This is the seventh in a series of Friday Motivational videos with successful people discussing with Scott how to get past what holds you back. In a hallway meeting at a conference, Scott “Q” Marcus talks with nationally recognized speaker, communication expert, author, and coach Patrick Donadio on how to get past overthinking a conversation.
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Surprise! Being Fit = More Opportunity; Here’s Why
A healthy body is the gateway to a sharp mind, and a sharp mind is the key factor to landing and excelling at the job of your dreams.
Now, going to the gym twice a week won’t immediately merit a raise at the office, but getting your health on track will improve your quality of life. People who lead happy lives are proven to succeed more in their professional endeavors. Here’s why.
How you carry yourself = how people view you
And I don’t just mean you’ll get more phone numbers at the bar on Friday night.
It’s a known fact that a rocking body will give you more luck with the opposite sex. But more importantly, it will make you think more highly of yourself. This is absolutely key in gaining the respect of others. Confident people are statistically more likely to request a raise at work, apply for advancement opportunities as they arise, or be offered promotions by their superiors.
But being confident means creating the version of yourself about whom you can feel confident.
How do you do that? [Read more…]
5 Ways to Stay Fit at a Desk Job
There was a time, not so very long ago, when human life involved a lot of movement.
With most people doing hard labor in the factories, fields and home, only the upper middle class and above knew much about the sedentary lifestyle. Sadly, as these sorts of jobs have spread across all echelons of society, calories have become more and more condensed into cheap (and delicious) products, packing a one-two punch for our guts and our health. It takes a lot of creativity to stay fit at a desk job, where it’s easier to reach for that slice of cake in the break-room than it is to jog across town to the grocery store for a nice rewarding pack of carrots. Here are a few unexpected ways to sneak that healthy lifestyle in.
5. Get the Most Out of Your Commute
If you can’t get a good workout in either before or after work (and even if you can), try turning that commute into an opportunity for exercise. Run, walk, bike, flap your arms like a bird, whatever; even taking public transport to work will require more movement, as you’ll have to walk between stations and your destinations. This can also be a good way to sneak in time for stimulating podcasts and audiobooks, which can get you into a contemplative or creative mood for the workday, or help you let down after a long one.
4. Sneak in Movement
Despite how it may seem, there are opportunities for movement throughout the workday. Start by getting up to stretch every 30 – 45 minutes, increasing blood flowing through those legs. Drink a lot of water, too, and you’ll have a regular excuse to get moving. Try visiting a colleague’s desk across the office rather than firing off an email, and host a good old fashioned West Wing-style walking meeting once in awhile.
3. Schedule in Time for Lunch
For workhorses, it’s tempting to work through lunch and sneak in a few extra tasks. But the human body and mind have limited productivity, and you’ll find you’ll actually get a lot more done if you take the time to relax and let your mind refresh itself. When I recommend scheduling in time for lunch, I mean actually blocking it off on your calendar like it’s as important as a meeting…because it is. If you take the time to fully enjoy your meal, both your mind and body will take note of what you’re doing, keeping you better satiated for longer. If eating isn’t as important to you, take this time to sneak in a workout at the gym around the corner.
2. Snack…Strategically
Snacking’s bad rap is largely undeserved. Sure, if you throw back a salty, fatty packet of chips three times a day, your body isn’t going to like you. But healthy snacking can actually be your key to staving off hunger-induced binges, keeping energy levels constant, and losing or maintaining weight. For the best results, keep those portions small and try to snack every several hours or so. Go forhealthy snacks that provide nutrients and vitamins along with calories, like fruit, nuts, or whole grains that won’t spike your insulin levels.
1. Get Your Whole Office In On It
If you’ve got friends at the office with fitness goals of their own, why not make them your support network? They’re right there, and you’ll be a lot more likely to head to the gym after work if you know you’ve got a nearby friend in on it. If you’re up for some lobbying, ask your boss about implementing a workplace wellness program. This can be anything from gym memberships to developing incentives and initiatives for taking time out of the work day for working out, guilt-free. Working out gets a whole lot easier if you’re not having to sneak it in, and a company-wide preventative health program can actually lower insurance costs if they offer wellness programs.
Staying fit at a desk job is possible, just as long as you get your supportive network in place and your creativity hat on. So snack well, get moving, and work better while feeling better, too.
About the Author: Kyra Kuik works for a creative internet marketing company in Seattle, WA. You can connect with Kyra via Twitter.
Ways to Stay Motivated While Pursuing your Online Degree
These days, many people are weighing their options of going back to school and furthering their education.
Thankfully, with the advent of online universities and certification programs, this is now easier and more convenient than ever. Classes can work around YOUR schedule and fit into almost anyone’s life.
