HOW TO MANAGE YOUR EMOTIONS AT WORK PLACE

Everything can be taken from a man but the last of human freedoms – the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances, to choose one's way.

– Viktor Frankl, 'Man's Search for Meaning'

We've all been in one of 'those' situations before. You know... when your favorite project is cancelled after weeks of hard work; when a customer snaps at you unfairly; when your best friend (and co-worker) is laid off suddenly; or your boss assigns you more work when you're already overloaded.

In your personal life, your reaction to stressful situations like these might be to start shouting, or to go hide in a corner and feel sorry for yourself for a while. But at work, these types of behavior could seriously harm your professional reputation, as well as your productivity.

Stressful situations are all too common in a workplace that's facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become harder and harder to manage your emotions under these circumstances, but it's even more important for you to do so. After all, if management is forced into making more layoffs, they may choose to keep those who can handle their emotions, and work well under pressure. As the above quote shows, no matter what the situation is, you're always free to choose how you react to it.

So, how can you become better at handling your emotions, and 'choosing' your reactions to bad situations? In this blog, we look at the most common negative emotions experienced in the workplace – and how you can manage them productively.

Why are we focusing only on negative emotions? Well, most people don't need strategies for managing their positive emotions. After all, feelings of joy, excitement, compassion, or optimism usually don't affect others in a negative way. As long as you share positive emotions constructively and professionally, they're great to have in the workplace!

Common Negative Emotions at Work

In 1997, Bond University professor of management Cynthia Fisher conducted a study called 'Emotions at Work: What Do People Feel, and How Should We Measure It?'

According to Fisher's research, the most common negative emotions experienced in the workplace are as follows:

• Frustration/irritation.
• Worry/nervousness.
• Anger/aggravation.
• Dislike.
• Disappointment/unhappiness.

Below are different strategies you can use to help you deal with each of these negative emotions.

Frustration/Irritation

Frustration usually occurs when you feel stuck or trapped, or unable to move forward in some way. It could be caused by a colleague blocking your favorite project, a boss who is too disorganized to get to your meeting on time, or simply being on hold on the phone for a long time.

Whatever the reason, it's important to deal with feelings of frustration quickly, because they can easily lead to more negative emotions, such as anger.

Here are some suggestions for dealing with frustration:

• Stop and evaluate – One of the best things you can do is mentally stop yourself, and look at the situation. Ask yourself why you feel frustrated. Write it down, and be specific. Then think of one positive thing about your current situation. For instance, if your boss is late for your meeting, then you have more time to prepare. Or, you could use this time to relax a little.
• Find something positive about the situation – Thinking about a positive aspect of your situation often makes you look at things in a different way. This small change in your thinking can improve your mood. When it's people who are causing your frustration, they're probably not doing it deliberately to annoy you. And if it's a thing that's bothering you – well, it's certainly not personal! Don't get mad, just move on.
• Remember the last time you felt frustrated – The last time you were frustrated about something, the situation probably worked out just fine after a while, right? Your feelings of frustration or irritation probably didn't do much to solve the problem then, which means they're not doing anything for you right now.

Worry/Nervousness

With all the fear and anxiety that comes with increasing numbers of layoffs, it's no wonder that many people worry about their jobs. But this worry can easily get out of control, if you allow it, and this can impact not only your mental health, but also your productivity, and your willingness to take risks at work.

Try these tips to deal with worrying:

• Don't surround yourself with worry and anxiety – For example, if co-workers gather in the break room to gossip and talk about job cuts, then don't go there and worry with everyone else. Worrying tends to lead to more worrying, and that isn't good for anyone.
• Try deep-breathing exercises – This helps slow your breathing and your heart rate. Breathe in slowly for five seconds, then breathe out slowly for five seconds. Focus on your breathing, and nothing else. Do this at least five times
• Focus on how to improve the situation – If you fear being laid off, and you sit there and worry, that probably won't help you keep your job. Instead, why not brainstorm ways to bring in more business, and show how valuable you are to the company?
• Write down your worries in a worry log – If you find that worries are churning around inside your mind, write them down in a notebook or 'worry log,' and then schedule a time to deal with them. Before that time, you can forget about these worries, knowing that you'll deal with them. When it comes to the time you've scheduled, conduct a proper risk analysis around these things, and take whatever actions are necessary to mitigate any risks.

