Runners in marathons and long races will visualize walls at certain points in the race, and use them to break up the race.  They will concentrate on getting to the next wall, or point, instead of the finish line.  Once they get close to a wall, they use all there effort to break through the wall and continue on with the race.  This keeps the mind fresh which helps them to stay motivated.

Incorporate this technique into your daily life.  If you have a long day ahead of you, break up the day and set up walls that you need to break through.  You should set the walls close to the times where your most difficult tasks need to be completed.  Focus on breaking through the next wall, not the end of the day.  This will keep your mind fresh and keep you focused on the tasks at hand.  Once you break through a certain wall, set up a new wall to demolish.  Imagine yourself being in a marathon and not a sprint.  We don’t want to tire ourselves out within the first couple of hours, so we set up walls and short term completion goals for the day that we need to reach and ultimately pass.

In doing this, you will keep your mind fresh which in return will keep you motivated on breaking through to the next wall.

Remember, don’t picture the finish line, just picture that next wall that you need to knock down…

I was talking with someone who said they had a really hard problem with “shutting down” when it was time to go to sleep. They couldn’t stop thoughts and worries from running through their head and it was causing them to stay up late at night. This would obviously cause them to be tired the next day and not be able to accomplish what was needed for the next day. They also weren’t a pleasant person to be around. This person told me that they were so tired that they were mean to people and would “snap” easily at the smallest inconvenience. This is a major problem because it is affecting their daily life and their interactions with people.

So how do we fix sleeping problems? How do we make it easier to “shut down” at night and get a fulfilling nights rest. Before you go to sleep, make a detailed list of what needs to be done for the next day, so you can stop worrying about things while trying to sleep. This will also save you time in the morning because you will already have a detailed agenda in place. Try and relax your mind and let everything go. I know it is easier said than done, but if you continue to worry all the way up to the time you go to sleep, then you will have a hard time falling and staying asleep. Try and pin-point the factors that are causing you to stay up. What can you do to fix these problems?

We all need to “shut down” after a hard days work. We need to take all the thoughts of the office and work and turn them off. Concentrate solely on falling asleep. Make where you sleep as comfortable and quite as possible. Shutting down is very difficult for some, because they are so invested in their work.

Overall, you need to turn off all things that are hindering you from sleeping. Turn off the outside world and concentrate only on falling asleep.

Do you have sleep issues?

What are some problems that have risen because of your sleep issues?

McGrane Global Centers

If you are, you should be doing the opposite. You should be judging yourself with the blessings that have occurred in your life. Instead of feeling blessed about having a nice house, big car, and a vacation home, you should be happy about having a warm home, with a great family, and wonderful friends. I know having nice things makes you feel like you have accomplished something and makes you feel a sense of power, but it isn’t what life is all about. Life has an abundance of opportunities that do not require a dollar amount, and the best part is there is no sales tax.

If not having nice things brings you down and makes you feel insignificant to others, then you are not realizing how blessed you really are. Instead of looking around and judging yourself with how much you own, judge yourself on the things that required no purchase. Sometimes we take the little things that are present in our lives to lightly and do not realize just how lucky we are to have them. I’ve met poor men that feel like the most blessed and luckiest person in the world, not because of how much money they had, but because they have an amazing family. I’ve met rich people that feel incomplete and empty because their whole life they have been working so hard to be successful, they lost sight of what is really important.

So if recently you have been measuring your success with how much money you make and how many material possessions you have, take a step back and realize that if you lost all those things who would still be there for you?

Your Family.

McGrane Global Centers

The type of joy where you couldn’t wipe the smile off of your face for anything in the world. The type of joy that makes you a nicer person to others and brings you closer to you loved ones .

I love it when something joyful pops into my life unexpectedly. A few weeks ago, one of my great friends called me up after a long time of not speaking to each other, and told me he is getting married. He was married before but unfortunately, things didn’t work out. He was really depressed there for a while, and I really felt for him. I was always there for him, but sometimes words can only heal so much. Well when he called me, he sounded like a completely different person. He was so full of joy about his recent engagement, that it was contagious. I found myself in a wonderful mood that couldn’t be broken. His joy was so vibrant it seemed to shine directly through to my soul. I could feel the remarkable power of goodwill and an optimistic outlook.

When was the last time you felt this way? If the answer is not in a long time, try and seek out joy. It is all around us, waiting for us to to open our hearts and accept love and happiness.

If you have recently been down in the dumps and not your usual happy self, do whatever it takes to get some joy in your life. For me, the little things seem to bring me a lot of joy. But if your not careful, these little things can pass you by and go undetected.

What brings you the most joy in your life?

Have you experienced these feelings recently in your life?

What hobbies or activities bring you happiness and peace of mind?

As I said, for me, its the little things in life.

The old saying is true, the best things in life ARE free.

McGrane Global Centers

This is a saying I heard a few weeks ago that I thought was amusing as well as very true. It seems that the older we get, the busier we become. In today’s fast-paced busy lifestyle, we sometimes don’t have time or forget to take some time off for ourselves. It is important to pencil in some “me time” with activities that make you happy and that you enjoy to do.

Especially in these economic times, people have been cutting out fun activities and trips. I completely understand that this is definitely not the time to be taking luxurious trips and spending a lot of money on activities. The thing is, we don’t have to spend our life savings to have fun or to have a life. There are plenty of inexpensive or even free activities to do wherever you reside. It just takes a little digging to find them.

Do you have a hobby that over the years you have gradually neglected? Go back to that hobby and try to respark your interest. Have you been meaning to go check out an art gallery or museum but never got around to it? Make time to go see what it has to offer. Listen to yourself and try to create a few hours a week that you dedicate to YOU. Shut off your phone and detach yourself from your work. Bring your spouse or friend with you and try to have a quality conversation for once. A conversation not about work or taxes, but about things you enjoy doing and subjects that interest you.

Too often we forget to give ourselves some time to have fun. If you take a look at yourself and notice you really don’t have a life outside of work and home, then make a change. Make a point to create “me time” and you will become happier and more satisfied.

So if you always have a watch but never have the time, then create some. Create some “me time” to do what YOU enjoy.

McGrane Global Centers