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* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue #775, Week of July 15-16, 2013
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com
In this issue:
-- Quotes of the Week
-- Recommended Resource of the Week
-- Article: Take Back Your Time: How to Reduce Overwhelm in a Few Minutes a Day - By Pat LaDouceur, PhD
-- Article: 5 Steps for Overcoming Procrastination - By Michael Locklear
-- Book Review: The Mindstretch: 49 Inspiring Insights For Business Breakthroughs - By Dean Mercado and Barry Laub
-- Inspirational News Story of the Week
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter
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*** Quotes of the Week ***
------------------------------------------------------------ Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit. - Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970 Fractures well cured make us more strong. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882 What are the aims which are at the same time duties? They are perfecting of ourselves, the happiness of others. - Immanuel Kant, 1724-1804
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*** Recommended Resource of the Week ***
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* $40,000 to Debt-Free: 'Scientific Prosperity Formula' Revealed * Discover how my Friend Adam Applied a Scientifically Proven 'Secret Prosperity Formula' to go from over $40,000 in Debt to Travelling Around the World and Making a 6- Figure Income from
His Computer... He Simply Followed a 3 Step Formula that will be Revealed to You Today... I don't know how long his Video will be On His Website…... So if you are looking for a way to Manifest Wealth FAST... Click Here on this Link To Learn More before The Video is Removed!
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*** Article: Take Back Your Time: How to Reduce Overwhelm in a Few Minutes a Day - By Pat LaDouceur, PhD ***
------------------------------------------------------------ Research shows that re-thinking how you use the small moments of extra time in your day might be better for you (and less expensive) than taking a big vacation.
Recently I spoke with Jenny, a client of mine who is a working mom, who said, "I need time for myself, but there isn't enough time in the day." With two kids in school and a part time job, she felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and in need of a vacation -- preferably a long one. While a vacation would have been wonderful, what Jenny really needed was something a little different. It had to do with how Jenny filled her time. *More isn't always better* When we want to reduce overwhelm, it's often tempting to adopt a "bigger is better" mentality.
But sometimes smaller is better. A taste of something delicious, like a dessert, is yummy. A few bites is just right, but too much leaves you feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. Studies show that once people have the basics in life, it's not so much big events that make people happy. For example Daniel Gilbert in, "The Science Behind the Smile," says that "big" experiences tend to affect us for about three months, and then the exuberance fades. The people that are happy in the long run aren't the lottery winners. They're people who have found ways to invite small, positive experiences into their lives every day, many times a day. People who savor the pauses are the ones who are the most able to reduce overwhelm, and who are most content. *Reduce Overwhelm a Moment at a Time* Jenny felt that if she could make a big change -- maybe stop working, maybe work full time and hire help at home, maybe take a summer off -- that she would feel recharged and refreshed.
It wasn't possible. The "big picture" of Jenny's life was set for the moment. "Big" solutions like changing jobs, hiring serious help, or going on a month-long meditation retreat usually aren't very workable. Rather than looking for looking how Jenny could take off a day, a weekend, or a month, we looked at how she used her free moments in every hour. *Take back your time, take back your life* Jenny observed a pattern: when she had a free moment, she called another parent to coordinate a school event. After the kids went to bed, she spent an hour working on a project for her job. On Saturday morning, she got up early to adjust her daughter's bike and get groceries. While the kids were busy playing, she caught up on email. When she was on hold for a phone call, she made her shopping list. Jenny's overwhelm came from how she filled the "extra" moments in her life. But how she used those moments suggested a solution as well. *Create personal time* On a typical day Jenny couldn't find an hour for herself, but she could find a few spaces of 5 minutes. She and I brainstormed what she could do in those moments that would give her a feeling of spaciousness and relaxation. We came up with several new anti-overwhelm habits for her to try and to evaluate. She began to step outside several times a day for a few breaths of fresh air. She stopped working in the evenings, which took some negotiation with her employer. Instead, she used the time to read a novel that had been laying next to her bedside for almost a year. She relegated e-mail to the last hour of her workday, and negotiated some changes in the household routine. In less than a month, Jenny started to feel the effects of these changes. As she learned to reduce overwhelm, she felt more relaxed and at peace. As a surprising side effect, she also felt more connected with her husband and children. *It can take less than a minute* If you build small, restful moments into your day, you'll be on your way to feeling energized and refreshed. There are many ways to take back your time and reduce overwhelm. Below are three: create pauses in your day, add short bursts of novelty, and show gratitude. Each of the suggestions below can take place in less than a minute. 