Comfort Zone - A Dream Killer!

Just imagine yourself deciding against  

- upskilling yourself as you get older

- looking for new opportunities when you feel dissatisfied at work

- moving out of a relationship, which doesn't seem to be working out, inspite of your best efforts

- pursuing your hobbies or interests, when there is clearly a need for you to relax and de-stress

Maybe you overlooked the long-term impact the above could have on you. The "present" may seem to matter more for you because it's not putting demands on you to do anything new or different. 

But can you afford to remain oblivious to the need to grow and progress during these dynamic times?

MAYBE NOT !!!   

Because it's anybody's guess about what all we stand to lose if we decide to remain static and inflexible. 

REMEMBER - "You can't learn to swim in still water...You can't move ahead by confining yourself to status quo...You can't progress by staying stationary...You can't grow unless you nurture yourself"

And when living your BEST LIFE is at stake, you can't take chances by being average or mediocre.

The home you may have confined yourself to may seem comfortable for a while and in some cases, a while longer, but the charm soon wanes off. The familiar territory starts to appear so alien and the feelings of ease and comfort gets replaced with fear and uncertainty. 

A comfort zone can feel like home, just like resting on the seaside after an exhilarating swim. If it is only about resting for a while, its absolutely fine BUT when you get too comfortable being comfortable that’s when the real problem begins.

When you become like a ship docked in harbour for too long, you stop exploring the waters.

When in comfort zone, be mindful about not staying there for too long else complacency will creep in and steal away your progress & potential.

So, GEAR UP to

- try something new,
- try some challenging stuff,
- push your limits &
- give the unthinkable a chance!

Stretch yourself a little more…Step beyond your comfort zone BECAUSE that is where the MAGIC is 😊!!!

Promise yourself Self-Care and Self-Love!

I promise no moon...I promise no stars...I promise to be by your side in your darkest hours....

Yes, this is a pledge of a lover...not to another but to oneself...a lover of self !

Sounds strange...isn't it ? 

You are so much in love with the outside...you are always ready to go the extra mile for your loved ones...you work hard for your loved ones...you are kind to them in their tough times...you are always so compassionate towards them.

But amidst all this, do not forget to take notice of how you often treat yourself, especially during the difficult days, when your internal monologue is brutal.

You don't do yourself any good when you engage in

- reprimanding yourself
- self deprecating thinking and behaviour
- putting unrealistic pressures on yourself,
- focusing on your weakness rather than your strength
- focusing on what you did wrong instead of what you did right

So pledge the same love to you that you so strongly pledge to others.

TO YOURSELF,

Promise strength,
Promise health,
Promise compassion & care,
Promise to forgive yourself
Promise to stress less
Promise to set boundaries
Promise to achieve the forgotten dream
Promise to give yourself the best
Promise to try your best 
Promise a life you have always wanted to live for yourself! 
 
And most importantly don't forget to keep the promises you make to yourself ! 

Today, I promise to love myself a little more!!

What are you promising yourself today?
 
"To love oneself is the beginning of a life long romance!" - Oscar Wilde

Make a START!

SUCCESS...ACHIEVEMENT...PROGRESS...GROWTH...EXCELLENCE

All these may only remain a far-fetched dream if you fail to take that first step of STARTING on our GOALS. You can't always expect yourself to know the road ahead but unless you start, you won't discover what lies ahead. 

The wrong turns, the speed breakers, the roadblocks - you get to know of them once you START on your JOURNEY. There's always scope for COURSE CORRECTION as and when the situation may demand it.

All those times when you have lagged behind or failed to accomplish, there's a good chance that it may have been to do with your inability to START.

Once you START, life moves from bad to good, good to better, better to best and there's nothing that you can't accomplish once you make the right START.

Here's a peek into the MAGIC that occurs once you MAKE A START.

- Once you start to LISTEN, you start to COMMUNICATE BETTER

- Once you start to CONNECT, you start to COLLABORATE

- Once you start to DO, you start to ACHIEVE

- Once you start to FOCUS, you start to EXCEL

- Once you start to BELIEVE IN SELF, you start to PERFORM AT YOUR BEST

- Once you start to ACCEPT YOUR MISTAKES, you start to LEARN MORE 

- Once you start SELF-CARE, you start to FEEL GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF

Remember - IT ALL FALLS IN PLACE ONCE YOU START! 

How to Start Being Productive?

Mark Twain once said "The secret to getting ahead is getting started" and it holds as true for Productivity as for anything else. Most of us compromise on remaining unproductive for our inability to start in the right manner. 

If achieving productivity was that easy, then I wouldn't have felt the need to write this post/ article and you also would not have felt the need to read it. Productivity is not an impromptu or ad-hoc act of action but a process of deliberate intention and action.

If starting to get productive is a challenge, then staying productive is a bigger challenge. But one thing that can make it happen for us is to "PREPARE to be PRODUCTIVE" and it can't get any simpler than this to start (and sustain) our productivity journey. 

Better Productivity comes with Better Preparation and Planning. The cues are always present to help us find whether we are on the right track or not. Here are three simple tips that will surely help us in starting productivity in the right manner.

1. Getting more mindful and observant about our routine. The more aware and attentive we are, the more productive we would get. Knowing what we are doing and why we are doing it is the cornerstone of productivity. Tracking how we tend to spend our day gives plenty of insights into what may be going wrong with our productivity. 

2. Paying attention to the environmental triggers. Knowing what pushes us away or pulls us towards productivity helps us manage our approach better. There are plenty of small and big things that may impact our productivity and knowing what triggers them always helps us become more cautious and conscious of our actions.  