When you're worried and nervous about something, it can dent your self-confidence.

Anger/Aggravation

Out-of-control anger is perhaps the most destructive emotion that people experience in the workplace. It's also the emotion that most of us don't handle very well. If you have trouble managing your temper at work, then learning to control it is one of the best things you can do if you want to keep your job.

Try these suggestions to control your anger:

• Watch for early signs of anger – Only you know the danger signs when anger is building, so learn to recognize them when they begin. Stopping your anger early is key. Remember, you can choose how you react in a situation. Just because your first instinct is to become angry doesn't mean it's the correct response.
• If you start to get angry, stop what you're doing – Close your eyes, and practice the deep-breathing exercise we described earlier. This interrupts your angry thoughts, and it helps put you back on a more positive path.
• Picture yourself when you're angry – If you imagine how you look and behave while you're angry, it gives you some perspective on the situation. For instance, if you're about to shout at your co-worker, imagine how you would look. Is your face red? Are you waving your arms around? Would you want to work with someone like that? Probably not.

Dislike

We've probably all had to work with someone we don't like. But it's important to be professional, no matter what.

Here are some ideas for working with people you dislike:

• Be respectful – If you have to work with someone you don't get along with, then it's time to set aside your pride and ego. Treat the person with courtesy and respect, as you would treat anyone else. Just because this person behaves in an unprofessional manner, that doesn't mean you should as well.
• Be assertive – If the other person is rude and unprofessional, then firmly explain that you refuse to be treated that way, and calmly leave the situation. Remember, set the example.

Disappointment/Unhappiness

Dealing with disappointment or unhappiness at work can be difficult. Of all the emotions you might feel at work, these are the most likely to impact your productivity. If you've just suffered a major disappointment, your energy will probably be low, you might be afraid to take another risk, and all of that may hold you back from achieving.

Here are some proactive steps you can take to cope with disappointment and unhappiness:

• Look at your mindset – Take a moment to realize that things won't always go your way. If they did, life would be a straight road instead of one with hills and valleys, ups and downs, right? And it's the hills and valleys that often make life so interesting.
• Adjust your goal – If you're disappointed that you didn't reach a goal, that doesn't mean the goal is no longer reachable. Keep the goal, but make a small change – for example, delay the deadline..
• Record your thoughts – Write down exactly what is making you unhappy. Is it a co-worker? Is it your job? Do you have too much to do? Once you identify the problem, start brainstorming ways to solve it or work around it. Remember, you always have the power to change your situation.
• Smile! – Strange as it may sound, forcing a smile – or even a grimace – onto your face can often make you feel happy (this is one of the strange ways in which we humans are 'wired.') Try it – you may be surprised!

Key Points

We all have to deal with negative emotions at work sometimes, and learning how to cope with these feelings is now more important than ever. After all, negative emotions can spread, and no one wants to be around a person who adds negativity to a group.

Know what causes your negative emotions, and which types of feelings you face most often. When those emotions begin to appear, immediately start your strategy to interrupt the cycle. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to pull yourself away from negative thinking.

HOW TO FIND THE JOB YOU LOVE?

Is your new years resolution to find a new job? Congratulations, you’re not alone! According to statistics, around 15% of the population switch jobs annually. At any given time, over half of the workforce are more or less actively looking for new work.

This means that many, many people are facing an interesting question: How do I pick my next job? Which factors should matter? Which should I forget about?

Many make the decision based mostly on salary, titles and responsibilities. That’s a mistake.

Instead ask yourself this: Will your next job inspire you, energize you and allow you to do great work? Will you be working with nice, talented people and managers? Will your job help people out and make the world a better place?

In short, make sure that your next job is one that will make you happy at work. Here are the steps you should take to make sure that your next job will be just that amazingly great!

1: Decide to switch sooner rather than later

No one has ever told me “I quit Company X in June, that was a mistake. I should’ve stuck around longer.” The vast majority of people who quit, only wish they’d done it sooner.

It’s highly tempting to hang around in the old workplace waiting for things to get better. Don’t! If it’s time to go – make that decision and start actively looking for something else. The longer you stay in a bad job, the more it eats away the energy and self-confidence you need to find a new one.

2: Give yourself time to find your new job

The very first job you look at may be just the right one… or it may be the 20th.

Give yourself time to actively look for something better and don’t let economic pressure, peer pressure or uncertainty force your hand.