1. Pause. Short, frequent breaks are more refreshing than one long one. Every hour, give yourself a half-minute vacation by taking six slow, even breaths. These mini-breaks throughout the day will help you feel significantly more relaxed, focused, and energized. If you work at a computer, mini-breaks rest your eyes and help prevent repetitive stress syndrome as well. 2. Take a moment to do something interesting, unusual, or fun. Learn to say "hello" in Turkish, do 10 jumping jacks, write a silly limerick, or step outside to look at the stars. According to author Gretchen Craft Rubin, novelty reduces stress and increases well-being. Celebrate your curiosity, and make a point of doing something new each day. 3. Keep a one-line journal. With 30 seconds each day, you can write one line - something about as long as a "tweet". Think back over your day and remember something that made you feel good -- your son turning a cartwheel, the cat stretched out in the sun, smelling a rose, a compliment from a colleague, sipping a cup of tea. Research shows that gratitude helps reduce worry and promote restful sleep. *Small changes lead to big changes* If you're looking for a way to reduce overwhelm, this is a powerful way to start. Anyone can learn to create take back the small moments in every day, use them to create a sense of relaxation and ease. It's the moments that count most, not the days or the years. Jenny changed the way she filled her time by creating pauses in her days. She learned to savor each pause like a taste of her favorite dessert. She used her spare moments to take care of herself. The difficult part is staying with the new strategies until they become new habits. If you do, within a few weeks you'll start to notice a change in how you feel. The sense of overwhelm will fade and eventually disappear, as you change the way you think about time.
** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
As a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with a Ph.D. In Sociology and an M.A. In Clinical Psychology, Pat LaDouceur has plenty of experience helping people with anxiety, worry, and relationship stress. She's an expert at collaborating with her clients to find more focus, confidence, and connection. As senior therapist and Board-Certified Neurofeedback practitioner, she has successfully helped adults and teens with performance anxiety, ADHD, and overwhelm.
* $40,000 to Debt-Free: 'Scientific Prosperity Formula' Revealed * Discover how my Friend Adam Applied a Scientifically Proven 'Secret Prosperity Formula' to go from over $40,000 in Debt to Travelling Around the World and Making a 6- Figure Income from
His Computer... He Simply Followed a 3 Step Formula that will be Revealed to You Today... I don't know how long his Video will be On His Website…... So if you are looking for a way to Manifest Wealth FAST... Click Here on this Link To Learn More before The Video is Removed! ------------------------------------------------------------
*** Article: 5 Steps for Overcoming Procrastination - By Michael Locklear ***
------------------------------------------------------------ Millions of people struggle with completing goals and overcoming challenges due to the habit of procrastination. In fact, it's one of the most common personal issues that people seek help for. There are several reasons why people procrastinate or avoid tasks. They can range from simple, basic laziness to fear of failure, lack of confidence in your ability, or simply a strong dislike for the task at hand. People commonly put off doing things because they don't know what to expect or what the outcome may be. They might fail, other people might laugh at them, they might look foolish, there may be a lot of stress, or any number of nonspecific anxieties. We all struggle with the fear of the unknown on a daily basis. It's the way we think and our perception of things that paralyze us and keep us in a pattern of avoidance. If you believe that something is unpleasant or distasteful, or that you'll fail if you try to do it, or if you believe that you will somehow lose something, you will probably make sure you never get around to it. In most cases, this only creates high levels of stress, or brings unpleasant circumstances. When you get in touch with how much pain you feel when you procrastinate, you can begin the first step to overcoming it. Many people procrastinate because of a lack of motivation. To fight this kind of procrastination, you can set rewards for doing these undesirable things. If exercise is difficult, try giving yourself a reward every time you go to the gym. You deserve it for having persevered. Next time, you may be just that much more motivated. For many people, procrastination consumes major amounts of time in their daily lives. Because of this habit, they don't get things done. This results in more stress, and more frustration. In the end, procrastination makes things far more difficult than they would be if you simply completed the task. Stopping procrastination means you can avoid all the pain of the failure procrastination causes. Other reasons why people procrastinate: - A lack of faith in your own abilities
- Fear of trying anything new because of past failures
- Low self esteem
- The goal is not associated with a reward
Procrastination is one of the most time-consuming activities one can engage in. It causes a great deal of stress and frustration. Here are five steps you can take to make overcoming procrastination simple. Step 1: Find your direction.
Every time you procrastinate, write down the task you are avoiding and your justification for avoiding it. Keeping a record will help you understand how your attitudes are related to your procrastination. Then you can identify strategies to redirect yourself when you feel the desire to procrastinate. Always focus on the task you wish to perform and your reward when you succeed. Focusing on your reward is the most powerful way to overcome procrastination. "If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."
