your day might become more interesting.

6. Get a new job
If you want to get interested in your job again and you really cannot get it happening at your current work then maybe you need to get a new job. Sometimes our work just doesn’t turn out like we hoped. It might be a collegue that we cannot connect with, an unreasonable boss or something to do with the work itself. If that is the case then getting a new job might be the only solution. Start looking in the papers and if you apply and get a new job then quit your old one and promise not to make the same mistakes at your new place of work.

Take a look at this interview on Guy Kawasaki’s blog about escaping corporate America. It has some really good points on how to get out of your job, how to know when to leave, how to find a better job and so on. Some of the tips are really handy for people who think that their job might be a dead end waste of time.

7. Ask the hard question
Would you be better off at a new job or would the same problems all pop up there as well? Like the opening quote of this post alludes to – is it you or the job that you are not interested in? This is a hard question to ask.

Conclusion
Staying interested in one job for many years is not an easy thing. Don’t just expect it to happen by itself – start putting in the work that will help you stay stimulated and interested when you might otherwise be bored out of your mind. If anyone has any other tips I would love to hear them.

Originally posted on June 11, 2008 @ 2:39 am

Office Arguments: Is Your Viewpoint Making Things Worse?

Life, Personal Growth, Spirit

photo credit: philippe leroyer

After a few token pleasantries my friends start complaining about office arguments and work politics every single time I see them. The funny things is, I often think that their inability to let go of their viewpoint is just making things worse.

I have thought about this a lot lately because it seems to me that almost everyone is having arguments and disagreements at work. My mother hates the firm’s accountant. My father disagrees with his partner. My brother isn’t getting paid enough.

The thing that interests me the most is that no one is trying to develop any strategies to deal with these issues in the long term. I am guilty of it as much as anyone. I often find myself stooping to the level of talking behind people’s back and gossiping instead of doing something useful with the situation.

I have wanted to write about this issue for a long time so in this post I want to look at:

how to tell if your viewpoint is making things worse
how to let go of an opinion you have held for a long time
some viewpoints that always seem to make it worse

How to tell if your viewpoint is making things worse

When we get in an argument at work the first thing we always think is that we are right and the other person is wrong. We hold on to our views so tightly and do not want to let them go.

But why? What does this accomplish? Surely we have those views in the first place because we feel that they are correct and true and just and are going to make us happy. But if the office argument is getting worse because we will not let go of our dogma then maybe they are not as effective as we first thought.

Letting go
One way to tell whether your viewpoint is making matters worse is to look at your mind and see if you are able to “let go” easily. If you carry around the anger and the resentment all day and then further on into the week then chances are your view is making things worse and needs to be reassessed.

Length of the argument
Another way to tell whether your opinions and views are making things worse is to be aware of how long the argument lasts. If you are able to talk to the person about the issue and make some progress then perhaps your view is logical and valid. However, if the argument lasts for many days then something is wrong.

How to let go of a view you have had for a long time

Here is the problematic issue – what if your view is “correct” and the other person just doesn’t want to admit it? What if there are cultural issues that prevent you or the other person from seeing things in a different light? This makes things more tricky. However, it is important to try and be as open as possible. Be open to the fact that even though something might be true to you it might not be true for someone else.

If you are really struggling to let go of your view and really want to fight for it there is one simple test that you can apply – is it hurting anyone. This is the one thing that you can fall back on when debating whether your view is correct or not. If it is hurting people in the short term or long term then it is time to let go.

Letting go of long held views is not an easy thing. Some people hold on to their opinions as much as a murderer holds on to the story that he is innocent. It seems that we place some of our selves in our opinions and we think that if we lose them we will lose a part of us.

But where are these opinions? Where do they exist? Have we formulated them based on logic or emotion or because that’s what our parents thought? Do they live in our brains or in our hearts or somewhere else? When we die where do they go? Do they have a shape or a color? When I look at my opinions and viewpoints in this way (when I am really angry) I realize that they don’t really exist as solidly as I would like and it gives me some space to consider the other persons standpoint.

Changing your perspective

photo credit: OrangeLimey

Letting go of viewpoints that you have had for a long time is mostly about shifting your perspective and trying to see things from another point of view. In some cases this will be the hardest thing in the world to do, especially when you are charged up on emotion and angry because of what the other person has said or done. But if you can shift your perspective in this situation it will be quite easy when you try to do it when you are calm.

