There are two types of advice.
One is called soft advice. It is often disguised as suggestion. As human as we are all, we are in the habit of customarily neglecting the suggestions given to us by others. Hence, a soft advice rarely makes the impact it is supposed to make. It is of no practical value for the person who receives it, even when it was given with good intention.
The other is called hard piece of advice. It is a kind of slap-in-the-face phenomenon. It is a somewhat harsh way of doing it but the advice is never ignored & makes the desired impact. We do not do it very often but there are times when a person needs to be told bluntly a thing or two for his own good.
These tips belong to the latter category.
You give this hard advice to a person who is near & dear to you. You know for sure it will not be taken badly knowing that it is meant for their betterment. So please get the meaning behind it rather than the advice itself. It’s the only way to “wake you up” for your progress in life & career.
Get out of your cocoon & open your shells. Spread your arms & befriend the world outside. It’s quite warm & welcoming!
If I can help even one person to progress & succeed in life with these tips, their purpose is fulfilled. Enough said. Let’s get down to the work.
To lead a Stress Free Life…
Live clutter free:
Be organized. How many times have you got irritated because you couldn’t find your pen, paper or an important document? Do I see a heap of papers amongst books, pen stands, files & dossiers on your desktop or workplace? Arrive five minutes early at your workplace & organize everything. It will save a lot of valuable time & increase your work efficiency. And yes don’t forget to organize your mind & make it clutter free too.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to live clutter free.
Concentrate:
Concentrate & be focused. Concentrate only on the work at hand. Let the world wait. What is more important to you? Your work? Your life? Enjoyment? Happiness? Chart out a plan for your life & follow it. Concentrate on becoming what you want to be! Remain focused on the goal you have decided to achieve in your life. Human brain has single “processor”. No multitasking. Do your work once & for all. There should be no comebacks.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to concentrate.
Share your responsibility:
Are you an all-in-one entrepreneur or do you have enough infrastructure? If you don’t have, build one. You cannot carry the whole business on your back. Get the people to work for you. Keep them happy & get your work done, not the other way round. It’s more of art & less of technique. Get the gainers & lose the losers. You need to be shrewd if you are in business. It’s your business, not a playground.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to share your responsibility.
Define your field:
Outsource when possible. If you are a policy maker, make policies. Don’t intrude into marketing & sales departments. If you are a doctor, treat patients & let the hospital administrator do his job. If you are a writer, write content & let the publisher do the publishing & marketing. Define your area of expertise & be master of it. The more you concentrate in your field, the more productive & creative you will be. It will help you in long run.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to define your field.
Develop your own circle of friends:
Business parties are grand & good but seldom relaxing. Welcoming people with an artificial grin on the face & shaking hands with a person whom you have never known before can do no good to de-stress your mind. Of course, you should do it for your business. But get a small group of people that are close to you & whom you can trust. Go to place where you can relax & speak your heart out. Letting the steam go off can do wonders to a stressed mind.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to develop your own circle of friends.
Find happiness in daily life:
Happiness is a state of mind. It is here & now. Do you have an event in your life, which will inspire you even as you think about it? Or a special person in your life which makes you feel happy even as you think about him or her? Do I find you smiling as you read this? Yes, you have one! Hold on to that moment & hold it fast. Don’t let it go. It will come handy when you are suffering from a bad patch in life. It will remind you of the better days you have seen & motivate you to thrust forward.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to find happiness in daily life.
Set up a priority list:
What do you need to do day? Attend a business meeting? Speak to your boss for a raise? Take your car to garage for servicing? Drop your kids to school? Take a little time every day to jot down the things to do & arrange them according to the importance you place on them. In fact, you are planning for the day ahead. It will keep you trouble free as you know what you need to do today by priority. It will save you time if you forget to do something. And please, follow the list!
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to set up a priority list.
