Value Creation Blog

Mindfulness seems to be something that's a buzzword these days.  At the same time, it's a really important concept I want you to be paying attention to.

I bet you’ve had a time in your life where you wish that you did things in a different way.  You tried to make a change, but you found that you just couldn’t.  There was this annoying thing that got in your way.  That annoying thing……..it’s called a habit.

Too often you just give up when you figure it’s a habit getting in the way.  Instead why don’t you try some of the following to see if you can change what you do.

My fight with quitting cigarette smoking.

I bet this has happened to you.  You’re working on something and you hit a snag. Or, you’re having a transition in your life.  Instead of focusing on what’s going well you do what most of us do, you focus on what’s not working.  What would happen if you decided to instead focus on what’s good about the change?

There’s a type of planning called appreciative inquiry.  It’s really pretty simple.  Instead of focusing on what’s not working you build off what is working.

Thinking negatively slows you down.

I’ve written a lot about the word no. It’s something I think you need to learn to say more in life. When you say no, you’re building time for you to say yes to the right things.

How often have you made a major decision before you became clear on what you want?  If you’ve ever made a mistake on a big decision I bet you spent almost no time figuring out what and more importantly why you wanted to do something.

Retirement is one of the biggest changes you’re ever going to make.  Too often I see people retire, then wish they never did it.  They’ve not thought through some of the changes that are likely to happen. 

Change happens quickly.  It’s not something that takes forever.  It often is immediately preceded by a phone call.  It’s what happens after the phone call that takes a long time.

Retirement is one of the biggest changes you’re ever going to make.  Too often I see people retire, then wish they never did it.  They’ve not thought through some of the changes that are likely to happen. You don’t want to be part of that group.  Instead, be smart and think about retirement in a way that’s going to have you prepared when the big day comes.  Here are 6 things to think about:

I have an internet friend, Chris Lema (yes I know that sounds strange for a 61 year old) who has one of my very favorite sayings.  When he finishes a project he wants it to be be done done.  No, this is not a typo.  He really does mean done done.

Baby boomers seem to be changing the rules of retirement.  It’s no longer work for 40 years for one company, retire with a gold watch and ride off into the sunset.  You probably had at least three employers in your career.  You might even be doing something completely different than what you were taught in school.

As you get ready for retirement, think about what you can do that will keep your mind occupied.  Work doesn’t have to mean drudgery and I’m hoping that as you approach retirement age you aren’t going to be totally dependent on work to have enough money to live.