3: Focus on what you like at work, not on what you hate

Many people switch jobs to get away from a bad situation. However, when you’re picking a new job, it’s not enough to look at all the things you want to avoid. Partly because there are an infinite number of things to avoid. But mostly because even if you avoid every single bad thing, that can only guarantee that you won’t be unhappy. To be happy at work, you also need good things, not just the absence of bad.

The best way to find out what you want at work, is to look at what has previously made you love your job. Here’s how you do it:

1. Think back to some specific situations, where you’ve been happy at work.
2. Ask yourself what made these situations possible.
3. Find out what will give you more of these great experiences in the future.

4: Ignore salary

Most people think that having a higher income would make them happier. They’re wrong! That is the conclusion of a study by Two Princeton professors, economist Alan B. Krueger and psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. They say this:

The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread but mostly illusory. People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities.

I don’t mean to ignore the economic necessities we all face but they should not determine what work we take. What is a 25% raise worth, if it means being stressed, frustrated and unhappy 40/60/80 hours a week?

5: Ignore other irrelevant details

Some people choose their new job because of:

• The title. “They want to make me First Assistant Manager.”
• Perks. “They’re giving me a new car and use of the executive bathroom.”
• Status. “I get 8 direct reports. Today I only have 5.”
• Peer pressure. “If I take this job my husband/wife/friends/dad will be really impressed.”

None of these factors will make you happy! Forget about them.

6: Ask for what you want

It’s a lot easier to get what you want if you actually ask for it. In your job interviews, let them know that being happy at work matters to you, and tell them what it takes to get you to love work.

It’s true that asking for these things may mean not getting the job, and that’s precisely the point! If that job won’t make you happy, you don’t want it!

7: Make that job great

It’s up to you to find a good job, and then it’s up to you to make it a great job!

You can sit passively on your butt and wait for your co-workers and your manager to make you happy – but that means nothing will ever happen. It’s your responsibility to:

1. Know what makes you happy at work
2. Tell others about it
3. Do something about it

8: Make yourself free to leave

A bad job is bad. A bad job that you can’t get out of is excruciating. In fact, knowing that you’re free to leave can make it easier to make a job great. 

Also, reducing your expenses can be a great way to give yourself more leeway at work

The upshot

Forget about salary, perks, titles and status. Choose your next job based on one, single consideration: Will it make you happy? Will it make you go “Yes, it’s Monday, I get to work!”

Do this and you’re sure to enjoy your job more, enjoy life more and be more successful at work.

Importance of team work in an Organization.

What works in an organization in reaching its goals is not an individual, but properly integrated teamwork. The main reason is that considering the vastness and the very nature of the work that an organization engages in it is not possible for any one individual to even think of taking the entire load upon his own shoulders.

Considering the vastness of the projects and their complex nature, work necessarily has to be first broken down into compartments in organizations known as departments. Even that is not sufficient, so to enable handling by individuals it is broken down into modules and sub-modules that can be handled manageably by each different employee within each separate department. The special characteristic of sub-modules and modules is that somebody has to continuously man the work interfaces between them.

Unless these interfaces are properly and continuously paid attention to, there is always the possibility that the wrong output or a delayed one is sent from one sub-module into another waiting to receive the correct and timely input. Therefore, an individual responsible for one sub-module needs to always be in touch with another who mans a sub-module which has an interface with it.

Naturally, the work relations between two such individuals can affect the overall target required to be reached by an organization, sometimes in a most significant manner. If the two concerned individuals jell with each other and understand each other's requirements perfectly, they will take sufficient care that the transmission of not only the correct output takes place from one to the next, but it also takes place in a very much timely manner.

Such work interaction that takes into consideration the sensitivities and requirements of different interfacing work modules and of the individuals responsible for them is known as real teamwork. Working as part of a team never can be learnt in a day.

It requires many factors to simultaneously be developed. They include continuous commitment to the overall goal of the organization. An important factor is relationship management. Another two factors are talent and perseverance of team members.

Most of all the development of teamwork requires the experience of working together for a considerable period to iron out all the issues between different employees from different backgrounds and their different work ethics. Concerted coordination between team members forms the watchword in the development of teamwork in an organization and therefore the team coordinator's role becomes paramount.

