Great Morning All!
This week’s post is aimed at increasing your focus and decreasing your “mind-chatter” both at work AND at home!
So a couple days ago, I had a pretty severe allergic reaction while out at the client. This reaction could have been from the food I ate, a spider bite at the hotel I was staying at, bacteria or a whole host of other causes. The reaction caused my entire face to swell up like I had just gone not 12, but 13 rounds with the great Mike Tyson. Long story short, went to urgent care, noted no serious issues, they gave me an IV and I was on my way. At this point, the swelling was still pretty severe.
As I had gone along with the rest of my day (working, grabbing groceries, exercise, etc.), I found quite a bit of people staring (who wouldn’t?). What’s more is I found myself (my mind) getting uncomfortable and experiencing anxiety over these stares & judgements (mind-chatter: “what do they think of me?”; “what are they saying about me?” “is it really that bad?”). After taking a step back, I accepted the fact that it was natural to feel that way, but at the end of the day, it really didn’t matter what other people thought or gossiped about, as these thoughts and words truly have no direct influence on the quality of my life.
Takewaway from the story is this: As we finish out the rest of 2017, I encourage everybody to focus on their own individual journey. Sometimes, we can get caught up in the rat race of life and get lost in worrying about what others might think or say about us. These type of fears further impede us from taking risks and growing as individuals. But as long as we have a definitive purpose and all of our actions are based on well-intentioned thoughts & beliefs, we have nothing to worry about. We must strive to “stay in our own lane.” Over the weekend and into next week (& beyond), as you find yourself stressing over what others might maliciously think or say about you, I encourage you to take a step back, ensure your actions are well-intentioned (and if so), take a deep breath, let it roll off your shoulders, and continue about your day.
If you do this, I guarantee you will not only be able to decrease stress & anxiety, but you will also experience increased focus both in your work life as well as in your personal life.
