FEAR to CONFIDENCE in 6 simple steps!

    

 Why are some confident and some lack confidence. Most of those who lack confidence live in fear. Those who are confident are those who take ACTION and try new things. Those people stretch themselves to learn more, become more, get that degree, go for that promotion or new job, make that career change or enter into that new relationship!

     The questions we ask ourselves in fear and the fear based responses that come along with that are the OBSTACLES that will stop you from taking the action needed to get to confidence!

ACTION IS THE KEY!!!

     If you would like to be confident in one area of your life, or are lacking confidence in more than one area – you can change this almost immediately – here it is – 6 simple steps!

1.       Start at square one..  

     Many people quit before they even get started because they focus on “how far” it is from where they are now to the end result. Well they are already living in fear so therefore feel incapable of getting to that point from where they are now. Forget about the end and focus on the FIRST STEP and only the first step. The harder you focus only on step 1 – the faster you will get to step 2! 

2.       Remember that all progress is still progress..

     Your brain is now temporarily stuck in fear based mode. That built up fear will try to convince you that these small accomplishments are too small. Not true! Every tiny bit of progress, every small step is in the right direction and that is ALL THAT COUNTS! Stick with it and you will make it to the finish line – every time!

3.       Remind yourself – it is not HOW you feel; it is WHAT YOU DO!

     Don’t feel afraid while you take these steps toward your goal – tell yourself that you are not afraid. I know, your fear based brain, again is trying to dominate you.. maybe you have a quick pulse, shaky hands, shallow breaths, you may feel dizzy and have a sick stomach as you take actions toward your goal but you are still MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION – TOWARD the goal! That is what counts, not how you FEEL while you do it. As you recognize what you are feeling and resist the urge to be afraid by it, those feelings will change. Don’t judge yourself for how you are feeling and label it as “afraid”. Celebrate the fact that you are moving right on through those feelings and accomplishing what you set out to in spite of them.

4.       Get high on taking action!

     There is a wonderful feeling (its magical) that occurs directly after (or during) taking action that you were previously too afraid to take. Use that high to your advantage. While you are having that good feeling write down or record how you feel. “I felt excited, proud, or happy when I…” Review these notes the next time you are at step one or step 2 with something. If you meditate or use imagery when working on your goal planning, imagine yourself actually DOING the thing that you want to do most. Watch yourself (like watching a movie on a screen) actually doing it and try and FEEL those good feelings like you did the last time you took action when you were afraid to.

5.       KNOW that action builds confidence..

     Deciding to take action, and DOING it in spite of fear will build and build upon your level of confidence, more and more each time. Taking action provides many opportunities for growth beyond the specific goal we decide to work on.

     In this action we grow confident about ourselves and about our abilities. It is in the action that we find out what mistakes are and how much stronger we are by learning from them and again TAKING ACTION anyway the next time!

6.       REPEAT steps 1-5

     Each time you feel afraid, in any way of anything – get as fast as you can through steps one thru 4 and right on to step 5 TAKE ACTION!

What action can you take to overcome your fear today?

    

Many people who want to overcome their fears find it easier to make a structured plan or to have accountability to sticking to their plan, with help from a life coach. If you need help right away, OR want to try a FREE sample coaching session, send me an email or give me a call. My contact info is below.

 Our senior consultants provide personal and team coaching, team building and team trainings and other services for business owners specializing in profitability. Visit our website today at www.TheMaxProfit.com.

Thanks for reading!

Renee Johnston

Personal/Team Coach

CEO

The Max Profit

getrealwithcoach@gmail.com

(360) 490-7045

Get 90% of your work done before NOON! 8 BEST TIPS!

   

  Many successful busy people have perfected methods that have allowed them to get all or most of their work done before noon! The key is “streamlining” tasks, “prioritizing” successfully and staying FOCUSED!

     Try these 8 best tips for 2 weeks and see if any or all of them help you get more done at work!

#1 – PLAN your workday the night before – every night, before you leave work, list all the tasks that must be completed the next day. Allow enough time for each task, number them in order of importance and do not put too much on your list!

#2 – TAKE BREAKS – You must take breaks if you want to be productive AND stay focused – set an alarm on your phone or a watch or alarm clock – experiment with the best time to take a morning break or breaks..  taking several 5 or 10 minute breaks, instead of one longer break will help get back on task easily but the break will help you focus more successfully on the next task!

#3 – PLAN WHEN you will do what and plan breaks accordingly. For instance, if you write or need to make hard decisions, do that early before there are distractions in the office building. Save the things that are easy to focus on with noise around for AFTER everyone else starts arriving at the office. Also, if you write, do that FIRST thing in the morning and then take a break before moving on to different types of tasks.

#4 – NO INTERRUPTIONS or MEETINGS before noon – instruct staff and co-workers that your most productive work time will be in the morning so that is when you would prefer not to be interrupted or distracted. Even in the case of a mild “emergency” an emergency at 10 am could most likely wait until 1:00 pm without too much problem. Sometimes, there are regular meetings that happen in the morning hours that are mandatory. Work around this the best you can. If every Monday and every Friday, there is a standing meeting, start at 8am on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and start working at 7:00 am on Mondays and Fridays (in order to make up for those one hour meetings you will attend in the morning on those days). Make it work!

