Featured In
Posts Tagged ‘GEN’
Turning Productivity into Passion
I tend to keep my life pretty busy. Luckily, I’m also pretty good at managing my own productivity . But recently I was blessed to be reminded about a truly valuable benefit of productivity: the opportunity to find something I’m really passionate about.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my work, and I’m excited to be able to help people get in control of the details of their lives. I enjoy empowering people that way. But because my high level of productivity allows me to fit more into my life, I’ve recently stumbled across an amazing non-profit that causes me to wake up every morning trying to figure out new ways to help them. And that’s very exciting for me.
The organization that has me so inspired is Girls Empowerment Network. Their mission is to foster healthy self-esteem in girls by engaging them to explore and define their personal values and to build skills that empower them with confidence and the courage to make wise choices. Having been a teen-aged girl once, I can see how valuable GEN’s services are. One of their programs is ClubGEN, which employs high-school girls to mentor middle school girls through after school programs. I’ve had the chance to hear from some of the middle school girls and the high-school girls, and it’s obvious that the impact on both sets of girls is immeasurable and priceless.
Of course I know, and I tell people often, that better managing their lives gives them more time to do things that feed their soul. But sometimes it’s easy to take things for granted, or get stuck in a rut with the things we do. If you feel like your life is already jammed full, and you can’t possibly take on one more thing, I would say you have two choices: be careful that you are still passionate and excited about the things you spend your time on, and take the opportunity to rotate older things out and newer things in. It will keep you fresh and motivated and valuable. Your second option is to evaluate what you have going on in your life, and see if you are really making the most of your time. If you often feel like you are spinning your wheels, and the days pass with you feeling like you haven’t accomplished much, then perhaps it’s time to get some help with your productivity. Not only will it lower your stress levels, and put you back in control, but it can also free up some time for you to do something that has a real and lasting impact, and inspires your passion and motivation in a way you’ve forgotten was possible. Even if you don’t know what that thing is, you will never find it if you don’t create the space in your life for the opportunity.
Good luck, and thanks for reading!
Incorporate Change in 3 Easy Steps (Part 3)
Ok, so change is hard, right? But there are ways to make it easier. If there is an area of your life that you are trying to change, first, raise your awareness about it, then educate yourself about how to get better at it.
The last component, and the most difficult one to get over, is the psychology. We all have internal barriers, and often we can’t even identify them. And we are so good at rationalizing things to death! When it comes to volunteering, for example, it’s really hard to get started, so it’s easy to convince ourselves that they don’t really need our help, and we’re too busy this month, but next month will be better, or we won’t make much of a difference anyway. Often we just avoid thinking about it, until months have passed and we think again, “man, I really should volunteer somewhere…” To get you out of this trap, the first two steps are crucial. If you are fully aware of the behaviors you want to change, and you know exactly what to do to take the next step, then it’s much easier to take action. Remember this important principle: You don’t have to convince yourself to do everything, you only have to convince yourself to do the NEXT thing.
Come up with just one step, which is clear and actionable, and put this on your to-do list. Make sure it’s as clear as possible. For example, instead of putting “research non-profits” on your to-do list, put “visit www.GENAustin.org and sign up for their newsletter.” Do you see how the latter is much more specific and actionable than the former? This greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll actually do it and make progress toward your goal. And remember, the same holds true for everything you put on your to-do list. Avoid using big, “scary” sounding words like, “organize,” “develop,” “implement,” and “create.” We get our opportunities to be proactive very infrequently, so if you have five minutes to get things done, you’ll always skip over those items on your list that sound difficult and time-consuming. If they sound easy (usually starting with words like, “call,” “click,” “email,” or “write”), you are much more likely to take action on them.
Regardless of the area of your life that you are trying to change or improve, remembering the three key steps of awareness, education, and psychology will help you to move forward and achieve your goals.
Thanks for reading!