What’s Holding You Back From Success at Work?

So, you feel like you’re at a dead-end at your current workplace. What do you do in this case? Is the problem you or is it someone else you work with? There could be a number of reasons why you feel stuck and unsuccessful at work and they may or may not be your fault. As harsh as that may sound, sometimes it’s what we need to hear in order to kick ourselves into gear and be better.

Let’s explore some of the most common reasons why people feel held back at work.

1. An Inability to Speak Up

Having social anxiety or not feeling like you have good ideas is a major issue with many people. It can be tough to speak your mind or share ideas if you don’t feel like your voice will be heard or if you’re scared of disproval. Regardless of how speaking up makes you feel, the only way you can move forward in your career is by speaking up for what you believe in and voicing your needs.

There are a few things many therapists recommend if social anxiety seems to be your issue:

?Practice mindfulness and meditation. Doing this will physically calm your body and quiet your mind. Meditating at work can be as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing for 5-10 minutes at a time.
?Focus on what you need to do. Instead of getting lost in your feelings, focus more on what needs to be done. If you’re presenting something at work, make eye contact and use a small fidgeter if you need to.
?Be realistic with yourself. Even if you feel like you’re going to completely mess up what you need to do, think about each success you’ve had and let that fuel you.
?Go to therapy. The stigma around therapy is rapidly deteriorating and seeing a therapist is becoming more acceptable in society. Utilizing therapy can give you more tools for dealing with anxiety in your workplace.

2. Hitting a Promotional Wall

You may also feel stuck in your job if you aren’t given any room for growth. Working somewhere without the possibility of raises or promotions can be demoralizing for someone who is looking to grow their career.

3. Blaming Others Instead of Working on Yourself

Lastly, you may need to do some self reflection. If you find yourself blaming others for your inability to grow in your workplace, it’s time to take a deeper look inside yourself and see if it’s really you holding yourself back.

Top Four Ways of Making Successful Habits

Your habits, both good and bad, shape your entire being. Your physical health, personality, and emotional intelligence all rely on specific habits in order to function. Because of this, the formation of healthy habits is critical to your overall health. But what can you do to ensure you’re forming healthy habits? This guide will help you.

[H2] 1. Start Your Day Early

We aren’t saying you need to start your day at six a.m. every day. We are, however, saying that starting your day an hour earlier than you usually do can help you feel more motivated. Waking up earlier and tackling the most important tasks before anything else is enough to make you feel motivated for the rest of the day.

With this in mind, it’s important to get at least seven hours of quality sleep each night. Regardless of what habit you’re trying to form, getting enough sleep is crucial for motivation.

2. Read Inspirational Content

Nothing is more motivating than reading about other people’s habit-forming success stories. There is an onslaught of self-help/motivational books and online content to give you the push you need to keep moving forward.

3. Surround Yourself With Positive Influences

Have you ever heard of the terms “elevator or basement people”? In order to be successful, it’s crucial to surround yourself with people who lift you up rather than bring you down. Hence, this is where the analogy comes from.

4. Have Patience

Forming new habits takes time. In fact, it can take anywhere from 18-254 days to successfully develop a habit. While the actual amount of time it takes varies from person to person, it takes 66 days on average for a person to form a healthy habit.

It may feel difficult in the first few days or weeks of forming a new habit, but you’re essentially retraining your brain. Once you stop having to think about a certain behavior, it finally becomes a true habit.

Key Takeaways

Good habits play an important role in living a healthier lifestyle. Whether you’re trying to get more sleep at night, wake up earlier, or exercise regularly, training your body to automatically perform these tasks benefits all aspects of your health.

The most important thing you need to remember when trying to form a healthy habit is to have patience. You aren’t going to rewire your brain overnight. Forming new habits takes a lot of time and work to successfully complete and it isn’t a process you can rush. As challenging as it may be, you can’t go wrong with living a healthier lifestyle.

How to Successfully Use Your Free Time

Everyone likes the prospect of being productive, but what’s a person to do when they actually have free time? It isn’t healthy to work yourself into the ground, so it’s not like you can bury yourself in your work. However, there are plenty of effective ways to successfully use your free time.

In this article, we’ll go over three of the best ways to be productive without spending unnecessary time on work.

Find a Creative Outlet

Physical activity is great and all, but exercising the creative part of your brain is equally as beneficial to you. Many people enjoy spending their free time practicing some sort of art form. Whether it’s writing, drawing, painting, or dancing, you don’t need to be perfect. As long as you feel that creative itch being scratched, you’re in the clear.

