It's officially springtime! Corporate taxes and personal taxes will soon be paid, if not already. School spring break has finished or just about to start. Baseball season opens next week and the Chicago Cubs will begin in 1st place. Your golf game is soon out of hibernation and the Masters is just around the (Amen) corner. The NBA play-offs are shaping up. The NCAA Final Four will be decided Monday night. Most NFL teams are juggling their rosters for next fall. The first quarter at work is closing and your Q2 results are going to rock! And the weather is getting much, much better.
Now it's time for a new, awesome you!
Spring-cleaning is here and it is NOT limited to your physical closets and junk drawers. It's time to clean the clutter from your mind. More than thirty percent (30%) of your thoughts are waste. Many of these thoughts can actually sabotage your goals and dreams. These unnecessary, extra thoughts can weigh you down, while they shackle your imagination. They restrict your freedom. These thoughts occur at sporadic uninvited times and they attract negative emotions that wreak havoc on your life. Some of these useless thoughts can linger for weeks, months and even years. It's time to clear them from your performance pathway like debris from the sidewalk.
First, recognize why these extra thoughts have arrived on the screen of space in your mind. Ask yourself the following 10 questions:
1.Do I have too many goals that lack the discipline of planning?
2.Do I make negative comparisons to other people?
3.Do I have failures that still haunt me?
4.Do I have too little time and too much to do?
5.Do I wait for circumstances and conditions to change before I can act?
6.Do I rely too much on other people?
7.Do I have too much concern for what other people think?
8.Do I associate with negative people?
9.Do I put me last and think more about other people than myself?
10.Do I have too little confidence?
Any YES answer to these questions can be the cause for feelings of impatience, frustration, low confidence, worry, anxiety, anger, jealousy, sadness, apathy, misery, despair, low self-esteem or depression. Yikes!
Get mentally organized: Think less so you can produce more.
To accomplish this you will need the following short list of Forget-Ables, See-Ables, Do-Ables and Be-Ables.
Forget-Ables™: These are people, places and things that you DO NOT need to dwell on. Forget about it (Do Italian accent here!).
Forget about...
- The negative past. Quit replaying every negative scenario that has occurred. Learn from the first replay of the past and then move on. Next! This is your new battle cry. Forget about it!
- Negative people. Make these people positive, eliminate them entirely from your life, avoid them at all costs or immunize yourself from their negativity. Forget about it!
- What he or she said. Dwelling on this is futile. Everyone has an agenda and some have agendas they don't even know about. Trying to figure all this out is a waste, unless you're embarking on a psychology career. Forget about it!
- Assumption thinking. "She'll probable want me to host this. She always does." Why go here? Why try to predict the unpredictable? Why ponder the imponderable, unquantifiable, inestimable, incalculable, immeasurable, and the virtual unknown? This should make anyone tired. Forget about it!
- Being perfect. Are you approaching life like you're planning your wedding? I know the devil is in the details. However, life is more fun when there is some spontaneity. Wing it sometimes. My favorite vacations had no itinerary. Mistakes? Being perfect? Forget about it!
See-Ables™: Spring-cleaning from a physical sense will help you mentally. Organize and clean the areas of your life that you visually see each and every day. Coming home to a made bed is so much better that a room that is disheveled. You know this. Delegate these tasks or roll up your sleeves and get to work. Do it. You'll feel so much better.
Organize, clean and keep clean your...
- Bathroom area
- Closet
- Bedroom
- Garage
- Car (inside and out)
- Office desk
Organized See-Ables will mentally set you free and give you the feeling of discipline and power over the stuff in your life.
Do-Ables™: Do these things for more control over your life.
- Have "National Silence Month." For the month of April declare a moratorium on too much thought. Proclaim April as "National Silence Month." Speak less. Add silence to each day. When questions are asked of you, be silent for a few seconds before responding. Hold your opinions longer. Talking over other people is forbidden. Abandon the need to talk on your cell phone. Only make calls that are 100% necessary.
- One goal for April. Choose one well-defined, major goal that you will reach by April 30. Once completed, select another goal to be completed by the end of the next month. Make these goals measurable. Hold yourself accountable.
- Reduce speaking. Tomorrow (after reading this) reduce your speaking by 50%. Make this "Observation Day." Observe your surroundings. Notice the season changing. Stay off the phone as much as you can. Watch for positive people. Identify negative people. Do not judge them...just be aware.
- Dine alone. Eat several meals alone each week (if possible). Hanging out with your best friend YOU is a good thing. These meals are for pondering and positive thinking. Take your time. Put your fork down between bites. Dining alone without negative thinking will invigorate and liberate you.
- Walk alone everyday. Smile to yourself regarding your power of silence as you briskly walk around the block or through the woods. Take a stroll in silence with your best friend.
- Prepare every week. Every Sunday night get ready for your greatest week ever. Positive mental imagery and overall dress rehearsal are the purpose. See it, as it will be. However, this is NOT a to-do list with laundry pick-up and haircut. Prepare the big (macro) things that matter. Get ready for AWESOME!
- Practice extreme positivity. This is the mindset of the champion. Eradicate negative self-talk. No judge. No victim. Avoid using shoulda', coulda', and woulda' statements. This Do-able of extreme positivity is crucial for success.
Be-Ables™: This list is powerful. If personal re-invention is needed, then conjure up your inner "Edison."
- Be confident. Keep your chin up with nothing but positives, no matter what happens or occurs. Be the most confident person anyone knows. Think about what you think about. This Be-Able challenge is Do-Able.
- Be "cool." Immediately relax when confrontation or disappointment arrives. Take 90-seconds or less to be "cool" and calm before you react. Breathe several deep breaths before speaking or acting.
- Be focused. Take pride in accomplishing one thing at a time. Lock-in on what you need to deliver and do it. See it to the conclusion. A golfer never sees the bunkers and other hazards until he or she takes their eyes off the flag. Put on your blinders and get it done.
- Be disciplined. Operate with a simple plan with corresponding strategy and tactics. Commit to it. Prepare back-ups if your main plan goes awry.
- Be happy. Act the part by showcasing your passion, enthusiasm, and excitement in all you do. Smile inside and your body language will follow your lead. Soon those around you will reflect this back to you. Allow your inner awesomeness to surface. Think about this statement. "There's no place I'd rather be than where I am right now." This has served my clients well for four decades.
- Be yourself. This is a must. Stop hiding your wild side that's all tucked away in your mental attic. Let go a little. Sing and dance for no reason if that's how you feel. Allow your "genuine" self to surface.
The best in the world think less and produce more. Spring is here! It's time to throw out what you don't need. Get busy with your Forget-Ables, See-Ables, Do-Ables and Be-Ables.
Get in the Zone,
Forget-Ables, See-Ables, Do-Ables and Be-Ables are registered trademarks ™ of Jim Fannin Brands, Inc. All rights reserved.