LIFE IS TOO SHORT:
THINGS TO STOP TOLERATING
What are you presently tolerating in your life? Are you a few pounds overweight? Maybe you're at a job you dislike? Or so disorganized you can't find anything, much less some time to sit and relax? In order to be happier, more productive, more resilient, and healthier, stop tolerating these 10 things today:
Being Unhealthy. With more than two-thirds of the country overweight or obese, building a healthier lifestyle has become a critical component to balance, reining in stress, and building resilience. If you're part of the two-thirds, then start by making small changes. Consistent, small changes over time will add up to big results.
Negativity. Given how hard the professional world is today and how often you are barraged with negative information, it's easy to be tuned into pessimism and negativity. Fight back with humor. Early studies of humor and health showed that humor strengthened the immune system, reduced pain, and reduced stress levels. Since humor builds positive emotion, it can also help reduce feelings of anger, depression, and anxiety.
Disorganization. Disorganization is a barrier to productivity. If you continually say, "I don't have time to do X," you can get more organized by creating schedules and systems that become habitual.
Keeping up with the Joneses. It is our natural tendency to want to know how we stack up to others; it's not enough to know our own performance, but we also want to know how we're doing in comparison to other people. When it comes to having material possessions, people think those possessions will bring us more happiness than they actually do.
Thinking that perfect exists. Do you have a core value that sounds something like this: "I have to be perfect and do things perfectly?" This faulty assumption can be blamed for procrastination, lack of wanting to hear feedback from others for fear of being criticized, and the tendency to judge yourself and others by very rigid standards. Instead of aiming for perfection, which is unattainable, do as well as you possibly can and call it a day. Focus on achievement rather than perfection.
Everyone's opinion of you. Oh the time and energy I have wasted caring about what other people thought of me. Was I wearing the right thing, did I say the right thing, did I handle that situation correctly? When I had to create a new path after I burned out, I decided to stop caring about the opinions of everyone other than a handful of key people in my life. I decided to be in charge of what I wanted and didn't want.
A job that you hate. Over $300 billion dollars is lost annually due to disengagement in the workplace according to Gallup, and USA Today reported that only 45 percent of Americans were satisfied with their work (2010). This is the lowest level reported since the issue was first researched in 1987. If your circumstances prevent you from changing jobs now, start putting the pieces in place to transition when the time is right.
(courtesy of Paula Davis-Laack, Huffington Post)
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