#5 – START EARLY – get up an hour earlier every day! Show up at the office an hour earlier every day. Plan to do tasks from your list that require “quiet time” and do them in that hour.

#6 – BE ORGANIZED – you WILL get more done if you are organized.. if you have to spend a whole weekend organizing your office, your files, cleaning off your desk so you can try this for two weeks, do it! If you do not have clutter distracting you and you can FIND THINGS.. you will get more done, guaranteed!

#7 – NO EMAIL / NO VOICEMAIL – do not, I repeat DO NOT listen to your voicemail or check your email until after lunch! Do not even LOOK at it to see “how many” you have waiting! Resist the urge.. both of those activities are not only time killers but will send you off in other directions as well. One step even better! Assign the task of listening to the voicemail and checking and organizing the email to some else! I know that sounds scary – I would challenge you to find a successful small business owner or high paid executive that checks their own voicemail or email!

# 8 - 80/20 RULE RULES! – We keep hearing it and seeing it written and it IS TRUE! Only 20% of what you do each day produces 80% of the results. So, first, when making your list for the day, eliminate (or put on a “maybe” list) tasks that have nothing to do with your top goal or goals. When ordering tasks in their order of importance, put the MOST IMPORTANT tasks at the top of the list, to be done first thing in the morning. Stay focused on one task at a time, do not worry about the other tasks. If you do not get to the bottom of the list, move those tasks to the next day and learn each time, how to plan for how much time things will take in the future!

Our consultants provide team building and other team oriented workshops as well as individual coaching with reasonable fees! If you would like a FREE phone consultation to discuss your individual situation or have other questions, please feel free to visit our website and fill out a contact form at www.TheMaxProfit.com

Renee Johnston

Senior Consultant, Coach and Profitability Specialist

(360) 490-7045 mobile (talk or text)

Business Services Group / The Max Profit

5 Tips To Make It Through Your Workday – Despite The Co-Worker From Hell!

The co-worker or team mate from hell… he or she is condescending, confrontational and just downright unpleasant to be around. This person acts nothing like a team mate, but instead as if at war. You didn’t sign up for war – what do you do?

Unfortunately, this type of situation, this type of person is found everywhere.. in every workplace, in every type of profession. People of all education levels and cultures have been found to behave this way. Daily conflict with someone you cannot stand is a waste of precious energy and takes away from the team’s production and creativity.

Fortunately, there are usually ways to get around this type of situation. You can and should defend yourself against negative emotions or unreasonable demands. Many times, if managed properly, this type of person can end up to be a manageable, and maybe even likeable team mate!

#1 – BE READY

          Always be ready for conflict to invade your day / space. Understand that (at least right now), this is the way this person IS. Likely, you cannot change that, you may be able to influence it in a positive way by setting healthy boundaries. Time may change this person’s behavior, true and hopefully. But I guarantee, you CAN and WILL make the situation WORSE by not being ready and not having a plan for how to respond to this negative behavior. Remember to take the high road, respond calmly and in a non-confrontational manner – NO MATTER WHAT they say or do! Plan what you will do, physically that is if and when you get “backed into a corner” to remove yourself from the situation.

#2 – Don’t Add Fuel to the Fire

          People who already tend to be confrontational or drama driven will love for you to “fight back” or even defend yourself. “Step Away” from the fire, remove yourself physically if possible or at least figuratively. MOST of the time, when someone at work is attacking you, and you respond with a neutral attitude, or even kindness, it will really slow them down, they will not know how to respond to that.

#3 - Offer to Help

          Many, many times you will find that a person behaving this negatively is not really a complete psychopath, a passive-aggressive control freak, nor will they be found to have borderline personality disorder. (I know, all the signs are there!) BUT, they very well may just be attacking others or being difficult because of their own fear or insecurities. They may really feel alone and that they have no allies. They may also be going through something personal that is really scaring them or giving them anxiety. Offer to help….

#4 - Get a Third Party Involved

          If you have tried to speak to this co-worker or team mate about the situation and have communicated your wishes to be on “common ground” with them and it has gone nowhere, ask a third party to “mediate” for you, ask for a meeting and see if things can be worked out. Don’t forget to verbally list all the good things you can think about in the person, your relationship with them and the reasons it would benefit both of you to have a better relationship. If this does not work, get Human Resources or an effective supervisor involved.

#5 – Move On

          After you have exhausted all other efforts and the situation is still causing you and/or other team member’s stress, it may be time to end the situation. If this person works for you or under you, you may need to let this difficult team member go. If you are in a different working situation with them, you may want to ask to be moved to another team, another department or even look for another job. At this point, your supervisor or business owner is aware of the difficulties and may choose to try moving the difficult team worker somewhere else, or may ask them to leave their position on the team.

I hope that these tips will help you if you find yourself in one of these situations. Most of us, at some point in our careers, eventually will.

Our consultants provide team building and other team oriented workshops as well as individual coaching with reasonable fees! If you would like a FREE phone consultation to discuss your individual situation or have other questions, please feel free to visit our website and fill out a contact form at www.TheMaxProfit.com

Renee Johnston

Senior Consultant, Coach and Profitability Specialist

Business Services Group / The Max Profit