Change your attitude:
Color of the world is the color of the glasses you are looking through. Change your attitude & the world around you will change. If you are happy, the world will appear to be happy. If you are sad, the world will appear to be gloomy. It is always a fun to work with a person who has a positive attitude towards life. With the right attitude, you can be an inspiration for the people around you & can motivate them to work harder to achieve your goals.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to change your attitude.
Take adequate rest:
Get sufficient rest both physically & mentally. Can you concentrate when you come home in the evening especially after a hectic day? Nope. There is no superman in reality. We are all humans & we need rest. A change is equally welcome. Spend some quality time with your family members & children. Call a friend you have not spoken to for days. The feeling of caring for somebody & getting the feeling of being cared for in return, will help you recover faster.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to take adequate rest.
Be patient:
Starting with a bang is a good idea if you have heaps of surplus money to spend. Better to plan your strategy & implement it step by step. Success doesn’t come overnight. It requires your planned & sustained hard work. Make addition or changes to your strategic plan as you progress or learn from your mistakes. Doing things in a hurry makes you prone to mistakes. And worse you may have to go through it all again to correct the mistake & make it straight again.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to be patient.
Shape up:
Are you overweight? Do you start panting as your colleague rushes upstairs by you? Do you find it difficult to get into your car quickly or bend forward & tie your shoe less? If yes, then probably you are. Overweight can occur because of multiple causes including physical, mental, social & psychological. Get hold of a dietitian or nutritionist & chart out a treatment plan customized to your needs. Shed those extra pounds of lard & feel the difference.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to shape up.
Break the routine:
Are you bored of the routine? Going to office everyday, 9 to 5 job, coming back home, watch TV & sleep. You can break the routine without “actually” breaking it. Change your dressing style, change your route to office or change the news paper you read. You can talk to a new colleague everyday or offer him a cup of coffee, especially the people who work under you. The information you get can prove quite valuable sometimes!
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to break the routine.
Respect others:
Give respect, take respect. Respect people around you & their opinions, too. Seniors are valuable for their experience, juniors for their enthusiasm & colleagues for their help & support. Everybody has a unique way of doing things. They are right from their own point of view. Tell them what is required of them & what is not. Making a point does not necessarily mean insulting others opinions. Be firm but polite. As you saw, so shall you reap.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to respect others.
Accept your fear:
There are times in life when one needs to be strong & take out all his reserve energy to counter the situation at hand. We always say “I am a strong man/woman.” but find ourselves not just contrary to this but actually shaking with fear at the thought of danger. One is then bound to look down on oneself & blame one’s self for the whole situation; just to deteriorate the things further. Don’t suppress your emotions. They are known to cause psychological conflicts in future. Let the steam go off. We are not supermen & superwomen. We are just human beings. Accept that.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to accept your fear.
Focus on the bright side:
Look to the bright side of life. Don’t ponder over the mishaps & its consequences. Think of it this way: It could have been worse. Accept the mishaps in life. Take them as challenges to make better out of your life. It will enable you to deal better with your life. Don’t blow them like a balloon & pity yourself. The life is calling you. You are much more worth than you think you are.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to focus on the bright side.
Think of the present situation:
Do I need to explain you further? The very thing that you are reading this means probably you have come back to normal. You are in a plus situation. You really are. You can reduce your anxiety by focusing on the things that you can do NOW rather than focusing on ‘imagined’ calamities that could occur in future. Please emphasize the fact that what has happened is permanent. It cannot be altered. It’s difficult to accept but true. And stop worrying about it. It won’t help either.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to think of the present situation.
Realize your inner strength:
All the emotions are created deep in the human mind. A bad situation may be made worse by looking at its negative side. You are responsible for your emotions. It is the way you look at this mishap that will determine your reaction to it. If negative emotions predominate, you will feel depressed. If positive feelings predominate, you will be able to withstand the physical & mental damage courageously. Needless to say, you will recuperate faster and to near normal as possible.
To lead a Stress Free Life, you are going to realize your inner strength.
~ Kiran Paranjape
