Before you shy away, thinking this is another one of those listicles with tips and suggestions you already know you NEED to be doing, keep reading.

These suggestions are easy-to-implement changes that even the busiest professionals can make. If you’re looking for smart, effective ways to take care of yourself, this is the list of ideas worth considering. And it’s all about taking one subtle step at a time to start seeing real improvements in your life.

1. Remove the Toxic Ingredients from Your Diet

Instead of adding things to your daily routine and hectic professional life, give yourself a boost of energy by removing things. Make a list of not-so-great ingredients you can purge from your life, including overly sugary lattes in the morning, fast food lunches, or take-out dinners. Treat yourself, sure, once in a while. But try to remove those afternoon sugar crashes. Order the smoothie. Try packing a healthy lunch. And take it one snack or meal improvement at a time to start. You’ll soon be cutting back on unhealthy ingredients and feeling more energized as a result.

Here’s a shortlist of potentially unhealthy or toxic ingredients that might be wrecking your energy levels:

• Too much sugar intake
• Poorly or over-processed foods
• Excessive alcohol
• Donuts in the conference room
• Overdoing the cups of coffee

2. Replace One Bad Decision at a Time

It can be overwhelming to try and introduce new routines when you’re already a routine-driven professional with limited free time. So, instead of trying to do too much at once, be mindful to just make one smart routine replacement at a time. This will force you to recognize when you’re making poor health decisions. And picking one small change to implement at a time will help you build momentum and comfort in keeping those changes. Spot something about your current routine that you know is likely contributing to your reduced energy levels. Pick one and try to focus on making improvements there first.

Here’s a short list of some poor decisions you might consider addressing, one at a time, of course:

• Stress smoking
• Stress eating
• Not drinking enough water (we’ll get to this one next)
• Staying up late
• Working too late

3. Drink the Water (Seriously)

You’re not going to find ANY list out there, health and wellness related, that doesn’t insist you boost your intake of water. Drinking water is a natural energy booster. But let’s be honest; your body needs it. You don’t have to jump to eight glasses every day at first to make a difference in your energy level, either. Try bringing a bottle of water to work with you and making a conscious effort to consume it throughout the morning. Gradually work in more as you adjust your routine. You can also explore trying to drink a glass of H20 when you first wake up or right before you go to bed. Dehydration is an absolute tanker of energy. So, the more you can introduce into your day, the better you’ll start to feel.

Here are some refreshing ways to incorporate water into your everyday routine:

• Bring a refillable water bottle you can refill and reuse on the go.
• Try healthy water flavorings to perk up the taste.
• Add lemon or other fruit to your water for added antioxidant boosts.
• Keep bottled water at the office, at work, and at home.
• Have a water buddy who’s also trying to drink more with you.

4. Try Healthy Snacking Every Three Hours

If you’re a super-busy professional, running from appointment to appointment, running a business, putting out fires, meeting clients, and doing the work, you’re probably also a hard-core meal-skipper. When there just isn’t time to sit down for lunch, you’re also no stranger to the mid-afternoon burnout feeling. Instead of skipping meals and depriving your body of the nutrients you need to stay energized, try taking small snacks. Pack granola bars, bananas, or trail mix for your time in the car. Keep easy-to-eat snacks at your desk that you can grab and consume while responding to emails. Science suggests that healthy and protein-packed snacks every three hours can do amazing things for your energy level.

Here are some easy and healthy snacks to keep handy when you’re looking to keep a three-hour snacking habit:

• Dried, assorted fruits
• Almonds, cashews, or peanuts
• Protein bars
• Traditional granola bars
• Lean jerky

5. Commit to Sleep

If you’re always burning both ends of the candle, you’re eventually going to run out of wick. Busy professionals and business owners are notorious for late nights and long days. And the stresses of work can keep you from finding your much-needed REM sleep, too. However, not giving your mind and body the ample amount of rest it needs means you’re running short on energy. Try committing to better sleep one week at a time and force yourself to step away from the hustle and bustle of business. Allow yourself to rest by remembering that a refreshed you is better than a dead-tired you for your professional life.

Here are some suggestions to help you start effecting change to your sleep habits:

• Take midday weekend naps.
• Commit to an earlier bedtime by one hour.
• Introduce nighttime relaxation apps with soothing sounds.
• Make your bedroom a quiet, sleep-conducive oasis
• Avoid sleeping with your television on in the background.

6. Try Virtual Therapy to Relieve Stress

It’s not uncommon for successful professionals to feel the stresses and anxieties that come with work-related projects and deadlines. And some stresses can be healthy as they drive us to pursue goals, meet deadlines, and overcome obstacles. But too much of the wrong kind of stress can be overwhelming and have a negative impact on your mental health and energy. Distress, or those situations that manifest out of your control, can send your mind racing down the “what if” rabbit hole, too. If you feel work and life stress is taking a toll on your ability to perform, function, or be happy, consider therapy. There are a host of virtual therapy services you can access from anywhere, putting you in touch with professionals who can help you navigate and find stress relief.

Here are just a few of the virtual therapy services to start exploring:

• BetterHelp
• Talkspace
• Grow Therapy
• Brightside
• Online-Therapy.com

7. Take the Stairs Every Time

Some of the best methods for boosting your energy level involve exercise. And while you can’t always find the time to commit to a gym or workout schedule, you can implement a few changes to your routine to introduce a little more physical activity. For example, start taking the stairs. Commit one or two days each week to climbing instead of riding the elevator. Work your way toward more days of taking the stairs until you’re comfortable with climbing every day. Getting your heart pumping, even just a little, can be rejuvenating. And taking in more oxygen can help you feel more refreshed.

Here are some other ways to get your heart rate up throughout your busy workday:

• Park far away and speed walk.
• Keep small weights at the office and work in some calisthenics.
• Break away from your car or your desk and take a walk.
• Close your office door and do a set of planks or push-ups.
• Take periodic breaks to do arm and leg stretches.

8. Get a Physical

If you’re struggling with keeping your energy levels high, it’s always good to check with your physician. Schedule yourself a physical so you can rule out any potential health problems that might be contributing to your stress and energy depletion. Even with exercise, proper sleep, and a healthy diet, you could be feeling rundown and overwhelmed. Your doctor can also help you pinpoint and identify any underlying risk factors and concerns and prescribe medications when necessary. Make sure you’re aware of your health conditions so any changes you do make can contribute appropriately.

Here are just a few of the health conditions that might be contributing to your reduced energy levels:

• Diabetes or sugar-related anomalies
• Heart disease or high blood pressure
• Thyroid malfunction
• Arthritis or joint pain
• Sleep apnea

9. Know Your Circadian Rhythms

Everyone’s body keeps its own body clock or circadian rhythm. Some professionals find they’re most productive in the early morning hours, for example, while others are more efficient at night. Your daily energy pattern is mostly determined by your unique genetics and brain chemistry, making it tough to change. Don’t fight against your patterns. Instead, recognize your productivity rhythms and work with them as you implement more energizing habits. Schedule your more demanding activities for those times of day that you feel most productive.

Here are some examples for breaking up your schedule in a way that matches your unique circadian rhythm:

• Use your most alert and energized times for important meetings.
• Schedule brief blocks of time for answering calls and emails.
• Allocate demanding project work for those high-energy times of the day.
• Sleep when your body clock dictates.
• Off-peak energy levels are great times for networking and less-intensive work.

10. Mindset Energy Matters, Too

A lot of what happens to your body during peak and valley energy levels is physical. But don’t discount the power of mental energy. Addressing your mindset matters, especially if you’re looking to find a renewed sense of energy and productivity. Try making a conscious effort to start thinking positively about people, work situations, and real-life scenarios. With a little practice, you can start finding the silver linings in almost anything. And you will be more energized when your mind’s not weighed down with negative thoughts, worst-case scenarios, and confidence-draining self-talk.

Here are a few mindset improvements you can consider to keep your mood energized and positive throughout the day:

• Force yourself to find two to three positives about every situation.
• Practice gratitude – both giving and receiving.
• Appreciate nature at least once per day.
• Allow yourself mental breaks from tough challenges.
• Surround yourself with positive people.

11. Recognize What’s Draining Your Energy

In addition to incorporating these more subtle yet impactful changes throughout your day, practice mindfulness about your habits and routines. The first step to relieving stress and regaining energy is recognizing what it is that’s impacting your life. When you spot negative habits, toxic contributors, or energy-draining situations, you can then take the necessary steps to eliminate or minimize them.

Here are some energy-draining examples and scenarios that might be affecting your daily routine:

• Toxic or overly-negative individuals you can avoid.
• Relentless traffic you can seek to avoid with an alternative route.
• Skipping breakfast in the morning.
• Lack of sleep that you can seek to remedy.
• An overpacked schedule that you can look to lighten up with more free time.

If you’re feeling drained of energy these days, try some of these easy-to-implement strategies. Start committing to self-care so you can continue to deliver your best every day – to your work and personal life. You don’t have to make drastic changes that are practically impossible to stick with long-term, either. Instead, tackle a few of these improvements one day, one effort at a time. And work your way toward a better routine with a healthier lifestyle and renewed energy gradually, with better results.

