attitude – Page 6 – One Insight Closer

What If You LOVED Your Workday?

August 15, 2013August 15, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in attitude, Being Happy, habits

How does your day usually start?

Not the getting out of bed part of your day, the business part of your day.

How does the business part of your day usually start? Do you have any habits? What are you thinking? Are your thoughts your habit?

So, do you start your day stressed out, worrying about how you’re going to get the long list of tasks done. Maybe doing a couple really quick ones just so you feel like you’re making progress, and maybe avoiding the more important and intimidating task?

What are you thinking about that list of tasks?

What if you were excited by them instead of feeling like you have to do them?

What if instead of feeling constantly behind by everything you should be doing or should have accomplished you were excited for the things that are happening in your day and business?

What if you didn’t worry about what you’ll find in your email today, but were excited to hear from people? To find out what they needed? Or out how you can help them and how that works into your schedule?

What if instead of being annoyed that someone asked you to do something extra, you were excited about the prospect of helping them?

Would if feel like work then? How would that change your business? How would that change your life outside of your business?

Does even thinking about that possibility feel foreign to you?

I know there was a time in my life where I would have read what I wrote above and said, that’s great, but I’d rather not live with my head in the sand to all the work that needs to get done. And then pile on more things to do because I’m so busy being happy by all the extra work people are sending me.

So, let me be clear – I am not suggesting that you accept every request with happy abandon.

I am suggesting that it is possible to be happy about those requests AND have a plan or process for them.

So, you’re not just happily saying yes when a client emails you with a last minute request – you’re using the processes you already put in place to tell them that you’d love to do that with/for them, but last minute rush jobs cost this much extra. Or I can do that for you in two weeks because I want to honor the commitments to my current projects.

There are boundaries and processes you can set up so it’s easy for you to navigate requests and you’re teaching your clients (and others!) how you work so you have fewer of those requests coming in.

If this is something you’d like to explore in detail, let me know!

How does your workday normally start? And how do you want it to start?

Share in the comments below!

Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What’s Your Definition of Busy?

August 1, 2013 by EvieBurke, posted in attitude, engaged

Let’s talk about one of my least favorite words: busy.

According to Merriam-Webster.com the definition is:

a. engaged in action: occupied
b. being in use
full of activity: bustling
foolishly or intrusively active
full of distracting detail

The definition I like and strive for is “engaged in action,” although I might change it to “engaged in intentional forward moving action.”

However, usually when I find myself (or clients) using the word busy, what I really mean is “full of distracting detail.”

This isn’t always the case, but in my past I’ve used it in that way so many times that I have some baggage with the word and tend to avoid it all together.

When you’re busy, which definition are you usually using? What definition would you like to be using?

Share below!

Risk, Success and Failure

December 6, 2012April 10, 2018 by EvieBurke, posted in attitude, Fear, Goals, planning, Quote

I came across this quote last week:

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they’re really not. They’re companions – the hero and the sidekick. – Laurence Shames

Interesting quote isn’t it?

I thought of it again over the weekend when I was given the topic of risk to discuss with the Jr. High youth group. The focus was on making your own decisions versus other people making decisions for you. So, we talked about risk, success and failure.

This week the speaker at an event I was at spoke briefly about taking risks and how some failures really set you up for your next success.

Sitting in the audience I was suddenly struck by how often the topic of risk, success and failure had come across my path in the last week.

Interesting.

If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk. – Rosalynn Carter

I searched through my collection of quotes, looking for ones about success, and this one stuck out.

You see, last week I set some pretty ambitious goals for myself in the coming months, but they are possible with time and attention. I wondered out loud if I was expecting too much of myself in too little time. Perhaps I am. Perhaps I won’t meet some of the goals I set. Perhaps I will fail. And perhaps in failing I’ll be that much closer to another opportunity. Perhaps I’ll still have accomplished more in the failure than I would have if I never tried.

But maybe, just maybe I’ll succeed.

Success and failure, hero and sidekick. I’d wager that success usually follows what looks like failure. We just don’t always hear about the failure. We’d rather hear about the success – the hero of the story, right? But the sidekick is there, quietly supporting the hero in lessons learned.

What does this mean to you?

Risk, success and failure. How do those play out in your life? In your business?
What topics or ideas seem to be appearing over and over again? What do they mean to you? Why are you noticing them?

I’d love for you to share your observations in the comments below.

And I’ll leave you with one last quote:

So fail.
Be bad at things.
Be embarrassed.
Be afraid.
Be vulnerable.

Go out on a limb or two or twelve, and you will fall and it’ll hurt. But the harder you fall, the farther you will rise. The louder you fall, the clearer your future becomes. Failure is a gift, welcome it.

There are people who spend their whole lives wondering how they became the people they became, how certain chances passed them by, why they didn’t take the road less traveled.

Those people aren’t you.

You have front row seats to your own transformation, and in transforming yourself, you might even transform the world. And it will be electric, and I promise you it will be terrifying.

Embrace that; embrace the new person you’re becoming.

This is your moment.

I promise you, it is now, now, not two minutes from now, not tomorrow, but really now. Own that; know that deep in your bones. And go to sleep every night knowing that, wake up every morning remembering that.

And then… keep going.

