Sunday, October 11, 2015

It's About Time (Management, That Is)

H. Jackson Brown, Jr. wrote, "Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo DaVinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

Time management, in a nutshell, is how we get things done. When you develop good time management skills you are in control of your time, your life, and your stress level. So, if you feel the need to be more organized, more productive, start by considering the following:

1) Meet your Time Bandits.  Do you set out to check your e-mail, or your Facebook page updates, or your favorite Internet news site, and suddenly find that ninety minutes has flown by? Do you set out to play fifteen minutes of your latest online game “just to clear my mind” and suddenly three hours has passed you by? These Time Bandits are insidious time-wasters that steal time we could be using much more productively.

2) Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible. While unexpected interruptions or crises will arise, you will be more productive if you have a plan of action to follow.

3) Set time limits for tasks. Reading and answering e-mail can consume a large portion of your day if you are not mindful. Set a time limit of one hour a day for this task and stick to it. If checking e-mail is part of your work routine, plan no more than 4 to 6, ten-minute intervals each day.

Making these simple, small changes can help lower your stress. For more ways to live a flourishing life, visit my web site: www.ritaschiano.com.

Embrace joy. Be mindful. Live a flourishing Life.
Rita

Thursday, June 11, 2015

About Friends...

Friendship is an art, and very few persons are born with a natural gift for it.
~ Kathleen Norris

My grandmother used to tell me that if I had one true friend in life, that was the ultimate blessing. My life, then, is truly blessed for I have several wonderful friends.

Aristotle wrote there are three kinds of friendship....

1. Friendship based on utility. This type of friendship changes according to circumstances. With the disappearance of the "usefulness" of this friendship, the friendship breaks up.

2. Friendship based on pleasure. These friendship are regulated by feelings, and the chief interest is in momentary pleasure. As affection changes, so does the friendship.

3. Perfect friendship is based on goodness and mutual knowledge and respect. These friends spend time with each other, contribute to the other's happiness and vice versa. Friendship of this kind is permanent.

The Roman philosopher Cicero believed that in order to have a true friendship with someone one must have complete honesty, virtue, and trust...and friends do things for each other without expectation of repayment.

Ask yourself, who is that one friend in your life who meets Cicero's standards? How much love do you carry in your heart for that person?

Now ask yourself, when was the last time you spent quality time with this friend? When is the last time yo spoke, rather than texted, IM, or communicated through social media?

If the answer is less than 3 days, pick up the phone. Call your friend. Hear his or her voice...and make a solid date to see one another within the next 10 days.

"There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time." ~ Rebecca West

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.
Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

Monday, March 23, 2015

You Determine The Outcome of Your Life

I am going to share with you seven words that are your guide to living a flourishing life. I suggest that you write these seven words as a NOTE TO SELF. Commit these words to memory, tattoo them on your arm if you have to. Do whatever you have to do to commit to memory these seven words to memory.

Are you ready?

"I determine the outcome of my life." Repeat them with me. "I determine the outcome of my life. I determine the outcome of my life."

That’s right. You determine the outcome of your life by the choices you make, by the actions you take, by the decisions and actions you are afraid to make and to take. You determine the outcome of your life.

Your concept of yourself determines the world in which you live. Your concept of yourself determines your reactions and responses to life. How you define yourself – I am ill … I am broke …I am successful – shapes your consciousness. Your concept of yourself is what you accept as true. Your outward world – what you own, how you present yourself – is a manifestation of your inward thought. How we react to our inward expression -- to people, to situations -- reveals where we are psychologically – emotionally and cognitively. And where we are psychologically, determines where we are outwardly.

To be successful in business, a company needs to know where it is heading and what it is trying to accomplish. That’s why many businesses create a vision statement: what the company would like to achieve or accomplish; and a mission statement: how they intend to get there.

To be successful in life, we need to take this same approach in shaping the direction of our personal lives. Your personal vision statement should focus on the potential inherent in the your future, what you intend to be. And while a vision statement might contain references as to how you intend to make that future a reality, the “how” is actually part of your mission statement, a summary of values and goals that clearly outline who you are and what you want to do.

Personal improvement requires insight and courage. When we don't have a vision for the future, we will not necessarily fail, but more likely, we will merely survive rather than thrive, than flourish. Without a vision for the future we stand less of a chance of growing, of expanding, and improving because we have no clear idea of what direction or form this growth, expansion, or improvement should take.

Every action you take is influenced by your attitude towards it. And when your actions and thoughts are not in sync, your life experiences are imbalanced. Just like our bodies thrive in homeostasis --- balance – so do our thoughts and our emotions.

Whatever it is you want to achieve, in your person life, in your professional life, set your intention to achieve it. Make this a habit that serves you.

Set your vision, your imagination, on what it is you want. Imagination is our greatest gift. “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” (Einstein) Imagination fuels our thoughts; action makes our thoughts soar. Imagination is the medium through which we create our world. So I ask you: What do you imagine for yourself?

Once you determine want it is you want, devise a course of action, and then take step forward each day, and none back.

Set goals. Goals keep us focused on our message and mission, keep us disciplined in our actions, and help us achieve what we want in life. Goals help us to flourish.

Who is supporting you in your pursuit of your goals? Share your vision with a trusted friend or colleague. Ask them to keep you accountable to the task.

Focus on hope. Let go of “doom and gloom” thinking. Don’t fear change. Change is an invaluable opportunity to learn and to grow. Neville Goddard wrote: “All transformation begins with an intense, burning desire to be transformed.” Direct your thinking. Be open to change. Let go of fearful thinking and attitudes.

Learn to manage your emotions before they manage you. If you want a better outcome, you have to take clear-sighted action. Don’t become a victim of complacency. Remember: You lose 100% of the opportunities you do not take. And if you risk nothing, you risk everything.

You have the power to change your life. You can evolve or devolve -- the choice is yours. So, step out of your comfort zone. Do one thing differently each day. Fall in love with your life. Passion fuels joyful living.

Lastly, make it a practice each day, before you get out of bed, to set your intention for the day. This practice leads to more purposeful living.

You can live fearlessly. Choose to do so.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Managing Caregiver Stress Through Resilience

On Tuesday, January 13, I had the honor and pleasure to present, in conjunction with Janet Edmundson of JME Insights, a Free Webinar on Managing Caregiver Stress Through Resilience. Many caregivers are considered to be "hidden patients," for they fail to notice the signs of stress in their own lives. With their attention so focused on the care and needs of their loved one, their own potentially harmful symptoms go unnoticed. The warning signs of stress can attack so subtly and lead to an increase in physical and mental health deterioration.

The opportunity to hear a recording of this free webinar is now available. Simply click here and you'll be able to access the program via Go To Meeting.  Of course, if you have any questions, please do contact me.

Have a joyful day everyone. And remember to live a flourishing life.

Rita
www.ritaschiano.com

To learn more about how you can live a flourishing life, please visit my web site, www.liveaflourishinglife.com.