Meeting Topic
Do It Scared – How To Manage Your Fears – By Rebecca Stone
Introduction
As you enter a fresh year, you’ve probably set a few new goals for yourself and your business. Perhaps reaching those goals will entail doing things you don’t yet know how to do OR things that you may feel a bit fearful about. In the article below, contributed by Rebecca Stone of Stone’s Throw, you’ll learn a few actionable tips to support you to take action, EVEN IF you’re scared!
Do It Scared – How To Manage Your Fears – By Rebecca Stone
Fear is an interesting emotion.
It’s one we are expected to grow out of as we grow up, and as adults we don’t often discuss our fears or the things that scare us.
In reality, fear is often holding us back from doing the things we want to do – whether we are aware of it or not.
This article is all about learning how to manage your fears – or doing it scared.
- Don’t fight your fears – make friends with them.
We are often directed to fight our fears and slay our dragons. I like to take a different approach! Let’s ride our dragons instead and make friends with our fears. Acknowledge the fear when it shows up, name it and check if this is an old friend – one you have dealt with before – or is this a new one?
- How is this fear serving you?
Our mind is very clever, it is geared to protect us and ensure our survival. It does this by making us aware of danger or harm and fear is one of its mechanisms. Usually this fear is unfounded, but it can be hard to tell the difference. Once you have acknowledged your fear ask it “How are you serving me?”.
- Did fear get stuck in your body?
Sometimes fear can get stuck in our body, rather than coming from our mind. Think of this scenario – your mind sends a signal of danger and then the dangerous thing happens. In the future, when the mind signals this particular danger the body generates an overreaction, based on the remembered event. Your body had generated a trauma response based on the alert. Here’s an example:
I’m scared of cows.
Not because they present a threat to me, but because of an event that occurred in the past. Understanding that this is not a current threat, but a remembered threat helps me to manage my fear of cows. I can use that reminder to keep myself in the present moment rather than falling into the fear from the past.
- Do it scared.
You can acknowledge the fear, understand it and also understand why it is impacting you, but the key is not letting it stop you from doing what you want.
Being scared doesn’t diminish what you are doing. Invite your fear to come along for the ride. You can build your courage and bravery muscles, not by pretending you aren’t scared, but by doing it scared. The emotion of fear is just a data signal from either your brain or your body – you get to choose how you use that signal.
If you want to hear the story behind my fear of cows, or would like to learn more about me and what I do – jump on my Venus profile and use the link to book a RAVE. I would love to hear from you. https://www.venusbusinesswomen.co.nz/profile/rebeccastone_lifecoach
Next Meeting Topic
Introduction
Did you know that, on average, only about HALF your day is productive?
If you would like to increase that percentage in the coming year, so that you can work smarter, not harder, read the article contributed by Tracy Tutty! She shares several actionable tips that you can implement now to become a bit more effective with your precious time!
Supercharge Your Productivity: Practical Tips to Maximise Productivity and Find Balance By Tracy Tutty
Do you wish you could accomplish more in your day without sacrificing your relationships or well-being? Read on for some powerful tools and strategies to supercharge your productivity and help you achieve your goals.
According to the Task Management Trends Report, workers spend only 53.3% of their time on productive tasks. The rest of the time is lost due to interruptions and distractions.
The first step to being truly productive is to understand that being busy doesn’t equate to being productive. We often celebrate being busy, but true productivity is about getting the important things done on time while maintaining balance in your life. It’s not about cramming more tasks into your day. It’s about creating space so you can get really clear on what matters most. It’s about being certain about what you’re delivering, why you need to do that thing ahead of all the other things, and when it needs to be delivered by. We experience a dopamine hit every time we get something done. That’s why many of us love a good to-do list. Boost your feel-good factor by breaking that deliverable down into bite sized pieces so that you get to feel great every time you tick those smaller tasks off.
Want to leapfrog the steps needed to deliver your outcome? Work on your keystone action first. A keystone action is that one task which makes everything else easier or it eliminates the need for other tasks. By identifying and prioritising the keystone action, you can streamline your workflow and achieve your goals more efficiently.
What about those days when you feel overwhelmed or anxious? Your mind has just one job, and that’s to keep you safe. Anytime you feel anxious or overwhelmed, you turn on the survival switch. Creativity and reasoning will shut down.
This is the time to regulate your nervous system rather than putting your head down and pushing through. It seems counterintuitive as you want to do anything other than rest up. That’s exactly what needs to happen. Pre-empt the overwhelm by scheduling in active recovery breaks, such as going for a walk or practicing deep breathing. This will calm your mind and help you to think outside the box.
To supercharge your productivity follow these key steps. Firstly, get clear on your desired outcome. Ask yourself, what is the one thing that matters most to me right now? Then identify the next right action that will propel you towards that outcome. Just do that next right action. Then when that action is complete and you’ve celebrated ticking it off your list, get clear on the next thing that matters most to you.
Do you have the energy necessary to fuel your productivity? Boost your energy by regulating your nervous system with active recovery techniques such as alternate nostril breathing, box breathing, a quick bounce on your rebounder, or my favourite – standing barefoot in the grass. Practice active recovery daily and you’ll be amazed at how much more sustainable energy is available to you.
Implementing these steps, can transform your productivity and provide a more fulfilling and successful week. So why wait? Take control of your productivity and start achieving your goals today.
Find out more about how Tracy helps her clients here: https://projectjoyful.com/
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