Personal Growth Cafe

In this day and age, we all just seem to get busier and busier. How many times have you said to yourself, “I wish there were more hours in the day?”

Is there some magic formula that can help you get more done each day? No, of course not!

But there are specific things you can do that will help you become more organized and efficient.

In return, you’ll get more time to do the things you always wish you had time for.

Not everyone has the natural ability to get organized and, for some of us, it takes a serious amount of effort and a lot of trial and error to develop organizational skills.

If you’re one of those who weren’t born with the instinctive sense of organization and time management, here are some tips to help you find more time in your day.

If one doesn’t work, simply try another until you find the ones that fit best with your personality and lifestyle.

1. Plan & Schedule Your Day

This seems rather simple, but seeing everything on paper can help you feel in control.

Instead of letting an entire day get away from you and feeling like you’ve accomplished nothing, planning will put some order and structure into your day.

Use a family calendar or personal planner to organize your errands and appointments.

2. Write a Daily To-Do List

Put the most important tasks at the top of your list and get them done first, that way there’s no last minute rushing around.

The majority of your time and energy should be spent on accomplishing these important tasks.

Keep your lists a reasonable length so you’ll feel productive crossing off completed tasks.

3. Don’t Waste Time on Nonessential Tasks

As humans, our tendency is to do the easy jobs first, but these quick and simple jobs may not be as necessary as you once thought.

Before setting your mind to do something, ask yourself “Will this help me reach my ultimate goals or will it keep me from them?”

Cut down your time on unimportant tasks and use those minutes to do something fun for yourself.

4. Delegate Tasks

Delegation isn’t about “passing the buck,” it’s realizing that you can’t do everything by yourself. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it.

Delegate chores to your family or hire professionals.

5. Break Large Tasks Down into Smaller Jobs

This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed. Just focus on each small job, one at a time, instead of trying to paint the whole canvas at once.

Need to reorganize your kitchen or basement? Start in one little corner and focus your attention there until it’s clean and organized.

6. Limit Distractions

I know this can be hard, but if at all possible turn off the phone and close your email program. Simply focus on the task at hand without constant interruptions.

Schedule your most important tasks at a time that offers the fewest disruptions.

7. Live a Healthy Lifestyle

This may seem out of place in this list, but studies show that people who eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep have more energy to accomplish more during the day. The quality of your work will also improve when you feel healthy.

You don’t need to start a strict training regimen to regain your energy. You’ll see changes quickly by just making simple dietary changes and walking everyday.

8. Take Breaks

When you start to feel too stressed out, get up and take a little walk or do some stretches. When you’re stressed about something your energy isn’t being used on productive work. Instead you become scattered and un-focused.

A well-timed break can actually help you do more in a shorter amount of time.

9. Keep a diary of how you spend your time for several days.

By simply writing down how you spend the minutes in your day, you can re-evaluate the way you do things. Maybe there’s a way you can cut some minutes here and there to allow more flexibility in your schedule.

Effective time management is a key principle to a less stressful life.

Making some simple changes in the way you manage your time can have a huge impact on your overall well-being. So go get started!

How can effective time management impact your daily activities?

What are things you are unable to do because you feel you lack the time to do it?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Also, as your gift for taking this to heart – and this is profoundly important… to us ALL – go to UnitingPlanetEarth.com/ignition/ and do the Uniting Planet Earth 7-Day Quick-Start Ignition Program… and Allow it to Transform Your Life.

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July 3, 2018January 8, 2018

Every exit is an entry somewhere. – Tom Stoppard

July 3, 2018January 8, 2018

Gain Strength by Learning How to Overcome Failure

A few years back, Disney released an animated movie called “Meet the Robinsons” that had such a deep impact and meaning.

The point of the story is to celebrate each failure you have because it gives you the opportunity to try again.

Most people make the mistake in thinking that, just because they failed at something, they should just move on.

Or, if they failed it meant they were never meant to succeed at it. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

When you’re trying to accomplish something, failure is actually the best thing that can happen to you.

Seriously! Do you think the light bulb was invented the first time around?

No! In fact, Thomas Edison took thousands of tries to get it just right!

What about the first wheel or the telephone?

Of course it takes multiple tries by multiple people to reach success, but the key point to remember is that you have to fail in order to know that you’ve succeeded.

Real Life Examples of Failure

Think of a toddler learning how to walk.

