It’s time to let go of the internal whining!  The world is a complicated place with countless variables that can and do throw off your day.

Regardless of the hoops we jump through everyday, we need to create positive moments for ourselves.  I’m all for spontaneity but sometimes we need to force ourselves to think positively!  Life seldom happens without plans!  Why not make positive plans!

When I’m not forcing myself to think positively:

-I’m waiting for that public limousine of a bus that is often late!

-Then I’m squeezing through 2 trains like a pack of sardines just to get to work.

-Then I’m doing my internal whining New York style!

When I do think positively:

I have more zen-like positive moments.

-I’m watching a kitty chase a squirrel in the bushes. The squirrel yelped and it sounded like a squeak!

-I’m listening to the birds chirp.  Robins are cute!

Suddenly the public limousine which was late in picking me up isn’t so bad anymore.  It gives me an excuse to walk and enjoy the fantastic weather!

Find your joy and write them down at www.myjoyjournal.com ingeniously created by my colleague Brooke Feder!

Surround yourself with compassionate colleagues.  People become empathizers of experience as they succeed.  These people are willing to guide you when you ask for their insight.  Empathizers of experience make great mentors.  Because they understand success, these colleagues are generous and willing to share their experience with others.

Surrounding yourself with empathizers of experience in the workplace will allow you a nurturing work environment.  Empathizers of experience know there is enough success to go around for everyone.  They help you when you help yourself!

As I become aware of my work experiences, I’ve decide to keep a progress journal.

My progress journal consists of 3 sections:

1. Success
2. Shortcomings
3. Failures

-         I can keep track of patterns in each of these areas.   I can strengthen both my strengths and weaknesses.

-         This progress journal will feed my appetite to remain goal-oriented and more forwards persistency and patience with yourself will help you get ahead.

Patience is one skill towards happiness. As I speak to my mentors, all of them tell me one thing,  “Be patient.”  I admit they are right!

As I plan my goals and coordinate my time, I’ve learned patience is a necessity towards my happiness.  I cannot succeed without patience.  If I remain hung up on things I haven’t accomplished and things waiting to happen, I simply won’t move ahead.  Patience is my key to living a fulfilled present and better tomorrow.

Needless to say, as I’ve invited patience into my skill sets, whining and complaining have move out!

Patience is cost-effective for your and all actions you engage in.  Without patience, your efforts become futile.

What inspired me to write this blog post? Well, I was working with a friend of mine to complete a task.  As we were corresponding via email, I missed an important line of instructions.  This led to the task completion being prolonged.  Though my friend was gracious and incredibly patient, I unintentionally wasted both of our times.

Lessons I gathered on patience.

-The sooner I slow down, the faster I will speed up.

-Being patient with myself as I learn something new saves a lot of time by preventing small errors.

-Patience makes one thoughtful; my friend was patient with me.  Had I been patient-with myself, I would’ve been thoughtful to my helpers!

I have found another jewel in my professional path.  I have learned that I must coordinate my passions and my personal management skills will fall into place.

A couple of points glare at me:

-I’m a passionate lifelong learner.

-I must sharpen my time management skills. My friend advised me the following about time management:

-Write out 4 or 5 things I’d like to get done

-Block out times for each task

-Make sure I make times to de-stress and relax.  This ensures that I’m not fighting with myself to relax vs. work.

-I’m human with only a certain amount of time and energy in a day.

I must be realistic with how much I can do in one day.

-I must learn to be patient.  Before I feel like I can become an “automatic lean-mean goal keeping machine,” I must slow down to and become patient with myself.  These skills take a time and experience to develop.  Being patient and careful with my work saves more time and gives me productive work days.

You don’t need to be a genius to be successful!  If you want to achieve your goals, you don’t need to have a high IQ.  Build your skill sets such as patience, persistency, discipline with clear goals is a sure path towards success.

Be Realistic with Your Skill Sets

There are so many things I want to learn!  There are so many things I think I know! I have a spirit of a life long learner who wants to constantly learn and do new things.  However, I need to take 2 steps back, breathe, and ask myself a few questions:

1. What is the topic I’m trying to learn?
2. What I do I really know about the topic?
3. What do I think I know about the topic?
4. What do I want to learn about the topic?
5. Time: How much time can I invest in learning about the topic?
6. Research: When will I gather information about the topic?
7. Action: When will I make time to actually learn this new topic?

If you have time bandits in your life, you’ll need to start healing those bad habits!  Some bandages for your time bandit wounds are your thinking buddies.  Your thinking buddies include your mentors, friends, and family.  Have a brainstorming session with your thinking buddies to figure out what your time bandits are.  Help them help you overcome these bad habits.  Ask your thinking buddies to hold you accountable and call you out on these bad habits.

Create another chapter in your personal journal if you must!  Write down where you are pilfering time away.   Have your thinking buddies follow up with you from time to time to see how you’re doing with your time bandits.  The goal is to overcome these time bandits and create time for more goals and success!

Ask and Act

Are you not sure about something?  Do you need clarity?  As yourself questions and act accordingly to find a thorough answer. If you can’t answer the questions yourself, approach a mentor with all the social graces in the world for help. Make sure you repay your mentors!

Ask and act!