And, as always, if any of your work-related stress and energy-draining tasks involve content, you can always let Ghost Blog Writers take the reins for you! Don’t get bogged down in writing newsletters, drafting blog posts, creating social media content, or developing email campaigns when you can delegate those efforts to our team of top-notch writers and contributors. Let us help and take advantage of your first free trial post to see just how easy your content creation can be!

The post 11 Easy-to-Implement Changes to Your Routine to Improve Your Energy appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

We all have things we’re looking to accomplish in life. But it’s altogether too easy to place added importance on these things.

It seems like a normal thing to do. But when we add too much importance to outcomes, we end up obsessing over the smallest of details – be it the rise and fall of traffic to our websites, a text that wasn’t responded to, or a conversation that wasn’t as inspiring as the last.

When the outcome of every action takes on too much importance, it’s almost as though we restrict the flow of support and assistance that can naturally and easily come into our lives.

One must learn to surrender.

The More Important It Seems, the Greater the Need for Surrender

It is quite natural that you attach importance to things that matter to you – your business, your investments, your relationships, and so on.

Even though outcomes aren’t guaranteed in these categories, it’s easy to assign importance to them:

“I need this investment to pay off. If it doesn’t, I could go broke.”

“I want this relationship to work out because I’m tired of having my heart broken.”

It’s very natural to think this way. The challenge is that the harder you try to hold on to outcomes, the less they will seem to come together how you want them to. Without thinking, you will act in a manipulative, controlling, desperate way that pushes others away and hinders progress.

The more important it seems, the greater there is a need to surrender.

How to Reduce Importance & Practice Surrender

Surrendering begins with noticing when your communication is coming from a place of fixing or surviving. When you’re trying to fix or survive a situation, you will inevitably be stuck in a cycle of:

• Forcing and controlling outcomes
• Convincing and commanding others

And rarely if ever do these cycles lead to meaningful progress.

Notice when the above is happening and stop. Then, choose different words or different actions. Some ways of communicating don’t involve controlling, convincing, or commanding. For example, you can paint a vision of what’s possible, thereby inspiring others in the process.

Also, consider your hobbies or what you like to do in your spare time. Chances are there are areas of your life that are thriving naturally, without your constant, desperate attention. Learn from that. See if you can take the same attitude toward areas of your life that matter most to you.

Enjoy the Benefits of Surrender

When you surrender outcomes, you will feel freer. You will learn to be satisfied with your best effort versus comparing yourself to others. Surrender will also make room for divine assistance to move on your behalf. You do your best; the Universe does its best.

Surrender leaves room for others to contribute to you. It gives them a chance to bring opportunities to the table. Everything seems to work better when you’re in surrender.

Conclusion

Surrendering works because it reduces the importance you’ve placed on certain outcomes. It has you showing up differently in everything you’re doing. It allows you to be more present to the opportunities around you and leaves space for others to contribute to you.

It may seem like placing more importance on outcomes would make them happen sooner and faster, but that’s just some version of forcing and controlling, and it doesn’t work. Detach yourself from outcomes. That’s true surrender.

The post The Power of Surrender in Relationships, Life & Business appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

But you don’t have to isolate yourself in a silo, all by yourself. As an entrepreneur, you are a rare breed of professional. However, you’re not alone in your day-to-day struggles. There are other business builders out there who, like you, faced incredible challenges. And in today’s marketplace, the rules have changed even more for those who strike out on their own ventures.

If you need peace of mind, keep reading. Today, we’ll share a few of those challenges that only today’s entrepreneurs are facing. Hopefully, you’ll resonate with these obstacles and recognize that you’re not on an island. And better yet, we’ll share methods and tips for overcoming those business obstacles so that you can enjoy the rewarding view from the very top of the entrepreneurial mountain.

Entrepreneur Challenges Broken Down into 4 Groups

Of course, everyone’s challenges will be unique, based on various personal and professional experiences. For example, your line of work and entrepreneurial niche might present specific obstacles from other business owners. But your personal experiences play a role in how you address issues and problem-solve, too.

When you’re trying to climb a mountain, standing at base camp looking up can be downright scary. But when you break your climb into manageable steps, with smaller goals that work your way up, it’s easier to tackle. Look to separate your entrepreneurial challenges into four categories. From there, you can divide and conquer based on manageable steps. Focus on one challenge at a time, allocating it into the appropriate category.

Mindset Challenges

Entrepreneurs can easily suffer from imposter syndrome. Second-guessing and constant unhealthy self-comparison can negatively impact your ability to lead your young business. Self-doubt can tank your motivation, too. Look to identify if your current challenges are rooted in mindset perspectives, and then seek to find mentorship to coach your mindset.

Business Challenges

Entrepreneurs feel those routine business challenges differently than employees. When your business is facing industry, operational, or sales-related obstacles, you will carry those stresses personally. Identify if your obstacles are business related and then find new partnerships, explore new software solutions, and augment your teams to help you overcome them from a business perspective.

Finance Challenges

If you’re struggling with finances and money, which is a common challenge entrepreneurs face, look to focus on finance-related solutions. Whether it’s company earnings or your personal household finances, explore the two ways to improve your money – cut unnecessary expenses or drive improved earnings.

Life Challenges

When you run your own business, your business is your life. So, when life throws you other lemons, like health concerns, family drama, or situational stress, it can be overwhelming to the entrepreneur. Recognize if your obstacles are life or business-related. And if you’re juggling life dynamics, focus on solutions to relieve those non-business-related stresses and keep them from seeping into your business world.

Obstacles An Entrepreneur Faces More Often

Remember those aforementioned categories as we dive into some of these obstacles. These challenges can represent all four but tend to be the most common for entrepreneurs.

1. Hiring Talent

You were inspired to start your business with a vision that it would grow and be wildly successful. But you can’t do it without bringing in more staff. And hiring, especially in today’s marketplace, can be downright maddening! When your success weighs heavily on your ability to find and attract phenomenal workers without breaking the bank, you can carry unbelievable stress.

Solution: Instead of trying to hire five salespeople, two admins, and an IT department, focus on hiring one phenomenal HR professional or powerhouse recruiter for your business. You find one and let that person use their expertise to build a hiring process and onboarding system that works.

2. Delegating Tasks

When you’re used to running the business by yourself, wearing all the hats required to make it happen, it can be challenging to learn how to loosen the reins and delegate. However, not delegating will only stifle your business growth, so it’s definitely an obstacle to overcome.

Solution: Start small by delegating time-consuming tasks and administrative duties to others on your team. Evaluate your strongest team members and prepare them for more responsibilities and build training materials so they know how to approach more managerial tasks the same way you would. Learn to trust key employees so that when you do relegate duties, you don’t micromanage. Once you give authority, step back and let them have it, evaluating only the results.

3. Entrepreneur Analysis Paralysis

When you’re an employee working for someone else, your decision-making boils down to doing what you’re told or trained to do. But when you’re running your own business, every decision can present entrepreneurial risks with heavy consequences. And you often take way longer to weigh options before officially pulling the trigger. This can be a smart approach, carefully thinking everything through before acting. But – if you stall too long, you can fall victim to analysis paralysis.

Solution: Save your big thinking for big decisions. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and make smaller decisions quickly. Don’t dwell too long on the “what ifs” and embrace risks and rewards as a natural characteristic of being in business for yourself. Embrace mistakes as learning curves. Spend time on contingency plans and be willing to take the leap.

4. Entrepreneur Work-Life Imbalance

Entrepreneurs who love their businesses will do whatever it takes, like anything, to bring their vision to life. And that usually calls for 60 or 80-hour workweeks, late nights, weekend calls, and pavement-pounding sales efforts. And in comes the work-life imbalance. If you’re losing sleep, not eating right, or stressing for extended weeks at a time, it’s not healthy. And how well you treat the “leader” of your company will determine the success of the company.

Solution: Give yourself permission to take breaks and step away from the business. Take the vacation. Make rules about making it home for dinner. Pack healthy snacks and bottles of water. And when your body says it’s tired, give yourself permission to sleep in once in a while. Keep the leader of your company healthy, and your company will, in turn, be healthy.

5. Entrepreneur Time Management

Along the same line of work-life balance is the challenge of improving time management. Every minute of your available time needs to be productive and business-advancing. And it’s challenging, especially when you get rabbit-holed into chasing problems, putting out fires, or exploring new ideas. Stop and critically think about how much of your workday is wasted on non-productive activities. (Reminder, those wellness efforts aren’t wasted – take the nap. It’s needed.)

Solution: Explore the menial tasks that suck the hours out of your day and look to delegate them to others. Outsource social media management, for example, so that you can focus on core competencies. Also, look for software solutions and automation to make light work of tedious tasks, including accounting, marketing, and project management.

6. Raising Capital and Finding Investors

Entrepreneurs will often seek startup capital and recurring investors to keep the big idea in motion. And even if you’ve managed to secure initial financing, raising capital, cash flow management, and finding investors continues to be a challenge. Finding resources and selling your genius business plan can be stressful, especially if your business model folds without them.

