Have you ever told yourself internally or out loud any of these statements?  “How stupid of me!”, “I’m such an idiot!”, “I can’t do anything right!”  If so, stop using them immediately! If you have ever told yourself in any way that you are incompetent, stupid, or have used a similar phrase in your conversations with yourself or others, stop that self-sabotaging behavior immediately!  Commit to promising yourself that you will never speak to yourself in that disrespectful way and begin consistently speaking positively about yourself! Instead, you can use phrases like t ..read more

Criticism is hard for many people to take from others. Some people tend to fall into the sabotaging trap of silently denying or ignoring the criticism because of the number one fear of adults, failure. We are our own worst enemy in assessing ourselves. Here is a 4 step emotionally intelligent process to make it easier to accept criticism from others and be able to grow from the experience. (1) Be more self-aware of how you are feeling in each situation. Practice doing daily mental check-ins to know how you are feeling. (2) How valid is the source? If it is coming from someone who you value the ..read more

When given a major new unfamiliar project at work, many people subconsciously start a negative thought cycle, and they get stuck in it. This automatic process can sabotage their brain and the ability to be able to think clearly. To assist in alleviating this problem, ask yourself, “What is the WIIFM for me?”  WIIFM stands for “what’s in it for me”. It is not selfish thinking because we automatically revert subconsciously to the question “Can I do this?” when faced with a new task. This self-management tip can help transition your negative thoughts to positive ones to get projects done wit ..read more

Practicing gratitude is a positive coping strategy to get your day off to a positive start and handle whatever situation comes your way.  It’s a simple process to give thanks to at least 5 things daily that you are grateful for in your life.  This can be anything big or small that you notice is positive.  Ideas giving thanks can be for: being in good health having a good secure job being engaged in meaningful work having a great boss having great colleagues to work with celebrating a friend’s birthday enjoying good weather having a friend’s support you when you needed it ..read more

Getting rid of your time wasters will free up time for more important and meaningful tasks, allowing you to function at your peak performance level. When your valuable time and energy are spent on time wasters, your focus on high priorities is diminished.  This can translate into projects turned in late, less quality time spent on critical tasks, and mistakes made.  Your brain can only focus 100% on one activity at a given moment, so practice making the best use of your time. Take time to look at a normal workday.  Evaluate what you do on those normal days and categorize each ta ..read more

Most of us are rushing from one task to another at work. Let’s admit it, we live in a fast-paced world and you want to look professional and in control at all times on the job. We have to self-manage our professional image because people are judging us by the behaviors they observe. The next time you are in a rush to a meeting with co-workers, clients or supervisors give yourself 10 seconds to stop and breathe deeply before you enter the room. Honoring this short gap in time will allow you to refocus, calm down and think with more clarity. You will enter the meeting with professional composure ..read more

Your mood is something that affects your happiness and satisfaction in life and your ability to work effectively each day. Notice how you are feeling each day, and if you are in a bad mood, commit to changing your actions to do something that will adjust your mood to a more positive one.  Sometimes just shifting your behavior by doing something different will shift your thought process from feeling uncomfortable or negative to feeling better. Here are some examples of mood adjustors. Surround yourself with positive people who are uplifting and support you as much as possible.  Volunt ..read more

  Know your physiological symptoms when under stress to detect & resolve earlier. Know where you carry your stress. This is important to be able to detect your physiological symptoms at earlier stages to make better decisions and lower your stress. Raise your self awareness (a key element of emotional intelligence) and pay attention to where you carry your stress in your body. Many people carry their stress in their upper back and shoulders. It can also be a tight jaw, headache, butterflies in the stomach or other places in the body and will vary from person to person. When the ..read more