Stress reduction in these tough economic times!
BY PETER SCHOR
Showroom specialist
I am hoping that most of you read the December 2008 issue of The Wholesaler, which contained a lot of helpful suggestions for you to consider implementing in 2009. My showroom column was titled “Make 2009 your best year ever,” and numerous people responded to me with positive feedback. One e-mail was from the legendary Hall of Famer Jack Hester, president of F.W. Webb, which was shared in the Letters section of this issue.
Also in the December issue were two Industry News pieces, one on page 14, titled “Showroom educator, columnist offers webinar, teleclass educational seminars,” and the other on page 67, “Industry consultant opens doors to booming hotel biz.” There is plenty of help available from me in these tough economic times. Trust me, many people are holding their own, doing well and many flourishing in their business.
2009 showroom columns - I want your input!
What are the obstacles, challenges and problems that keep you from producing better results for you and your company? This is your showroom column! In 2009, I want to address the needs, issues and topics that are most important to you. Send me e-mails topschor@dynamicresultsinc.com. When you send in your request, please advise me if you want your name and company held confidential, I will 100% do so. If you have very specific questions to you or your company only, I will answer it personally. For your participation, I will send you a copy of my book, Pillars of Success, which has many chapters from some of the greatest visionaries of our times, such as Alexander Haig Jr, former Secretary of State, Pat Summitt, winningest coach in ncaa basketball history, and more.
Managing stress in tough economic times
Almost 95% of the people I ask at my seminars have serious issues regarding not enough time to get everything done and having too much stress. We are all in the same boat!
The first and most important thing in proper time and stress management is a positive attitude. Attitude is everything! Even if you don’t buy into positive attitudes or being optimistic, a recent best selling book, Learned Optimism by Larry Seligman said that optimistic people live longer (24.1% for women and 23.2% for men). Much of the book was taken from a 50-year statistical government study. If you want to look at a positive attitude “scientifically,” just remember that thoughts become feelings and feelings become behavior.
I’ve said that the most profound #1 tip in today’s time management and stress reduction is that “You will never, ever, ever, get caught up.” So why stress?
I wanted you to ponder what that statement means to you. Statisically, the great majority of the people who read it and thought it out, reduced their daily stress 50% or more. Several people responded asked me to give further explanation. It means that most things you do every day will be repeated the next day and so forth -- getting dressed in the morning, eating, grocery shopping, making telephone calls, and other repetitive daily tasks at the office. Remember, prioritize, use time management tips but, most of all, take one day at a time!
“You will never, ever, ever, get caught up” means that you can only do what is what is humanly possible in one day and yes, prioritizing and time management is imperative. It does not mean that you should take an attitude of “I don’t care.”
Stress - America’s invisible killer
In the last 15 years, we have learned more about the mind than any other time in the last 200 years. For 100 years, it has been known that stress can put a hole in the stomach commonly called an ulcer. Today, they are linking stress to heart attacks, cancer and other diseases.
It is nice to see in recent years that society has acknowledge that stress is real and gone out of denial. Today, mainstream news and media is writing about it. For example, The Parade Magazine, which is circulated by an insert to almost every major Sunday newspaper in the U.S. a few years ago had a 16-page article which included 10 ways to overcome stress.
Proven stress reduction technique
A proven stress reduction technique has been used in Western Europe and the Scandinavian countries for 100 years. It is taught and used here in the U.S. in scene in your mind. This is someplace in your life, where you felt safe and relaxed. It may be last week on vacation on the beaches of Hawaii or when you were five years old and fishing with your dad or mom.
The more clearly you see the objects and colors, the more relaxed you will get and the more value you will get from the exercise. See the palm trees swaying and the blue ocean waves. For perfectionists, do not make the scene perfect. Spend time in your favorite nature scene. Next in the process, you will leave the nature scene and you will go thru the reverse of the colors of the rainbow — violet, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. Remember to see the colors (objects) for it is where the deep; value is located.
The visualization process should take between 10 and 15 minutes. Yes, it will take practice to get the real value from this process. It took me personally three times to get the process working. Today, I do the process in eight to 10 minutes and my wife, Samantha, will tell you that I am locked into only requiring five to six hours of sleep -- whether working or on vacation. My many industry and personal friends would say that I am mostly a “high energy” person. The same stress reduction technique process can be used effectively when we have major “upsets.”
Another great technique of reducing a high level of stress it taking three very deep and quick breathes of air. This will dissolve stress levels down a few notches. Both visualization and breathing techniques are found in numerous books at your favorite bookstore.
My favorite tips from volumes of stress reduction information
My personal top four tips on the war against stress reduction:
- Stop worrying about situations you can’t control. Do we get any intrinsic value what so ever? Like frequent flyer airline miles?
- At the end of each business day, acknowledge three wins in writing (short) so you have closure. Even if it might be the day from hell!
- Written goals. You can’t hit the target if you can’t see it. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Written goals in all areas of your life will cut down on your stress.
Remember: “You will never ever ever get caught up!” Life is a journey, not a destination! Enjoy and have fun along the journey of your work and personal lives!
Out of 200 different things you can do to reduce stress, here are my favorites from the volumes of great information:
- Prioritize each day events
- Prepare for meetings in advance
- Say no to excessive commitments
- Program leisure time
- Tidiness will make you feel in control
- Have fun and learn to laugh
- Find time for prayer and reflection
- Develop good listening skills
- Accept fair criticism
- Concentrate on valued relationships
- Keep your life balanced in all aspects.
Peter Schor, president of Dynamic Results Inc., is an educator, motivational speaker, consultant, coach and writer in our industry and many diverse others. For the past 17 years, he has conducted 100 educational programs yearly, including 34 industry conventions. Schor has great expertise in the field of showrooms and has won many industry awards. He also works with manufacturers in the field of sales, marketing and public relations. Schor can be reached at 1491 Ivy Arbor, Lincoln, CA 95648, by phone at 916/408-5346, by fax at 916/408-5899, by e-mailing pschor@dynamicresultsinc.com or on the web at www.dynamicresultsonline.com.