Life – Page 96 – Personal Growth Cafe

March 6, 2018January 7, 2018

How to Improve Communication with Your Boss

Good communication allows many life situations to run smoothly.

However, there are certain relationships that deserve extra attention, such as the relationship you have with your boss.

You and your boss have drastically different roles, and when each of you fulfills these roles with a hard working and understanding attitude, you’ll both feel fulfilled.

Get To Know Your Boss

As in all personal and professional relationships, it’s important to understand how others communicate.

Everyone has their own set of likes and dislikes, and everyone has their own unique personality types and communication styles.

Once you understand their preferences, you can adjust your style and methods of communication to best suit their needs.

Understand Your Relationship

It’s important to develop a good business relationship with your boss.

Find out what he expects and what his goals for the business are, that way you can both be working toward the same goal.

The following tips can help you further improve your communication with your boss:

1. Avoid being too It’s important to be friendly, but only to a certain extent. You’re not true friends with your boss.

While it may seem like a good idea at first, it can lead to some uncomfortable situations.

Your boss might have trouble giving you negative feedback, or your co-workers may develop jealousy.

2. Schedule meetings with your boss. Your boss may or may not be scheduling regular meetings with you.

Regardless of this, take the initiative to schedule time with your boss if you feel the need.

Your boss will know that you’re serious about developing your business relationship and that you really care about your job and the company.

3. Problem solving. Find out if you can help your manager with any problems that need attention.

While you don’t want to step on any toes, your boss will surely appreciate you taking the initiative.

Doing so will really give you the chance to stand out.

4. Maintain patience.

Perhaps you would’ve done things differently than your boss or you strongly feel that one of his decisions won’t turn out right.

Develop the wisdom to know if you should keep your mouth shut and go with the flow, or if you should politely speak up.

5. Shift your perspective.

You can improve your communication with your boss and feel less frustrated just by putting yourself in their shoes.

Imagine what everything is like for them; they likely have more burdens and pressures on their shoulders than you realized.

Be Prepared

Even if you’re not quite sure what to say all the time, as long as you prepared and honest in your communication, your boss will surely notice.

So if you have to reflect and write down your thoughts ahead of time, so be it. That level of preparation will benefit you in the long run.

With any relationship, good communication skills are a huge benefit.

Strive to work on strengthening these skills every day and it will help your career to flourish.

In the end, your positive attitude and willingness to understand others will help you forge stronger, more permanent bonds.

How can communicating with your boss have an impact on your work?

How can you work more efficiently because of this?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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March 5, 2018January 5, 2018

Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can’t accept your imperfections, that’s their fault. – Dr. David Burns

March 4, 2018January 5, 2018

What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are. – F. Scott Fitzgerald

March 4, 2018January 5, 2018

Coping with Crippling Fear – When NOT to Trust Your Thoughts

Trusting your inner instincts is an important skill to learn, although there are times when your mind can play tricks on you.

When your body and mind are under stress, it may be difficult to see the difference between good thoughts and those that arise from fear.

Dealing With Fear

No one enjoys dealing with fear; however, it’s a necessary part of a fulfilled life.

The best line of defense is to practice remaining calm and ask for help when you need it.

After all, two minds striving for a rational solution is usually better than one.

When Not To Trust Your Thoughts

Even in difficult circumstances, you probably have an idea about what is truly right or wrong.

However, it’s a good idea to try to recognize the situations where you tend to have trouble thinking clearly.

That way, when these situations do come up, you can start working on solutions, instead of giving into the cloudy thoughts.

You probably shouldn’t trust your thoughts in the following situations:

When you’re under stress – People often don’t recognize how detrimental stress can be to the mind and body.

Stress can cause you to make unwise decisions and think too quickly. Stress can take over your body and produce hormones that alter your thinking patterns.

When you’re feeling anxious – There are varying degrees of anxiety that can affect anyone at any time.

When it takes over in a strong manner, such as when you’re dealing with crippling fear, it can lead to erratic, irrational thoughts or even panic.

When you’re having negative thoughts – Sometimes you’ll have a bad day or even a bad week.