An organization that succeeds in reaching its targets therefore necessarily has to inculcate the culture of teamwork in its human resources. Without teamwork and mutual understanding between teams of employees, the organizational juggernaut can never grind its wheels like a well-oiled machine in perfect symbiosis between the different subsystems that comprise it.

The Only Shortcut to Success is Hard Work

Ravi Prasad wanted to become a doctor.

He even got admission in the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune.

The medical test revealed a back problem and he was disqualified for the Army Commission.

Today, at 44, he is president and CEO, Himalaya Herbal Healthcare.

Here, he recounts his career highs, suggests tips for management students and offers a glimpse into careers in the beauty and cosmetics industry:

I was disqualified for the Army commission, so I did my graduation in Physics at St Xavier's College, Ranchi.

I then worked at Alken Laboratories for a while, before I decided it would help my career if I had a formal degree in management.

I got an admission at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila, Philippines. I had heard it was a very good management school, as it was started by Harvard.

Studying at the Asian Institute of Management was a different experience because, unlike in India [ Images ] where we cram and memorise, everything was based on case studies and class participation.

In India, you tend to study a month before the examination. There, you had to be regular, and there was no pressure on memorising. You are expected to understand the concepts -- it was very refreshing for me.

Studying at Manila helped me learn to bond, build teams and understand situations from a commonsense point of view.

I moved to Himalaya in 1990 as a Training Manager. I chose Himalaya because I believed in herbal remedies and was sure of herbal products dominating the world scene.

The branding of Himalaya took place four or five years ago, after I became the president and CEO. This is how it came about:

My first strategy was to put everything under the Himalaya brand.
The chairman, Meraj Manal, and I then decided to widen the product range.
We brought about the concept of herbal wellness.
We also advertised heavily to establish the brand.
What I learnt

The high point of my career was working with Meraj Manal.

He taught me to think from the consumers' perspective. We tend to become a little inward at business schools, but he made me think of the consumer first. It was my biggest learning.

I would attribute my rise to hard work.

My goal is to make Himalaya a global herbal leader, a world class brand.

What I would tell young management aspirants

i. Try for the Indian Institutes of Management or a premium management school. Nothing else.

There are quite a few such good schools in India.

ii. There are no shortcuts to success.

Work hard, go out and experience the world. Let the working environment be your teacher.

Opportunities in the beauty industry

There is a great opportunity for youngsters in this industry because it is an interesting industry to be in.

Innovations, new developments are happening every day. A youngster will find it easy to do new things and grow.

The world is taking to herbal products. Both doctors and consumers are moving to herbal products.

As for career opportunities, drugs and cosmetics companies employ people in the technical and business streams.

~ Technical stream

Go for opportunities in the R&D sector.

You must have done a Ph D or Masters in Analytical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry or Botany.

Those who have specialised in formulations can also look at opportunities in this industry.

The technical stream includes quality assurance, product planning, production planning, etc.

~ Business stream

The divisions that you can look at include pharmaceutical, personal care, consumer health, animal health, etc.

Qualities to succeed

1. Are you passionate about your job?

That is the first criterion I look for in a candidate. I believe that without passion, you can't do your job well.

2. Do you have team spirit?

S/he must be a team player. That is most important to me.

3. Are you articulate?

4. Do you have a business qualification?

It is a not a strict criterion, but an MBA is an added advantage.

Potential Obstacle and Setbacks in starting a new Venture.

When you are trying to start up a new venture and successfully implement your business plan, you will probably encounter a few hurdles that need jumping over; I have tried to identify a few of the common situations that you may be able to avoid with some carefully constructed contingency plans.

THE UNCERTAIN ECONOMY
With interest rates and inflation rising whilst house prices and consumer spending continues to fall, this may affect your business in a number of ways, and not necessarily in a bad. If you provide a low price / value product or service, then you may see customers going up, but sales of more luxurious products and services may start to fall, so it is worth considering what you have on offer to customers.

The rough patch scenario also applies in a different way, when constructing a cash flow forecast you may identify, from research, that particulars months are less busy that other so it could be worth putting aside more cash in the busier months to help get through the quieter months. Having a ‘rainy day fund’ may help to avoid problems when your general cash balance is low and you have bills that need paying, or equipment that needs buying.

COMPETITION
Simply; keep an eye on them! You should always be aware of what your competitors are offering and how that compares to what you are offering, and you should take action if necessary by lowering prices or by introducing a special offer to attract the customers of your competitors. You shouldn’t get complacent, even if your product is great; remember that if there is a more attractive or less expensive alternative available to customers, your sales will suffer.

