Better Decisions in Life and Business

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

From the moment you wake up each morning, you’re faced with decisions. Should I snooze my alarm one more time, or do I get up? Do I eat a healthy breakfast, or do I go for coffee and skip it? Do I add emails to my marketing funnel, or do I watch television? 

It may seem as if you have too many decisions to make to ever do a good job at it. But the truth is if you have a plan before you need to make choices, and know what you want, you can do better at making decisions. And you can make them effortlessly and faster. 

Know Who You Are 

It might seem silly that you need to know who you are to make decisions about your life, mind, body, and spirit, but it really does help. For example, if you have guiding morals, values and principles that define you, looking to those will help you make much better decisions. This is one of the reasons good businesses put so much effort into defining their core values. 

Define the Problem 

When you understand your own values, then you can work toward defining the problem. Sometimes it can help to turn the problem into a question. What will change today if I hit the snooze button? What are my goals? All of this will help you determine what the real problem is and the right solution to choose.

Determine the Ideal Result 

It can often help to make your choices based on the result that will occur from the decision. For example, compare the effect of getting up late versus the result of getting up early.  When you know how your choice impacts everything else, you can make better decisions to ensure that you’re creating the impact you desire. 

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Gather Relevant Information 

When you know what the problem is, and you know the results you’re trying to achieve, it’s going to be easier to make a good choice. Do your research to find out all the relevant information you need to know. Remember that sometimes you don’t even know what questions to ask.  That just means you’ll have to do research based on where you are in your own problem-solving, in order to make better choices.  

Note the Alternatives 

Make a list of the decisions that you can make so that you have an idea of all the alternatives you have. For example, sometimes the choice isn’t just about getting up late, sometimes the option is between finishing something on time or choosing to do it later so that you can get another benefit. You might be sick and need some more sleep today, for example, so the choice might not always be as simple as you may think going in. 

Weigh the Evidence 

When you have a list of alternatives, you can note the probable impact of making those choices and then weigh the evidence to find out if that’s what you want to do. By determining if the facts you found are accurate or not, you can help yourself make even better decisions based on facts.

Choose One Choice

Once you’ve narrowed down the choices, make your decision, and then actively choose it. You don’t want to go back and forth on this. Make a final choice based on the evidence and what you know right now. Realize that wavering here is just going to set you back. 

Act on The Choice

Now that you know what your choice is, act on it straight away. Don’t wait around. For example, if you’ve decided that you’re going to refinance your mortgage because you’ve determined it’s an excellent financial choice, don’t wait. Start the actions needed to implement your decision now. 

Review and Adjust as Needed 

Depending on what you’re doing, you can also analyse and review your choices to find out if you made the right choice. Some decisions can be changed once further evidence is presented. Others you’ll just have to learn from so you can do better next time. 

When you know what type of results you’re looking for in your life, whether personal or work-related, it’s a lot simpler to make the right choices. You can simply look at the impact each decision you have made creates, and then choose from there.

If the reason why you are struggling with making difficult decisions is that you doubt yourself, (and lots of people do!) check out my quick course on Overcoming Self-Doubt and Finding A Positive Outlook On Life at http://kmginfo.com/go/selfdoubt 

That may be all you need to move forward making better decisions in your business and your life.  

Are you a motivational leader?

Checklist under magnifying glassHere’s a quick checklist that will help you decide if you are a motivational leader…

  • Can you be trusted? (In other word, do you do what you say you will do, always?)
  • Do you take time to connect with all the diverse individuals on your team? Not just by knowing their name, but by knowing their strengths and contributions and interests outside of work.
  • Are you always fair? Fair feedback given in the right way will be appreciated by most people, but a lack of fairness is always demotivating.  
  • Would your team say you are loyal? This is especially important if you want your team to be loyal to you.
  • Do you consistently give credit to your team? I know your role as leader has a huge amount to do with every team success, but a really motivational leader is generous with giving credit for all achievements.  (Your team probably did more than you realise, anyway.)

There’s more to being a motivational leader than these five points, but if you pay attention to each one of these you will be more of a motivational leader than many others.  

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Remember most good workers don’t leave jobs.  They leave poor leaders.  So improving your mindfulness and motivational skills will help you retain good staff and enjoy your leadership role. 

Being a mindful leader will help you be a motivational leader.  Discover how mindfulness helps you here:  http://kmginfo.com/go/mindfulness

As Oprah said…

 

 Discover how to do your best at this moment here: http://kmginfo.com/go/mindfulness

 

The Top 10 Benefits of Mindfulness for Leaders and Business Owners

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that is the perfect antidote to modern day stress and anxiety. But it goes far beyond that and can be instrumental in helping you improve in a vast range of different ways.

