The world is full of all kinds of happenings. Some of these are good and others not so hood. In the age of social media and frequent pop ups, endless notifications, and information over load; it can be hard to be able to balance everything out and it can be hard to keep your headspace in the right place.
In light of things being quick and information being consumed in bite sized chunks I would like to share a method to help with starting your day on a good foot. When you start your day take the first 60 seconds to take into account all the things you are grateful for. During this period of time of reflection this will allow you to be able to think of the positive things and help ward off negative thoughts as the day goes on. If you focus on the good it helps more good come forward. I try to be cognizant to be able to make this a constant habit to keep up on and it lifts my mood in the mornings when I do this. I’ve attached a video below that I came across some time ago that inspired me to give it a go.
In our private moments, being able to pause, reflect, and meditation are good things to help keep us aware of our thoughts and feelings. It’s important that even on the modern day, it is a superhighway of information and stimuli that we do not lose sight of the here and now. This is something that can keep you aware of where you are mentally, physically, and spiritually and can help you in becoming your best self. Until the next time, dear readers. Excelsior
As we get older, our brains tend to age as well. Some quicker or slower depending on chemistry, genetics, and other external factors. No matter where you are in life, it is imperative to keep your mind active, strong, and firing on all cylinders for as long as possible. The need to train ones brain is imperative in this day and age.
Just as our bodies require care and exercise over the course of our lives, so do our brains, especially as we age. Lifting weights strengthens our muscles, while strengthening our mental “muscles” improves our memory, attention, brain speed, people skills, intelligence, and navigation.
The ideal concept to keep in mind is variety. Just as muscles plateau when a workout gets easier, our brains can it a plateau as well. When a plateau happens, there is no further growth, and in order to continue getting stronger, one must vary the weight or lift differently to achieve better results. The same applies to our minds. This variety can come from learning new languages, reading different books, doing more challenging puzzles(crosswords, sudoku, scrabble, etc.), learning a new skill (martial arts, learning an instrument, crafting, etc.), daily meditation, etc. These different methods will help keep your brain active and thriving.
Additionally, there are things that can dampen our mental fitness that we need to be mindful of. Stress, excessive consumption of social media, poor sleep, etc. These are all things that can harm our mental state. It is imperative that we manage our stress levels and sleep schedules as these can have drastic effects on the body over time. Excess junk media can also be empty calories for the brain and should only be consumed in moderation.
In summary, our mental health is important, and it shouldn’t be neglected. Keeping your brain active will keep you sharp as a tack and on your toes. For a way to get you started, I’ll share with you a puzzle book that I recently purchased that I’m having a great time with. Our brains are eager for a challenge and for more knowledge, hence our sense of curiosity. Feed your brain and train it well. It’s not a visible muscle, but it is your most important one. Until next time, dear reader, Excelsior!
Everyone has a “bad” period of time in their life. From a bad day to a bad year (or three if we reference the last few years depending on the experience). These are tough spots to find oneself in, but where there is a bad time, there is a good time.
From struggling Performance at work, rough patches in relationships, health nagging, money trouble, writing blocks, and more. These are different struggles any and everyone faces on any given day. These times can prove rather disheartening and discouraging for anyone. Despite this feeling of discouragement, it is imperative to be able to know that there are tools and resources and people around you that do care about your struggles, and there are people in your corner cheering you on. From 10 friends to 1 friend and everything in between, there are people who can encourage, uplift, and inspire. Seek out people and things that uplift and bring about positive results to your struggles. For some that could be a workout in the gym, others’ time in prayer or meditation, and other’s time with loved ones over a home cooked meal. No matter the struggle or test; seek out the light at the end of the tunnel for the good of your bad day or situation. Reach out to others and pour out your support to them as well as you never know what their struggle may be. Take the time out to call that friend or family member to let them know you care about them and see how it brightens their day. We’re all we have in this world. Why not use the time we have to help each other when we’re down and stand up together?
This month seems to have been a hard month for a lot of people I know personally and maybe it’s the same for you. I encourage you to take the time out to find the things that lift your spirit, mental health, and overall well-being and cherish them in times like these. Stay encouraged, dear readers, Excelsior!
