success

How to Feel Confident at Work

By in Living Well Tags: , ,

Confident_Employee

Confidence is a great quality. Confident employees tend to feel positive about their work and motivated to get things done. They trust in their own abilities. They’re productive and successful.

Confidence is something that you can build over time. And there are a lot of things that can boost your confidence. For instance, gaining relevant work experience, earning your coworkers’ respect, and receiving positive feedback are all things that can make you feel confident about your skills and abilities.

But according to author Sammi Caramela, there are also “confidence killers” that can bring you down and cause you to question your strengths. Here is a list of those confidence killers, and some tips on how to overcome them:

  • Being a perfectionist – It’s great that you take pride in your work and want to do a good job. But in many cases (especially when working on team projects in which you don’t have full control over the end product), it’s simply not possible to be perfect. So being a perfectionist can be incredibly stressful and make you feel terrible if you miss the mark. To avoid this problem, try to remind yourself that you don’t need to be perfect – you simply need to do your best. And your best work is something to be proud of.
  • Having a micromanaging manager – Micromanaging managers can make you feel like you’re not doing your job properly. They’re so involved in every detail of your work that they can make you start to question your skills. To avoid this confidence killer, try to remind yourself that micromanaging managers behave this way with all of their employees. You’re not being singled out, and the quality of your work is not being called into question.
  • Feeling disengaged – If you feel disengaged at work, it might be because you’re being asked to do work that doesn’t take advantage of your strengths or perhaps you never received the proper training. This can cause your confidence to drop. To stop this from happening, try talking to your manager about taking on projects that would play to your strengths. And if possible, try to get additional training, which would really help to boost your skills and confidence.
  • Being frightened of making a mistake – If you’re afraid of making a mistake, you’re probably going to avoid taking on challenging projects. So you won’t feel confident in your abilities because you’ll never have the chance to try something different and learn something new. To combat this, start small. Take on a new task that’s a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Once you realize that you can accomplish it, you’ll be ready to take on new challenges and you’ll have much more confidence in your abilities. And remember – even if a project doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned, it’s still a success if you learned from it.
  • Having critical coworkers – Try not to let critical coworkers bring you down. Do your best to be civil so you can continue to work together. Always be fair, polite, respectful, and professional. It’s OK if you don’t have (or want) a close relationship with certain coworkers. But don’t waste your energy being angry, and don’t let negative coworkers chip away at your confidence. Try not to take their comments personally.

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Caramela, S. (2018, June 26). 5 workplace confidence killers and how to beat them. Business News Daily. Retrieved from: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7828-women-career-confidence.html

Use Your Vacation Time

By in Living Well Tags: , , , ,

Two beach chairs and colorful umbrella

Working Americans don’t tend to use all of their vacation days. A recent study indicated that more than half of Americans don’t use all of their time off.

These employees often report feeling stressed about the notion of taking time away from the office. They claim that they’re too busy with projects, things would fall apart at the office without them, or their bosses might think less of them.

In truth, however, research has shown that vacations generally have an extremely beneficial effect. People who use their vacation days tend to be more productive and successful – not less.

  • Vacations make you more energetic and motivated – Having time away from the office can help you to feel more energetic, enthusiastic, and motivated when you return. Having the opportunity to rest and relax will help you to be a more creative and productive employee.
  • Vacations help you to gain perspective – If you’re always bogged down in your everyday tasks and worries, you’ll never have the opportunity to reflect on your career and where it’s headed. Gaining a little perspective can help you to adjust your course, if needed.
  • Vacations help you to get ahead – When you return to the office after a vacation feeling relaxed, motivated, and energized, your boss will take notice. And that could make all the difference if you’re working towards a promotion.

So go ahead and use your vacation time! Not only will you get a much-needed break from the office, you’ll also be more productive, motivated, creative, and successful.

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Lastoe, S. (n.d.). Why taking all of your vacation days gets you ahead, according to career coaches. The Muse. Retrieved from: https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-taking-all-of-your-vacation-days-gets-you-ahead-according-to-career-coaches

New Year’s Resolutions That Will Make You More Successful at Work

By in Living Well Tags: , ,

Happy business woman reading document at office desktop

It’s a new year! That means it’s time for a fresh start. It’s also time to make some resolutions about things that you want to accomplish in 2020.

Everyone has their own personal goals. I’m going to try to eat a more healthy diet. I’d also like to learn more about landscaping so I can figure out how to revive my patchy, weedy front yard. (I think it’s going to be a real battle — those weeds are pretty hardy.)

But if your goal is to become happier and more successful at work, you’re in luck! Because according to author Frances Bridges, you can achieve this goal by making just a few simple New Year’s resolutions:

  • Try to be on time – If you’re the kind of person who tends to arrive late to work or meetings, make a greater effort to be on time. Your manager and coworkers will appreciate your punctuality, and view you in a more positive light.
  • Get organized – Clean up your desk, file those stacks of loose papers, update your calendar, and do whatever else is necessary to get yourself organized. You’ll feel more in control, and you’ll be more efficient and productive.
  • Get to know some new people – Networking is hard. But you should try to make an effort to meet some new people in your department or industry. Making new connections can really benefit you in the long run.
  • Ask for feedback – Whenever you finish a major project, ask your manager to give you a little feedback on your performance. It will help you to identify your strengths and the areas in which you may need a little improvement.
  • Learn new things – Learn how to use a new type of software or read an article about new advancements in your field. The more you know, the more effective you’ll be.
  • Reduce your stress – When things get tense at work, take a short break and try to relax. Go for a walk outside, chat with a coworker, or just step away from your desk and take a few deep breaths. Do what you need to do to look after yourself and reduce your level of stress.
  • Let things go –Even if you’re feeling angry with someone at work, try to let it go. Holding a grudge is exhausting, and it will make your work life less satisfying and more stressful. Life is just easier when everyone gets along.