Read on and we’ll go over 10 of these many benefits to demonstrate just how transformative mindfulness really is…

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1 Mindfulness helps reduce stress

Mindfulness teaches us how to be present and how to exist in the moment. This helps us to rise above the stressful thoughts we might be having and even to ‘reprogram’ them in some cases.

2 It improves focus

Mindfulness practice requires intense focus and mental discipline. This is something that many people are lacking these days owing to the constant distractions we get from our technology and our general ability to get any information or entertainment in seconds.

3 It’s free and easy

Health organizations love mindfulness because it’s something anyone can practice. Once you understand the concept and have been taught the basics, this is something you can do anywhere and with no equipment. It can even be taught over the web! See our new MasterClass on Mindfulness for Leaders http://kmginfo.com/go/mindfulness

4 It improves athletic performance

Mindfulness is only one step away from being a ‘flow state’. This is a heightened state of awareness and presence that leads to amazing improvements in athletic performance.

5 It helps sleep

Studies show that mindfulness can be used effectively to combat insomnia.

6 It can treat panic attacks

Likewise, mindfulness is one of the main treatments used for panic attacks

7 It combats negative emotions

In general, mindfulness can be used to make dealing with almost any negative emotion considerably easier.

8 It enriches life

Being mindful means being present and that in turn means being aware of all the wonderful things happening around you. Instead of being in your own head, you start actually experiencing the world around you. This can even enhance your relationships.

9 You’ll learn about yourself

Learning to ‘observe’ your own mind is an amazing skill that teaches you about how your own brain works. This is both fascinating and a very useful skill for growth and development in leaders and team members.

10 You’ll learn about others

And when you learn more about yourself, you learn more about the minds of others too. Mindfulness will give you the means to help your friends and family and to better manage your relationships with them.

For details on our Mindfulness for Leaders MasterClass: http://kmginfo.com/go/mindfulness 

 

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How to Motivate Yourself

DaydreamerWell winter has well and truely arrived early here in Melbourne (Australia) and that can make it a little tricky to motivate yourself.  For my friends in the northern hemisphere the distractions of summer holidays beckoning may be having the same effect on your motivation! 

So I thought it might be timely to share some tips for getting motivated.

Sometimes you need to get started on a project right away. Maybe you’ve even been procrastinating for days, or weeks, and now you’re down to the wire on an unforgiving deadline. 

The threat of not completing the job on time should be enough to motivate you to get moving, right? 

Wrong. 

Often, even knowing the consequences that exist for not completing a task aren’t enough to push us forward once we start to struggle with motivation. 

Fortunately, there are some tangible steps you can take in order to give yourself a boost when your usual routine isn’t working. 

Keep reading for a couple of the best ways to improve your motivation fast. Adding these to your bag of tricks may help you to overcome that slump when you need a motivational jumpstart.

Look Ahead

One way to convince your brain that an activity is worth starting is to look ahead to the end result. Think about the money you’ll make a from a freelance gig, the feeling of satisfaction you’ll get from handing in your portion of the monthly report to a nagging co-worker or the freedom to begin your two-week semester break when your last paper is submitted. 

No matter what the project, visualising the result of your efforts can improve your focus and motivation. 

Consider adding an actual visual such as a photo, magazine clipping or other image to motivate you. 

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Get Moving

If you’re feeling sleepy or even restless, you won’t be able to focus on that pressing task. An easy solution can be to move your body. 

Exercise has been shown to increase mental clarity and decrease stress, just the combination for working on a complex project with a looming deadline. 

Taking a brisk walk or heading to the gym for a quick step aerobics class on your lunch hour can be just enough of a jolt to get you in prime thinking mode. 

Be careful not to overdo it or you’ll be too exhausted to do much of anything.

Take a Rest

Sometimes it is possible that a quick rest can restore your clear thinking.

If your brain is feeling blurred or your thoughts are cloudy, a short nap might be a better course of action than exercise. Put your head down on your desk or stretch out on the sofa in your office for 10 or 20 minutes.

When you wake up from this power nap, you should be feeling rejuvenated and ready to work. 

Listen to Music

Upbeat tunes might be a solution that leads you to start tapping your toes and feeling more alert.

If you are able to work with background noise, you can keep the music going. Perhaps changing to a mellower playlist or instrumental songs might be a better option for you than fast beats.

If you require silence in order to concentrate, put on just a few of your favourite tunes to shift your mood, and then turn them off and get to work. 

Start Small

A method that is often successful in tricking the mind to move on a task is to start with a small portion of the whole.

