Author: cbarney.45

All around the world, countries are issuing different versions of self-isolating quarantines. It is important to remember that while some people view this time as a scary time or, just the opposite, as time off to do whatever they want, you should take this time to prioritize your health. See the tips below for a starter guide to improve our different kinds of health.

1. Get enough sleep. For those of you who are continually sleep-deprived, now is the time to take advantage of your lack of sleep. Getting more sleep now won’t make up for when you didn’t sleep before, but it will improve your memory, help your body recover more quickly, and boost your mood.

2. Move your body. You have no excuse not to exercise now – there is no long commute and you aren’t stuck in the office for 10+ hour days. With the gyms being closed, you can still go for a walk/bike ride, do body weight exercises (like pushups, squats, lunges, toe touches, sit-ups, etc), or do yoga (there are some great videos on YouTube).

3. Eat on a normal schedule. It’s going to be tempting to eat more frequently when you’re at home. You’re not on your normal schedule, but you should try your best to mimic your normal eating habits (unless they were already poor eating habits). Watch out that you don’t just eat because you’re bored. And when you go to the store, avoid buying junk food. I can’t help myself to eat poorly of junk food is around, so I remedy this by not buying any in the first place.

4. Get some fresh air. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when you go outside and soak up some sunshine? Have you taken the time to breathe the fresh air after leaving an air conditioned building? It’s amazing. Go for a walk/hike. At night, look at the stars. Wake up early and watch the sun rise. Whatever you do, try not to be glued to screens all day. This will drive you crazy.

5. Improve your mind. Read/listen to a book. Write (either in a journal format, a short story, or finally get started on writing the book that you never had time for). Draw, paint, or color. Do puzzles. Take an online course or try the LinkedIn learning courses. Do anything to stay sharp. Don’t just use this time to binge watch tv or get caught up in social media (hint: you’ll never be fully caught up with it).

6. Dig into your finances. Are you feeling stressed because of a job lay-off or furlough? That’s understandable. But you can avoid this stress in the future by addressing it now. It will be hard work, but if you work Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, you can put yourself to be in a position of strength, instead of weakness. And right now, he is offering Financial Peace University free for the next two weeks! Take advantage of your time off and get your finances in order now.

These are a few key tips that we can all follow to improve our lives during this trying time. Try these today and see if you feel any differently than yesterday. My guess is that you will feel better about your day, which is all we can ask for at this time.

If you have any suggestions for me or the rest of the group, be sure to add them in the comments!

Thanks and be well!

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Who said that you can’t do this thing or that thing? Most of the time, nobody tells us that we can’t do something, but we impose that self-limiting belief on our own because we haven’t seen anyone personally do it. Or if someone has told you that you can’t do something, it’s because they either tried and failed or are jealous of your potential success.

Face your fears. Challenge yourself. Be ok messing up, as long as you’re pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and learning from the mistakes along the way. That is the only way that you’re going to live the life of your dreams and to do what you think cannot be done.

Don’t be afraid to fail. As John Wooden once said, “Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.”

Watch out for confirmation bias. When you go into something with a predetermined thought, you will often only look for that which affirms your existing desires. You will find ways to rationalize what you want – to twist facts to justify your decisions, or to omit data that conflicts with what you want done. Instead of being objective, you’ll be more likely to look at the situation as you want it to be, not how it actually is.

Say someone you care about feels passionately about something that you also feel passionately about, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. What do you do?

Think about what you care more about. Do you care more about this individual (a spouse, a friend, a co-worker) and your relationship with them? Or do you care more about whatever it is that you are having the disagreement?

Choose what is more important to you and let the rest go. Decide when you need to make a stand, but do it only for the biggest issues. If you argue over every little thing, you run the risk of losing what is actually important (your relationship with that person).

“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

To become really good at anything, you must first determine what it looks like to be good at whatever you’re trying to achieve. Recognize what “success” looks like in that area. If possible, talk with those who are already successful. See what they do and how they do it. After that, develop a game plan to emulate their actions. Build habits that will bring you closer to your goals and then repeat those habits everyday.

There are two caveats though…

First, when looking at a successful mentor, understand that the actions that they are taking now probably do not reflect the actions that they took to get where they are now. As they have grown in their life/career, their tasks have more than likely evolved as well. Make sure that you discuss this with them to figure out how to get started.

Second, be sure to revisit your tasks or habits frequently. Just because you thought they were the right initial actions, doesn’t mean that they are still the best actions for you to be taking now.

One final note…Be persistent and resilient. Anything in life that is worth having is going to require effort on your part. It’s up to you to determine if the end result is worth the efforts leading up to it.