Having a tough time can cause a negative thinking pattern that can cause you to think unreasonable or even absurd thoughts.

You may start to have angry or depressing thoughts that can’t be trusted.

When you’re having thoughts that seem real, but are rather unreasonable, remember that it’s not coming from you.

Rather, it’s coming from the build up and repression of years of self-doubt, negativity, stress, anxiety, or even past circumstances.

That’s precisely why you cannot trust those thoughts!

Dealing With Your Feelings

You now know that negative thought patterns can arise from stress, anxiety, fear or even the past.

Crippling fear, unfortunately, hurls many strongly negative feelings your way.

But it’s how you deal with them and proceed with your thought patterns that make all the difference.

Strive to take time to cool down and relax your mind before making important decisions.

One way to know if something is your true feeling is to wait a few days before making a decision.

For example, if after a week of thinking something over, you still think the same way, then it’s probably true.

Of course, you first have to ensure that your mind isn’t under attack from stress, anxiety, negativity, or fear.

Healing From Fear

If you find that you’re frequently in fearful situations, you can concentrate on healing those feelings.

When your mind begins to race, take in a large dose of oxygen.

Believe it or not, deep breathing is a signal for your mind to relax and think clearly.

So breathe deeply and breathe often!

Also remember that you’re not alone.

You have people who can help you and you shouldn’t feel shy to ask for that help.

If you feel uncomfortable talking with a family member or friend, consider the help of a coach or counselor.

Just remember to avoid taking drastic actions that arise from fear.

Take your time when making decisions, breathe deeply, and seek the help you need to overcome the grips of fear.

How can you face your fears?

How can this affect your attitude towards life?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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March 3, 2018January 5, 2018

The place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. – Ivy Baker Priest

March 2, 2018January 5, 2018

An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men. – Thomas Fuller

March 2, 2018January 5, 2018

How Living in the Moment Can Help You Get Past Grief

When you’re living in the moment, your focus is on that moment only.

The past and the future can’t touch you.

It can be a difficult task to put your feelings about the past or future aside.

It’s like when someone says, “Don’t think of a pink elephant!” Did you think of one, just now?

Well, your grief is sometimes that pink elephant and it seems like there’s nowhere to turn.

In this situation, you can look for help from present moment thinking.

Remaining in the present takes practice.

While you’re learning how to live in the moment, remember that it gets easier as time goes on.

Using Meditation

You can work on controlling your thoughts, but one practice that’s all about staying in the present moment is meditation.

This simple exercise can also help you get over your grief.

Here are some meditation tips:

Make a meditation schedule – 30 minutes per day every day.
Go to a place where you can relax and be alone.
Sit in a position with good posture.
Take deep breaths in and out.
You can use a “mantra” or positive affirmation to help you focus.
When thoughts arise, acknowledge them, and then let them go.

The most difficult thing you might encounter when learning to meditate is calming your busy mind.

Focusing on your breathing helps clear away extraneous thoughts and worries.

When you’re grief stricken, it’s an especially difficult time to keep a clear mind.

Thoughts of the past will more than likely keep coming up in your practice.

This is normal.

As you continue practicing, it will get easier to focus on the now.

An important thing to remember is to avoid judging yourself.

Don’t punish yourself for thinking of the past when you’re trying not to think about it.

Realize that your mind is taking a turn you didn’t intend, and then lightly nudge it back in the right direction.

Be grateful that you were able to catch yourself in the midst of a negative thought, and then move on.

Keeping Up Your Practice

Once you’ve adopted a philosophy of present moment thinking, concentrate on keeping up with your practice.

Rather than a mechanism you turn to only when you’re in a pinch, consistent present moment thinking can bring you an exhilarating new lifestyle!

When you learn to live in the moment, you’ll find peace and happiness in life.

You’ll be more calm and collected and enjoy every moment for what it is. How amazing is this!

Moment By Moment

As your practice deepens, you’ll fully realize that life is just a series of moments.

It’s not a definable measure of time, but you’ll feel many moments in every minute.