– Unknown (emphasis added)

I Knew It Was Going to be a Bad Day

November 29, 2012November 29, 2012 by EvieBurke, posted in attitude, Default Setting, Gratitude

I went to bed the other night frustrated with myself. It was after midnight (a very late bedtime for me) and I just knew that the next day wasn’t going to go smoothly as a result.

How did I know that?

Easy, that’s my past experience.

It goes like this: go to bed late, the next morning sleep in a bit (because not getting enough sleep makes for a bad day too!) and then be frustrated with the time that is ”lost.” Spend the morning frustrated that I still have five things to do and only time for three. Constantly check email and Facebook just in case something important comes through. And at the end of the day I’m frustrated and upset with myself because only two things of my five tasks actually got done. I might attempt to go to bed early, but I’m not tired – just annoyed. At this point one of two things happens: (1) I get to bed early and start the next day “right” or (2) I stay up late again and have a repeat of my bad day.

So, I was thinking about this as I got ready the next day and I suddenly remembered an article I wrote over two years ago when I was still an employee. The gist of it is that one or two (or more) events don’t determine the flow of your day unless you let it.

Well, crap. I guess I don’t need to have a frustrating or bad day. Wait – that’s a good thing!

If you want to succeed in your life, remember this phrase: The past does not equal the future. Because you failed yesterday; or all day today; or a moment ago; or for the last six months; the last sixteen years; or the last fifty years of life, doesn’t mean anything… All that matters is: What are you going to do, right now? – Anthony Robbins (emphasis added)

Just because my past experience is that staying up late means the following day will be frustrating and generally bad doesn’t mean that I’ll have that experience every single time. Unless of course I make it happen.

I want to point out all the assumptions I made about my day (time was lost; I’ll get an email that I just have to respond to immediately; need to start the day right). I feed my own frustration with those assumptions.

Was my day perfect? Well, no – but who really wants to be perfect? (I shared a great quote about this on Facebook last week click here to see it)

Did I get my five things done? Nope, and I was okay with that.

Why was I okay with that? Well, why get frustrated about it? Frustration doesn’t get things done any faster.

It’s easy to read about someone else’s experiences, but how do you recognize it for yourself (and recognize it early) and change it up?

Well, I just happen to have a couple thoughts on that!

Are you thinking something along the lines of “UGH! Because I did that now this is going to happen!”
Take a step back – how realistic is that? What’s something else that can happen? What would happen if you smiled, took a breath and re-prioritized instead of going “UGH!”
Are you should-ing on yourself?
Do you find yourself saying “I should have done this” or “I should be doing that” or “this shouldn’t be happening like that”?
Yes? Take a deep breath – maybe even get out of your office or house for a few minutes. Go for a walk. Is it too cold out? Walk up and down some stairs or do jumping jacks. Really, I’m serious, it can help to get your blood flowing and put your mind on physical activities for a little bit.

And next time you find yourself in the midst of a day that’s just not going “right” – remember that quote above.

If none of that is working, write down three things you’re thankful for, then take a breath and smile and write down three more. Gratitude is a great mood lifter!

So, to borrow from Tony Robbins: What are you going to do, right now? Share in the comments below!

Another article you might want to check out: Throwing a Pity Party

Image courtesy of Jeanne Clair Maarbes / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We All Have 24 Hours in Our Day

September 13, 2012 by EvieBurke, posted in attitude, Overwhelm

Has anyone ever told you something like: You have just as much time each day as Thomas Edison and Bill Gates (or Steve Jobs). Everyone has 24 hours each day, no matter who they are.

Take a moment and notice your thoughts around this. What are you thinking? What are you feeling right now?

Generally, this kind of thing is meant to motivate you, to encourage you to spend your time wisely. And when I’m feeling overwhelmed with my goals or tasks, this sort of comment or quote annoys the heck out of me!

My thoughts tend to go like this: Good for them! They accomplished great things! Yes, I get your point, I can do that too – but how can I possibly do more in my day!?

Did you catch what happened there? I made an assumption. Based on my frustration and annoyance that I’m not “doing” enough it makes complete sense that I would make that assumption. Maybe you made the same assumption when you read it.

The assumption is that the purpose of the quote is to encourage me to do more each day. Be more productive, get more done, because obviously (another assumption here) the people who are more successful do more each day.

Is “doing more” the real purpose of pointing out everyone gets 24 hours each day? Maybe, maybe not. The real purpose doesn’t really matter.

What matters is how we interpret it. You interpret everything from where you are. So, at different points in your life, or heck, different points in your day, you will interpret the same sentence a different way.

When I’m tired, frustrated and overwhelmed I interpret everyone getting the same 24 hours as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (or Mother Theresa for that matter) as someone telling me I should be “doing more” or “being more productive.” That time is something everyone struggles with daily.

However, at other times of the day you (and I) might view it differently. Here are some other ways to interpret it:

You immediately look at how productive you are and how you can improve it. Then you create strategies and plans to manage your time and stay productive! What doesn’t work for you today you’ll modify and do better tomorrow.
You think about all the different ways you can use your time (it’s kind of exciting!) and look for the ways you can make the greatest impact for others.
You think it’s really great that you get to choose how to spend your time. Maybe you’ll relax today or work on that project. Either way, it’s your choice and a great way to spend your time!

How did you respond to the “24 hours” comment?

How would you like to respond?