Stop Waiting For January!

Stop Waiting For January!

Stop Waiting For January

Have you ever said, “Starting in January, I will…”? In December, a lot of people throw in the towel for the year. They wait until January rolls around to find that renewed sense of purpose and focus, only to have it dwindle as the year goes on. Priorities shift, circumstances change, and life always seems to somehow get in the way.

Next year, I’ll go back to school.
Next month, I’ll start going to the gym.
Next week, I’ll focus on growing my business.
Tomorrow, I’ll start prioritizing my mental health.

The excuses go on and on. But let me ask you this…

If you can’t do it today, what hope do you have on January 1st?

You don’t have to wait until New Year’s Day to get clear on goals, priorities, and habits that will set you up for success.

I know this time of year can be a time of anxiety, stress, and a general feeling of overwhelm in the midst of the nostalgia, joy, and peace. On top of that, this time of year tends to be more difficult for those suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, mood disorders, and any other mental health issue. We still can’t get an accurate reason why, but this time of year is always tremendously hard with Evan. It then ripples and creates disruption for the rest of the family.

But, life will give you what you accept. It’s a choice! And it’s one only you can make.

Shift your mindset with these 5 strategies to finish the year strong! 💪🏻

START TODAY!

#1 – Keep the Holidays “Happy”

The word “happy” can set the expectation that everything is supposed to be perfect. Well, guess what? Expectations are the death of happiness. When we are angry, frustrated, or disappointed, it’s usually because our expectations and reality are out of alignment. Just remember, you are doing a kick-ass job. Take time to pat yourself and others on the back for all of the things that have been accomplished.

Focus on the delicious moments, celebrate what’s most important, and be kind to yourself. If we use perfection as our litmus test for happiness, we end up missing the boat. Make progress your target for success instead.

#2 – Presence > Presents

We spend at least fifty percent of our waking time mind-wandering and not focused on the present moment. When our mind wanders, we lose touch with the present and go into endless thought loops about the past or future. While doing his PhD research at Harvard, Matt Killingsworth invented an iPhone app called Track Your Happiness that captures feelings in real time. He collected over 650,000 real-time reports from more than 15,000 people. He found that people are substantially less happy when their minds are wandering than when they’re not. In fact, as it turns out, people are less happy when they’re mind-wandering no matter what they’re doing.

You can get in to more of the data from the study by watching his TED Talk. Being present with others doesn’t just mean time spent. It means being intentional and deliberate about your actions; bringing your full self to the interaction. Remember the reason for the season and cherish your loved ones.

#3 – Define Success and Work Backwards

Pretend you could wave a magic wand. When you go back to work after the holidays – after the family visits, parties, and a few too many cookies – how would you like to see things at work and at home? Work backwards from there. It’s easy to get busy being busy. The question “What do I want my life to look like?” is enormous and scary. But let’s face it, we’re choosing our direction every day, every hour.

All too often, we land somewhere, draw a bull’s eye around ourselves, and declare it a victory rather than deliberately taking time to identify where we want to end up and creating a clear path to get there.

#4 – Create a system of accountability

Accountability simply means ownership. If you own something, you authorize yourself to take control of it, and immediately change from being a victim to being in the driver’s seat. Many people say “But I can’t make that change because…” Inaction is still a choice.

It’s not: I can’t work out because I’m already working 18 hour a day.
It’s: I choose to not make working out a priority.

Do you take ownership of relationships, projects, problems, and solutions? Do you own the choices you make each day? Set deadlines, enlist support, gather needed resources, but whatever you do, always keep your promises to yourself.

#5 – Allow Yourself to Hit Reset

For over 6 years, we had an in-home caregiver to help with our son, Evan, and he had such a calming presence. After an episode or a difficult interaction, Michael would literally send us to opposite ends of the house and tell us all to reset. To start fresh. He reminded us to focus on what’s really important – our family, our love, our health, future, and our priorities.

reset is about perspective. How we choose to interpret a situation dictates our response and our brain chemistry matches it. There are family dynamics that cause anxiety, rushing around to finish last minute tasks at work and home, kids out of school that need to be entertained, and financial pressure. Throw in a healthy dose of self-judgment for any goals or resolutions where you might have fallen short, and then we beat ourselves up. You’re human. Take it one day at a time and be proud of yourself when you succeed at achieving clarity amidst chaos. You can choose to reset at any time.

The more peaceful you feel, the easier it will be for those around you to step into their happy place, too. Focus on what’s most important first, and the rest will fall into place. It’s a gift that the whole family will appreciate. We appreciate you and want to sincerely thank you for being part of the Anne Grady Group community. Stay tuned to see all of the exciting things we are rolling out in 2020!

From our family to yours, wishing you a mindful, grateful, and peaceful holiday season.

-Anne

Time to reflect. 🌈😂 #fridayfunny #dadjokes ...

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.

Most of us are taught this simple lesson when we are kids. Unfortunately, it is not always practiced once we are adults. The human tendency to attribute our behavior to our intent and others’ behaviors to the type of person they are is referred to as the fundamental attribution error. Someone runs a stop sign, and we think they are a jerk. We run a stop sign and “oops”.

Regardless of our intentions, people only know what they see through our actions, and we only know what we see through the actions of others. In between our intentions and our actions lies a chasm.

How do you bridge the gap between intentions and actions? Try the following strategies 👆👆
...

Sometimes we inadvertently make our life a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be. It’s time to help others help you. #mindfulmonday ...

Ah, difficult conversations. You know, that conversation with your partner, co-worker, boss, or family member that you just don’t want to have.

While there is no magic formula that applies to every tough conversation, I have found that the following 7-steps makes it much easier. 🗣️
...

When we can separate our identity from our abilities, we are able to learn from failure, rather than assign judgment. #mindfulmonday #growthmindset #mindfulness #personalgrowth #success ...

Building resilience is a journey, y’all. 🤠💪 ...

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There is no connected account for the user 17841402190429664.

Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.

Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment