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Quote of the Month
Living Through Uncertainty
Review To Do
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Quote of the Month

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.

 Thomas Paine
(1737-1809) 
American political theorist & writer
Coach's
 Challenge
 
Pick an area of uncertainty
in your life and imagine the worst case scenario. 
 
In the unlikely event that it came to pass, could you live with it? How does this make you feel?
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Janna Rust
 
913-219-7844
 
14543 Chadwick St.
Leawood, KS 66224
Purposeful News
February 2009
Greetings!

As the recession deepens, my heart goes out to those who are fearful of uncertain times ahead.  Just today, I learned of another friend whose spouse became recently unemployed.  I'm sure all of us know someone who has been recently laid off and struggling to find work to pay the bills.  Those of us still in our current positions could be feeling added pressure to perform or the stress of an extra workload.   
 
No matter what place you find yourself, reassessing your situation can prove helpful.  Sometimes we need a plan B.  Other times, we merely need to sort through all of our "to do's" in order to make a decision.  The review process can help us get back on our feet as well as enable us to live and work in an efficient manner.  
 
In this month's issue are some tips on how to maneuver uncertainty on a long-term scale as well as in day to day decision making.   May they put you on the path toward reducing the stress in your life.  
 
Warmly,
 
Janna

Janna Rust
Founder
Living Through Uncertainty
 
How do you react when your carefully thought out plans go awry, leaving you in the mire of uncertainty?  Most of us are currently feeling the stress of uncertainty as we wade through news of lost jobs and lost retirement funds, wondering what is on the horizon for tomorrow. Many of us know someone facing the possibility of losing their home.
 
We all face uncertainty in varying ways and degrees at some point in our lives. We can't go through life unscathed by it, but we can set ourselves apart from the crowd by how we manage things through it.
 
Following are some strategies to consider when uncertainty crosses your path:
 
  • Redefine your definition of success. Do your current goals contain "excess" that could be eliminated and still leave you with a favorable outcome?
  • Reassess your current situation. Define your current reality so you can move forward with accurate information. 
  • Realign your priorities based upon your new assessment.  In other words, craft a workable "Plan B".
  • Remember the "big picture". Sometimes when framed objectively against a bigger reality, things don't appear as bad as they first seem.

Most importantly, don't forget that each new moment of our lives provides the opportunity to positively affect our future.  What will you do with each moment?

Review To Do 
The affairs of life embrace a multitude of interests, and he who reasons in any one of them, without consulting the rest, is a visionary unsuited to control the business of the world. - James Fenimore Cooper
 
The most critical part of efficient, stress-free productivity management is the weekly review process. This is the piece of the process where we decide what to actually DO!
 
If you've been participating the past few months, you've collected, processed and organized all of your stuff.  You've impressed yourself or perhaps even overwhelmed yourself with all of the lists you've made of your future "to dos".  It is time now to learn what it means to review. 
 
According to David Allen's "Getting Things Done", "everything that might potentially require action must be reviewed on a frequent enough basis to keep your mind from coming back to the job of remembering and reminding." 
 
The weekly review is the time to:
  • Gather and process all your "stuff."
  • Review your system.
  • Update your lists.
  • Get clean, clear, current and complete.
If we've done a good job at capturing on paper all of these items that require action in a complete system, we will get the most payoff from the review process.  Then, we can confidently make action decisions taking all the affairs of our life into account.  We will finally know what to do!   
 
Stay tuned next month for the final step, DO, and learn a model for making choices.

For more information about this process, I would be happy to consult with you.  Please use my contact information at left.  Additionally, check out the book "Getting Things Done" by David Allen.

 
As a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, I can help you or your organization develop leadership skills that will contribute to the "bottom line" through the use of the DISC and Personal Interests, Attitudes and Values assessments.  Contact me for details at 913-219-7844.