May 3, 2017 Seven Things to Think About When It Comes to . . . Being Stressed and Knowing Something’s Gotta Give.

We’ve all been there - stressed and stretched in every direction and daunted by the thought of adding one more thing to our already overflowing plate. Although you may not be sure exactly what needs to be done differently (or how to do it) – you are certain that something has got to change. Here are seven things to help you beat stress by shifting your perspective and time to support the priorities that really matter.

1. Develop a calming start to each day: Before your morning workout, take 10 minutes to sit in silence, meditate or read something inspirational.

If you start your day stressed, rushed, and filled with anxiety, the rest of your day will most likely be the same. So why not start things on an upbeat note to increase the likelihood that your day will be both productive and positive.

2. Delegate life and work to-dos: Whether it’s telling your roommate, spouse or partner to clean the apt (for a change) or asking the intern to help with something you’d normally do, ask or require others to step up and take on added responsibility.

3. Replace boring with interesting: It’s hard to feel stressed out when you are intrigued by something compelling to read, think about, and discuss with others. Taking a few minutes each week to participate in an engaging activity will reduce feelings of monotony and give you more mental and physical energy to accomplish your responsibilities and goals.

4. Face your weaknesses straight on: Create a plan to address and overcome things that are not your strong suit. Specifically, focus on one thing (we all have one) that always takes you off track or causes you to lose focus. Simply having a plan of action to help you stay motivated, when you might otherwise stray off course, can help reduce procrastination, writers block or “paralysis by analysis” and thereby make you much more productive.

5. Find hope: When you feel overwhelmed you are less likely to see the good in anything. Simply finding one thing everyday to be optimistic about can not only change your outlook but actually make the things you do seem even better. Never forget that optimism is a major key to success in life, career, and almost any endeavor.

6. Get out of town: Taking a short train or bus ride to new surroundings can give you a much needed boost to re-charge and re-boot your batteries and energy. A change of scenery doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money but can do wonders when it comes to relieving stress and gaining clarity about what really matters and how to better prioritize the time you do have.

7. Create a financial action plan: Money problems are one of the leading causes of stress and they often take time to get resolved. However, taking one or two steps towards turning a positive financial page can make you feel less stressed and more in control. Start by re-reading last week’s Living on Purpose Project post on reducing your expenses and commit to putting just one thing into practice.

Sometimes we need to de-stress and discover new energy to do the things we both want and have to do. Life will never be stress-free, but the more you can embrace healthy ways to eliminate feelings of boredom, anxiety, and uncertainty, the better you will feel. And, the better you feel the more you’re likely to put yourself out there, embrace new challenges and uncover new opportunities.

Stop playing by other people’s rules and start making your own

Top Seven (7) Rules to BREAK to Achieve Career Success

Rule # 1: Only apply for jobs that exactly match your qualifications and experience.   If I  had only applied for opportunities that exactly matched my qualifications, I wouldn’t have had 90 percent of the experiences I’ve had throughout my career.  “Fake it till you make it” doesn’t mean lying but rather learning how to accentuate what’s key to your audience and withhold what’s not.   Your potential employer doesn’t need to know your special events “clients” were your best friends from college, or that start-up business you did social media marketing for was your cousin’s new venture.  Equally, start thinking of job requirements as “suggestions” and not mandatory qualifications.  Say and do whatever’s necessary to get your foot in the door.  Count your two summer internships toward your “experience in XYZ field” to come up with the required “number” someone’s looking for.  As long as you are not lying, “omit” all the details and facts that really don’t matter.  What helps you get the job or opportunity is having confidence in what you’ve done and how you can help someone today and in the future. It’s not about perfectly matching some words on a piece of paper.  

Rule # 2: Networking means getting to know the people “at the top.” Networking is about building relationships with people at all levels of your organization or industry.  Everyone may not have access to senior leaders but anyone can use a 360 degree networking approach to create allies in the most unlikely places.  It was an entry-level colleague who passed along the name of a PR executive who helped me getting hired at AT&T.   Additionally, it was someone in NBC’s Page Program (a prestigious television network “externship”) who connected me to resources that some senior entertainment publicists couldn’t access.  Real networking is connecting to everyone you encounter, and remembering that sometimes your peers, or those who lack a prestigious title, may be the very people who are most likely and most willing to introduce you to the ‘movers and shakers’ who do.

Rule # 3 Office politics only take place in the workplace.  Your ability to climb the proverbial corporate ladder may have little to do with what goes on inside the office and everything to do with what happens outside the workplace.  If you are a runner and discover that the vice president of your division jogs in the park every morning at 6:30 a.m., guess what time you should be jogging there too?  Perhaps signing up for that volunteer event this weekend that your president or general manager is also going to do, may be the perfect way to get hours of uninterrupted “face time” with a senior decision maker.  Getting an “A” in office politics requires you to do your homework, think out-of-the-box, and do lots of extra credit assignments outside and not within the workplace.

Rule # 4: Becoming an entrepreneur means instantly swapping security for the unknown.   The best and perhaps most effective way to create a successful business is to actually start it while working for someone else.  Balancing your full-time gig and a client or two on the side is the perfect way to test entrepreneurial waters.  It can also teach you how to manage multiple priorities while maintaining the safety net of a steady pay-check.  Instead of plunging head first into a new business, the smartest way to become an entrepreneur is to start slow and build as go.  Eventually you’ll have to release the life raft and swim into unchartered waters.  Starting your business as a side hustle that grows over time may save you time, money, and the headaches that often come with starting a business venture from scratch all at once.

Check out livingonpurposeproject.com on this month for the rest of my top seven rules to break; compelling conversations; and suggestions to create your own rules for success.  Think of one rule you can break TODAY to help expand your life and career options and opportunities.