Using the above example of the monthly report, you might wish to begin by gathering your data and other supplies necessary for completing the job.

This small action can put you in the right mindset to keep working on the rest. Getting started truly is half the battle. 

 

These suggestions can, and should, be tailored to fit your personality, preferences, work situation and lifestyle. Experiment a bit. Use the ones that work for you, and throw out the rest. You’ll likely be surprised by the significant effect a simple action can have on your motivation and therefore your productivity.

For more powerful motivation have a look at Motivation Made Simple – see http://kmginfo.com/go/motivation-made-simple 

I personally believe the first three tips in Motivation Made Simple should be the way you begin every new project, or whenever you hit a motivational slump to massively improve your success.

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I’ve shared a few of my favourite motivation tips with you, but I’d love to hear how you motivate yourself.  

How do you keep yourself motivated?  Do you have routines or actions that work for you?

How to be a Leader Video

Here’s an interesting video I came across recently offering the seven traits of great leaders. 

Does this represent your experience of leaders?

What do you think?  Are there any traits of great leaders that you think are important that are missing? Add your comment below…

Leadership Coaching Club

Leading with Gratitude

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude... Karl BarthOne of the most powerful ways to grow success for you or your business in this new year is to focus on developing and maintaining a mindset of gratitude.

Happy new year.  I hope it’s a big one for you in your business and your life.  

In business, when you finally find success, it feels very, very good. Finally, after all of your hard work and dedication to your goal, you’ve arrived. It can often feel as if this success is owed you.  After all, weren’t you the one who put in all the hours to attain it?

It’s absolutely normal, healthy, and expected to feel a sense of pride when you reach a certain level in your business. You have a lot to be proud of, after all! But problems arise when, instead of feeling grateful for your success, you expect it instead.

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Success and Gratitude

Many business owners find that without gratitude in their lives, their businesses fail to deliver – in many different ways. Don’t be like them. Being self-absorbed to the point of believing success is owed to you is a slow poison to your business mindset, and in turn, your business itself.

Success in business – or in any area of our lives – is something that must be

  • planned,
  • focused on,
  • worked towards,
  • and above all, earned.

And, it must be appreciated, not taken for granted as something that is owed to us.

Appreciation

Your business knowledge, wisdom, experience and advice is worth sharing in order to help others achieve their own goals and dreams in business. In this way, you help “pay it forward”, in essence taking action on your feelings of gratitude and thankfulness for getting where you are today. And that’s why I share these tips with you.

You can express gratitude is by actively reaching out to your own business mentors, and thanking them for sharing their knowledge and experience with you. Your mentors have helped you get to your level of success, and letting them know that they are appreciated goes a long way towards creating that gratitude mindset that you need in business.

Keeping a gratitude journal is another simple way you can focus on your gratitude mindset. All you need to do is to get into the habit of writing out what you are grateful for each day. 

The success of your business may not rise or fall depending on your level of gratitude, but having a mindset that is full of gratitude will definitely help your business, and it will also help your overall life!

Be grateful and you will have more to be grateful for!

When Stress Makes You Cranky

It’s Kerrie Mullins-Gunst and I hope you are having a good week.  But if things are a bit more stressful for you than usual, this one is for you.

Cranky CutieLet’s face it: we all have days where the circumstances just try your patience. With deadlines to meet and more and more interruptions and demands placed upon you, everything can just grow out of all proportion. 

Stressful situations increase your body’s cortisol levels and cause a dip in your feel-good hormones. And since most leaders are conditioned not to express anger in a direct manner, your body deals with the hormonal changes in what seems like a more subtle manner, and that’s by getting in a bad mood. 

All the stress you are facing is making you cranky – and sometimes you don’t even realise it. In the interest of not totally losing your cool and doing something you regret, you need to come up with ways to deal with this really common issue that leaders face.   

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Here are some helpful strategies to help you avoid getting cranky when you are stressful.  

First, it helps to schedule tasks that are making you anxious. If you have to complete a report before you can leave your work today, you need to know when you can fit this and everything else that is essential in. Plan your day and do this critical report early on. If you leave things for later, you’ll spend more time worrying about it and end up snapping at people. 

Don’t forget to take the occasional short break as well. Have a quick cup of coffee with colleagues rather than going solo. A caffeine fix with a group can lower your stress. If you do this alone, you may tend to sulk over the sorry situation and become even more cranky.

Also, learn when to say no. If that report really is critical, today might not be the right day to do much socialising or even to attend all the discretionary meetings someone has put into your schedule.  

