Mindset

Mindset

Think you're too old? Think again!

Working with the elderly, I find there isn't a day that goes by without someone saying, "Getting old is terrible. There is so much you cannot do." I disagree. I've decided instead to let the folks below be my motivation. What do these people have in common? They did not let anything, including their age, limit what they wanted to do. They just decided they wanted to do something, then took one step after another. 

AT AGE 91, Sister Madonna 

had completed 45 Ironman competitions since the age of 50! 

AT AGE 92, Chico Scimone raced up the Empire State Building finishing in just over 43 minutes!

AT AGE 104, old Ruth Frith broke the world record in shot put in her age group(65y and above)!

AT AGE 78, Anna Mary Robertson Moses, or Grandma Moses, began painting and was a prominent American Folk Artist!

AT AGE 98, George Dawson, learned to read and wrote a book called "Life Is So Good" at the age of 101!

AT AGE 70, Joan MacDobald decided to take charge of her health and began to eat healthily, exercise more and start strength training. Six years later, she not only turned her health around (losing weight, building incredible muscle and resolving many health issues) but now has over 1M Instagram followers, a new app and has started a new business! 

So instead of thinking, "I can't because (fill in the blank)," think, "what if I could?" Then take the first step!

Who will motivate you to take the next step?

#motivation #mindset #possibilites #nevertooold

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“If we want to do it, we can. The only failure is not to try because putting forth the effort is success in itself.”

— —Sister Madonna

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Wondering how coaching can help you? Email info@salimashamji.com to schedule a discovery call.

Cultivate Happiness

Happiness

I recently learned of an excellent framework for looking at happiness, called the SPIRE, from Tal Ben-Shahar, author and educator. This model shows that happiness comes from many areas in our life. 

S- for spiritual, which can be purpose and meaning in life to religious connection. 

P- is related to our physical well-being, eating, sleeping, moving and the mind-body connection. 

I -refers to intellectual happiness, which comes from being curious and deep learning. 

R- is for relationship happiness and cultivating deep, meaningful relationships with others. For example, this is cultivated by connecting with loved ones or contributing meaningfully to a community. 

E- comes from emotional happiness, which involves being able to process negative emotions and cultivate positive ones, such as gratitude and kindness. 

This novel framework shows that happiness is a systems approach. We may not be great in all areas of the SPIRE model, but pretty good at some. However, if we want to increase our happiness overall, growing our happiness in one area will positively affect all others. For example, suppose we become better able to manage our emotions. In that case, we will also be more creative, open to learning new things and participate more positively in relationships. Yet, if we neglect any of these areas, it will negatively impact all the other aspects. So, for example, if we neglect our physical well-being, we are less likely to feel emotionally happy and want to participate in activities involving deep learning and curiosity. (This is something I see firsthand as a physician! 🤔)

Where are you thriving? Which areas do you need to cultivate?

How does this affect business and the workplace? 

Well, research has shown that happy people are more productive, creative and more likely to contribute, which ultimately impacts the bottom line! 🤔

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“Happiness is the joy you feel moving toward your potential”

— —Shawn Achor

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Wondering how coaching can help you? Email info@salimashamji.com to schedule a discovery call.

Lead with Intention and Purpose:

Make a Decision

How comfortable are you making decisions when you don’t have all the information? As challenging as this is, most of the time, we won’t have the whole picture and still need to decide what to do next. It helps to recognize that decisions are not based on certainty but on probability. As leaders, our role is to take the information available at the time and make the best-calculated guess we can. We look at the benefits and the costs associated with the decision. We look at possible risks and see how we can mitigate them. Then we decide and move ahead. The worse thing we can do is not make a decision and thus take no action. As a result, we not only become stagnant and don’t develop our decision-making muscles, but our team gets frustrated and stressed from lack of direction. The project loses traction.

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Redefine Failure:

Most often, the reason for not deciding is fear of failure. What if there is no failure? What if there are only two possibilities: the intended outcome (win!) or we learn and realize we need to pivot or adjust the strategy. This is an opportunity to re-evaluate, make changes and try again. That learning may be beneficial in many ways and point us in an even better direction. This is what builds experience.

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Decision-making Process:

Decisions don’t happen as automatically as we think they do. There is a process to making decisions. Sometimes this process occurs quickly in our mind, and other times it needs to be on paper, so we see things clearly. Crucial decisions often require the latter. Below is one process to consider:

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1. Take into account the outcome or result intended. This is key. Most focus on the problem and get stuck in a narrow focus. We open up our focus to see more possibilities by thinking of the result. We are also more likely to consider the stakeholders involved and affected.

2. Think of the situation as a challenge and not a problem. Reframing reduces stress, keeps us motivated and helps us think more clearly.

3. Stick to the facts, not the story. The story gets emotions involved, and this can cloud our thinking. Write down the facts without opinions or judgement.

4. Understand why you want this outcome. This step helps align the decision with our vision and purpose and helps keep us on track. This also keeps everyone motivated.

5. Define success. How will you know you were successful? Understanding how success is measured is key to staying focussed and on course.

6. What information/resources do you have or can you get to help make this decision?

7. What are your options, and what are the benefits and costs of each option? How significant are these to the outcome? By doing this part of the exercise, you gain a better perspective and can increase confidence in the decision. How can you reduce or eliminate the risk?

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“As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears.”

— —Rumi

Decide

Once you have this clarity, then decide on the best option and create a plan to carry it out. Course correct as you go and keep your focus on the outcome.

The more you do this process, the more innate it becomes. For minor decisions, the process might all happen in your head. For significant decisions, use paper to capture these steps.

A structure to your decision-making process will help you lead  and live with intention and purpose.

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Wondering how coaching can help you? Email info@salimashamji.com to schedule a discovery call.