20 Stress Management Tips for Peak Performance

The long-term affects of prolonged stress are accumulative and can be physically and mentally damaging over time. Stress manifests in the body as TMJ / teeth grinding, tension headaches, neck / shoulder pain and lower back pain. Here are several practical ideas that you can use to help you dramatically reduce your stress level and live a much more productive life. Remember, take care of yourself so you can be the best for your clients.

1. Get plenty of sleep.
2. Eat balanced meals and avoid eating junk food.
3. Drink plenty of water and avoid nicotine, excessive caffeine and other stimulants.
4. Avoid drinking alcohol in excess.
5. Learn to make decisions quickly and let go of the need to over-analyze everything.
6. Express your feelings appropriately and don’t bottle up your emotions.
7. Avoid trying for perfection and don’t sweat the small stuff.
8. Maintain a positive mental attitude by utilizing affirmative “self-talk.”
9. Stop worrying so much and look at situations more optimistically.
10. Smile and laugh frequently throughout the day, don’t take yourself so seriously.
11. Mix leisure with work: take breaks and get away when you can.
12. Make a point to spend quality time with your friends and family.
13. Become more tolerant and don’t be overly critical of yourself or others.
14. Always be kind and gentle with yourself.
15. Listen to upbeat music or watch your favorite movie.
16. Exercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a week.
17. Set written goals, plan your time and prioritize your activates.
18. Keep list of “things to do” and stay focused on short-term accomplishments.
19. Get a massage or take a warm bath.
20. Do something nice for someone else.

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Back to School - for You Too!

It’s the Beginning.
The beginning of the school year, the beginning of fall. The kids have their backpacks packed, your college students have moved into dorms, registered for classes, hit the books.

What about you? I’m reminded at this new school year, as my own kids open their new books, and don their highlighters and pencils, that I too, need to re-commit to reading a new book. Now is not the time for summer reading, as my wife likes to do.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Is your brain asking you this question? It’s time to feed your brain. Once you land that job, attract a new client, complete that report, don’t get comfortable. Even though classroom learning may be over for now, your necessity to learn and grow doesn’t stop. No matter what your age, you should continue expanding your knowledge and your value for your company. In these changing times your ability to contribute and be creative equals value and therefore – compensation.

It’s time to hit the books.

Never stop reading. Never Stop learning.

The last three books I’ve read:
Goals, by Brian Tracy

Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan

Raising a Modern Day Knight, by Robert Lewis

What are you reading or what have you recently read?

Ready, Fire, Aim

No, that’s not a typo!
You have a plan, maybe you wrote out your goals on January 1st, 2010. New decade, new goals,new you. You wrote your long term and short term goals, where you wanted to be in a year, month to month benchmarks, the works, and are tweaking it as you go along.

Failure to Launch...
After I get this started, or once I have this much in the bank or if my spouse starts helping more…what has delayed your plans?

Do Something…
The time to Act in NOW! Some of us have the propensity to plan, plan, plan, waiting for the conditions to become just right before we move towards our goals. This stagnancy can gunk up the flow of action, leaving us floating in a pond of scum. Sometimes we over-think a situation. Yes, by all means, plan your financial strategy and in the meantime, listen to a webinar. Take a class, read a book or talk to 5 new people while working your plan.

Some of us have tendency to act first, think second. This may not be a bad strategy – moving in a forward direction, not waiting for all of the planets to align before commencing activity. Your attitude of ‘Do Something Today,’ can propel your activity, leading you one step closer to success. Attitude, Activity, Success. Don’t wait, Act Now.