Turn Adversity into an Advantage

If the flame of our passion is the size of that of a candle, even a mild breeze could put it out; but if it is as big as a bonfire, the strongest wind just makes it burn even brighter.

Just as a quote by Marcus Aurelius put it: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

No matter how many times our actions were obstructed, nothing can really stand in our way if we can keep our intention and disposition. We can adapt, and overcome, turning the obstacle into the fuel that may propel us.

As we move towards the fulfillment of our goals, setbacks and problems will always be there, but they are never permanent; and if we look at them the right way, we will see that they are nothing but an opportunity to practice virtues such as patience, courage, humility, resourcefulness, and creativity.

The basis for such a discipline relies upon the concepts of Perception, Action, and Will

Perception

This is the way we see and give meaning to those events happening around us. Our perceptions can be a source of encouragement and confidence, or they could provide us with great pain and weakness.

If we decide to become emotional, subjective or shortsighted, we would only make ourselves miserable by reacting to our fear of a temporary condition, and to the doom we project into the future.

Instead, we must filter out our prejudice, expectation, and fear; remain calm and imperturbable as we see things just as they really are. From that objective perspective, we can focus on the future we want to create.

Action

Some years ago I heard some movie villain apologizing to another for being late saying he “was wasting time confusing motion with accomplishment”.

What a great concept. When faced with a setback, we tend to react with any kind action; usually misdirected and unplanned. If action is required, it should be effective, well directed, and executed with persistence and flexibility –in other words, creative application, not brute force.

Will

Will is the internal fuel that moves us; it can never be affected by any outside events. It’s our ultimate resource.

When everything seems to be going down, we can turn it into learning or humbling experience, and a chance to provide comfort to others.

We have to be prepared to accept adversity and chaos, and practice acceptance and cheerfulness even in the face of our darkest moments.

Most people think will is the way we strenuously hold onto something when actually it has a lot more to do with surrender yourself to a situation.
True will has to do with quiet humility, resilience, and flexibility under the hardest obstacles.

The roads of our lives are filled with obstacles, and we will be constantly tested. We must prove ourselves worthy of the challenge; so let’s stand up and show what we’re really made of.

Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca

Your Words can Change your Life

Words can be a simple but powerful tool to immediately change the quality of your life; both for the better or for the worse.

It might seem a far-out concept, but language can actually shape our behavior, and consequently, our lives; even those we say to ourselves and those inside our mind).

Each word we use is imbued with our own meaning and emotional charge. The right words spoken in the right way can bring us love, money, and respect; while the wrong words can get create a world of fear, anger, and suffering.

It’s important to carefully evaluate the words we tend to use in a constant way because they tend to shape our experiences regarding the situation we’re describing.

Words can transform our emotions, and shape the course of our destiny.  Beliefs are created by words, and they can also be changed by them.

They provide the vehicle for expressing and sharing our experiences with others, but the words we choose also affect how we communicate with ourselves, and what we end up experiencing every given moment.

We also tend to respond to other people’s words; they have an emotional impact on us.

For example, if someone tells us “I think you’re mistaken”, or perhaps “I think you’re wrong”. Our biochemical response is going to be different; and even more if we hear “you’re lying!”

The same thing happens with the words we use within ourselves, but we tend to not realize its impact consciously.

How many times have we said something like “he stabbed me in the back!”; although it’s hardly the case.

Coming upon an unexpected inconvenience, we sometimes overreact with internal or external expressions like “I’m pissed off!”… 

In both cases, this word choice leads us to an enraged state, it actually worsens our condition and ability to deal with the situation.

What if, instead of adding fuel to the fire with words like “I’m devastated”, we purposely de-escalate this situation with a wiser choice of words; ones that convey the same meaning, but that has a comical connotation to us, like “it’s beginning to peeve me”…

I bet it put a slight smile on your face just by reading it…

We can also use this trick to enhance an already good situation; for instance, next time you feel good about something, instead of saying “I’m pleased”, why not try “I’m ecstatic!”?

Whatever words you hold in your mind and use on a consistent basis will directly shape your thoughts, which in turn will shape your actions, which in turn will shape your entire destiny.

Give it a try.
Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca

Hack into your Procrastination

Everyone can fall into the procrastinating trap, delaying important tasks when you feel overwhelmed and stressed out.

Pushing yourself to take action might seem like a good idea at first, but in the end it’s no better than telling a depressed person to just “cheer up”.

Instead of just fighting against it, what you need is a specific process that works with each individual psychology.

Hacking into your procrastination tendency can help you to bypass any internal resistance and get yourself to take action almost naturally.

This process only takes about 10 to 30 seconds to implement, and –if used correctly- is guaranteed to succeed.

So, how does this work?
Easy; but first, let’s get into common ground.

We use the term “chunk” to define a small step into the direction of getting your big goal done. It is something so small that, even if you’re really busted, you can easily say “yes” to doing it.

With that in mind, just ask “Can I just … (insert your “chunk” here)?

For instance, let’s say you’ve been pushing off cleaning your house for some time now. You can ask yourself “Can I just take two minutes and clean up my desk?”

Clean up your desk is your chunk in this example.

Apparently, it doesn’t sound like much; I mean, it’s just the desk… but once you start, you will notice an internal shift stepping into action, and you will get more motivated to keep going.

This happens because momentum generates real motivation, which in turn gets you to ask “Can I do a little more now?”.

As we looked into procrastination, we identified 4 powerful drivers: fear, overwhelm, uncertainty, and perfectionism.

Let’s look at them individually now, and find out how to overcome them.

Overcoming Fear

The best way to overcome your fears is to face them head on, exposing yourself to them, but starting in a safe environment.

For example, if you are afraid of public speaking, you may start by asking a group of close friends to your home and give a speech in front of them.

It’s all about going one step at the time. Don’t break out of your comfort zone; stretch it gradually until you get out.

Overcoming Overwhelm

It’s very important to dream big and find inspiration. But when we focus only on the whole picture, we get intimidated and overwhelmed.

This is why it’s so important to break big goals into smaller action steps (or chunks) and prioritize them.

By focusing on just one or two priorities at a time, you’re more likely to get effective on those, and get used to them before moving on to the others.

Overcoming Uncertainty

One thing that usually leads to procrastination is not knowing what to do next; not having a clear picture of our road ahead. But we can start taking steps and then use feedback to adjust our advancement until we get to our final destination.

Remember, you don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take one step at the time.

Overcoming Perfectionism

Nothing can be made perfect, so you need to focus on making it right instead. We all make mistakes, so we have to be ready for them, get them right the next time, and move on.

Make a commitment to yourself, set up some specific amount of time, and work on your task. Great work, lousy work; it doesn’t matter for now.
Ironically, once you remove the pressure to be perfect, your work flows freely, giving space for creative expression. Then you can go back and review it with an improvement mindset.

This process is a great way to hack into your procrastination tendencies. When you start applying it, you may notice that momentum building and an inner transformation.

The key is to get started today.

Commit to something you’re guaranteed to easily say YES to, pick your first “chunk”, and start moving forward one step at the time towards your biggest breakthroughs.

Stay strong!

One of the core values we have as a company is to inspire and empower people in all aspects of their lives. Additionally, if you want to read about our Custom Software Solutions and Consulting Services, please visit www.isucorp.ca