Solution: Develop and keep working on a strategic marketing plan that is dedicated to building support and awareness of your business. This is an investor-facing strategy, promoting ROI potential, niche market differentiators, and your credentials as a worthy leader. Build momentum with your efforts to stay top-of-mind with key investors, stakeholders, and financing options.

7. Sales Struggles

Depending on what business you started, you’re likely an expert in anything OTHER than sales. And it can be an overwhelming and constant struggle to force yourself into selling and driving sales. Equally challenging is knowing what sales skills and techniques work versus those that don’t work within your business model. You could be leaving business-boosting money on the table, failing to recognize a conversion opportunity, or selling yourself out of a sale and not even knowing it.

Solution: You don’t have to be a sales pro to be effective in sales. No one anywhere in the universe has the same passion and vision for your business like you do. So, start with your own elevator pitch and build that passion into sales training materials and collateral. Then hire or outsource your sales initiatives, from cold calling to online orders and beyond to those who are experts in selling similar products or services. You can’t be a racehorse if you’re a donkey. Don’t try to be a sales master when you can hire one and train them.

8. Impatience and Self-Doubt

As an entrepreneur, you’re your own worst critic. You’ll place overwhelming demands on yourself, unlike anyone else, and hold yourself to impossible standards. This impatient nature and recurring self-doubt can be detrimental to your business’s success. And not resolving these mindset obstacles will have you headed for certain burnout and failure.

Solution: Consider finding a business mentor or building a support system around you. Learn and understand that building any business is just going to take time. Be mindful that patience needs to be a natural aspect of leadership. Stop wasting energy on negative insights or demanding self-imposed standards. That energy will be better served elsewhere.

9. Marketing and Networking

Sales is one thing. But then, developing a robust marketing strategy that finds, attracts, and builds customers requires a completely different set of skills. Branding, marketing, and networking need step-by-step roadmaps, analytics, and ongoing changes. And as an entrepreneur, all those responsibilities fall squarely on your shoulders.

Solution: Just like you would with any other aspect of running a business that requires skills you don’t have – outsource it! Hire marketing or branding professionals, who are different from sales, to help create your roadmap and strategy. Seek the assistance of third-party pros to augment every execution step that you can’t facilitate yourself. Convey your business mission and vision to these key professionals and let them use their expertise to execute marketing, branding, and networking efforts brilliantly.

10. Limited Learning

Over the course of your traditional career, you’ve been able to educate yourself, learning the ins and outs of running a business from others. You’ve absorbed knowledge and expertise from other leaders. You’ve watched co-workers and managers make mistakes, recognizing what not to do within your own business model. And before you launched your business, you conducted all your own industry research into the market, preparing for success. But another challenge that entrepreneurs face is a limited ability to learn AFTER they’ve started their businesses. There just aren’t enough learning hours in the day when you’re wearing all the hats, handling all the things. And when you’re the leader, who’s left to teach you new insights?

Solution: As part of your business success plan, incorporate time and effort into improving your skills. Sign up for the course online about eCommerce. Go to the industry conferences and meet new people. Be mindful to always be in a capacity to learn from someone, and commit to continued learning as another strength in your leadership cap.

Entrepreneurship is a journey with loads of challenges and obstacles along the way. And much of what you’ll face is very different from what traditional employees face. Know you’re not alone, and keep this guide as a reference and motivation to keep going! And when your business needs help with content, you can always rely on the brilliantly dedicated team of wordsmiths at Ghost Blog Writers to take the reins. We can take your entrepreneurial vision and transform it into engaging and effective content. Let us handle your blogs, white papers, web content, newsletters, and social media content. You can focus on climbing that entrepreneurial mountain and on what you do best – being a successful entrepreneur of a successful business!

The post 10 Challenges Today’s Entrepreneurs Face (And What You Can Do to Overcome Them) appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

So, you can wait around and hope you get the longevity you originally planned. You can cross your fingers and hope layoffs and buyouts don’t derail your path. Or you can just job hop laterally to another company, hoping to avoid a sinking ship.

But are any of those options realistically any good?

More importantly, is it plausible that you could change career directions altogether at this point in the game? What if you could? Would you?

The truth is – it’s never too late to change your career goals. And here’s how you go about unraveling your options, setting goals that make sense, and convincing yourself it’s absolutely ok to bail and plant your flag elsewhere.

Reasons to Consider a Career Change

The great aspect about making the decision to change careers is you don’t owe anyone a reason or explanation. Don’t feel obligated to justify your “why.” And for many professionals, a career change is necessary for a number of reasons that might also resonate with your situation.

You’re Looking for Burnout Relief

Employee burnout can happen at any career level and over any period of time. You might have loved your path at one point and felt connected to the company and the job in a meaningful way. But a lot (like a LOT) has changed over the last few years in workloads, company culture, and corporate decision-making. Mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion is a real phenomenon. And if you’re struggling to maintain your work pace, burnout, and frustration are eminent. More importantly, you have every right to consider a change if your physical or mental health is at risk.

You Crave Flexibility in Your Life

The pandemic shutdowns, shutters, and work-from-home dynamics changed peoples’ perspectives about flexibility. And you might be considering a profession change because you now want to prioritize that flexibility in a work-life balance experience. Maybe you want to be around more for little league games or just dinnertime. Others want the flexibility to travel more or spend time with hobbies and loved ones. The rigid restrictions of a traditional workweek, requesting time off, waiting for approvals, etc., are no longer the norm. More employees are embracing hybrid work, remote work, and more flexible schedules. There are thousands of companies adopting these more flexible work requirements, too, meaning if you decide to change careers – you’re likely to find a new role with the flexibility you need.

Work-Life Balance Matters

Burning both ends of the “career” candle might have been doable or expected at one point in your career. But overdoing and over-committing to the job is not always a sustainable path. Work-life balance and company culture carry more weight among workers today than ever before. And if you value your free time just as much as you value your career success, there are other employers out there ready to deliver.

You Need Something More Fulfilling

For many of today’s career professionals, job fulfillment is an emerging priority. You may want to feel more connected to your job, with purpose and resolution. And if you’re losing that fire or passion that you once had, no longer recognizing a valuable contribution in your work, it can be deflating. No one really wants to shuffle papers for 20 years. They’ll want to know that paper shuffling has a purpose, directly connects with a value proposition, or contributes to the big-picture, greater good in some way. You should seriously consider a career change if you feel your current role and responsibilities don’t represent the meaning they once did.

Later-in-Life Career Changes Can Ignite for a Number of Reasons

If you’re like me, career changes become imminent because of circumstances or company situations that are out of your control. You might still love your job and appreciate the company, but other factors come into play that almost force your hand in considering a career change.

Job Satisfaction Is in the Tank

The company you work for may face structural changes, the need for rebranding, or new management. And the job you once loved now becomes a source of stress and anxiety. Job satisfaction can go from fab to drab in a hurry, changing everything you know about your role, responsibilities, or place in the company.

Layoffs or Terminations Are Eminent

If you recognize that your company ship is about to go down, you absolutely have the right and responsibility to make personal career changes. Layoffs and mass terminations are more common as major employers look to cut costs and streamline structures. Company buyouts bring mass changes, as well, which is what I faced when my department was eliminated suddenly. If you suspect similar changes are coming for you, start looking for a better path with a growing company or emerging industry that promises growth.

Dissolution of Opportunities

After investing years with a company and climbing your way to the top, you might eventually arrive at a plateau. The job is no longer challenging. There are no additional opportunities that appeal to you. And you see a dead end instead of growth and learning. It’s time for a career change so you can chart a new path with a brand or company that offers a host of new opportunities. Or you can take and apply what you’ve learned and start your own company as an entrepreneur.

Start Taking Steps to Change Career Gears

If any of the aforementioned reasons are inspiring you to consider a career shift, these are the steps and insights to start taking action. It can be scary, especially if you’re venturing into something entirely new. But methodical and deliberate decisions now can make it easier for you to spot the best-fit new opportunities.

Self-Assessment to Prepare for a Career Change

Start by getting honest with yourself in a self-assessment process. Sit down and think critically about your skills, knowledge, and potential. Create deal-breaker lists of must-have elements in your new career trajectory, along with dreamy, nice-to-haves. Don’t discount soft skills, transferable skills, and experience that might make you a perfect hire in a new position. And be mindful of any weaknesses or areas of improvement that might be a roadblock to overcome before starting a new career.

Choosing a New Path

With your self-assessment lists in mind, start doing some research online in various industries and niches. Check the job boards and see what different positions are offering and requiring. Visit company websites and read through industry blogs to familiarize yourself with emerging topics. Be keen to search for those areas that interest you specifically. Remember, you’re looking for a NEW path and not trading one terrible experience for another. See what’s out there and look to match up opportunities with your self-assessment list of skills and must-have career opportunities.

