This Choice Will Determine Your Day

It’s cold.Your feet hurt.You could get away with a little more sleep.

This is the choice.

You can either start your day by conquering your first challenge or you can hit the snooze button.You can either start your day with a small win or you can lead with an act of procrastination.Your call.Just remember that your brain is getting better at whatever it’s doing right now.

“We are what we continually do.”- Aristotle

2 Minute Action

Pick something small to conquer today.It will only take 2 minutes so you can do it right now.There is no way to procrastinate or make excuses.Everyone has 2 minutes.Here are some ideas:A phone call to your mom.A thank you note to your employer.A text to let your partner know you’re thinking of them.It should be small—but know that it will almost always make a bigger impact than you expect.

What is Imposter Syndrome And How Do I Make It Go Away?

Something I've often felt when entering a new job or a new field is the fear of being a fraud.As if I were really three golden retrievers stacked up in a trench coat and someone was going to notice.The interesting truth is that it's pretty common and it's completely unfounded.

Here's everything you need to know about Imposter Syndrome:

1 - It’s totally normal.

This is part of growing as a person, learning, and stretching your abilities.The feeling comes from not accepting your successesEver get a compliment and shrug it off as a fluke, or something that just happened without you really trying? Here’s where it comes from. The more you start to give yourself credit for your accomplishments and successes, instead of just environmental factors, the more you’ll build an immunity to this feeling.

2 - Friends and Family don’t always help

Research is finding that many of those who experience Imposter Syndrome come from families where achievement is highly valued and pressurized.

3 - Brace yourself for new endeavors

Imposter Syndrome also pops up in people who are at the start of a new venture. It’s going to be easier to handle this feeling when you can expect it, label it, and realize that it’s not going to last forever.

4 - Perfectionist? Procrastinator?

You guessed it, that doesn’t help either. This is a real challenge. Here’s one way I got over being a perfectionist:

1. Realize what your goal really is
2. Decide what you can really do to get there
3. Make a commitment to relentless forward progress - no matter your speed.

Here are some things you can do about it:

1 - All alone?

This is no good for anyone since social relationships make such a broad impact on so many parts of our psychology. It’s no different here. Get a mentor. Actually, get 3 mentors.If you can find 3 people in your life that you can call for a half hour, once a month, and be honest and candid with you, you’re going to have a much easier time adjusting.

2 - Realize how much you actually do.

One of the things that a mentor told me when I was experiencing this for the first time was: make a list of all the things you do. Go ahead, pop open  your notepad and work on it for a few days. You’ll be shocked at how long that list starts to get with all of your talents and successes.

3 - Be freaking nicer to yourself.

This is probably the most difficult challenge I’ve faced.I mean, it’s those who are never satisfied who make the biggest change and impact in the world, right?Well, maybe some of them do, but there are plenty of people who do it without this philosophy. In fact, when you think about it, never being satisfied with your progress just seems like a great way to . . . never be satisfied.Not exactly a shortcut to happiness, is it?Give yourself time, forgive yourself for imperfections, and talk to others who’ve been through tough times before. You’ll be amazed at what this will do for your psyche, your productivity, and your happiness.

2 Minute Action:

You have 2 minutes to do one of these things:

• Set up a call with a mentor
• Write down 5 good things a close friend would say about you.
• Look yourself in the mirror and say "I forgive you for not being perfect."

You've only got the rest of your life left.Let's go.

Read This If You Feel Guilty Taking Breaks

You know the feeling.You should have been working.You might have a deadline, you might not, but you're somehow still just plain guilty.And I'm sure you've heard the pitch that "taking a break is good for productivity!"Just look at the Pomodoro technique, which advises 25-minute bursts of activity before taking 3-5 minute breaks.And sometimes that's true. Most people have about 3-4 hours of highly focused attention and energy before they get fatigued and need to reset. There is huge variance here, so don't accept this number as the gold standard.Over time, like training in a gym, you can improve your number.You've probably also read stats somewhere claiming that the human attention span is about 8 seconds (compared to the 9 seconds of a goldfish,) and that it's shrinking probably due to our use of smart devices.

A Brief Aside:

. . . Please check your sources. Most of these claims come from a report from the Consumer Insights Team from Microsoft Canada who surveyed ~2,000 people in 2015. This is not an empirically based study, it hasn't been replicated, and there is no other body of evidence in the field support this. Just a public service reminder that not everything you read on the internet is verified.

So here's the answer:

I'm not going to tell you the same B.S.:

• "Listen to what your body needs."
• "Breaks help increase productivity."
• "Stop feeling guilty because it's actually good for you."

No.Feel guilty.You're allowed to feel however you're going to feel. That's how feelings work and that's the punchline.It's only after you let yourself experience the feeling of guilt that you can 1) forgive yourself for not being perfect and 2) decide if you want to be present and deliberately experience your time off or get back in the saddle and push yourself.There's no right or wrong answer here.You do have to go through it, though.

2 Minute Action:

When was a time you recently felt guilty about something?Overeating? Taking a nap? Procrastinating?Now ask yourself this . . .

• What would happen if you didn't beat yourself up?
• What would you say to a friend or family member who was going through this?
• What might your best friend advise you to do?

Try using these questions "in the moment" and see if you can better regulate your emotion and get your head back in the game whether that means pushing your limits or getting an extra REM cycle.It's up to you and there's no wrong answer.You're just responsible for learning.