Here are some helpful ways to encourage and foster creativity in your life:

?Let your mind wander while expressing your art. Don’t spend the entire time acting rigid and negatively judging your work. Let the ideas flow out of you and worry about the rest later.
?Read a book. Regardless of the genre, find a book that interests you and dive in. There’s no such thing as reading too many books and a book can hardly be considered a waste of time.
?Practice yoga or mindfulness. Yoga and mindfulness practices train the mind and body to be calm and truly listen to your thoughts. Pairing yoga and other mindfulness practices can be combined with another creative outlet to really jumpstart your imagination.

Use Free Time For Self-Improvement Opportunities

You can never go wrong with trying to improve yourself in all aspects of life. Using free time to read inspirational books or attend lectures or seminars is a great way to utilize your time. There may even be accountability groups for these classes and other opportunities where you can meet other likeminded individuals.

Get Outside or Exercise Somewhere

There is a slew of benefits that come from getting outside, regardless of if you’re exercising or not. For starters, the sun is a natural Vitamin D source, which is something many humans have a deficiency in. A simple barefoot walk in a meadow or stream has just as many benefits as a run at the park or in the gym. Spending more time outside gives your overall health a well-rounded boost too.

How to Organize and Plan for Your Successes

Most people wake up in the morning and hope for a successful day, however, a day is only as successful as you make it. You can’t wish and hope for a day to work out exactly as you planned, but you can plan it out to give you the best possible shot at being successful. But how can you achieve this? Read on to find out.

Plan Everything Ahead of Time

Before you lay down to go to bed, tell yourself you’re going to wake up and have a good day. This may seem ridiculous, but if you go to sleep convinced that tomorrow will be a good one then you’re more likely to believe it in the morning. It may also be helpful to plan out your next day if it’s supposed to be a busy one. This way, you’ve got a plan in your head and you can tweak it if necessary.

With this being said, plans don’t always go up to snuff and it wouldn’t be feasible to only expect perfection. Go into your day with an open mind and a laid-back spirit or else you’ll stress yourself out.

Tackle the Big Stuff First

Taking care of larger, more urgent tasks will help you feel more satisfied with your day. This is even more true if you manage to complete them before the afternoon. If you finish the hard stuff before your work day is done, you won’t leave the office feeling stressed out and worried about missing deadlines. I’d definitely call that a successful day.

Keep Track of Time

We aren’t saying to stare at the clock every 10 minutes while you’re working, but it’s helpful to check the time after each task is completed. Doing this will help you get a better idea of whether you’re on schedule, ahead, or behind.

Don’t Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself

You aren’t a superhero and you shouldn’t expect to finish everything on your to-do list every day. As long as you prioritise and take care of time-sensitive tasks, you should feel proud about your daily accomplishments. This is where good time management and planning skills comes into play.

Keeping a meticulous schedule and master to-do list on hand can be helpful for those who don’t like to feel out of control. It may be helpful to only pick 1-3 big items to check off of your to-do list and maybe 3-5 menial tasks to complete after that each day.

How to Build Productive Habits

Building productive habits is an important part of career success. When you form a productive habit, you teach your body to be productive on its own. The more often you practice these behaviors, the more second nature they’ll become. There are several ways a person can build productive habits, but in this article, we’re going to cover the top four.

Don’t Overdo Your To-Do List

When making a daily to-do list, it’s easy to want to write down every little thing you need to accomplish for the day. As tempting as this may be, you’ll be more productive if you cut your list in half and only include the most time-sensitive or biggest tasks. Getting more urgent tasks done before smaller and less important ones will leave you feeling much more accomplished than you would the other way around.

Follow The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule is a general rule which claims that only 20% of what you accomplish will dictate 80% of your results. If you omit less important work tasks during the workday and focus only on the bigger things, you’ll be much more productive. For example, if you’re currently working on a work project, make a list of everything you need to complete for it. Then, single out the most important steps and complete those first.

Use The Mornings For Self-Reflection

Many productive and successful people swear by morning self-reflection. Waking up before everyone else in your house and reading or journaling is common in the business world. As ridiculous as it may sound, doing this type of self-reflection in the morning is actually proven to be beneficial.

Self-reflection doesn’t have to be formal meditation or journaling, either. You can purchase a guided journal or draw if you prefer to do that. The main thing to remember here is to do something that brings you joy to get you amped for the day.

Get The “Hard Stuff” Done Before Lunch

If you have a day with some pretty hefty tasks ahead of you, try your best to complete them before lunch. This way, you can enjoy the second half of your day and complete more menial tasks. Plus, if you don’t have smaller tasks to complete and you’ve already finished the more urgent stuff, you can take an early day off.

As soul-crushing as some of the hard stuff may be, it’s more rewarding to get it done and out of the way as soon as you can than it is to leave it waiting for you.

Three Easy Steps to Plan Ahead for Success

The key to success in any situation is to have a solid plan in place. This way, you have specific guidelines you can adhere to to ensure nothing gets missed. Following a well-thought-out plan will all but guarantee success in any setting. In this article, we’ll highlight three crucial steps for planning ahead for success.