Sharpening New Skills for a Career Change

During your research online, you might start to notice requirements for jobs that sound appealing that you don’t necessarily have. The next contemplation step is to explore what you need to do to sharpen those skills and fill some of those requirement gaps. Maybe you need to renew a lapsed insurance license or explore online certifications, for example. Other skills you’ll want to sharpen include interviewing. Chances are, you haven’t interviewed in a while. And many of today’s recruiters and hiring managers follow a series of onboarding application and interview processes, including video interviews. Start practicing those potential conversations now, describing your experiences, asking great questions, and creating a vetting process for you to decide if the roles are good fits for your new career.

Creating a Full-Proof Safety Net

Part of what makes changing career gears so scary is the unknown and financial aspects. No one wants to jump ship and start something new without knowing for sure that the career change still allows you to pay your bills and meet your financial needs. So, at this stage in the process, create a safety net for yourself. Explore your financial situation now and identify what you need to make to maintain and keep your current lifestyle. Then create another list of benefits and job perks that you need to justify making the change. Assess your nest egg of savings and know how long you can wait to experience a boost in income, too. For some people changing gears, it may be necessary to explore side hustles or part-time work to sustain during unemployed stints. Be mindful of making ends meet in any timeline.

Be Forgiving and Flexible with Yourself

It’s important, as you explore your options for new jobs online, to keep an open mind. Be flexible where you can, especially when deciding whether to even apply to a company. And be forgiving with yourself to step into unknown territory and find out what isn’t a good fit opportunity. It can be challenging and overwhelming if you feel you can’t find the “perfect” role. It doesn’t mean a career change isn’t in order. It just means you might have to consider other options or negotiate on some of your preferences to get a foot in the door. And don’t be too proud to seek professional advice from a career coach, mentor, or recruiter. You can learn so much about the current workforce landscape from pros who have experience navigating it.

The Most Popular Fields for Those Looking for a Career Change

With the official to-do lists, self-assessments, and hard decisions behind you, you can get inspired and have some fun seeing all the different career paths out there. If you’re still not all that sure what kind of career change makes sense, consider some of these more popular fields. Those coming from a corporate, management, or sales position can often make easy transitions into entrepreneurial roles or with established brands that have openings for these roles.

Actuary – If you like numbers and people, becoming an actuary is a great option since so many various backgrounds and experiences can succeed in these roles. On average, these professionals earn $120k annually.

Consultancy – Take your extensive experience to a new consultancy role, either for another company or as an entrepreneur. Share your expertise with other individuals or businesses and earn upwards of $111k a year in the right field.

Event Planning – Explore the fun and flexibility that comes with being an event planner! Niche yourself into corporate events, weddings, bar mitzvahs, or whatever party plans you enjoy the most. Working with an established party planning company can still net an average of $50k to $70k per year, depending on your niche and market.

Sales – If you love people and have extensive knowledge in a particular field, you can almost always find a great sales role available. Look for strong company values, training, and compensation structures. And most sales roles present opportunities for unlimited earnings.

Real Estate – Consider getting your real estate license and breaking into the real estate market as an agent or broker. Enjoy a flexible schedule and get out of an office setting as an agent, earning an average of $51k to $75k annually.

Teacher – Take your career experience and certifications to the education sector and explore your options as a teacher or college professor. Depending on your chosen level of education and the district or institution you align with, you can earn $50k to $100k educating others.

Other popular professions that make great options for those transitioning their careers include recruiter roles, administrative or executive assistant positions, software development, creative services, and arts and crafts. If you’re stressed about your current job and think it’s time for a change, start exploring your options and get out there! Keep this tutorial handy and follow your passion to find something new. And whatever new venture you find yourself in, let Ghost Blog Writers be your ultimate guide and resource for creating content, thought leadership news, social media, newsletters, and more!

The post It’s Never Too Late to Change Career Goals appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

It’]]>your life and relationships.

The good news is that positive mindsets work the same way. And all you really need to do is recognize the negative when you experience it and take steps to shift your mindset back to a more positive framing. And after practicing the more positive approach, you’ll begin to see shifts to a more successful perspective in business and life. 

The point is – mindset matters. Additionally, your mindset will impact every corner and aspect of your life, no matter who you are, where you live, what you like and dislike, or what you do for a living. And these are the tips and suggestions to help you effect change in how you think, thus manifesting a more positive and successful outcome.

1. Get Honest About What You Need to Improve

Like Dr. Phil says, you can’t change what you first don’t acknowledge. So, if you really hope to make changes in your mindset, you’re going to need to get honest with yourself about just how much work needs to be done. Be intentional and mindful of how you interact with others at work and at home. But also, be mindful of your internal dialogue and the mental statements you make to yourself.

Don’t be afraid to talk about your intentions to change with those around you, either. Having a support system for accountability can be a great foundation to help you shift your thinking. Let your spouse or work colleague call you out when they notice you’re engaging in over-negative perspectives. You can also keep a log or a journal to document when you feel you have a negative mindset. Seeing the frequency with which you carry a negative attitude or response on paper might surprise you. The better you get at identifying where your mind goes astray, the better you’ll get at correcting it.

2. Harnessing the Power of Suggestion

There is an environmental component to mindset, too. You are what you eat, right? You’re also impacted by those around you, your settings, your home life, and your work life. Take stock in each of those environments and evaluate whether they’re contributing to a more negative outlook or a more positive one. 

Need an example? Consider the workplace water cooler or wherever it is you gather with coworkers for brief stints throughout the day. What is your water cooler talk like? Is it fun, lighthearted, and full of “guess what I did this weekend” kind of talk? Or is it negative and toxic gossip, full of “I can’t believe the boss said that” and “did you see what so-and-so wore to work today?” The former is a healthier environment. The latter is only going to perpetuate a negative mindset. 

You can leverage the power of suggestion in your favor by being selective about what types of environments you allow yourself to be in and operate. Sure, there are some scenarios that aren’t favorable that you just can’t avoid. But when you control those situations that you DO have a say in controlling, you can CHOOSE more positive surroundings and reinforcements. Let the power of suggestion, through the positivity, and healthy dialogue of others, inspire change in your own mindset.

3. The Baader-Meinhof Phenom

Have you heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon? When you bought your first new car, do you remember how all of a sudden you started noticing all of the other people driving that same car? That phenomenon, noticing something you didn’t know before until it was important to you, is the Baader-Meinhof example. Your mindset is subject to this concept, too.

It’s sometimes called Frequency Illusion or Frequency Bias. But your brain is wired in such a way that it recognizes what you tell it is important. So, if you’re driving your first Jeep, you’re going to pay closer attention to all the other Jeeps on the road. And if you’re focused on a positive mindset and experiences, you’ll start spotting all the others around you with the same focus. 

This phenomenon works both ways, though. And you probably know a few people in your circles of friends or acquaintances who are routinely negative and tend to flock to others who are equally negative. If you’re not mindful, you might not even realize that you’re participating in those negative talk circles, too. But when you focus on mindset improvement, much like buying your first car, you’ll start recognizing the mindsets around you, allowing you to make conscious decisions about improving your surroundings.

Keep this Frequency Illusion concept in mind as you look to make more positive shifts in your mindset. Prioritize your positivity in a way that allows you to spot others who share positive influence. You can then align yourself with those with whom you can find support in maintaining positive experiences. And you’ll be able to avoid spending too much time with those who linger in the negative mindset circles.

4. Demystifying Procrastination, According to Mel Robbins

One of the primary contributors to a negative mindset, and the one thing that can derail a positive mindset in a hurry, is procrastination. But procrastination can be remedied easily if you recognize what it actually is – it’s a response to stress and risk-taking.

World-renowned motivational speaker and New York Times Best-Selling Author Mel Robbins talks a lot about what procrastination really is. And she suggests that people put things off because they want or need “proof” that the act or task will be successful before doing it. It’s that need for reassurance that causes an internal stress, forcing people to sometimes “freeze” instead of taking action. 

If you’re constantly putting things off, it’s going to negatively impact your mindset since you’ll constantly feel like you’re not getting things done. Recognize what it is that’s causing your inability to follow through. Address the risk-taking and need for reassurance in the moment. Start deliberately executing each task, and you’ll soon build momentum as you feel more accomplished. And the more accomplished you feel, the more positive you’ll be.

5. Discovering and Focusing on Priorities

If you want to make immediate changes to your mindset, like right now, start by sitting down with a list of priorities. A lot of what makes us unhappy in life and business involves expectations and focusing on things that don’t provide value. We get mad at long trains in the morning, and for some, it can be day-ruining. But focusing on the train isn’t going to provide any value to your life. You can choose to recognize the delay as a hiccup. 

Get intentional by writing down the most important things in your life. These could be family members and friends. They could be goals you hope to achieve relating to career success. Or they could be experiences like traveling to destination dream spots or parenting success with seeing your kid get into college. The point of the exercise, however, is to visualize those things in your life that matter most. Whenever you do encounter setbacks in life, like those train delays on your way to work, you can recognize that a late train isn’t going to help or hurt any of the priorities on your list. And it’s out of your control. So, why let it ruin your mindset in the moment or for the day? 