-Yogi Berra Step 2: Get focused
You can easily become overwhelmed if you try to do everything at once. Instead break your goals down into simpler tasks. Start putting them into action, one at a time. Start as soon as possible. Take time every day to work on your goals. If you find it really hard to get started on a task, try working on it for ten minutes. This will usually help you get some momentum, and help you feel like continuing. Start with a simple task first, and be sure to visualize yourself completing the task. This will help you to focus on the goal, and the reward you will receive upon completion. "Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives."
-Tony Robbins Step 3: Be aware of your thoughts.
The more you procrastinate, the more monumental the task becomes in your mind. Allowing limiting beliefs to control your actions becomes a parasite on your chances for success. You must confront your beliefs about yourself and the task, and face your fears. Instead of daydreaming about your failure, and all the things that could go wrong, and how hard it's going to be, fantasize about how good you will feel having gotten the task out the way, how confident you'll feel when you complete it successfully, and how confident you will be about your ability to do the next thing. Keep your focus positive, and this will build a new attitude that will overcome all your limited beliefs, and defeat procrastination. Learn how to separate your anxious thoughts from your realistic thoughts. Imagine the worst-case scenario. Then, make a plan to get back on your feet if the worst should happen. Chances are you would recover relatively quickly, and resume your normal life.
"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us."
-John N. Mitchell Step 4: Build your tolerance to negative emotions.
Fear and stress are normal. They come from being uncertain, or feeling threatened in some way. Most of the time they're just feelings, and there is no real danger. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to continue in spite of it. Courage is required to overcome procrastination. When you persist in pursuing your goals, you build up your tolerance for stress and anxiety. In time you will feel more confident, more capable, and far less stress and overwhelm. When you don't fear the feelings of anxiety, you will procrastinate less. Meditation is a powerful way to build your resistance to negative emotions. Major universities all over the world have found that it reduces stress and anxiety, elevates your mood, and improves your ability to focus. Step 5: Take command of yourself.
Success always means going outside of your comfort zone. No matter how unpleasant the results of procrastination, the habit remains part of your comfort zone. One very important first step is to stop complaining about what you have to do. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, and complaining only drains away your will to succeed. Focus your mind on all of the benefits you will receive from being successful in whatever you need to do. Keep your mind focused on how wonderful you're going to feel and all of the wonderful things that are going to happen to you when you are successful. "Self-command is the main discipline."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson Overcoming procrastination is not as hard as you might think. Once you take these five steps for overcoming procrastination, your fears and anxieties will melt away, and you will experience the many benefits of being in control of your life. ** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Michael Locklear is a researcher and consultant with 30 years' experience, studying health, nutrition, and human behavior. He has been president of the Global Peace Project since 1986, and he administrates the website http://www.Natural-Remedies-for-Total-Health.com as part of the Global Peace Project Educational Outreach Program. You can also find him on The Total Health Blog: http://naturalremediesfortotalhealth.com/
* $40,000 to Debt-Free: 'Scientific Prosperity Formula' Revealed * Discover how my Friend Adam Applied a Scientifically Proven 'Secret Prosperity Formula' to go from over $40,000 in Debt to Travelling Around the World and Making a 6- Figure Income from
His Computer... He Simply Followed a 3 Step Formula that will be Revealed to You Today... I don't know how long his Video will be On His Website…... So if you are looking for a way to Manifest Wealth FAST... Click Here on this Link To Learn More before The Video is Removed! ------------------------------------------------------------
*** Book Review: The Mindstretch: 49 Inspiring Insights For Business Breakthroughs - By Dean Mercado and Barry Laub ***
------------------------------------------------------------ In this book, Laub and Mercado explore 7 essential disciplines for business (Envision, Believe, Plan, Lead, Communicate, Market, and Sell) providing 7 insights for each. The authors also provide a system called the "Power of SEVEN" as a stimulus to assist the reader in drawing the most value out of each insight. The intent is to take the reader deep... expanding the confines of traditional thinking... into a state of awareness which the authors call... "The Mindstretch"! This book is intended to help you focus on purpose and objective. If you keep this in mind throughout, you will gain many treasures as they unfold. It is a way of cleansing and intending in order to manifest what you desire. While the disciplines are designed for business enhancement, each insight will apply to some aspect of your business and personal life.
*****
The list price of this book is $9.97. To purchase it from Amazon.com, go here.
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*** Inspirational News Story of the Week ***
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* 57 Simple Ways to Make Someone's Day *
Are you looking for ways to make that difference to one person today? Or for a few simple ways to spread kindness anytime? Go here for the complete news story. | 
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