Take back your heart strings
It’s your heart. If you’re like a lot of people, it’s something you’re willing to share and you give of it freely. But are you giving to people who don’t appreciate it and deserve it?
My life and community are both filled with giving people – it’s truly a blessing to have this type of person surround me each and every day. We get caught in the trap, however, of giving when we should be saying no and then NOT taking our hearts back when we need them the most.
Now, I’m not telling you to not continue a life filled with generosity. It’s actually just the opposite. What I’m telling you to do is bring all of the wasted energy back to YOU so you can invest in the RIGHT things. Ready for a list to get you started? Let’s go:
People who don’t say thank you. They’re never going to say thank you, so stop waiting for them to say it and reel that energy back in.
Past relationships. Whoa boy, this is a doozy. If you think of your heart as something with a certain number of cords that let you “plug” in to someone else, we tend to leave ourselves plugged in to people after the relationships end. Take back your cords. Recharge yourself. They’re not giving you anything but grief.
Bad jobs. An unhappy career can take us away from the things that matter most in life: our families, hobbies and passions. If you’re truly unhappy, never be afraid to walk away from a bad job. Starbucks is always hiring and they give benefits to people who work 20 hours or more each week. It’s better than being miserable, right?
Now, make yourself a list. Write down all of the things that are taking your emotional bandwidth and then start crossing off the ones you don’t need. I love crossing things off a list – it makes me feel like I‘m getting things done! Go get something done today.
One foot in front of the other - the first step for positive living!
The last thing you want to do every morning is get out of bed and trip all over yourself. Positive living – it’s the first tool you need in your toolbox in order to start each day with one foot in front of the other and a smile on your face! But are you your own biggest obstacle and not even aware?
I’m guilty of getting in my own way. It’s true. My schedule, my life – they get the better of me on some days and I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag (even if you gave me a pair of scissors). I’ll share with you today some strategies I use to get out of my own way and back on down the road of positive living. It’ll put a smile on my face to know they worked for you!
Your Schedule – Fix It!
You’re the only one who allows things to go on your schedule. The only one. So stop acting like other people have permission to run your days for you! Enough with the double booking and back to back appointments. Give yourself room to breathe and the time it takes to do what you do best.
Your Clients – Love Them!
In the entrepreneurial world, we sometimes take business because we need the work, not because we like the client. Commit to yourself that you’re only going to take clients you like. When you have clients you like, they’ll refer people like them to you. And that’s more clients you like. It’s magic!
Your Life – Don’t Forget It!
When you leave the office or end your work day, don’t be afraid to not take a call or let your email sit until morning. Your insurance agent isn’t going to hit reply or answer a call at 8:30pm. Why should you? Give yourself the latitude to LIVE your life. Friends, family and relaxation. Devoting time to these things make YOU a better you and ultimately a better business.
What is it that propels women into zones of great accomplishment from zones of pleasant safe comfort? I call it – comfort zone relocation!
Lisa Weber, 46, the daughter of a New Jersey taxi driver who was president of Individual Business for MetLife Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of insurance and financial services – a hulking enterprise with $19 billion in revenues and some $1.5 billion in operating profits – has definitely set the bar for moving out of her comfort zone.
Weber hesitated in 1998, fearful she had no sales background, when asked by Rob Henrickson, MetLife’s CEO, to take a role in operations. She could have stayed in a position that required little risk, no need for competition, and few reasons for assertion.
Did that stop her? [Read More]