ENVIROMENTAL CONCERNS
If you can recycle or save energy, do it! Customers are becoming more and more aware of the environment and how it should be cared for, and as a result, they expect suppliers to be implementing and maintaining environmental responsibility policies. It is a good idea to have this going from the start so that you can avoid any difficult conversations with customers, and you can proudly state that you recycle and reuse which may generate a little more business and earn you a few more pounds.

ETHICAL AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY
If you operate your business in a way which is not moral or not ethical, customers may not like it and may take their business elsewhere, a few examples may be;

1. The plumber who creates additional problems that were not an issue before, just to earn some more money
2. The local Chinese takeaway that uses out of date chicken in its food

MONEY TROUBLE
You may be relying on a big investment from a source such as a bank loan or venture capitalist, but this isn’t necessarily guaranteed. It is good for potential investors to see that you are able to develop logical and realistic contingency plans, and a financial one is a great place to start. When looking into how you will finance your new business you should be looking at more than one possibility and have them all in a structured written plan, in order of preference and possibility.

This also applies in an ongoing sense; you should have a plan to cope if your cash flow starts to fall or if you need to buy a new piece of equipment that you don’t have the capital for. You may be thinking; ‘how will I know what my options are if a need a new machine in three years?’ which is why you should review and update any plans on a regular basis to ensure that they remain relevant and realistic.

YOU CANT ESCAPE THE LONG ARMS OF THE LAW
Regardless of what your business does or its size, you will have to obey the laws of the land. There are many laws and regulations which affect businesses on a day to day basis, particularly if your business is incorporated as a limited company, in which case you will have a number of obligations to file statutory documents.

You will have to ensure that certain Legal Acts are adhered to, the common ones that should be researched further are;

1. Health and Safety Acts
2. Employment Acts
3. Company Acts
4. Trade Description & Supply of Goods Acts

Top Tips
1. Consider the state of the economy when setting your price
2. Build up a ‘rainy day fund’
3. Keep an eye on the competition
4. Go Green and stay green
5. Be ethical
6. Have contingency plans
7. Stay legal

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

When you need to motivate your team to complete a task or to think outside the box on a new project, one of the best ways to see results is through leading by example. You can show each team member how to get started on the road to self improvement by enacting the following seven traits of motivating leadership.

1. Practice authenticity
One of the greatest keys in the field of personal development is the practice of authenticity. Encourage each member of your team to remain true to his or her self, and challenge each individual with questions that probe beneath the surface. Ask questions and demand meaningful answers, rather than letting people answer with sentiments they think you want to hear.

2. Nurture self awareness
By nurturing self awareness within yourself and sharing the journey you undergo with your team, you can motivate them to become more aware of their own thought patterns and actions. A heightened sense of self awareness can improve all aspects of your life, and you will notice a difference in the way you make decisions. This is an important tool to foster among your team when you’re hoping to create a group of powerful individuals.

3. Remember that each step is progress
When you’re focusing on self improvement, remember that each step along the way is progress. The important part of your battle is that you show up and put in the effort each day. Members of your team will recognize the way you remain focused, and can greatly benefit from your example.

4. Strive to be present always
Being present in the moment and feeling into your body can help you greatly in every area of your life that you’re looking to improve. When you’re focused on the moment at hand, you can eliminate the distractions of past and future and turn your attention to what’s important.

5. Challenge yourself and face your demons
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and to face the hard questions. By tackling your own toughest issues, you can motivate your team members to begin to deal with some of their most emotional battles through your encouragement and example.

6. Encourage open communication and honest feedback
As a leader, one of the greatest gifts you can give to your team is to request open communication and honest feedback from them. By eliminating the fear they may feel from giving you their actual opinions, you can gain their respect and help them to foster trust in humanity.

7. Reflect often
While you work through the processes of personal development, take the time to reflect on your journey in order to fully understand what’s going on and to set new goals. In a group setting, this can also be a powerful bonding tool.

Setting a goal for team members to work on self improvement may seem like a lofty task for the workplace. However, when you lead by example, you can motivate your team in new and more effective ways.

DISCOVER YOUR DESTINY

Everything occurring in your life has been perfectly orchestrated to
inspire your maximum evolution as a human being and bring you into
your true power. Learn from life and allow it to take you where you
are meant to go- it has your highest interests in mind.
The best way to learn is to teach.