When people say, “don’t sweat the small stuff,” they mean don’t derail your mindset over things that don’t really have value in your life. And those who dwell on the negative for too long have lost sight of their life, career, and experience priorities.

6. Understanding the Categories of Mindset Shifts in Leadership and Life

There are categories of mindset to help you identify and separate various traits. In leadership initiatives, you can decide which of the four traits applies to you. These concepts are great for identifying not only your own mindset pulse but also helping you to demonstrate positive mindsets to those who report to you or rely on you as a leader.

• People-Centrism: Encourages appreciation, inclusiveness, empathy, and positive interactions with people.
• Purpose-Centrism: Encourages focus on purpose and intention, driven by big-picture missions and visions.
• Learning-Centrism: Encourages growth in continued learning and trying new things to experiment for improved results.
• Versatility: Encourages the adoption of new approaches to challenges, leadership, demands, and innovation.

Each leadership type requires a unique approach to mindset preservation. Once you know which category best fits your personality and character, you can begin to apply specific shifts in mindset that produce a result in how you think and feel about situations, business, and life.

Psychology Today says there are other ways to compartmentalize your mindset, to help you address “smaller parts” of your mindset in manageable bites. Everyone experiences and learns differently. These types of mindsets can make it easier for you to recognize how to make improvements.

• Growth Mindset: The belief that abilities and experiences can be improved with hard work, trying harder, learning more, and applying yourself.
• Positive Mindset: The belief that intentional gratitude, reappraisal, and savoring of moments improves optimism.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: The belief that innovation, changing, and adapting eases coping and improves mindset.
• Challenge Mindset: The belief that positivity thrives when there’s an opportunity to overcome and tackle demands. 

7. Other Intentional Mindset Shifts You Can Make

There are other best practices you can be following to effect positive changes in your mindset and attitude. Again, the key is recognizing where you need improvement. And being aware of where you fall short will help you focus with pinpoint precision. These three mindset shifts tend to be the most popular first steps to making a change.

Trusting Yourself

Stop second-guessing. A positive mindset is only achieved when you’re able to trust your own ideas, your own experiences, and your own strengths. Even in the face of adversity or the unknown, you have to trust in your own abilities to allow yourself to succeed. And yes, failures come. But not trusting yourself will only hold you back and prevent you from taking action. (Remember, procrastination will tank your mindset.)

Know Your Worth

Assign value where value is due. Be realistic about giving yourself credit and assigning worth. If you’re constantly selling yourself short or throwing yourself under the bus, you’ll never achieve a positive mindset. Recognize your strengths just as much, if not more, than you do your weaknesses. Place value on what matters, like with the aforementioned priorities list.

Stop Being a Loner

Another mindset tanking action is trying to do it all on your own. You can begin to see immediate changes in your mindset when you realize you can’t do everything alone. You need the assistance of others. You need collaboration and shared responsibility. The alternative is burnout, increased procrastination, and constant struggle. So, liberate yourself and your mindset by getting comfortable asking for help when you need it.

Conclusion

Preserving your mindset matters, especially if you want to live a positive and healthy life. In your career and personal life, negativity will always creep in, and it’s ok to feel and respond. But don’t linger in those negative mindset instances for too long. Tap into these insights and tips to help you break free and start shifting how you think, feel, and react to work, life, and situations. Preserving your mindset will allow you to live your best life, no matter what the universe throws at you!

For more life, work, and leadership insights, keep up with the Ghost Blog Writers blog! And if you need help with content for business, blogs, or thought leadership on LinkedIn, let our team of wordsmiths bring your ideas to life.

The post Mindset Matters: 7 Tips for Shifting to a More Successful Life Perspective appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

No really. Let’s get honest about New Year’s resolutions and setting new goals. There’s a lot to unpack when you think about what makes a goal different from objectives or visions. And seriously, do people really achieve their goals, and what are they doing that separates them from the millions of goals that go unattained? What makes a goal worth aiming for in your career and personal life? How can you realistically take action in a way that authentically produces results?

The answer isn’t about what goals you set or how big you dream, for that matter. Those are about as easy to predict as wrangling cats or getting a teenage boy to wear a coat in the winter. They’re important aspects of goal-setting, but they won’t necessarily determine your success in achieving them.

What you CAN do, however, to make a positive shift in your personal, professional, social, and mental life is to get organized. And this is THAT list so you can put some teeth behind your goal-setting this year. Achieving your goals can be so much easier to visualize and execute when you segment and organize your goal-setting process.

1. Understanding What Goals Really Are (And What They’re Not)

When you set out to identify goals, it’s important to understand what they are and what they’re not. You can’t achieve anything if you don’t set the right expectations upfront. Here’s how to define a goal. And it’s important to note the distinctions between goals, visions, missions, objectives, and resolutions.

A Goal Is a Glimpse into the Future

Remember that a goal is a vision you have of your future. It should be carefully considered and established as something you want to achieve. Every step or decision can be made through a lens of whether or not it supports that long-term goal.

A Goal Abides by Time

The most realistic goals are time-sensitive, even if you’re thinking long-term. And one overarching goal can be segmented into smaller, more attainable goals as steps to achieving your long-term goal. Think of the goal as the big prize at the end of a particular journey. It’s like a video game, really. The goal is to beat the game. But you’re prepared to navigate the journey of boss battles to get there.

A Goal Is a Tall Order

When you establish goals for yourself, it’s ok to reach big and far out there. Goals tend to be large in nature as a result of dreaming big. The little wins might get you there. But the goal itself is the big enchilada.

A Goal Is NOT an Objective

If the goal is what you hope to achieve in the long-term future, it’s the objectives that become the smaller tasks that help you get there. As an example, if you set a goal to become a doctor, then your objective is to complete medical school. Other objectives to reach that goal might include securing your finances to pay for medical school, enrolling in the best-fit program, and getting good grades.

A Goal Is NOT a Resolution

We’re approaching a new year, and you might be thinking about resolutions. Resolutions, however, are not goals. Instead, they are temporary gratification steps associated with doing or not doing something. Remember, the goal is something you hope to achieve. There is some degree of finality when you reach a goal. For example, you might make a resolution to take more vacations, but a goal would be to vacation in Fiji.

A Goal Is NOT a Mission

Mission statements can be great compasses for behavior and actions. But they’re directions to follow or best practices, not goals. A goal is a precise achievement. For example, a mission might be to eat healthier, whereas the goal would be to lose 20 pounds. Making healthier food decisions are great best practices for achieving wellness. But the goal itself has a finish line, like losing a specific amount of weight or achieving a certain blood pressure reading.

While missions, resolutions, and objectives are critical to achieving your goals, remember they’re not actually intended to be goals. They instead play a role in your journey to reach those lofty goals. Know the distinctions first so you can set up a roadmap for setting goals and establishing the necessary objectives to get there.

2. Set SMART Goals First

Now that you know what defines a goal, it’s time to get organized about developing them. It’s often best to stick with the SMART format. SMART is an acronym:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

When you establish your goals through the SMART lens, you can be sure to quantify your efforts. Sticking to these parameters will allow you to track your progress and build confidence as you get closer and closer to achieving your goals. HubSpot offers a great SMART Goal Template. And with your goal formatting in order, you can start exploring which goals you want to set for yourself, personally and professionally.

There are other methods for goal-setting, too, like the three Ps or the three Rs. The three P’s method involves setting goals in your Professional, Personal, and Physical life. They’ll all be different in nature and approach. The three R’s is another quick-remember idea for goal setting that reminds you to keep your goals Rigorous, Realistic, and Results-Focused. Let’s peel back the onion on what an achievable goal really looks like and the best hybrid approach of all these methods to developing yours.

Start with Your Passions

Allow yourself to have an open mind and explore your passions. Discover what motivates you and think about hobbies, people, and things that make you happy. Those passions can often lead you to set goals that provide you with greater opportunities to enjoy them.

Envision Your Future

Step out of the day-to-day and critically reflect on where your current trajectory will take you over the next year, five years, and decade. If those outcomes aren’t aligning with your plan, you can set new goals for those future achievements. And goals come in many forms, too. So, be open to setting process goals, performance goals, outcome goals, and wellness goals that are important to your future.

Be Realistic

Lofty goals are great, so long as they’re not completely unattainable. You can’t set a goal to be taller. When you create your list of goals, go through them and do a litmus test to make sure they’re rooted in reality. You’ll want to establish goals you can actually control; otherwise, you won’t be able to set reasonable objectives to reach them.

Consider the Why

When you set new goals for yourself, professionally or personally, it’s important to understand your “why” and the motives behind them. Why are these goals important to you? What does success in achieving them look like? Are you better because of them? Malintent can lead you to set goals that don’t have the desired outcomes you want or unintended consequences.

3. Carve Organized Steps to Achieve Goals

With all your newly created goals in mind, rooted in reality, and defined for achievable success, it’s time to get organized. It’s not good enough to set goals. You must also organize a series of steps needed to achieve them. And organization will get you there.