Although they give a fair share of tantrums during the learning stages, they pull themselves up after each fall and try to walk again.

Instinctively they’re teaching themselves how to perfect the movement all based on their past mistakes or failures. It’s a trial and error process!

People struggling with weight loss often feel like failures when they gain weight while dieting.

Keeping a weight loss journal can help them track their progress and learn to recognize what triggers them to fail.

Perhaps there are emotional or physical triggers that can be prevented.

Learning from these mistakes will teach them how to combat those same problems in the future.

There is another benefit to failing: failure opens doors that will allow you to find out what you’re really destined to do.

This happens in college all the time.

How You Found Yourself Through Experience

Certainly you know at least one person who went to college with the intent of getting one degree and as they went through their course work, having their successes and failures, they discovered a new career interest and changed their major.

Think of a student who went to college to become a nurse but soon realized what they really enjoy is teaching.

The whole reason they were going into nursing was to help educate people to improve their lives and they found the best way to do that is not as a nurse, but as a teacher.

There’s nothing wrong with that!

As long as you’re able to learn from your “mistakes,” then they’re not mistakes at all – they are opportunities for success!

There’s always something to learn from each and every situation and once you understand the lesson, it will make you a better person.

Become Stronger and Wiser

Failure makes you a stronger person. Imagine what it would be like if everything you did always went your way.

Imagine that you were successful at everything you attempted your whole life and then one day it happened… you failed!

You failed so badly that it caused you to lose everything.

How in the world would you deal with that failure if you’ve never had to overcome an obstacle before?

Failing allows you to become more resilient so you can always figure out a way to move forward.

The first wheel may have been square and it moved, but it was wobbly and eventually fell over, but the inventors never gave up!

They began to figure out how to make it rounder so it would roll smoothly. You can do the same in your life!

You can’t give up, you have to pick yourself up and figure out a way to roll forward, stronger than ever!

How can failures cause you to become weak?

Have you experienced finding strength in a failure you encountered?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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July 2, 2018January 8, 2018

A person’s worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves. – Jean De La Bruyere

July 2, 2018January 8, 2018

Giving Thanks for Your Life

When was the last time you said thank you for being alive?

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

Well, if you barely have time to appreciate what you have, how can you ever desire anything more?

We all have something to be thankful for, even those who live a modest lifestyle by choice or by circumstance.

Focusing on material possessions, rather than on the very fact that we’re living and breathing, tend to make us forgetful of the greater gifts, such as our families and our health.

Life is a miracle and can be taken away in a moment’s notice.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are many ways you can show your appreciation for your life.

5 Ways to Express Your Gratitude

Sometimes showing your gratitude can be as simple as saying “thanks,” but other times you can show gratitude by helping others, or “paying it forward.”

After all, you’ll never know how a simple, kind gesture will affect someone’s day.

Here are some ideas to help you appreciate life while also helping others:

1. Reach out to your extended family and friends.

Send them cards just to say “Hi,” call or email them, or even throw a party to reconnect and show these people they’re important to you.

2. Reflect about your childhood and ancestors. Write a poem, essay, or short story about your life.

What sacrifices did your parents make for you?

What struggles did the family endure?

How is your life better or easier than that of your great-grandparents?

How did these events make you the person you are today?

3. Meditate, pray, or go to your place of worship. Find a quiet place to think about all that’s good – your health, family, or home – and simply say “thank you” to your Creator.

4. Reconnect with your spouse and children. Actions speak louder than words so turn off that television and spend some quality time with your family just to have some fun!

Whether it’s a surprise getaway or a family game night, renewing your relationships with your family will strengthen your bond and bring you closer together.

5. Keep a gratitude journal. Write down all the things you’re grateful for in your life and reflect on all that is good.

Even the simplest things – such as finding a parking space at the mall or locating your missing keys – are times to be grateful!

When You Need a Wake Up Call

Sometimes it’s all too easy to engage in these activities and give thanks for a good life, yet over time, we somehow fall back into our old habits.

In these times, we need a jolt to remind ourselves of all that is good.

Spend a few hours a week volunteering at a hospital, nursing home, or soup kitchen.

Take a good look at the people you’re helping, listen to their stories, and be grateful that you’re fortunate enough to help those in need.

Giving IS Receiving

When you give of yourself – either with a smile or another kind gesture – you receive the warm satisfaction of helping to make a difference in the world, one person at a time.

Your uplifting attitude will be contagious and you just might be the recipient of a random act of kindness!