The pandemic has caused more stress levels about work, health, money, relationships, and other parts of life. The economy and world events and constant inflow of information on social media are causing a never-ending flood of stimulation. All of these factors and other underlying situations we find ourselves in will cause us to feel drained mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally and this can cause us to be off-center in whatever it is we do in life. Unlike a cold or flu, one cannot always detect when we’re in need of a mental break, and keeping a strong mind is paramount in today’s times.
In the world of customer service and sales, there is constant switching of gears and situations that our minds must figure out in order to get through the day. I personally have my own ways to help me stay on top of my mental game for what I do for a living. There are numerous ways to keep your mind functioning in tip-top shape but I will highlight some of my favorite methods in hope that you can see how they work for you or find some of your own.
Method 1: Physical exercise
I am a firm believer in having a healthy body. Gym or no gym I have a workout plan I utilized that yielded me good results. It is scientifically proven that exercise has numerous benefits such as benefits to bone health, energy levels and gets the blood flowing to wake you up more before you head to the shop, office, or wherever you work. Utilize various workouts from cardio, plyometrics, yoga, powerlifting, etc. no matter what keep moving and work that heart rate up. Your body will thank you for it.
Method 2: Remembering your why and positive self-talk
Goals are achieved by remembering what got you there and sticking to them. Maybe your goal is to close a million dollars in sales deals, win a sports competition, build a business. Whatever that goal is, remember to keep in mind WHY you are doing it. Is it to make a better life for yourself and your family? Is it to put your name in a record book for athletics? Is it to be the top salesman for your company to eventually become a sales manager? Keep your why in front of you and you will be able to keep onto your motivation to keep pressing forward. In conjunction with this, positive self-talk will help encourage you to keep up the great work. I recall a time in my childhood when my father would have me stand in the mirror and proclaim that “I am somebody, I am successful, I am capable” I would do this daily (and I still do to this day) and it would reinforce that no matter what I have what it takes to be successful in whatever I put my hand towards. These help with shaping confidence and instilling it deep within you. Even when you make a mistake treat it as a learning opportunity to improve, failure is fuel for eventual success.
Method 3: dealing with opposition (aka haters and doubters) are secret fans and blocking out excess noise
Focus is important in keeping your mental game in optimum efficiency. In life, you will have opposition and people who may prove to be naysayers and detractors. In life, there will be a constant conversation one any and everything and sometimes you might be the topic of conversation. It is important to block out the distractions that will take you off your path to achieving your goal (destructive habits/behaviors, associating with the wrong crowd, etc.) and forge ahead. There will be those that talk about you in the pursuit of your goals, give them something to talk about once you accomplish the goal you set out to accomplish. I am a believer that hecklers and naysayers are secretly a fan deep down somewhere inside and if you have some feel free to rejoice. To quote Winston Churchill “You’ve made enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something sometime in your life.”
Method 4: knowing when to take a break and when to ask for help
It is important to be able to take a break as I have highlighted once before. I have learned that you cannot be switched to “on” 24/7 because our minds are like our bodies, there is a need for rest. Without taking a break (via a few minutes away from the work, taking that lunch break, going on vacation, or taking a day off) there is a risk of burnout. When burnout happens, it can hit like a truck and derail your ambitions to accomplish your goals. I believe in taking at least one personal day per month if I already don’t have a vacation planned out to give myself time to take care of myself and other matters of business if needed. Take time out to get a massage, cook a home-cooked meal, spend time with your loved ones or just read or spend time outdoors. It is also important to know if you get overwhelmed it is fine to ask for help. In our culture, we tend to neglect our vacation and sick time to take care of ourselves and we are prone not to ask for help and just try to take it all on alone. No man is an island, no one individual can make a car or even a pencil. It is fine to ask for help at work, with loved ones, or if needed professional help via a therapist. It is ok to recognize that you need a break and need a second to breathe o need a little help. To continue to perform at high levels athletes need trainers to keep them sharp and recovery methods to keep their bodies in top form, the same applies for us as individuals.
I have shared some of the different ways that you can stay on top of your mental game and keep yourself in top form when getting to where you want to be in life. There is no one way to achieve having a better warranty on your mental health and these methods (and others) may vary in terms of your results. I encourage you to find ways that work for you if one doesn’t work for you. I hope that you can take what I have brought forth and use it to better your own mental state to stay sharp. Until next time dear readers, excelsior.