Tracking Progress

One of the first organizational steps involves tracking your progress. As you set out to achieve your goals, you’ll want to measure the various steps you take to get there. Spreadsheets are great tracking methods, whether you’re documenting time, activities, or numbers. There are a host of software solutions and apps out there worth exploring, too. Fitness and wellness trackers, for example, can help you visualize your progress and manage the path toward your final goal.

Keeping an Agenda

Goals are one thing. How long it takes you to achieve them can be an entirely different thing. Keep an agenda where you can jot down thoughts, ideas, and progress. Yes, you’ll have that to-do list we mentioned earlier. But a calendar agenda can help you document your progress over time. You can flip back to see how far you’ve come. And you can flip forward to make notes and reminders for yourself. Document the journey you travel toward reaching your goals. It’s the organizational tip that will help you set and plan for other goals, too.

Practicing Accountability

Every year, people commit to New Year’s resolutions that don’t stick. Most fail because they don’t establish accountability measures to keep them on track. When you’re setting goals, accountability matters, too. Consider putting together a few accountability safety nets. For example, tell others about your goals who can support your efforts. Establish deadlines and short-term pulse checks along the way to maintain your momentum. And set a few rewards for yourself as you inch closer to bringing your goals to fruition.

Get Comfortable with To-Do Lists

Even if your memory is pristine, get organized with to-do lists. Itemizing your tasks for the day, week, and month can help you visualize what it is you need to accomplish. And those tasks, when thoughtfully created, can all help you move one step closer to achieving your goals. The other benefit of proper and regular to-do list management is confidence. As you cross off tasks, you feel more organized and accomplished, helping you to build a positive and productive momentum.

Limiting Distractions

You know how sometimes, you watch one YouTube or TikTok video, only to realize that you’ve soon lost an hour of your day because you fell down the rabbit hole? Distractions can derail your efforts in a big way. So be mindful of where and how you spend your time. A little diversion here or there is perfectly healthy. But don’t let those momentary diversions create devastating distractions that keep you from achieving your goals.

Keeping a Clean Environment

You won’t feel like you’re accomplishing anything if your desk is a hot mess, your house is getting filthy, and your mind is cluttered or overburdened. Stay the course more effectively by allocating enough time and effort to keep your environment uncluttered and clean. This might include a little time every week to organize documents or close out a few apps on your phone. It might also involve incorporating some yoga or mindfulness practices to bring moments of clarity and mental focus. And on those days that you don’t feel so productive about moving the ball down the field toward reaching your goals, you’ll still feel accomplished because you’ve at least made time to declutter some aspect of your life.

4. Goal Organizing and Planning Requires Flexibility

Here’s the other caveat about goal-setting. There are going to be unknown and uncontrollable factors that come into play along your journey. There will be problems, and issues will arise that command your complete attention. It’s ok. In fact, you should organize and plan for those unknowns and be flexible with yourself and your time. You can be flexible in a micro sense, like allocating an extra hour every day to put out work fires. Flexibility can be big-picture, too, especially if something health-related comes up that puts a hold on your greater plans. Know those hiccups are out there and plan ahead so you can be ready to stay the course, even if there’s a detour involved.

It’s the perfect goal-setting time of year! So, start reflecting on what you want your future to hold and get organized. Keep these tips and organizational insights in mind as you go. It’s what makes the difference between setting goals and achieving them. And it’s how the most successful people stay focused on the prize to achieve big things.

Remember, too; if your goals include content in any form, let Ghost Blog Writers help! From starting a company blog or newsletter to launching thought-leadership initiatives and storytelling, our talented pool of writers can help you achieve any content-related goals you might have in 2023.

The post 4 Organizational Tips to Achieve Goals and Have a Great Year appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

1. Planning Ahead for Everything You Can

For me, it’s all about checklists. Meal prepping for even four or six guests at a time requires serious time management. But then there are gifts and counting the little ones who need toys, new socks, and Fortnite V-Bucks. It’s a lot to manage. So, before things kick off, get serious about organizing your time and making your lists. Plan ahead and start pricing Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas hams now.

Plan ahead, too, for the expected unexpected. You know who’s coming for dinner, and you know who needs gifts. But maybe prepare an extra plate or two, just in case unexpected guests sit down to the dinner table. Purchase a few additional, marginally priced, gender-neutral presents in the event an extra gift is needed at the last minute. And don’t forget to work in some extra time to handle laundry, dishes, and vacuuming between visits.

2. Practicing Acceptance

The sooner you realize and come to grips with the idea that no holiday is “perfect,” the more at peace you’ll be about accepting mishaps when they arise. Recognize, too, that no matter how prepared you are for dinner guests, inevitably, someone will run late, putting a damper on your fine-tuned meal prep schedule. No matter how kind and welcoming you are with friends and family, someone is going to bring up a touchy subject or be offended. And regardless of your efforts to create a memorable experience, someone’s going to drink a little too much, cause a scene, and ruin your lovely evening. You can’t control these types of instances. But you can always control just how you react to them. Be mindful of your expectations, and you’ll be more accepting when things do go awry.

3. Don’t Hesitate to Book Elsewhere

Even if your house is big enough to comfortably accommodate traveling family members during the holidays, don’t be afraid to book the Airbnb or nearby hotel room. You’ll need some time away to decompress and relax, which you might not be able to do if you feel like you’re constantly entertaining. Clark Griswold certainly makes the case for bringing in all the in-laws and cousins as a not-so-bright idea. But even if you aren’t expecting a National Lampoon’s level of visitors this holiday season, consider booking them accommodations elsewhere. They’ll likely appreciate the alone time away, too, making those times you do spend together more pleasant and memorable.

4. Healthy Fuel for the Go-Go-Go Season

For many families, the holidays mean entertaining at your home, traveling to various family members’ homes, running errands, last-minute gift shopping, and a million to-do list tasks in between. Keep your sanity by incorporating some healthy snacks and treats along the way. Before the schedule gets hectic, plan ahead with healthy snacks for you and your kids. Have some easy meals in the freezer for those nights everyone needs to eat but you don’t feel like cooking or having leftovers from the holiday meal. Make smoothies or buy protein shakes you can grab on the go. And it probably wouldn’t hurt to incorporate a multivitamin into your morning routine, either. Having healthy snacks around will allow you to fight the urge to graze and over-indulge in the not-so-healthy. It’ll be helpful in keeping you energized, too, so you can tackle all those holiday to-lists and go-go-go errands.

5. Download Calming Apps

When you need instant peace and tranquility, try out some of the great apps you can download right to your phone. Here’s a shortlist of a few favorites to sample. And whenever those tense moments creep up this holiday season, go sit in the car or lock yourself in the bathroom and practice some mindfulness and deep breathing with the help of these apps.

• MindMeister
• Dark Noise
• Calm
• Headspace
• Simple Habit
• Colorfy

6. Pencil in Some Quiet Time for Yourself

Whether you’re into a morning jog or prefer a fluffy blanket and a good book, pencil in some quiet time for yourself this holiday season. Even if it’s just a Tuesday afternoon, find those few moments you can to take a load off and relax. Get your hair done. Book the pedicure. Secure yourself in the bathroom with your favorite tunes, a glass of wine, and a bubble bath. Whatever brings you peace and relaxation, mark time on your busy calendar and keep those appointments with yourself. They will provide the pause you need to keep your sanity throughout the hectic holiday season.

7. Stick to Your Budget

Part of what makes the bustling holiday season so stressful for many is the risk of overspending and blowing the budget. By the time January rolls around, I’ve grounded my family to ramen noodle dinners and enforced the “don’t ask me for another thing” rule. It can be intense when you worry about your funds for meals, gas money to travel, gift-giving, and holiday details. To combat this anxiety, go back to the lists. Start creating gift lists and meal ingredient lists now. Start buying those few things you can now, so you’re not over-extending all at once come November and December. Buy yourself a few gas cards with any extra cash you have this month. They’ll come in handy for last-minute fill-ups during your holiday travels. We always get a few fast-food gift cards, too, throughout the year. When you’re hustling about, it’s a quick and budget-friendly way to grab a sub or drive-thru burger. But the key to sticking to your budget is sticking to your lists. Don’t be impulsed by holiday sales. Don’t buy more than you need to for those on your gift roster.

8. Traditions Can Bring Joy

Sometimes, despite the hectic running around and holiday celebrating, traditions can bring all the balance and peace back to your world. Enjoy those traditions you do have and really savor those moments when you have them. And if you don’t have traditions that bring joy, create some! Load up the kids in their pajamas and pack the hot cocoas for a drive around to see the neighborhood lights. At our house, we have some family time with popcorn to gather around and watch a few classic movies. White elephant gift exchanges can bring fun to a tired family get-together. Whatever traditions you embrace, make time to enjoy them every holiday season.

9. Traditions Can Be Nightmares

For others, it’s the traditions that bring anxiety and stress. Again, Clark Griswold makes a fair point in sticking to tradition as a bad idea. Remember when everyone packs up to leave (after the squirrel ran through the house), and Clark refuses to let them leave? “Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas!” If your family traditions are causing more stress than they are bringing joy, abandon them. Don’t force what no longer makes sense. And maybe you can introduce a new tradition that everyone can support and be happy with.