1. Make a List of Goals

What are you trying to achieve here? What is the ultimate end goal? These are questions you need to ask yourself when thinking about any type of goal. Once you’ve established the answer here, you should make a physical list of short, medium, and long-term goals.

Having three different timeframes will allow you to celebrate small wins right alongside the big ones. Creating smaller and more easily achievable goals also helps keep you motivated toward the final outcome.

For example, let’s say your ultimate goal is to run the Boston Marathon. This seems like an impossible task, right? However, making short and medium-term goals like running a 5K or running a half marathon, act as baby steps to your end goal.

2. Take Note of Any Possible Scenario and Outcome

When thinking about your end goal, it’s also important to prepare yourself for every possible outcome, no matter how outlandish it seems at the time. Doing this will leave you prepared for any situation and nothing will be able to take you by surprise.

So, what are the possible scenarios for running the Boston Marathon? The two easiest would be that you win first place, or you come in dead last. There are, of course, plenty of other hypothetical situations too but thinking about the best and worst possible outcome will help curb any potential disappointment.

3. Stay Focused on the End Goal

Once you’ve started on your path, it’s important to never lose sight of your end goal. Despite any tough day or week that comes your way, keeping your eyes on the ultimate prize will keep you humble and dedicated to your cause. Plus, the more focused you are on your goal of running in the Boston marathon, the quicker you’ll get there.

Laser focus keeps you motivated and allows you to teach your brain self-discipline. The vest and fastest way to reaching your end goal is through dedication and hard work. Both of which are components of good self-discipline.

10 Best Habits For Professionals to Have

Being successful in the workplace doesn’t simply come from a good work ethic. There are a variety of habits that professionals have that are critical for success.

1. Schedule-Keeping

Any meeting or event pertaining to work should be diligently scheduled. This way, you always know your schedule and when you have openings for other engagements. Also, having a good schedule helps reduce the risk of procrastination.

2. Task Prioritization

A successful professional also knows how to prioritize their tasks. They can differentiate between more and less important tasks and act accordingly. Although multitasking can sometimes be beneficial, prioritizing tasks means you can take care of important tasks before others.

3. Not Taking Life Too Seriously

Being laid back and more go-with-the-flow leaves a person feeling more relaxed and loose. If you spend all your time as a perfectionist who agonizes over every little detail, you’ll miss the truly beautiful things in life. Success means nothing if you aren’t able to fully live.

4. Planning and Organization

Proper planning and organization is another way successful people combat procrastination. Making a habit to plan out activities and important work functions and write them down helps successful people feel more put together.

5. Self-Accountability

Making a commitment is easy, actually following through with it is the tricky part. Successful people are better at this because they hold themselves accountable. A successful person commits to something only if they know they can follow through.

6. Laser Focus

Beyond a regular focus on a task, successful people are laser-focused. They’re more than attentive when it’s important. If they set their mind to something, they won’t stop until they complete the task.

7. Regular Exercise

To make the most of their waking hours, a successful person will exercise both their mind and their body outside of work. Physical exercise has clear physical benefits to your general wellbeing and it does wonders for your mental health and clarity too.

8. Good Sleeping Habits

In order for the human body to function properly, it’s essential you get adequate sleep each night. The actual amount will vary depending on your age and overall health, but a successful person follows the specific guidelines for their health and lifestyle.

9. Positive Attitudes

People who are considered successful are generally positive people. They’re the friend that always makes you feel good to be around. They don’t dump their problems on you unsolicitedly and they spend much of their time lifting others up.

10. Practicing Gratefulness

Successful people always regularly practice gratefulness. They know where their success comes from and they don’t forget it. Being grateful is important because it keeps a person humble and reminds them where they came from. 

Five Signs You’ll Be Successful

How successful a person is depending on a variety of factors. While each individual human being is unique, there are five key signs that signify a person’s success. The range a person is able to dream and set goals, as well as their ability to speak their mind, are some of the key components here. Let’s go over the five signs that make a person successful

1. You Use Your Voice

You’ll never be able to appropriately express your goals, wants, and needs if you don’t know how to use your voice. People who know when and how to speak up when necessary are far more likely to be successful than someone who is more reserved. After all, you can’t get what you want if you never actually try to go for it.

If you have trouble with this trait, here are some ways to help:

?Take baby steps. If you suffer from social anxiety and you find it difficult to speak in public, start small with one or two close friends or acquaintances. Once you start to feel more comfortable, you can progress to more people.
?Write things down ahead of time. This will help you feel more prepared for when the time comes.
?Practice by yourself or with someone you trust. If you have to give an important presentation at work, practice in the mirror a few times to get comfortable.

2. You Aren’t Stuck in the Past

The only way for a person to be successful is to always look ahead. If you’re stuck thinking in the past, then you’ll never be able to reach the goals you’ve set for your future. Successful people know how to appreciate where they’ve come from while also looking ahead.