Yet, this increased accessibility and availability does not mean that the act itself has gotten any easier. It’s still school. There will still be tests, projects, and more and you will be challenged. That being said, you might need some help staying motivated throughout this journey. Below are some helpful tips and reminders to make the whole experience easier on yourself.
Map Out Your Plan
Goals are much easier to attain when you know what you’re working toward and how you intend to get there. Doing this helps you keep your eye on the prize and also makes the whole process seem more doable. When you have a big, daunting goal such as trying to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree ahead of you, it helps to break it into smaller, less intimidating targets and objectives, that way you can note and track your progress as you go.
You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment with each passing one, and this will help keep you going.
Find Your Support System
Whether it’s your family, a close group of friends or a combination of the two of them, it’s important to identify who your key support system is, as you will need their help and encouragement during this time. You will likely be stretched thin at times between your career obligations and school requirements, on top of any personal commitments, so when or if this happens, don’t be afraid to lean on those you love. They will help get you through and remind you why you’re doing this in the first place. Now is not the time for pride.
Tune out Naysayers
Just as you should cling to those who offer and provide encouragement and positivity, you should also RUN FROM anyone who brings the opposite energy into your life. I know this might seem hard to do, but it is 100% necessary. Whenever you make any sort of monumental decision, people will give their two cents, no matter how discouraging it maybe, that’s just an undeniable, unfortunate fact of life.
So, rather than letting them “win” and get the better of your, turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to anyone who offers a less-than-productive outlook on things. Because, the truth is, you yourself might get discouraged, which mean you don’t need people around you turning you into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Replace their negativity with more uplifting positive thoughts and you’re sure to succeed.
So, if you make the decision to pursue an online degree, please remember these tips. They may seem simple, but they can make a world of difference. Trust me, I’ve seen it first hand.
About the Author: Patricia Garza is a freelance blogger and education writer that can offer suggestions on anything from choosing between accredited online colleges to picking a major. She welcomes your comments below.
How to Get Along Better With Co-Workers & Break Your Annoying Habits
I’d always prided myself on being an excellent employee with a hard work ethic and focus on pleasing the client.
But, until recently, I never realized I was an annoying coworker to others in the office. I came to work on time, often arriving early, did my work and greatly increased the company’s profits. But unbeknownst to me, some of my work habits were driving the other workers in the office nuts, even though that was never my intention.
At the very least, you and your coworkers will spend 40 hours per week together. If travel and overtime occurs, those hours are extended even further. Bad habits such as cellphone use, being too talkative, leaving work early and surfing the Internet can annoy your office mates the way they were annoying mine. The tips below can help you avoid becoming an annoying worker like I was.
- Identify Bad Habits. It’s simply not possible to change a habit if you don’t realize a negative one exists. Fortunately, a kind coworker took me aside one day and informed me that my talkative nature was getting on everyone’s nerves. I thought I was being friendly, but she let me know that I had a tendency to be too talkative and it was distracting people from their work. Once I knew my chatty ways were bothering other people in the office I was able to fix the problem.
- Replace the Negative With the Positive. I often spent so much time talking during the workday that I had to skip lunch and eat while working at my desk. After my coworker talked to me a light bulb went on and I realized that, if I was more productive and less talkative during the day, I could join my coworkers in the cafeteria for lunch. When you can find a positive substitute for a negative habit, it’s easy to make a change.
- Productive Association. Whether we realize it or not, we create associations in our minds between events and people. Some of my coworkers had associated me with feelings of annoyance. I had associated some of mine with rudeness. When I started saving my talkativeness for lunchtime my coworkers and I got along much better and started spending more time working together on projects. Soon gathering around one another’s desks created an association of productivity…something we all appreciated.
- Use Willpower for Greater Success. There are still times when a thought pops into my head and I feel the urge to share it with my coworkers right away. But, instead, I write it down and save it for later or record a message on my PDF. Practicing willpower has helped me focus my time and attention on my work and, as a result, our entire office has increased sales and company profits.
Nowadays, many businesses are streamlining their hiring process and weeding out potentially ineffective employees through employee assessments. Companies such as Exact Hire help businesses narrow down their candidates by identifying positive and negative behaviors and characteristics. Those who are searching for a job are smart to nix those bad habits before the first interview to ensure they stand a chance of getting through an employee assessment with success. Although it’s possible to break bad habits like I did, it’s better to take a proactive approach by not being an annoying coworker in the first place. Thankfully, I was able to change my habits and repair the relationships I had with my coworkers. But it wasn’t easy and I had to work twice as hard to gain their trust and respect.