Life moves fast. We’re constantly on the go and it is always a steady hustle and bustle. We as a society are busy to the point of it gets stressful to keep firing on all cylinders. One thing that is neglected often is the importance of having time to take off from our busy plates and take the time to recalibrate and rest.
As someone who is a self professed workaholic, i am an advocate of taking some time for a vacation or even a personal day to just unwind from being always “on”. There many benefits to being able to take some time for yourself especially for your career. Taking a personal day/vacation time is important for a healthy work life balance. Once you take some time off from what you have focused so much of your time and energy on you’ll find yourself psychologically refreshed , improved focus, overall better balance between work and life. You will also notice that you’ll have time to catch up on things you might not have had time for when you didn’t before and even time to enjoy things you normally don’t such as a hobby or time with loved ones. You don’t need to have a two week retreat to tahiti necessarily (though if you want to do that I say go for it!). Even if you take a personal day per month or a leave for specific purposes like our friends in the uk. You will be able to find a better balance and it will help you in your longevity and satisfaction in your career.
The workforce is changing and according to a study the work day has lengthened and people are taking less breaks making it harder to find balance. Did you know in 2018 768 million vacation days were left unused? That is a lot of unused pto that is lost if it’s not rolled over or cashed out. Some occupations lack paid time off which forces workers to miss pay if they are not present. We know making money is important but we are human and we have other obligations outside of our career such as family, friends, hobbies and interest and our own sanity. Our constantly bustling culture is making us lose our sense of self and lose sight of things we enjoy. If left unchecked there are consequences from our health, relationships and overall career satisfaction and performance (burnout, health issues, poor performance etc)
Taking time off is an often neglected part of our busybody culture. We need to place more emphasis on taking time to step away to refocus and recalibrate for the sake of longevity and satisfaction in terms of one’s career. For those that do not offer pto i encourage a way to find a way to make them happen and for those that do not take a personal day or vacation to take one. It will do wonders for you. Until the next time my friends excelsior!
We live in a rather stressful and uncertain time. There are a lot of things happening during this trying time in everyone’s life now. Here in the good old U S of A we are used to the hustle and bustle of daily life but now everything is on a pause. Now is an opportune time to talk about something that is never really taken seriously, rest, and taking a moment to slow down.
Right now many things have been put on pause: visits to your favorite pub, café or restaurant, going to get your reps at the gym (see my previous post on no gym fitness), and even seeing loved ones. There is some good to be found during this time of uncertainty. People are getting creative in terms of cooking abilities, video parties with friends, and even finding ways to still stay in shape. It’s also important to use this time to spend it with our loved ones (even if you have to facetime or conference call them) and also take a moment to rest and take a moment to just recalibrate for when things go back to normal.
Our society has been defined by consistently being on the move. We’re running to meetings, conference calls, fundraisers, recitals, work, you name it. We never take the time anymore to stop and enjoy the smell of the flowers or the warmth of the sun. We see it and know it’s there but do not actually bask in it to truly appreciate it. Our constant hustle and shuffle keeps us from our things that matter most to us (you know what those are), enjoying small moments in life that we take for granted (like breathing clean air, the taste of the morning coffee you chug down without taking a moment to enjoy the smell and taste of it, or the feeling of the wind in your hair…or scalp. We’re always busy or busy bragging to the point where the word busy has become trite and bland.
During this time connect with your loved ones. Call up your grade school pals, learn how to perfect your homemade bread recipe, enjoy the taste of your favorite dessert and the sensation of the wind in your face if you go sailing/biking (since we can do that now in Michigan). Enjoy the moment to turn this lemon into lemonade. Take the time out to take the time and enjoy it as best you can.
During this time of uncertainty, take a moment to take a breath and make this rough period of time to recalibrate and enjoy the finer details of life and use the extra time to get creative and even learn new things. Let’s come out of this quarantine and period of uncertainty smarter, stronger, have more expanded skills, and become more cognizant of the need to take a moment to breathe. Until the next time my friends, stay safe and healthy and Excelsior.
Level up your life 