Your life is a treasure and you are so much more than you know
We receive life not from what we want but who we are
Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to walk through
your fear in pursuit of a goal that is important to you
Your life can be made even better by the things that break your heart
The greatest treasures are the treasures that lie within
Success is important but significance is even better
Have your beautiful things but do not be imprisoned by them. Own them
but do not let them own you. Give the main aim of your life over to
far more important pursuits such as discovery of your highest
potential, giving of yourself to others, and making a difference by
living for something more important than yourself. Success is fine but
significance is the real name of the game.

Things are never as bad as they seem. The situation that causes us
sorrow are the same ones that introduce us to the strength, power and
wisdom we truly are.

Feelings are the doorways into your soul and they must be acknowledged
and then felt to completion. Feelings carry important information and
serve to foster your self-relationship if explored fully.

As your awareness expands, you will become aware of things you
previously could neither see nor understand.

Your life will work much better once you begin to listen to life. Let
it lead you rather than trying to push the river. And trust that where
life carries you is exactly where you are meant to be. Let go of all
your resistance and move into a posture of surrendering to whatever is
unfolding.

It’s hard to believe we live in a world where most people are more
concerned with following the crowd and doing what everyone else is
doing than living their dreams.

One of the greatest regrets a person can ever have is getting to the
end of their lives and realizing they did not do their dreams.
There is but one failure in life and that is the failure to try.
The past is a grave and it makes no sense to spend your life living in
a grave. Every ending represents a new beginning. You cannot move
forward in life if you are stuck looking in the rearview mirror.
Big risks, big life. Small risk, small life.
No one discovers their destiny. Your destiny will discover you – it
will find you, provided you have done the preparation and inner work
required to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.
Spend time to know yourself. Tear down the façade you show the world.
Get to know your deepest and truest values. Get to know your
preferences and priorities.

Someone gave us our fears. We were born fearless
Who you are in this moment is not who you truly are. Rather, it’s
someone you’re become as a result of being in this world.
Every year I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in
the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish
prudence that will risk nothing, and which, shirking pain, missed
happiness as well. No one ever yet was poorer in the long run having
once in a lifetime “let out all the length of the reins”
Personal transformation is not a race, sometimes the harder you try to
change, the longer it takes.

Life is like a thriller, half the fun is not knowing what’s going to
happen. Life is so fluid.
Everything’s always changing. The way you think it’s going to unfold
is not the way it’s going to unfold. That’s the fun of the whole
exercise. That’s also the gift. Hold on to your plans and goals with a
loose grip.

Selfless service is the rent I pay for living on this wonderful world
You are here not merely to make a living. You are here in order to
enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer
spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and
you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand.
Just imagine that the purpose of life is your happiness only- then
life becomes a cruel and senseless thing. You have to embrace the
wisdom of humanity. Your intellect and your heart tell you that the
meaning of life is to serve the force that sent you into the world.
The life becomes a joy.

Money is the unintended yet inevitable byproduct of a life spent
helping others get what they want. Money is nothing more than payment
rendered by the universe in return for the value you have added to
others, As you sow, so shall you reap.

Once you connect with some kind of higher purpose and main aim in your
life, there will be a corresponding release of passion and energy in
your life. The secret of generating extraordinary levels of passion in
your life is to discover your larger purpose.

Fix your course to a star and you can navigate any storm.
Do your best – the very best that you know how to do in every
dimension of your life – and then let life do the rest. It’s really a
delicate balance between making it happen and letting it happen.
Once you’ve done your absolute best, let go and trust that whatever
comes is perfectly suited for the growth you need to evolve into your
best self.

When you set big goals and chase big dreams, you are engaging in a
hugely creative act. You are using your imagination and your abilities
to build something wonderful. That’s creativity in action.
We see the world not as it is but as we are.

It is time to come to your senses. You are to live and to learn to
laugh. You are to learn to listen to the cursed radio music of life
and to reverence the spirit behind it and to laugh at its distortions.
So there you are. Nothing more will be asked of you.

Self examination is the first step to personal greatness

1. Living a lie. What things will I not tolerate in my life. The stage
of self betrayal

2. The choice point. Continue to live as you have always been living –
and in doing so, resign yourself to a life of unhappiness and
mediocrity – or step up to your biggest life. The soul would rather
fail at its own life than to succeed at someone else’s. Nothing’s more
important than the bravery to live your life. The stage of releasing
control and breaking your chains.

