Deborah S. Podwika's - B-ALERTDeborah S. Podwika, M.A.
Kankakee Community College
Humanities and Social Science Division
Psychology Department - P.O. Box 888, River Road
Kankakee, IL 60901-0888
Office: L342
Office: 815.933.0283
Fax: 815.933.0217
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.geocities.com/debbiepodwika/
Created: August 1, 2002
Format: Netscape 4.7
Revised: August 1, 2002
B-ALERT
By Mark Victor Hansen
Are you tired of just not having enough fun in your life? Do you feel like
too much of your life is tied up with responsibilities, both at the
workplace and at home as well?
If you have any stress or concern about the quality of life you're
currently experiencing (or not experiencing at all!) here's an easy
system that will bring focus and balance to your life. We call it the
B-ALERT System for Optimum Balance.
As you know, the word "alert" means to be at the ready, using intelligence,
being on guard, conscious and prepared. Obviously, being at the ready every
day and using intelligence will keep you mindful of your priorities and
state of balance.
As you apply this system day after day for an entire month, be aware of
any resistance you feel; consciously work at letting these mental blocks
go, and you'll begin to see big change begin to take place immediately.
B is for Blueprint
A blueprint is a simple map for your day. Set aside just 10 minutes to
prepare your blueprint for the day. Either do it the night before, or get
up a few minutes early to put your plan in place. As you develop your day's
blueprint, focus on your most important activities, such as whom you will
meet with and the purpose and objective of each meeting. Set specific time
limits for your appointments. Also, review projects to ensure you've given
them enough time in the day for completion.
A is for Action
The amount of action you put into your day will directly determine your
success. Just make sure that you're following that blueprint - don't allow
yourself to be sidetracked by minor emergencies or interruptions.
Concentrate on the activities that produce the greatest results for you and
delegate.
L is for Learning
Every day, take time to expand your knowledge. This doesn't require several
hours of study. Consciously open your window of curiosity and you'll be
astounded at what clambers in that window through the day. Then, set aside
20 minutes to a half-hour each morning to read stimulating, challenging
books that discuss canny motivation, biographies and autobiographies of
people you admire, and "brain work" books that increase your consciousness
and skills. Lastly, invest in audiotapes for the commute to and from work.
Even 20 minutes a day will put you 100 hours a year ahead of people
listening to crazy D.J. or negative news.
E is for Exercise.
Creating a balance in your life means you treat your health with respect.
Set a 30-day goal, no exceptions, to get through initial exercise -
stretching and a brisk 15-minute walk around the block is a great start.
If you can't find the motivation anywhere in your body, call a personal
trainer and have him or her meet you for that walk around the block.
They're inexpensive on an hourly basis, loaded with stretching and
nutritional information, and fun to converse with.
R is for Relaxing
Do you get physically tired during your workday? An excellent way to
preserve your energy is a TPM - Twenty-Five Peaceful Minutes. Whether you
can shut your door and actually lay on your floor, or climb into your car
for a few reclined minutes of deep breathing, the TPM will work wonders
for your afternoon and evening hours. For the bigger relaxation picture,
completely shut down the business cells, pagers and faxes when you leave
the office every evening - and when you take a day, a week or even a month
away from the workplace. A handy way to keep work from creeping into the
picture - in your 10 minutes of "B for Blueprint," schedule activities
around yourself and your family on evenings and weekends and follow
through!
T is for Thinking
This isn't just average, ordinary thinking - this is reflective thinking.
At the end of your day, take a mental snapshot of your day. How did you do?
What did you do well? Are there adjustments you can make? Focus daily on
the progress you've made. By taking just five minutes to complete this
exercise every evening, you'll develop unusual clarity for what is working
and not working in your life.
As you instill this six-step system into your day, review your progress
each evening. Did you work through all six? Keep track of any steps you
missed or skipped over - this alone will tell you something about your
resistance pockets! As always, ease into this new habit - don't be too
hard on yourself. The more you practice, the better results you will have.
Thank You For Visiting My Site!
Back to my Homepage Comments/Suggestions
"This is not an official site of Kankakee Community College.
This page has not been reviewed nor approved by Kankakee Community College.
The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the page author."
Copyright � 1996-2002 - The design & contents of this page belong to Deborah S. Podwika.
Hosted by: 