Who Fills Your Success Plate?

I was thinking about the demands we place upon ourselves those others place on us. I noticed that some people have mountains of tasks before them and cheerfully and effectively plow through them without major disruptions to their lives. Others however find themselves overwhelmed and fall further and further behind in their lives.

What is the difference?

Some will automatically say the first group is simply more organized than the second. Some will say that the second doesn't have the skills to deal with it. Others will say that the first group is task oriented and the second is feeling oriented.

Some or all of these things may be true at any given time. But these don't explain the fact that ALL of us fit into both groups at some point or another in our lives. No one is forever focused and effective. No one is forever overwhelmed by life.

So what is the difference?

It boils down to one thing we believe. Motivation.

Not the rah-rah type. I am talking about the source of why these things must be done, the reason you take action. What is the motive for your behavior?

Is it internal or external? In other words, are you motivated by things you choose to be motivated about? Or are you motivated because you let someone or something else tell you that's why you should take action?

Are these things imposed upon us or do we create them because we have the desire to do them or have the results? Is your life controlled by you or by others? Whose goals are you working on? Yours or others? Motivation is entirely something you decide. You decide how you feel about something and whether or not it's important enough to act.

When you feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with life's challenges, look at these challenges. The ones causing the most stress are almost always those imposed by others. These are external factors. Your challenges that are fun to do and effortless to tackle (no matter the difficulty or complexity) are almost always ones of your own choosing.

The key to being happy and productive in times like that is to simply fill your plate with your own projects or projects of your own choosing.

While this is not always 100% possible, it is a great goal to work toward.

A final thought here... When you are getting that overwhelmed feeling, examine what is before you and see what external things you can safely get rid of (without losing your job for instance).

You can always do more than someone else when your plate is filled by YOU and theirs is filled by someone else!

So, fill your success plate yourself as much as you can.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Who-Fills-Your-Success-Plate?&id=9480329

Clearing The Castle

Life is hard enough as it is without having a place to retreat to. Your home is your castle. That is why I believe it is so important to keep it peaceful and balanced. Without a place that you feel safe in, you never really get the opportunity to unwind and decompress. I like to feel that your home, your castle is a sacred place. So the importance of clearing it takes on a new meaning.

Have you ever gotten sick while you were traveling? It's the worst. The first thought that so many of us have is we want to be home. Why is that? It's because somehow we feel comfortable, in control in our own environment. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled quite a bit. And there comes a point when you just crave home, no matter how much fun or how nice the place you are visiting. We all know that famous line, "There's no place like home".

So what do I mean when I say clearing the castle? Exactly what it sounds like. Clearing it off all the things that take away the peace, joy and comfort one needs to relax and reflect in. Holding this space as sacred as life itself. So how do you clear the castle? Here are a few tips that I have found to be helpful.

1. Your castle doesn't need to be meticulous, but it should at least be organized. Knowing where everything is, or at least the area in general will save on time and confusion. If you share your castle with another, it gets a bit more complicated. Which leads us to the next tip.

2. Have your own space in your shared space. I have been with my wife for 15 years at the time of this writing. What is interesting to so many people is, when they find out that when we travel, we both have our own bedrooms and bathrooms. Although we have connecting rooms, this allows for each of us to completely relax. We are generally on different sleep schedules so this provides the space to sleep without interruption. It also allows for us to have separate TV's should we find we're in different show mode, or if one of us want to read in quiet. And finally, there is no competing for a bathroom. Same holds true for our castle. We both keep our own space.

3. When sharing a castle, be mindful of the energy. You know those one hundred and one things that your partner does to irritate you? Try your best not to bring them up. Be it dirty clothes on the floor, leaving lights on or dishes in the sink. If its going to be a nightly discussion that turns into an argument, leave it alone. Would you rather be right, or rested? Hence having your own space.

4. Get rid of all the things you no longer use, want or need. I once read a book years ago that said if you do not use an item in a year, get rid of it. I'm a little more practical. But, if you're holding on to clothes for example, that you have not worn in 5 years, ask yourself if you really need it, or can you make space for the new?

5. Design your castle how you want to feel. Mine is set up for comfort and convenience. I'm a fan of art, music and spiritual things. You will not find a room in my castle that does not have 2 if not all 3. This speaks to both my wife and I. It represents how we want to feel. No matter what the day holds for us, when we come home the castle is clean, comfortable and peaceful.

Like it or not we all are a product of our environment. There are so many things beyond our control. So, what you can control, you should control. This is your castle. Be it you're renting a room from someone, or you own your own home. Those 4 walls that contain you hold power. There are numerous studies to suggest just that.

A little thing like decorating, cleaning or clearing the castle can pay huge dividends to your life. Make the effort. It does not require a lot of money, if any at all. So remember the next time you're having an awful day or counting down the hours at work, think "there's no place like home".

http://ezinearticles.com/?Clearing-The-Castle&id=9755985

7 Powerful Things Successful People Do At The End Of Each Day

       

There are a lot of habits successful people follow, either naturally or through sheer discipline, that help make them successful. If you use the same tactics, you might be able to reap rewards similar to what they’ve achieved. Here are 7 powerful things successful people do at the end of every day.

1. They don’t have any big decisions left to make.

Decision fatigue is a real thing, and should be avoided at all costs. As you make more and more choices, your ability to make good decisions steadily deteriorates over the course of the day. It’s been proven several times over. For example, judges are known to make less favorable decisions towards the end of their shifts. Successful people know that if they wake up in the morning, their biggest decisions should be made before the end of the afternoon. Avoid making major purchases or other life-changing choices late in the day so that your decisions will more likely be the right ones.

2. They cross every last item off their to-do lists.

Successful people tend to have some way of monitoring their success. One way to keep track of productivity is to keep a to-do list. That to-do list can be an app like Wunderlist or 2Do or simply plain old pen and paper. The successful people of the world are the types to have every single task checked off before they hit the hay. The key to accomplishing that, other than, of course, working hard, is being able to gauge how much you can get done in a given day. Leaning towards fewer tasks on your to-do list might be a safer bet, and if you get more done than what’s listed you’ll feel better about yourself. On the other hand, having a lot of tasks on your list might motivate you more. Do whatever’s most effective for you.

3. They wrap things up.

More than just with to-do lists, successful people have pretty much everything taken care of that can be taken care of before the day’s end. You should do the same. For example, don’t leave conversations hanging when they can be resolved. If things like that are wrapped up in a bow by the time you shut your eyes, you’ll have a smoother transition into the next day.

4. They get organized for the next day.

Successful people complete their todays by preparing for their tomorrows. Make sure you know what the next day’s schedule is so that you don’t wake up to any unpleasant surprises.

5. They eat smart.

Successful people carefully consider their diet, especially when it comes to what they consume before they go to bed. The number one dietary productivity killer is caffeine late at night. Having a late night soda will cause you to sleep restlessly, stemming your potential for the next day. Also avoid having too much sugar, fried foods and alcohol to start off on a good foot.

6. They wind down.

A lot of successful people work until the minute they go to bed, but the extremely successful usually recognize the importance of having at least a little downtime. Bill Gates reads every night before bed. Arianna Huffington unplugs from her technology. The CEO of Buffer takes a walk. Relaxing activities like those are the best ways to jumpstart the next day.

7. They have a bedtime.

This is a hard thing to hear for many, but successful people often go to bed at the same time every night. An erratic sleep schedule means you won’t know when or where you’ll be most productive, giving you less control over the efficiency of your day. Pick a time to go to bed and a time to wake up and stick to them to be among the extremely successful.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-powerful-things-successful-people-the-end-each-day.html