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Discovering Your Life Purpose with StrengthsFinder (Plus One More!)

2014-05-28 By Monica 1 Comment

As Shakespeare said, “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are? What if you don’t know what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? In this series of posts I’ll show you some great tools for discovering who you are. Knowing who you are is a necessary starting point for finding a purpose that aligns with your true self.

StrengthsFinder

Living your life’s purpose invariably includes knowing and applying your strengths. According to Gallup studies, “people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.” [Read more…] about Discovering Your Life Purpose with StrengthsFinder (Plus One More!)

Discovering Your Life Purpose with the Myers-Briggs Self Assessment

2014-05-26 By Monica 2 Comments

There’s an old saying from Shakespeare: “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are or what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? This series of posts I’ll show you some great tools for discovering who you are. Knowing who you are is a necessary starting point for finding a purpose that aligns with your true self.

One of my favorite self assessment tools is Myers Briggs, which was designed by the mother/daughter team of Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers based on the works of Karl Jung. The assessment measures psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Learning your Myers Briggs type can provide insight about what type of career you would enjoy as well as your strengths and weaknesses. [Read more…] about Discovering Your Life Purpose with the Myers-Briggs Self Assessment

Are You in the Wrong Career? 7 Questions to Ask Yourself

2013-09-04 By Monica 4 Comments

The average person spends more than 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime Those hours can either be pleasant, or downright miserable, depending on whether or not you’re in the right career.

Sometimes it’s obvious that a job is the “wrong fit” for us, but not always. I know I’ve had jobs that I really wanted to be the right fit for me, but they just weren’t. In fact, more than 80% of people hate their jobs according to a Deloitte Shift Survey.

If you’re not sure if you’re in the right line of work, here are seven questions to ask yourself to find out:

What Are Your Anchor Habits and Why Do You Need Them?

2013-06-25 By Monica 3 Comments

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

An anchor is a device that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. When the vessel starts to drift away from its intended location, the anchor helps protect it by securing its spot and not letting it drift too far away.

When you think about it, some of our habits serve as anchors for us. When we start to drift away from where we want to be, there are certain habits you can start doing that will almost immediately help bring you back to your center and to your intended direction.

Activities or Practices That Help Anchor Us

One of my anchor habits is yoga. If I maintain a regular yoga practice of at least once a week (twice or more times per week is better, and daily is ideal), then it is much easier for me to maintain my other health and fitness habits of eating more vegetables, drinking eight or more glasses of water per day, maintaining a healthy weight, and relaxing more and being present in the moment. When I stop doing yoga, I tend to drift out to sea a bit, my healthy eating habits start to slip, and I feel more stressed and less like myself.

Anchor Habits At Home

Another example of an anchor habit that we often see in the home is keeping a clean sink. You will find if you are able to keep your sink clean, meaning the dishes are all washed and put away or in the dishwasher, it is easier to keep the rest of your house clean. Once a few dishes start to stack up on your sink or counter, it can be easy to begin to drift and before you know it, you have a much larger mess. Making the bed is another example. If you have the habit of making your bed every day, it’s easier to stay on track and anchored with the rest of your room.

5 Ways to Be Happier and More Productive at Work

2013-05-20 By Monica 2 Comments

“Life is not about making others happy. Life is about sharing your happiness with others.” ~Everyday Life Lessons

Do you want to be happier and more productive at work? Martin Seligman, a positive psychologist and author of Authentic Happiness, concluded that happier people get better performance evaluations and higher pay. Other studies have shown that happy people are more positive, creative, tolerant, constructive, generous and non-defensive. They also have lower medical costs and less absenteeism. Here are five things you can do to increase your happiness and productivity at work:

1. Focus on people and relationships: That’s really what it’s all about – good relationships with your family, your clients, and your co-workers. Take the time to connect with others and you’ll find more meaning in your career as well as improve your happiness.

2. Celebrate Often: Many people delay happiness until they reach a certain goal, close that big sale, or list that dream property. Studies show however that the happiness from these seemingly “big events” is short lived and that true happiness is more about frequency than intensity.

While it’s simply not possible to be happy all the time, research shows that people who are happy 80% of the time are the healthiest, most successful, and live the longest. To get to that 80%, you need to take time to celebrate the little things.

3. Feel and Express Gratitude: This is the single most effective thing you can do each day to increase your happiness. Simply taking the time to appreciate what you already have, the people in your life, and the opportunities that present themselves to you will significantly increase your happiness, even if you do nothing else.

4. FOCUS and Stop Multi-Tasking: While checking email while your on the phone or texting during a sales meeting might feel like you are getting more accomplished, multi-tasking actually slows performance, increases mistakes, and over time causes you to lose your ability to focus when you need to.

You will find that your happiest times at work may be when you are in the “flow.” Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. Interruptions and mult-tasking disrupt the flow process.

5. Be “Actively Optimistic” : Happiness is a choice and the whole concept of “Fake it till you make it” has been shown to work for increasing happiness. Take a few minutes to write down your best possible future, visualize it and feel it. Describe it in breathtaking detail, creating the full experience. Some of the most successful atheletes in the world use this technique because it works.

What are your techniques for increasing your happiness and productivity at work? Share your thoughts below.

Looking for More? You Can Also Read:

21 Days to Improving Your Happiness and Productivity

5 Ways to Include More Celebration in Your Life

Are You Struggling with Focus and Time Management? Try Pomodoro

2012-02-04 By Monica 3 Comments

“Lost time is never found again.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

At times, do you feel overwhelmed?

Does it feel like you have far more projects and tasks on your to-do list than you can possibly accomplish?

I’ve had days like that. Days where I’ve spent so much time thinking about all the things I need to do that I don’t get anything done. Sometimes even small tasks seem like giant mountains to be climbed. In truth, these projects may only take a few minutes to complete once you set your mind to it.

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of time management books and articles trying to find the perfect system, tool, or time saving trick to make myself more productive and able to accomplish more in my day. While I have picked up a few useful tips along the way, nothing has transformed my work day like the Pomodoro Technique.

My job allows me to work from home which means most days, I don’t have a boss looking over my shoulder. I’m judged primarily on the work that I complete. For me, that kind of freedom is crucial to my happiness. With that freedom, also comes responsibility. I’m far from perfect, but most days, I get up at 6:00 a.m. and go to the gym, getting back in time to be showered and dressed to start work at my computer at 8:00 a.m. The rest of the day, it’s up to me to stay focused and create and complete a wide range of projects.

The Tomato for Time Management

If I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed, it’s hard to be fully engaged in what I need to do. That’s where the Pomodoro Technique comes in. The word pomodoro is Italian for “tomato”. The Pomodoro Technique was named after the tomato by Francesco Cirillo, its creator, because of the tomato timer that is often used.

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