3. Awareness of wonder and possibility. You see with a new set of
eyes. You see more of the truth than you have ever seen before. You
begin to understand that the world wants you to win and that it is a
place of great abundance, opportunity and majesty. People at their
core are good, it’s because of the hurts that life has visited on them
that they do bad things. The stage of seeing with new eyes.

4. Instruction from masters. Confusion always gives rise to clarity
over time. Beginning of real wisdom The stage of learning, filing and
preparation

5. Transformation and rebirth. Biggest self starts to present itself
on a daily basis and your entire world begins to change The stage of
emptying and refilling

6. The trial. The stage of testing and confirmation

7. The great awakening to self. The stage of fearlessness
On your deathbed, the only person you’ll have to answer is the person
you look at in the mirror every morning. You’d better be true to him.

The 5 daily devotions

1. Devote yourself to rising at A.M. each and every morning. Those who
get up early are those who get the best from life.

2. Devote yourself to setting aside the first 60 minutes of your day
as your HOLY Hour. This is your sacred time to do the inner work
required to help you become your best. Use this period to read from
the wisdom literature, to meditate or pray, to reflect on the state of
your life and the progress of your dreams in your journey, or to think
deeply about what must unfold over the coming hours of the day in
order for you to feel it was a successful one. Performing this ritual
daily will help you to shine brightly in the world and live at your
highest

3. Devote yourself to displaying a standard of care, compassion, and
character well beyond what anyone could ever imagine from you. In
doing so, you will be doing your part to aid in the building of a new
world.

4. Devote yourself to displaying a standard of excellence at work far
higher than anyone would ever expect from you. Abundance and
fulfillment will flow back to you.

5. Devote yourself to being the most loving person you know and
thinking, feeling, and acting as though you are one of the greatest
people on the planet (because you are). Your life will never be the
same and you will bless many lives.
You must surrender all you have known and walk into a new reality.
The purpose of life is all about making the journey home to wholeness,
back to a place of integrity, back to your authentic self – the one
that is fearless, all-knowing, and of boundless love. The purpose of
lofe is to close The Integrity Gap.

By taking personal responsibility for what went on within me and by
getting to know myself and the root causes of my negative reactions, I
could literally minimize recycling in my life.
Most people give up just steps before reaching their goals. Most
people quit only steps away from getting everything they wanted.

Rules for winning trials

1. Remember that life is a series of seasons. Every human being will
have to endure the harshness of a few winters in order to get to the
glory of the best summers. Never forget that winters do not last.

2. Join the Hope Club. Big, beautiful, and seemingly impossible goals
are superb vehicles to keep you inspired as you walk through
adversity. Fix your course to a star and you can navigate any storm.
When you are reaching for great and noble goals that speak to the best
within you, your desire to reach them will pull you through the tough
times that you will encounter along the seeker’s path.

3. Keep in mind, at all times, that we grow the most from our
sufferings. As we go through it, it hurts. But as we move through it,
it also heals. When a jug of water falls to the floor and cracks, what
was hidden within begins to pour out. When life sends you one of its
curves, remember that it has to help crack you open so that all the
love, power and potential that had been slumbering within you can be
poured into the world outside you. And, like a fractured bone, we do
become stronger in the broken places.

4. Failure is a choice. Nothing can stop a man or a woman who simply
refuses to be kept down. The book The GoGetter will be very helpful on
this point. Read it often. Just make a decision from the center of
your heart that, no matter what happens to you, you will keep walking
the authentic path. Doing so will ensue you a life of real success.

5. During tough times, there is a tendency to let go of yourself. As
you encounter adversity, have the discipline to maintain your routine.
Get up early. Do your holy hour. Eat very well. Exercise, Spend time
with nature and make sure you do all you can to keep all four of your
central dimensions – the mind, the body, the emotions, and the spirit
– in fine operating order.

6. Feel your feelings. When you are facing hard times, some people
will tell you to “just think positite thoughts”. Such advice is not
helpful. The key is to strike a balance. Experience the feeling that
arise so you do not end up swallowing them and allowing them to
fester. As the same time, use your intellectual powers to see the
silver lining that every dark cloud brings.

7. Remember that, no matter how hard things get, you are never alone.