Tag: doing your best

Unplug yourself

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott

If you ever feel stressed out, burned out, or overwhelmed, take some time to just unplug. Sometimes we’re so used to being “on” that we just need a break. It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s understanding that giving yourself the night off, or maybe even just a few minutes to yourself, will help you reset.

If it’s possible, take time to sit in silence, to take some deep breaths, to get away from technology and/or some of your ongoing duties. Most things won’t permanently break if you step away for a second. Almost everything is fixable and it will all be ok. The moment you stop putting so much pressure on yourself and give yourself permission to reboot, the less anxiety you’ll feel. Love yourself and forgive yourself enough to know that you’re not perfect (nobody is) and that you’re human and need to unplug from time to time.

All you can do is all you can do

All you can do is all you can do. There is no more. Sorry, but you can’t give 110%. I know it’s a popular phrase, but it’s not possible. You only have 100% to do it. Maybe eventually you’ll increase your capacity so that what is your full effort today becomes more effortless in the future. But in terms of today, you can only try your best to do what you’re capable of.

You can only control what you can control – your effort and your attitude. Stop worrying about the future. Stop worrying about what other people will think. Stop worrying about the results. If you continue to follow the process, and it’s the right process, the results you desire usually come. It doesn’t always work out (there is no formula for guaranteed success), but if you think in bets and play the odds, you can put yourself in the best position to succeed.

All you can do is all you can do. The key to reducing stress is to let everything else go.

Thoughts on different types of equality

Equality of outcome is not possible, nor should it be desired. We should be striving for equality of opportunity. Everyone should be afforded the same opportunity and then they can choose whether they want to take those opportunities or not. Opportunity will never equal outcome because other factors still play a large part in determining the result. You can affect the result through hardworking, working efficiently, working creatively, working collaboratively, etc. You can get better at networking or delegating. You can get better at doing. And you can always run into good luck or bad luck.

People should be compensated based on their production, results, and merit, but that’s not always going to happen. Because unlike playing sports where you have the same objective and many ways to track results with tangible numbers, we can’t always quantify the value of a team member. And then there is the human, team morale, and leadership aspect to consider too. How can you quantify what that is worth?

We should always strive to be better – for ourselves, our family, friends, co-workers/team, company, city, state, nation, and world. We should strive for a more equal playing field and never stop striving for it. But the best way to start change is to start with yourself. Control what you can control, try to influence what/who you can influence, and realize that nothing is perfect.

Embracing your fear to make you better and live with less anxiety

Embrace your fear. Everybody fears something. Don’t be ashamed of it and don’t recoil from it. If you fear making mistakes and you don’t embrace it, you will do everything in your power to not make a mistake. Eventually that will lead you to stop taking any chances at all just so you don’t look bad…

But the thing is, it’s all in your head. Most people won’t judge you for making mistake. And if they do, it’s pretty hypocritical. Everyone makes mistakes. The best learn from their mistakes and from the mistakes they’ve observed others make. They not only learn from that isolated incident, but they also can apply their new found knowledge in other areas of life. They figure out where the carryover is and become better predictors for future events. Then they test the hypothesis and keep pushing.

The more you push your limits, the more you grow. But if you don’t want to push your limits and always want to stay within your comfort zone, you might grow slowly, or you might not grow at all. And in a worst-case scenario, you’ll actually end up getting worse.

Embrace your fears. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, to look weak, to look dumb… If you don’t understand something, ask a question. If you think you can lift the weight, but you aren’t sure, try it anyways. Ask for a spotter. People like to help if you let them.

Adversity, self-improvement, and fulfillment

Challenge and adversity sucks when you’re in the thick of it. It can seem like the hardship will never end. But just like all good things must come to an end, so too must all bad things. Life goes on – it stops for no one and nothing.

The great part about overcoming adversity is that it tests you and lets you know what you’re really made of. When life seems too easy and you’re completely comfortable, we often lack the intrinsic motivation to strive for self-improvement. But when we face difficulties and need to get something done, often times you will rise to the challenge. How will we know our limits if we never challenge ourselves (or are not challenged by outside circumstances)?

Think about how you can push yourself today – how you can test yourself. Have you been living a soft, cushy life for too long now? If so, do you feel that you’ve come close to reaching your full potential or is there more to go? And the other, more important, question…do you even care to reach your full potential? There’s no judgment if you don’t. You need to feel fulfilled and only you can determine that.