10. Crank the Tunes

Christmas music will either bring you joy or drive you mad. Consider loading up your iPod with new playlists to get you through the holidays. Have those holiday favorites at your fingertips when you’re baking cookies or decorating the tree. But then tap into your 90s heavy metal favorites in the car if you need some sanity and good, old-fashioned Nirvana in your life. Create a playlist for the kids and keep a separate playlist for yourself. Whenever you’re feeling the holiday pressures, crank the tunes that relieve those stresses.

11. Be Careful Not to Overindulge in Bad Habits

Unfortunately, most of us have a few bad habits or vices that we turn to when we’re feeling stressed. Whatever your triggers are, be mindful not to overindulge. Stick to one glass of wine instead of three, no matter how annoying your “Cousin Eddie” might be. And even if Dad starts talking politics after he swore he wouldn’t, and the entire dinner conversation has taken a drastic turn for the worse, don’t reach for the cigarette. Instead, step away briefly for some deep breathing exercises. Remind yourself again that there’s no such thing as a perfect holiday, and come back to this list of tips for ideas to help relieve those tense holiday moments.

12. Prioritize Your Sleep

You might need to spend a few late nights wrapping gifts or meal prepping for the big holiday meal approaching. But don’t make it a habit. Not getting enough sleep will only sharpen your edges and make you more irritable. Consider fresh sheets and lavender aromatics when you tuck in for the night. Turn off the television and put on those crashing ocean wave sounds. And once the busy schedule starts, don’t hesitate to use that free hour in an afternoon for a cat nap. Make time to prioritize your rest, so you have the energy and mental clarity to put your best foot forward this holiday season.

13. Journal Your Meltdowns

If your brother-in-law says something off-color at dinner, if the turkey isn’t quite done in the middle, or if the kids peeked on their gifts, write about it. Keep a “meltdown journal” for yourself to get those moments of frustration out of your head. It can be really helpful for your sanity to record your feelings, away from others, in a space where expressing them won’t be hurtful. Getting those impulsive or negative thoughts out of your mind and onto paper can help take the edge off of your emotions, too. And come February, when the holidays are over, you can go back and reflect on what went wrong to help you prepare better next year.

14. Aromas Bring Holiday Spirit

Tap into your five senses to find calm this holiday season. Keep your sanity by introducing aromas you love in your home and in your car. Peppermint, for example, is proven to boost alertness. Citrus aromatics are also known to bring energy vibes. And maybe other flavors, like pumpkin spice, warm apple pie, and holiday spruce, can help transform your space into a calming holiday environment.

15. Mindfulness with Exercise, Yoga, or Meditation

Find time for reflection and mindfulness. Schedule it on your calendar so you can commit to it, too. For you, self-reflection might be best during a long, solo drive. For others, a brief exercise routine, yoga, and meditation are best. Taking the time to sort your mind and focus on what really matters to you will allow you to prevent overwhelming thoughts and emotions from ruining your day. Deep breathing, whether it’s in a cat stretch pose or part of your slow jog, with rush oxygen to your cells, helping you to feel more rejuvenated.

16. Look for Ways to Give Back

Another way to find personal peace and sanity this holiday season is by enriching the lives of others. Look for charities you can support locally, like a Coats for Kids project, toy drives, or the Salvation Army. Volunteer any free time at a local animal shelter or serve a meal at a soup kitchen. Explore ways to help those less fortunate in your area, and you’ll find the perspective you need to appreciate more. Get the kids in on your charitable works, too. It could become a new holiday tradition you do as a family.

17. Get Help If You Need It

For some, the stress and anxiety associated with the holidays are so overwhelming that it’s too much to bear. If the thought of the holidays has you on edge, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Talk with your doctor now about resources and help that might be available to you throughout the season. And with therapy apps that connect you immediately to professionals who can help, downloading those might be a great asset for you.

Remember, the holiday season is supposed to be merry and bright, with fond memories, great food, and loved ones. But for those moments that don’t spark joy, reference these tips to keep your sanity. And there’s always a good read or two available here at Ghost Blog Writers with our ongoing blog series.

The post 17 Tips for Keeping Your Sanity Through the Upcoming Holidays appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

Have you ever seen those drawings that offer to two different pictures or interpretations? Either you see two people looking at each other or you see an eaten apple. An old man or a young lady. A rabbit or a duck.

There are all kinds of those images floating around. They’re meant to test our perspective on the world. Often we can’t control what we see in the image.

How we approach the world and its changes are similar to looking at these images. The way we interpret what is happening around us will have an impact on our life and success.

At work, change will happen. If we don’t like the outcome it could be a result of the way we are looking at the situation.

Here are a few thoughts on how to handle change at work.

1. You’re Not Alone

Sometimes when change occurs it can feel like it’s happening only to us. At work, maybe there have been one, two or more people that have left recently. That can cause more work for you, but also likely for others. It may be that you were friends with those that left. But if they were great people they probably had lots of other friends in the office.

Knowing that we’re not alone in the world is usually comforting. Knowing that others feel the same feelings and share the same experiences gives us reassurance that we can overcome and adapt. And it’s not just people living right now. Humans have been dealing with change forever. And no change that occurs today hasn’t occurred in the past.

2. Think Back On Previous Change

When things occur in the present it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. We see the instant change occurring right now. It can be scary.

It can help to take a moment to think back on the last time change occurred in the office. Maybe someone is leaving now. When was the last time someone left? It helps to remember when things like this happened because we often forget. We adapt and move on.

This can be comforting. It helps us to know that we will get through the current change. We will figure out how to adapt. We will be ok.

3. Happiness Isn’t Dependent On Outcomes

It can seem that happiness comes from outcomes. And perhaps it’s true. We get a new job that we really worked hard for. We studied. We practiced interviewing. Or maybe you lost a certain amount of weight. You fee and look great. You worked really hard to eat better and to workout more.

The outcomes are wonderful. But attaching happiness to outcomes is tricky. The outcome is not always what we planned on happening, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad.

This is actually a driving force at Pixar, the giant movie studio. They often focus on stories where the protagonist wants a certain thing to occur, but in the end they get something different. Different, but still good and often better than they wanted.

In Toy Story, for example, Woody was going through all kinds of change. A big move. And a new toy, Buzz Lightyear. Woody really didn’t want Buzz to join the gang. But in the end, Buzz became a great friend of Woody.

Change is happening. You may really want to go back. Or you may really want a certain outcome. Be open to what will happen. It could be better than you realize.

Final Thoughts

Change will happen in the workplace. The company will make changes. People will come and go. You know it will happen. It can help to realize that it will happen and to plan for it. And be open to the change. Think back on what has changed in the past. Things likely moved on and perhaps even improved. That can and will occur again.

The post How To Adjust To Change At Work appeared first on Ghost Blog Writers.

Let’s get deep for a minute. Like, deep thoughts and serious reflection. Sometimes, life calls for it, too. It’s not hard to get sidetracked and caught up in the day-to-day hustle and lose sight of your long-term goals and your current trajectory to reach them. And as an adult, you might start realizing some of the challenges you face are best solved by life lessons learned years ago. But you can’t get to those ah-ha moments without a little peace and solitude to reflect.

Today, I’ll share a few of my life lesson moments that stick with me, even now, as a professional in business, as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, and as a human. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to take some self-reflection time and remember something that stuck with you years ago.

We Do Not See the Lenses Through Which We Look

So, this is a big one. Of course, as a high school senior, I didn’t care too much at the time. But I had a Civics teacher, hilarious and witty and complete with that angry vein on his forehead when we weren’t paying attention as we should. He was great and probably the best person to introduce politics, policy, and government to us at the time. But again, when you’re 17, you don’t care too much about politics and are more concerned about who among your friends was driving to lunch.

I digress.

One Civics conversation involved politics and the various persuasions of people regarding their affiliations. And it was during that conversation that Mr. B said, “we do not see the lenses through which we look.” He proceeded to explain how one person’s perspective can be entirely truthful to that one person based on experiences, personal triumphs, and hardships. You can’t convince someone their truth isn’t true. It’s only until they recognize the lenses through which they look that they can open their minds to other realities.

He didn’t tell us this because he wanted us to convince other people to think like us. I realize now he discussed these ideas because he wanted us to self-reflect and try to understand our own “lenses.”

Fast-forward to today, and you can probably imagine how many times this sentiment applies to social media debates. Such a politically charged environment, on both sides of policy, and everyone is really just aligning with their own truths. Some forget to see their own lenses. And while it’s not our place to point out their lenses, we can look at our own lenses and question why we believe the way we do, why we think what we think, and why we do what we do. Find your lens and then understand why your perspective is the way it is. Only then can you grow and adapt, in everything, including politics, business, and life.

Good Deeds Have to Be About Them, Not You

I’m sure you’ve encountered this before, especially with the free-flowing nature of social media, allowing people to share every whim and thought. You see all the virtuous and morality memes people post with words of wisdom they all claim to live by, right? Doing good deeds is inherently good. What taints the deed are the motives. Are people really living by those moral standards they share on social media? Or are they just sharing to make you think they are?