3. Noticing our habits. The patterns we follow or exhibit say a lot about whether we are being rational or biased in our approach. Many times, our productivity takes a hit because we tend to operate out of our comfort zone and stop to look beyond the obvious. If it's time to change our habits for becoming better at productivity, then any further delay only leads to worsening the situation. 

In the end, it's all boils down to finding out what's ailing your productivity and what's aiding it.

So, if you find yourself stuck, it's time to ask yourself -  "What's stopping me from PREPARING (to be PRODUCTIVE)?

The Art of Getting Unstuck

There are times when situations, circumstances, or people may put us in a precarious position and all we do then is to remain static. There's nothing at all that we achieve by remaining where we are. The nature of life is growth and progression and if we stop evolving, we are doomed and only land up in an abyss.

Think no harder, there's a simple way to avoid landing in such a scenario.

Moving from a STUCK state to an UNSTUCK one is just about a few MOVEs. 

Whenever we find ourselves stuck, the following are the possible MOVEs that we can make to get UNSTUCK

• Move ON - When past hurts or regrets haunt us and we feel trapped, it's time to move on from them for our own sake. The past is only as good as a lesson we need to learn to improve our present and future. The more we are stuck with the past, the more damage we will do to our dreams and goals. 

• Move AWAY - When we seem, even a bit in control of things, then pulling ourselves away from things keeping us stuck in life, is a good move. Detaching from things and situations that are harmful to our growth in life is a good way to make the best of our lives.

• Move AHEAD - Comfort Zone is a killer if you stay in it for too long. Falling trap to this make-believe is like compromising on our dreams and risking us to remain mediocre. We are here to make the most of our innate potential, most of which may be lying dormant. Every small step forward aids in that.

• Move WITHIN - When things get too overwhelming for us to handle, it may result in action paralysis and leave us stuck. Our inability to progress for want of positive action necessitates that we move to a peaceful place within to calm our nerves and restore our creative energy.

These simple MOVEs could be our savior every time we feel stuck in life. So, getting unstuck is as simple as deciding about the right MOVE to take! 

The ABC of Success

When you find yourself struggling to succeed, what do you most dwell on?

Competency?

Goals?

Circumstances?

Effort?

You may find yourself thinking or addressing any or many of the above, but still, you may find success elusive. The reason success may still be out of your reach could be because of the way you may be approaching success. You may not have prepared yourself for success and this is exactly when you need to pay attention to the basic building blocks of success.

If there's not much clarity about the process, then it will always be a struggle to reach your destination. At times, you need to go back to the basics and work towards getting them right. Success is built by focusing on the fundamentals of preparing well and being ready to be successful. 

Getting your ABC right will set you on the path to achieving sustained success. 

Here's how the ABC of Success looks like     

A for ATTITUDE - This is at the core of the effort you put in for being successful. The right mindset is what differentiates success from failure. When you approach things and situations with positive intent and with a focus on giving your best, results will always be favorable for you. If your attitude determines your altitude, then carry the one (attitude) that's progressive and empowering.

B for BELIEFS - So many times, success is withheld because of our disempowering beliefs, which render us confused and immobile. The perceptions and views we hold about things and situations may make or break our quest for success. Challenge the beliefs that are a hindrance to your success and this will open up many new avenues and opportunities to realize your dreams and accomplish your goals. Be open to accept new perspectives on things and this will help you move out of your comfort zone, and lead you to accomplish more.         

C for CHOICES - Your everyday choices keep defining the course of your life and career. Let the choices you make be defined by your need to keep progressing towards your goals. Not every choice may turn out to be the right one every time but the learnings therein could help us do the necessary course correction. Your choices should act as enablers, helping you stay focused on the destination in spite of all the detours.

If you want to get the ABC of SUCCESS right, then pay attention to 

• the ATTITUDE you Carry
• the BELIEFS you Hold, and 
• the CHOICES you Make

What's your raison d'etre?

Let's start with few simple questions

Are you excited about what you do?

Do you know why you do what you do?

If your answer is NO to any or both of the above, then it's time for self-introspection!

So, what should you do when you realize that your heart is not in the work you are doing and you seem to be just going through the motions?

The easiest thing to do is to start playing the blame game and look for the easy scapegoats, but the question to ask here is - for how long can you keep doing so and where would this lead to, in the long run? Is it going to lead to something better in your life or only lead to more confusion?

The feeling of emptiness that stares at you at the end of every workday and the frustration and irritation you experience in your work is an indication of "motivation" missing from your life and that's exactly what you should be addressing.

This is when you should start to engage in self-probe and discover the "WHY" of your work, the missing "PURPOSE" of your work/ life. What is it that keeps you going? What is it that gets you excited about life? What is it that makes you look forward to the day? 

It's not difficult to sense whether you are living with a purpose. When your head and heart are in sync while doing what you do, then it's an indication that you are living your purpose. When, at the end of the day, you feel you have made a difference with your action/ activities, you can be rest assured that you are living with a purpose.

PURPOSE and PASSION go hand-in-hand. Start by getting your purpose in place and the passion will follow suit. And, when you hit the sweet spot at the intersection of the two, you will be on course to discover your IKIGAI too!

Focus on the value you want to generate and the impact you want to create and you would start on your journey to discovering your purpose. get to understand the difference you want to bring through what you do and therein will lie your purpose.

There's always an impact you are creating with your vocation and all you need to do to realize that is to link your efforts to the big picture!

Summing up concisely, here's what you need to be aware of

Why do you need Purpose in life? As simply as to make your life worthwhile and live with an agenda.

How do you know you are living with Purpose? When you start to feel that you have accomplished something and have made a difference with your work/ vocation.

How do you go about identifying your Purpose? Observing whether what you are doing(actions) is generating the impact that you have identified for your life.

It's time to start living "purposefully"!