One of the simplest and best ways to shift your perspective is to just place yourself in the other person’s shoes. How are they feeling? Why are they feeling that way? Are they perhaps unwell? Even go far back and think about how they were brought up, where they went to school and what they have had happen to them in their life. Doing this is a great way to shift your perspective and open yourself up to the possibility that your viewpoint isn’t the only one.

Some viewpoints that always seem to make things worse

Here are a few things I have done, seen done or heard about that always seem to make things worse.

They are just wrong and I am completely right
They have no idea what they are talking about
I am right because I have more experience/qualifications
I’ll get back at him/her one day
I’ll make his/her life miserable by…
I’ll show them how much they’ve hurt me by being angry whenever they’re around
I’ll tell everyone how horrible he/she is
Etc.

How often does your viewpoint make arguments worse? Are you prepared to let go to help the situation?

Originally posted on June 6, 2008 @ 5:50 am

How to Work a Job and Still Attain Your Life’s Goals and Dreams

Inspiration, Mindfulness

Lately I have been thinking a lot about my job and how it seems to get in the way of the work I need to do to achieve my life’s goals. However, I need the job as it pays my rent and supports some of my hobbies. So how do you work a job while still trying to attain your goals in life?

How to work a job and still attain your goals in life

Music star, professional athlete, novel writer, home owner… everyone has a dream or a goal that they want to attain in this life. Here are some tips to help you work towards that goal while still working a day job.

1. Sleep when you are dead

“I never sleep cos sleep is the cousin of death…” – Nas

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that if you really want to attain a goal in life while working another job you need more hours in the day. This is probably going to mean that you will sleep less and work harder but getting up early is something that has to be done.

The above quote is one of my favorite quotes of all time and it comes from New York rapper Nas. It is a very profound quote and shows us the link between sleep and death. We have one life to do something meaningful. One precious opportunity. What waste it sleeping?

You can sleep when you are dead.

2. Write down your dreams
When you write down a dream that you have you turn into a goal. You make it something concrete and achievable. A dream is something that is a little bit far out and unreachable but a goal is something that you can actually get to.

If you feel like your work is getting in the way of your goals then write them down. Having something visual in front of you will help you get all those thoughts out of your head and let you calm down and assess the situation. Write down your dreams so you know exactly what you are trying to achieve.

3. Give your goals a time line
The next thing that you need to do to turn those dreams into concrete goals is give them a time line. When you affix a date to some dream you turn it into a goal that is now becoming a reality.

For example, if you say that you want to be able to play the guitar by the time you are 30 you have a much more specific goal than if you just said you’d love to be a good guitar player. By saying that you want to do it by 30 you now have to do the work that is required to do it in time. It is a lot like working towards exams in November – you know they are coming so you do the work.

4. Break them down
One problem I have is that I stress about everything way too much. I think about work and tax and staying fit and then on top of that I stress about when I am going to find time to achieve my dreams and goals. However, I have found that if you write them down, give them a time line and then break them down into smaller chunks the stress really dissipates. [Read more…] about How to Work a Job and Still Attain Your Life’s Goals and Dreams

Originally posted on May 28, 2008 @ 3:23 am

Accepting Defeat: How to Deal With Defeat Like a Professional

Personal Growth, Spirit

Everyone fails. Michael Jordan, Oprah, you, me. Everyone. The difference between regular people and great people is how they deal with the defeat. In this post I want to look at how to deal with defeat like a professional.

See defeat as a positive

“Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus.” – Robert South.

This is not always easy to do but it is one of the most common things that famous, rich, great and successful people cite when asked about how they got to where they are. They all say they see defeat as a positive.

When you see defeats as a positive you are opening yourself up to the fact that you still have a lot to learn. It won’t drag you down and you will move on from the event to bigger and brighter futures.

See defeat as inevitable

“It is inevitable that some defeat will enter even the most victorious life. The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated…it is finished when it surrenders.” – Ben Stein

The next thing you need to do is realize that no matter who you are, what industry you are in and how good you are at what you do you are always going to experience some defeats. It might not happen every day but it will happen. No one in the world has lived their whole life without ever being defeated at what they do.

When you see it as being inevitable you are preparing yourself subtly for when it happens. This way you will not be surprised and you will be able to gather yourself quickly and effectively.

See defeat as a learning opportunity

“I learned much more from defeat than I ever learned from winning” – Anonymous

When asked how he got so good at boxing Muhammad Ali replied that for three seconds after making every mistake he thought about it, re did the move and then moved on. This is smart. [Read more…] about Accepting Defeat: How to Deal With Defeat Like a Professional

Originally posted on May 25, 2008 @ 3:04 am