And as an adult, I tend to check myself more and more. I’ve been guilty, too.

Self-reflection allows you to look at how to come to make certain decisions. And on the surface, in business and in life, the act might appear to be a good deed. But when you peel back those layers, you might find a nugget of truth behind your motivations. You could be experiencing a subtle payoff somehow, not even realizing it. And until you spot it, you could go a lifetime of making what you think are good deed decisions, but in reality, are “good for you” decisions. It’s helpful to me to take a step back and realign my focus. When I make a conscious effort to engage in a good deed or stick to the moral high ground, that’s truly where the reward lies, whether anyone witnesses me doing it or not.

Dr. Phil’s ‘Rise Above Your Raising’

You don’t have to be a Dr. Phil fan to recognize that he does have genius advice from time to time. One of his most iconic sayings, which he still occasionally brings up on his show, is the truth that you have to “rise above your raisin’.” It’s really a call for people to be better than what they grew up with and not cling to those moments as motivation for not-so-great decisions in the present.

Sure, Dr. Phil’s context is usually about family dynamics, surviving personal challenges, or trauma. But this saying transcends beyond just family and childhood. Think about your career, for example. What tough lessons did you learn early on, maybe with a terrible boss or poorly managed team? Maybe you’ve spent years climbing a corporate ladder, only to have the rug yanked out from underneath you with a layoff or termination. Maybe you still feel a little salty about a promotion that someone else received when you were clearly the better candidate. The point is to self-reflect and really apply critical thinking to those past “wrongs” in your career. Find the lessons and silver linings so you can move forward from a position of strength and confidence. Don’t cling to the upsets of the past and “rise above your raisin’.”

Simon Sinek’s ‘Why’

Inspiration in life can come from a wide variety of sources, and today, you can find great advice almost anywhere. But most will agree that Simon Sinek is one of the big voices out there, signaling authenticity and truth for leaders, businesspeople, and individuals seeking their paths. With rosters of meme-worthy quotes, one sticks out to me as a generally applicable nugget of advice.

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek

During your moments of self-reflection, think back a few years at what motivated you to start your own business, take this current role, or change career direction. Are you still doing it now because of those original motivations? Maybe you wanted to make a difference in the world, help people, or create something new. Are you accomplishing those goals now or at least on your way to doing so? If you’re not, or you’re just not sure, it’s possible you’ve lost sight of your “why.” When people say to do what you love, they really mean to do something that aligns with your “why.” And when you’re on a path that speaks to your personal or professional vision, you’ll always find success.

You’ve Never Really Arrived

Have you ever set a goal for yourself, achieved it, and then sat back to enjoy the moment? Those are great feelings, too. You feel on top of the world, if only for an instant, because you met a quota, closed a big sale, or finally bought your first home. But it’s during those kickback moments that you should also remember the words of the great Robert Louis Stevenson.

“Don’t judge the day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

What can sometimes happen, for me anyway, is comfort and complacency. While it’s certainly acceptable to enjoy your brief victory, don’t get stuck there. So many people in business and in life reach a point where they feel they’ve “arrived” and inadvertently put on the brakes for growth. It’s like getting your college degree and saying you’ve learned everything there is to know. It’s like hitting your monthly sales quota and not scheduling appointments for next month’s sales. During your self-reflection, take stock of how well you’re planning for future successes, growth, and learning. And make sure no matter what victories you’re celebrating today, always be planting those seeds for future successes because no one’s ever really “arrived.”

Ben Franklin’s ‘Involve Me, and I Learn’

You’ve heard the saying about “teach a man to fish,” and the message is much like Ben Franklin’s, “Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” As you take time to self-reflect, look at how you impact others, including colleagues, coworkers, family members, or even your children. Are you a good teacher? Are you sharing your knowledge and expertise in the most relevant way? Or are you just “telling” or “teaching” things without “involving” others in the process? You can always find areas of improvement when you explore better ways to involve others. And you’ll build incredible relationships when you do, too.

Are You Going Through the Motions?

The wise Abe Lincoln once said, “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” And it’s a hard-hitting point for anyone who’s feeling their age. As we get older, self-reflection is a more regular occurrence, as we contemplate whether or not we’ve done enough, have regrets, or urn for more. Lincoln’s quote is a reminder to recognize when you’re going through the motions of life and change things up to start living more. Be present. Be aware of moments and the little things. Take stock and make plans to tackle that bucket list now. And it’s a great reminder that it’s ok to step away from the deadlines, the phone, and the hustle to do something you love with people you love.

Who’s Milking This Goat, Anyway?

This is another personal one. And it’s a self-reflection reminder about control. When you’re young and energetic, you get excited about learning and mastering new things. When you did, you might have even bragged a little or gotten a little bossy about telling others how to do things. As an adult, when I feel myself get slightly overbearing about instructions, I remember Grandpa asking me, “Hey. Who’s milking this goat, anyway?” He would remind me to stay in my lane and let go of the control. It’s “Grandpa-isms” like these that are great tools for recognizing when it’s time to let go and to let others master their own efforts. Sure, being helpful to coworkers about tasks is great. Demonstrating to others how to complete something is helpful. But jumping in to take over for them doesn’t do you or them any good. So, consider who’s milking the goat and recognize when it’s time to step back.

Check Your Circle

Getting back to Mr. B and high school, here’s another favorite. Growing up, you probably had similar advice about watching the company you kept and the circles of influence in your teenage world. Granted, we’re not teenagers anymore, but checking your circle is still a solid piece of advice. When you do a little self-reflection, take an inventory of the people with whom you spend the most time. Are they positive influences in your career and life? Do they challenge you to be better? Or are they enablers inadvertently allowing you to self-sabotage your best-life trajectory?

Your circles might be different, too, with work, friends, and family. So, separate those and dive into the who and the why behind your associations. You might be hanging with people for the wrong reasons or subjecting yourself to unnecessary drama. It could be you’re missing people from your circles that you wish were there more often, too. Pay attention to “your people” and be proactive about checking your circle. They influence your decisions, behavior, and attitude more than you might think. So, you’ll always want to make sure you have the right influencers in your corners.

What are some life lessons you learned, maybe with your high school teachers or pivotal role models, that continue to stick with you today? Consider jotting down some of your favorite reminders, and don’t be afraid to hit pause for some routine self-reflection. It’s the pulse-check we need to maintain our goals and in living our best lives.

For more inspiration about leadership, business, and life, keep up with our ongoing blog series! And, as always, when you need help putting your ideas into words, let Ghost Blog Writers draft your most compelling content to share!

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How do you show up to work? What is your mindset as you approach another workout? How are you feeling when you return home to your spouse at the end of a long day?

Life can either be by design or by default. We can easily carry our feelings from one domain into another. This is usually counterproductive. Just because things aren’t going well at work doesn’t mean they aren’t going well at home, or vice versa.

The best thing we can do is check in with ourselves periodically and monitor our attitudes, because changing our attitude can change our lives.

The Strangest Secret

In his classic and essential personal development speech, The Strangest Secret, radio speaker and author Earl Nightingale delivered a timely and important message that spread rapidly from one household to another in the late 50s. So much so that the speech was recorded and became the first ever personal development material delivered on a vinyl record.

Nightingale had one core message to share with humanity – you become what you think about.

The Strangest Secret has since been adapted and presented in a variety of mediums, with revisions and addition to help the listener or reader elevate their lives even further.

One of the things Nightingale challenges us to do is to approach our work in a very specific way – overdeliver, with joy and calmness. You may not love your boss, Nightingale offers, but they are paying for everything in your home, so do more than you were asked to do anyway and do it with a good attitude.

It seems obvious and simple. Frankly, it sounds too naïve to work. But the simple act of changing your attitude towards your work can elevate your productivity in ways you can’t possibly imagine.

When You Change The Way You Look At Things…

The late and great Dr. Wayne W. Dyer said:

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Things may appear a certain way to you now, but if you were to shift your perspective and look at your situation from a new vantage point, you may see something else entirely.

Balance Chiropractic says a positive frame of mind can:

• Help you feel more inspired
• Help you think more constructively
• Increase your self-esteem and confidence
• Give you the strength to persevere when things are difficult
• Give you more energy
• And more!

The truth is there’s no such thing as something called an “attitude.” It’s not a limb, organ, or gland. It’s simply a state of mind or a way of feeling. Focus on your feelings and strive to reach better feeling spaces. Your attitude will naturally improve.

Conclusion

Change your attitude towards life and watch as life adjusts to your new attitude.

When you feel happy and confident, you will find more people smiling back at you.

When you engage in work with a good attitude, your peers and boss will notice and may even recognize or reward you.

When you work to keep a positive mind around your significant other, keeping the romance alive won’t seem like such a chore. Rather, it can become a rewarding and fulfilling act of service.

Even when circumstances don’t seem to be favoring you, remember to maintain a good attitude. You will be able to approach challenges with greater clarity and focus.

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