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Bridges, F. (2018, December 17). The ten best New Year’s resolutions for your career. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2018/12/07/the-10-best-new-years-resolutions-for-your-career/#65f571864d6d

The Best Way to Cope With a Challenging Situation

By in Living Well Tags: , , ,

Desperate businesswoman worried in office

When you’re faced with a challenging situation at work and it’s causing you a lot of stress, how do you cope with it? I think a lot of people try to distract themselves from the thing that’s causing them stress. They might take a walk, chat with coworkers, or watch a few cat videos. And there’s nothing wrong with engaging in these types of stress-relieving activities! (Research has actually shown that cat videos can be very soothing!)

But investigators have discovered that trying to distract yourself is actually not the most effective way to deal with a challenging situation. Here are a few techniques that were found to work much better:

  • Think about how great you’ll feel once you’ve conquered this challenge – This can motivate you to try to tackle the situation and get it done.
  • Think about the fact that it will all be over with soon – If you’re dreading an upcoming meeting or stressful event, you’ll be able to handle it better if you keep reminding yourself that it will be over before you know it!
  • Keep track of your progress – Try to chip away at the challenge and keep track of what you’re accomplishing. It can help to boost your mood and make the task seem less daunting.
  • Try to stay positive – Try to maintain a positive attitude! It can help to alleviate the stress that you’re feeling and make the challenging task a little easier to accomplish.

Good luck! And remember, you’re going to feel wonderful once it’s all over with!

 

Jarrett, C. (2019, January 14). Study identifies the most effective mental strategies that people use to get through aversive challenges. Research Digest. Retrieved from: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/01/14/study-identifies-the-most-effective-mental-strategies-that-people-use-to-get-through-aversive-challenges/

Things to Do in the Morning That Can Make You More Successful

By in Learning, Living Well Tags: , ,

Waking_Up

Forbes magazine recently published an article about the seven things that wildly successful people do every morning. Now I’ve had my share of successes in life, but I don’t think I can describe myself as “wildly successful.” I think you’d have to have some sort of beachfront estate and maybe an exotic pet to make that claim.

So if you’re like me, and you’re only moderately successful, perhaps you can benefit from these suggestions. Here’s a quick overview of what super-successful people do during their morning routines:

  • They drink lemon water. Lemon apparently provides physical and mental energy. The article cautions that you should always mix it with water because straight lemon juice is hard on your teeth.
  • They get some exercise. They get up very early and get moving. This doesn’t sound very appealing to me, but studies have shown that exercising first thing in the morning can improve your mood and increase your level of energy.
  • They don’t do work. They don’t immediately start looking at their work emails. Instead, they take some time to do something positive and non-work related – like exercising, maybe!
  • They have a healthy breakfast. So no Pop-Tarts. Studies have indicated that eating a healthy breakfast can help to you to concentrate, enhance your memory, and make you feel more energetic. It can also help you to feel fuller, longer.
  • They engage in mindful meditation. It’s believed that this practice helps to reduce stress, and boost creativity and productivity.
  • They decide what they want to accomplish that day. They get very specific about their goals for the day, and later they feel good when they get those things accomplished.
  • They say “no.” The article doesn’t really make it clear who these people are saying “no” to first thing in the morning. But I think the gist of it is that when people ask you to take on more than you can manage, you need to be able to say “no.” It’s important for your mental and physical health.

So there you go. Do these things, and success will certainly follow. Your beachfront estate awaits!

 

Bradberry, T. (2016, October 18). 7 things wildly successful people do before 7:30 a.m. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/10/18/7-things-wildly-successful-people-do-before-730-am/#796c7d633916

What Horror Movies Can Teach You About Work

By in Humor, Living Well Tags: ,

Horror_Movie2 1

I’ve watched a lot of horror movies over the years. And yes, most of them are pretty lousy. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn from them. I actually think they provide a lot of helpful information about how to succeed in the workplace!

Here’s just a sampling of what I’ve learned:

  • Pay attention to your intuition – Do you feel like something is going amiss on a project that you’re working on? Or do you feel like you really shouldn’t go into the basement of that creepy, abandoned cabin in the woods? Well, you should trust those feelings! If your intuition is telling you that something isn’t quite right, don’t ignore it. Do some investigating and adjust your course of action, if necessary.
  • When something goes wrong, don’t panic – If a client suddenly changes a deadline, or if your plan to defeat a vengeful ghost goes awry, try to stay calm. Panicking often causes people to make bad decisions. When something goes wrong, it’s best if you can tackle the issue calmly and rationally.
  • Hone your problem-solving skills – Who survives and thrives in tense situations? It’s the people who are good at solving problems! In order to be successful, you need to be able to adapt rapidly to change, exercise good judgment, and solve problems creatively and competently.
  • Work as a team – If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from horror movies, it’s that you and your friends/coworkers should stick together. You’re much more skilled, competent, and effective when you combine your talents and work as a cohesive team. Successful teams are empowering and productive. They make any task seem like it can be easily managed.
  • Think critically – When you’re presented with a complex, ambiguous problem, think things through carefully. After all, you don’t want to be the kind of person who pokes at a strange alien creature without even putting on a protective suit! (Things never go well for those kinds of people.) Take the time to gather, interpret, and evaluate information, and use it to make effective decisions.

Good luck! And if you have any additional horror movie-related tips, please feel free to share them in the Comments section below!