After work, do short, high-intensity exercise or workouts. These have a greater effect on stress than slower-paced exercise. So instead of an hour of yoga, hit the treadmill and run until you’re sweating it out. Or, if you’re feeling too beat to work out, skip the treadmill and relax in the sauna. Pampering yourself, even if it’s just for a few minutes, has a calming effect on your nerves. Have a massage when you can and just let your mind drift as you feel the knots in your muscles loosen.

If you find yourself ready to snap at anyone, try to talk slower as well. When you’re tense, you speak more rapidly, which changes your body’s chemistry and makes you far more likely to say things you will regret later. Talking at a calmer pace will chill you out, and you’ll also be more likely to get what you want. 

Finally, if the stress gets too great it may be time to skip all the promises you’ve made to yourself, at least for now. 

While giving yourself a set of goals is usually a positive thing, when you are feeling stressed they can also make you feel inadequate and pressured rather than hopeful and happy. Instead, make some great plans and then deal with your goals when you’re in a happier mood. Sometimes, it’s good to relax rather than worry.

If you want more support managing stress check out http://kmginfo.com/go/managing-stress 

If your stress is caused by setbacks that you just need to cope with have a look at http://kmginfo.com/go/setbacks  

If you just want life to be happier have a look at http://kmginfo.com/go/happy 

How to Resist Persuasion

Resisting PersuasionYou may not always be aware of all the persuasion efforts that go on around you all day. 

Every day people are subjected to persuasive messages. It has been calculated that each person sees more than 300 of these messages each day. The majority of these messages come from advertising mediums including the television, radio, newspapers and magazines, billboards and on the internet and social media. 

Persuasive messages take many different forms including the more recognisable ones of commercials and advertisements that aim to make you want to buy things. Other forms of persuasion include those social messages that encourage you to take specific actions such as losing weight, avoiding drugs, stopping smoking or ‘going green’ campaigns. 

When you think about it the amount of persuasion we are bombarded with every day is almost overwhelming.  

While some of these messages are helpful, the daily dose of ‘Buy this!’, ‘Buy that!’ can get very annoying for everyone. 

Even children are targeted by persuasive messages. Cereal manufacturers advertise free toys on the outside of their boxes so children will pester their parents into buying them. Then there are those car commercials just making you want to go out and buy that brand new car! 

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So how can you manage to resist all of this constant persuasion? 

Well, first of all, you need to be aware of the fact that you are being persuaded. This will help put you into a defensive mode and make resisting much of it easier. 

You can easily recognise this situation when you are at the car dealership or dress shop looking at cars or outfits. Immediately a sales person is attempting to persuade you to buy that new car or outfit. When this happens ask for a time out or back away from the situation. Tell the person you just want to look and you are not ready to make a decision yet. If necessary walk away from the situation. 

Another way to master resistance includes not shopping for items when you are tired or hungry. If you do, you may be rushed into making a decision that you will regret later on.  

This also applies when a work colleague is trying to persuade you to do or say something that you are not sure about.  If you are tired, or angry about something which has happened, it is easy to rush into a decision you may later regret.  Be firm about taking your time to make your decision so you have the opportunity to consult others and consider all the options.  There is nothing worse that a leader who is swayed by the last person they spoke to. 

Want to know more?

And if you want to know more about Persuasion for Busy Leaders, check out our guide here…  http://kmginfo.com/go/persuasion

What really persuades?

Words have power

Have you ever wondered just how you can persuade others on your team to do what you want them to do?

In a management role it is possible to use your authority to tell someone to do something and they will do it (if you have the appropriate authority to do so).

It isn’t quite the same in a leadership role where you need to influence and inspire others to follow your lead. Then you need to be able to persuade them to join you and do what you want. And this pretty much comes down to the words you use and how you use them…

When it comes to persuading others, have you thought about whether you are passionate enough? If you are trying to persuade someone to do something and yet you are expressionless and emotionless then your chances of successfully persuading them to follow your lead are pretty slim.

If on the other hand you speak to them with passion and enthusiasm you are much more likely to inspire them and convince them to follow you and join your team.

Your words matter

Persuasion relies on your verbal skills to get the results you want. You want to incorporate enthusiasm and passion into your voice and your actions as a way of getting your point of view across.

You are not trying to manipulate or force anyone into something. Instead your aim is to persuade people that what you are asking is reasonable and even necessary. It is plausible and that it is something worth trying.

When you incorporate just the right amount of passion when you are speaking to your team, your persuasion will improve and you will start getting just what you want. Others will be keen to get on board with your vision and plans.

You will find more about Persuasion for Busy Leaders here… http://kmginfo.com/go/persuasion

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