How can gratitude affect the way you face every day?

How can gratitude help you grow to be a better person?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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July 1, 2018January 8, 2018

Talent is God given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful. – John Wooden

July 1, 2018January 8, 2018

How To Be Grateful in Times of Need

It’s not always easy to find the goodness in life, especially when money is tight and you’re faced with worries about your job or family.

These worries can often cloud your whole mind, bring your mood down, and affect your overall quality of life.

If you feel like you’re being followed by the ominous black cloud of bad luck, then it’s time to find something to be grateful for in your life.

Remind Yourself About What’s Going Right

If you’re plagued by negative thoughts, find a quiet place, grab a pen and paper and make a list of answers to this question: What do I have to be grateful for in my life?

Start your list with the most obvious things, your health and family.

Do you have a car?

A home?

Clothes on your back?

Food on the table?

You don’t have to have the fanciest or the most expensive items for you to be grateful.

Even if you buy your clothes at Goodwill, at least you’re clothed and warm.

A used car in good condition will get you to work just as easily as a brand new car.

Don’t forget to give thanks for the small things in life, such as finding the car keys in time to get to work or getting a restful night sleep before an important day.

You can also try to sit quietly in a room and meditate on your life and things you want to improve on.

Appreciating what you already have in life will free you to make the changes you desire.

Being Grateful In Spite of Setbacks

There’s no denying that you will suffer setbacks in life. It’s a fact of life!

While it may be difficult to be grateful during these times, it’s important to remember that good can come from difficult situations.

For example, if you’ve recently lost your job, be grateful for the skills you have.

With your skills, experience, and the knowledge you possess, you may end up finding a more fulfilling job that gives you more money or more responsibility while being closer to home.

As strange as it may sound in the moment of despair, try to be grateful during difficult times because, as one door closes, another opens the way to new opportunities.

After all, you can’t find bright new possibilities in your life if you don’t experience a setback at one point or another.

Be Thankful For Life’s Setbacks

Setbacks are there to challenge you to be better, stronger, faster, and wiser.

The true test of your attitude is to be thankful for the obstacle ahead of you (even if you don’t understand why it exists in the first place), then push forward, stronger than ever.

Why should you be thankful?

Because with each challenge you overcome, you gain the wisdom and courage to succeed the next time around.

And if it weren’t for each and every challenge in your life, you’d never learn and grow!

Being grateful everyday will help you lift that overbearing black cloud that can be so stifling.

You’ll begin realize that life is good and you can make it through anything. After all, good things come to those who wait!

What are you thankful for in life?

How has your countless blessings affected the way you life your life?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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June 30, 2018January 8, 2018

I put on my calm hat when I evaluate sticky situations.

To fully recognize and analyze a situation I need to remain calm and gather my serenity.

When life throws me little trials along the way, I am able to remain calm and enjoy the peace that is mine.

Using specific tools that teach me to be calm allows me to let go of the need to panic or fall apart in difficult situations.

Calm is something I can choose to be. I am strong enough to build up my stores of serenity for surprise situations.

I have a special tank within me. I can choose to fill this tank and keep it filled or I can choose to let it become empty.

This special tank is my serenity tank and when it is full I can enjoy calmness in any situation. I can draw from my serenity tank when I need it.

I fill my tank with positive energy from daily relaxation and meditation and by maintaining a healthy body and mind.

If I neglect my physical and emotional needs, allow negative energy into my life, or become too stressed, I deplete my serenity tank.

Today, I will add to my serenity tank for the times that I may need to draw from it. I will release stress that builds up in my day.

I will exercise, eat healthy foods, and fill my day with positive energy. When a sticky situation arises I will draw from my serenity tank and put on my hat of calmness.

How have you added to your serenity tank today?

How have you set yourself up for success if there is a sticky situation?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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June 29, 2018January 8, 2018

Posts

An hour of relaxation a day helps to keep my doctor at bay.

Find More Time with These 9 Time Management Strategies

Every exit is an entry somewhere. – Tom Stoppard

Gain Strength by Learning How to Overcome Failure

A person’s worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves. – Jean De La Bruyere

Giving Thanks for Your Life

Talent is God given, be humble. Fame is man-given, be grateful. Conceit is self-given, be careful. – John Wooden

How To Be Grateful in Times of Need

I put on my calm hat when I evaluate sticky situations.

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – George Bernard Shaw