Month: December 2020

It’s normal to have strong emotions, especially regarding things you care deeply about. Your emotions, however, can become a problem when you allow them to influence your decisions in a negative way or treat people poorly. If you tend to react in anger, this response can eventually harm both your personal and professional life. If you notice this habit in your life, you need to deal with it immediately and rip anger out by the roots.

It’s possible you do not really understand the impact of your anger problem. People who have uncontrolled tempers may even believe they are justified in their reactions. Over time, people exposed to sudden outbursts, aggressive responses, rude comments and yelling will tire of being exposed to these things. Anger is often cyclical, and it will help to understand what triggers your anger. Understanding these things may help you more effectively filter your words and actions.

You may think you can manage your anger, but what you should focus on is rooting out the problem completely. Honest self-evaluation can help you see ways to train yourself to react differently. The following questions may be helpful as you consider an anger habit:

• How would you feel if your words and actions were directed at you from someone else?
• Do you feel the need to humiliate others to prove a point?
• Have you noticed your relationships changing, or are people less willing to work with you in professional settings?
• Do you suppress your emotions until you reach a boiling point where you are no longer able to manage them?
• Do you often feel regret after outbursts or conversations where you were expressing your frustration?

These questions may help you regain a sense of control over your anger problem. Getting rid of the problem altogether may require deep evaluation into the causes of your feelings of anger, and it may help to speak to a professional. There is no shame in needing help, and taking this step can go a long way in helping you preserve the most important relationships in your life.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

 

You’ve seen athletes in the tunnel before they come out before the game – they’re listening to music, praying, meditating, doing exercises or going through other rituals to help them get in the zone. While you may not be taking the field for a big game, you still need to know how to get in the zone when it’s time to focus on that project or other work-related task. Music may help, or there may be another trick that will help you get in the right mental space.

One thing that helps some people is to exercise. A hard and fast workout will not only get your heart rate up, it will help you focus mentally. While you’re working out, you can think about what is ahead while allowing your nerves to leave your body through movement. You will also want to make sure you’re focusing on good nutrition. What you put in your body will have an impact on your mental focus.

If you are struggling with getting in the zone when you need to be, it could be that you are overly tired. Getting good sleep is critical for success, and it also has a direct impact on your health. The focus you need for that presentation, meeting or project actually starts the night before. Eat well, and then get to bed early.

Finally, you will find it easier to get in the zone if you are not stretching yourself too thin. Focus on one thing at a time, and it may be easier to get things done more effectively and efficiently this way instead of when you are trying to multitask. There may be other things that can help you get in the zone too, but it’s important to identify the specific things that help you so that you are able to focus and hone in on certain tasks when it’s time to do so.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC

When you consider your career path and the benchmarks you want to reach in your professional journey, you may think in terms of goals. It’s good to have specific goals for yourself in your career, but things change, and you may find that previous goals no longer align with your current projected path. This is why goals can be fluid and adjustable, but your standards should never be.

Your standards are the guiding principles for how you live and the decisions you make. While your goals can and likely will change, who you are should not. Instead of over stressing about what goals you need to succeed in your career, maybe you should consider the standards you have that will help determine how you conduct yourself, treat others and decide on what’s truly important. Asking the following questions may help you identify your standards:

• What is most important to you in your personal life?
• What do you value in your career?
• Do you prioritize your family and loved ones over your career?
• How do you want to be seen by others?
• How do you want to treat others?
• Where does your job rank on your list of most important things in life?
• Who do you look up to most?
• What character traits do you want to improve or cultivate in your life?

The standards you set for yourself will actually inform your goals. It’s possible to be a person with high standards and good moral character who wants to succeed in specific ways in his or her career. However, there may be situations where you have to make a choice between a certain step in your career and the standards you’ve set in your life. Your goals may not really have an impact on who you are a person, but your standards likely will.

As you consider your goals for the upcoming new year, don’t forget to outline your personal and professional standards as well. No matter what career or financial goals you want to accomplish in 2021, how you treat people and the type of person you are is more important than any of those things.

By Meagan Kerlin for Vertu Marketing LLC