Inspiring You To Live Life Out LOUD…
There are many things, which cause stress in our lives. Work, home, marriage, kids, bills…life in general; and many times it is a combination of all. Obviously the first priority is to identify the stressor or the thing, which is bringing on the anxiety at that particular time in your life. By identifying the things, which are triggering your anxiety, you can effectively rule over areas in your life rather than them ruling you! Many times the very thing that is triggering stress or anxiety is something that is not a major deal. Now I am not trying to minimize situations or patterns of behavior. However, many times we can conquer the stressor in the very moment at which they attack. The whole secret is not even a secret, but I will let you in on it anyway. Simply learn to recognize and identify the things, which bring on anxiety. For some this might be change, a particular person, place at which something devastating happened or possible choices that they have made in their life. Many times it might the effects of choices that others have made. By recognizing and identifying the triggers of stress and anxiety you can learn to better manage your emotions more effectively.
# One: Get Organized
That’s right get organized. What’s the best nation other than donation? Organization!!! We have clutter everywhere, in our cars, homes, bathrooms and desks at work. Most importantly we have it in our lives, you know inside of us. I have a counter part at work who is always organized. Everything that he has either in some form of alphabetical stack or categorically stacked somehow. I think it’s a disease, not really maybe just a little compulsive. At times we will take his area at work and move things around just to aggravate. He looks like a dog coming into the house after the furniture in the living room has been rearranged, they simply do not know what to do. But you know what, it works to his advantage because as the rest of us are scrambling at the last moment to get our paperwork in, his is already filled out and filed in the appropriate area. Most people who are well organized are not procrastinators either, because they cannot deal with that type of disorder. We will talk more about procrastination later. Organize your life and stop living like a mess. You are a beautiful person and owe yourself much more than you give yourself credit for.
# Two: Listen To Your Body
You are either your best friend or your worst enemy. If you have pain in your body then pay attention to it. Your body is trying to tell you something. As a family we lead active lifestyles working out, running, yard work. But not long ago I found myself becoming weak despite the condition that I keep my body in and all of the vitamins and supplements that I digest. As I made my trip to the doctor he mentioned that my body was trying to tell me to slow down! I began to think about it and it actually made sense. We lead fast lives, eat fast food and drive in the fast lane. It is okay to pamper yourself. We can spend thousands of dollars on our homes, cars and even pets but when it comes to the maintenance of our own bodies we go until something breaks. If you perform preventative maintenance on your vehicle such as oil changes, brakes, and tire rotations, you can obviously prevent damage before it occurs. It is no different with your body. Take care of it now so when you age you actually age better. Stretch every morning and evening, learn the art of breathing and paying attention as you inhale and exhale. Go and get a massage – any massage will do to start. It is never too late to start, so get going!
# Three: Life Focus
When you wake up in the morning what are you waking up to? Are you stuck in a routine? Wonder why you are on this planet? Question how you got where you are now? Will you ever get out of your rut? Let me ask you this – are you doing what you were born to do? What do I mean by that? I am glad you asked. We all have a destiny, and we are all here to do what we are all here to do. Regardless of what you think, feel or what others may have to say, you were born for a reason. Your job is your job, but you exist for a much higher purpose. You are not here to just take up space or to earn a paycheck. For some it could mean being the next president or congressman. For others it could mean being the best parent in the world. Whatever it is, do it with everything in you. Then you are fulfilling your life purpose. I know men who pick up trash for a living and go home stinking to high heaven but yet are some of the happiest people you will ever meet. But are we not told our whole lives that money is everything and in order to be happy you must obtain a plethora of it? I have news for you; there will be a time in your life when you will need more than money. Experiencing your life focus everyday will allow you to not only live the life that you have always wanted, but more importantly to be the person that you were destined to be. Start living today!
# Four: Self Perception
I am so blessed to have my daughter in my life. It is great knowing that when I arrive home she is waiting for me and as I walk through the door she runs into my arms and hugs and kisses me. Then we sit down together and begin to share our experiences of the day. What I love most about my daughter is what she loves most about me. She loves me for me. Think about this for a moment. Kids don’t care how much money you make, what type of car you drive, your job title or even how much weight you gain. They have not learned yet, or should I say we have not taught them yet to be concerned and overwhelmed with the troubles of adult hood as we are. As you well know, it is us as a society that teach our kids that status in life is everything. To them it is nothing. My daughter is happy with our car, home, my job title and even my weight is not a factor. So when you see yourself, what do you really see? Do you see someone who is overweight? Do you see a man or woman that does not make enough money? Do you see a person so consumed with how everyone else perceives them that they become obsessed with pleasing others? Think like a child. Who cares, who cares, who cares. I am going to make this extremely simple for you to understand. Pay attention because I don’t want you to miss this one. Be you and that is it!!! Profound huh? Before you can loose weight, get a promotion or achieve the executive status that you want you must believe in yourself. Every morning as you awake practice positive speech and positive thinking to start your day off the right way. I promise you as you get into a routine or habit of speaking positive affirmations over yourself you will notice that you are becoming what you say you are. From the day that my daughter was born my wife and I began telling here that she is the princess. I assumed it as harmless rhetoric and nothing more, although she really is my princess. Now she believes that she is one, and to us, she is. We tell our kids good job for doing this or that to build confidence in themselves. Learn to build confidence in yourself and perceive yourself as the person that you want to be.
# Five: Be A Goal Setter
Another easy one for you to learn is to set a goal and accomplish it. A goal gives you something to feel good about. It is important to set short, medium and long-term goals for yourself. Make every goal not only attainable but also reasonable. Obviously you will not be able to shed 200 lbs. in a week; however, you will be able to shed 5 lbs. or even more! More than likely you will not be able to run a marathon tomorrow but with training and a little diligence you can. Learn to stick to your guns and move forward regardless if others join you or not. Sometimes reaching your goals are going to be tough they will not all be a walk in the park. But if you are prepared for a little adversity going into it then it will be much easier to stay with your program. So whatever your goals are first prioritize them (we will talk about prioritizing next). Be realistic so you are not setting yourself up for failure. I recall as I was working on my MBA I had to be realistic in my expectations and not to rush myself, which would bring about lower grades. I knew that it would be something that I would accomplish I just needed to work at my own pace and not worry about what others were doing.
Choose a partner that has similar goals so you can spur one another along or find someone whom you can share your goals with and be accountable to them, then just go out and do it! I believe in you, and you can do it. Now get to it. Remember if you fail to plan then plan to fail!
To learn more about coping with stress and living a healthier lifestyle. Click here!
To Your Health,
Matthew Thrasher