3. You Like to Dream Big

Successful people are generally big dreamers. They’re always working toward a goal and once that goal is completed, they set a new one. There are no dreams or ideas too big or farfetched for someone with a mindset for success.
4. You Aren’t Afraid to Fail

Nobody is perfect and failure is imminent. There will be times where failure is inevitable and if you have the success mindset, you won’t let those failures dictate how you live your life. Our failures come with the best life lessons and successful people know how to take what they’ve learned as they move forward.

5. You Think About Others

A successful person is a selfless person. If you have the mindset for success, you’ll be mindful and courteous to those around you. Your general positive energy will rub off on others and inspire them to act the same way you do. A successful person is an inspiration to others.

Four Simple Methods to Achieve Work-Life Balance

Everyone always talks about their quest to achieve the elusive work-life balance. This mysterious term seems near impossible, but it is achievable. Although it isn’t easy, there are things you can do to foster a healthy work-life balance without having to make major sacrifices. Let’s take a look at four of the simplest methods.

1. Don’t Try to Be Perfect

Nobody likes a perfectionist and a perfectionist certainly doesn’t have a healthy work-life balance. If you spend all of your time being perfect in either your home or work life, you’re going to end up sacrificing things along the way. The goal here is not to have to do that, so letting go of the idea of perfection is key.

Another downfall of perfectionism is the increased risk of burnout. It’s easy to want to agonize over tiny details, but sooner or later that’s going to catch up to you and you’ll be turned off to doing any other work.

2. Don’t Bring Work Home With You

Not bringing work home with you is kind of a given. If you want to achieve a healthy balance between the two, you can’t spend more time dedicated to one or the other. This means any physical work needs to stay at work and it can wait until your next work day. This same sentiment goes for bringing your “home stuff” into your workplace.

Although it’s fine to talk about your work day or your day off in either sector, the rest should be left in their respective fields.

3. Exercise Regularly or Meditate

Exercising releases endorphins and generally makes you feel happier. Meditation is a tool to practice mindfulness and being calm. Both of these physical activities help you deal with stress in either part of your life, which makes for a healthier balance in general. If you have a healthy outlet for stress relief, then you don’t spend precious time dumping your problems onto your spouse or coworkers.

4. Make Time For Personal Relationships

For many people, the main struggle in work-life balance is that they spend too much time working and not enough time in their personal life. To combat this, it’s important to maintain and create personal relationships. Human beings are inherently social animals and we thrive off of eachother in that way. Having good personal relationships will make you all around happier.

3 Easy Steps to Build Good Working Habits

Developing good habits, in general, can be tricky. Developing work habits can be even harder. However, with hard work and dedication, good working habits will help you achieve success in your career. So how can you build good working habits? The short answer is to work hard, but the long answer will be explained in this article.

1. Practice Good Time Management

Learning to manage your time wisely while working will help you get ahead quickly. Good time management also keeps you from falling behind on any work. To practice good time management, there are a few tips you can heed:

?Utilize a planning system. Make sure all of your tasks and important events are written down or recorded somewhere so you don’t accidentally forget something important.
?Prioritize your tasks by order of importance. Obviously, important tasks should come before anything else. Prioritize and then complete tasks as they come based on how urgent each one is.
?Give yourself a time restraint. If you’re working on a project, give yourself due dates to get certain parts of it done at a time. This way you stick to a stricter schedule.

2. Use Professionalism at Work

When one thinks of professionalism, the almost immediate thought that comes to mind is well-groomed and well-dressed. However, the idea of professionalism is so much more than how you look. In fact, general hygiene is really the only physical aspect of professionalism that’s worth noting.

The way you work, act and treat other coworkers and clients/customers say more about your professionalism than any outfit ever could. A person who is professional practices empathy and is courteous to others.

3. Create a Good Work/Life Balance

Along with time management and professionalism, there needs to be a balance between your work life and your personal life. While being a good worker is important, it’s also equally as important for you to live life and enjoy yourself. Life can’t be serious all the time. There are going to be times where you need to step back and take a break and there’s nothing wrong with that.

We also know it can be hard trying to find that balance between your work life and home life. If it helps, you can follow some of these tips to make the balance come easier to you:

*Have a designated day or weekend where you can’t work, no questions asked. You don’t even need to give an explanation while you tell your workplace your availability, just say that that particular weekend is an off time for you and it’s non-negotiable.

*Try to leave for lunch if you can. Try a new local place near your office or take a packed lunch to the park down the road. Either way, make sure you see more than just your office building every day.

*Set goals and reward yourself. If you set certain goals at work, reward yourself with some kind of treat when you reach them. Maybe you take the day off and explore the city or maybe you decide now is a good time to take an impromptu trip to the ice cream shop with your family.