Little by little, you’ll learn to recognize them.

You may find it difficult to remain in the present just because you must refer to the past and plan for the future in order to live.

This is true, of course, but once the reflection is over, and the planning is put away, your goal is to remain in the moment as much as possible.

Refer to the past when you must, but avoid reliving grief or daydreaming.
Plan for the future, but don’t obsess over it.
Simply look at what you’re experiencing right now and immerse yourself in it.

When your mind is completely focused on the present moment, you’ll be surprised at how energizing life can be!

How can you focus on now?

How does this impact your attitude for the rest of the day?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

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March 1, 2018January 5, 2018

I’m tapping into my creative side.

March 1, 2018January 5, 2018

How to Become a Creative Thinker

While it’s true that some people are born with a creative mind, it doesn’t mean that creative thinking can’t be learned and developed.

You may even believe that you don’t have a creative bone in your body, but this simply isn’t true.

If you weren’t capable of some type of creative thinking, you’d be a robot!

Believing In Yourself

The first step toward creative thinking is the belief that you can acquire and develop the skill.

The truth is that, if you continue to set up a mental roadblock and tell yourself that you can’t think creatively, you’ll never get past this first step.

When you truly believe in yourself, you also open up doors.

The possibilities are endless just because you decided to give creative thinking a shot.

Developing Creativity

In order to foster creativity in your life, start thinking about where you want to apply your newfound creativity.

It’ll help, at least at first, to have a specific goal instead of the broad goal of just “thinking” creatively overall.

You might start with discovering better solutions to common problems at the office, or you might want to broaden your horizons with an artistic goal in your free time.

No matter what your goal is, try applying some of these creativity boosting tips:

1. Spend time brainstorming.

When looking for ideas for a project – or solutions to a challenge – write down everything that comes to mind without holding back.

Don’t worry about logistics or staying organized; just let your mind go free.

Another form of brainstorming that might be worth a try is free writing: just pick up a pen and let your mind go wild on the topic of your choice.

Tell yourself that you can’t pause or put the pen down; you must keep writing.

You’ll be surprised at what you can unload from your brain during a free writing session!

2. Change your surroundings.

You may have noticed that your patterns of thinking change when you’re in different places.

If you find that your mind is stuck, try changing your environment.

Go out for some fresh air or hang out in a coffee shop.

It may be just what you need in order to discover a new and exciting idea.

3. Take notes.

Always carry some kind of note taking device with you, whether it’s paper or a mobile device.

Record your ideas as they come to you, no matter where you are at the time.

Creative thoughts can come and go, but if you write them down you won’t forget them.

4. Research your topics.

Even though it may seem boring, you can do some research online.

When you do, you’ll learn that knowledge is power and it’ll enable your brain to get to a place it wouldn’t normally have gone.

Enjoy the journey and always follow your love of learning.

Research will always provide you with new angles of thought.

Consider Other Perspectives

While everyone comes with their own unique set of abilities and opinions, when you develop your creativity, you learn how to come up with new ideas and solve problems from different points of view.

No matter what challenge you’re faced with, spend time considering the perspective of others.

While you might not share the opinion of another, see if you can figure out how or why they have that view.

Think about how they feel.

Developing this empathy will keep your mind open, which will always foster creativity.

When you get into the habit of using these tips often, you’ll be pleased to see outbursts of creativity!

How can you develop a regular routine of creative thinking?

How do you bring out the creative side of yourself?

Talk about that in the Personal Growth Cafe Community!

Before you leave…

Please share the link to this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and like it, and comment right here – THANKS!

February 28, 2018January 5, 2018

Category: Life

How to Improve Communication with Your Boss

Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can’t accept your imperfections, that’s their fault. – Dr. David Burns

What we must decide is perhaps how we are valuable, rather than how valuable we are. – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Coping with Crippling Fear – When NOT to Trust Your Thoughts

The place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning. – Ivy Baker Priest

An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men. – Thomas Fuller

How Living in the Moment Can Help You Get Past Grief

I’m tapping into my creative side.

How to Become a Creative Thinker

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. – David Brinkley