3 Tips to Get You from Stuck in Stress to Happy Success

I am never doing enough!

Am I working hard enough or procrastinating?

Am I not accomplishing my goals because of time constraints or because I am not focused?

Am I setting realistic expectations for myself?

Ann is a coaching client whose focus centered on what felt hard and frustrating in her life and what was not working in her life.  So I began…

Whatever we focus on gets bigger and bolder.  I decided to use the coaching tool of appreciative inquiry and asked Ann, “What is working in your life?” I could feel her spirits soar a bit higher when she mentioned she feels accomplished running faster and farther as she gets ready for a 10K run. And, after she runs she notices she feels more positive about her life.

Almost every day, many of us feel stuck or that we need to work harder.

Here are 3 tips when you feel like your day is a disappointment and you are not accomplishing anything that really matters.

Ask yourself: What is working in my life today?
You are what you think about.

You cannot change anything if you can’t change your thinking. Notice your self-defeating thoughts. They will rob you of your peace, joy, and productivity. If you are not at peace with yourself you cannot be productive. You can think yourself into endless disappointment, frustration, and heartache or you can think yourself into productivity, happiness, and contentment. You. Can. Choose. Every day ask yourself, “What is working in my life today?” You will be amazed at the beauty of life around you and how it can jumpstart you into action.

Ask yourself: How am I measuring my progress?
You manage what you measure

Are the goals you create SMART goals meaning are they specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and attainable? If you don’t create SMART goals you will not feel accomplished. Always remember we manage what we measure. Ask yourself how are you measuring your progress?

Ask yourself: Am I working on my task in an achievable amount of time?
Create achievable tasks.

Use the 5-minute rule. Set your timer for 5 minutes and work on your task. 5 minutes is a small amount of time and is easy to start with because IT IS ONLY FIVE MINUTES.  You will be less likely to procrastinate 5 minutes because you avoid thinking you need to work on your project for an hour or until completion.

Your expectations, beliefs, and thoughts create your day. If you feel stuck and do not like what is happening in your life, change how you think about it, measure your actions and break tasks down into doable baby steps. I promise you…you will go from stuck in stress to happy success.

How did you get unstuck? We can’t wait to hear!

Love,

@cherebork #dietitianlifecoach