Life is full of lessons. Here are the best lessons I’ve been taught and continue to embrace.
Prepare with mental rehearsal. Imagine yourself in various scenarios that generate the emotion and then rehearse what you’ll say—to yourself, to the other person and how you’ll regain control to focus on what’s really important.
Be curious. If you’ve ever spent time around kids, you’ve been subjected to a barrage of the most classic of childhood queries: “Why?” Even from a young age, we know intuitively that the motive behind an action is the most important piece of any story. When curious, we are more comfortable with stress, more flexible in making decisions on how to move in the direction of what is important to us.
You’re never too busy to travel. We can never really fully prepare to step away from work. Even if you prep for weeks, there will always seem to be more work that needs to get done before you’re gone. If you wait for your business to be in perfect condition before you travel, you never will. So, go travel, rest and recharge.
Your body is your temple. Treat it as such.
We’ve heard the phrase: “Love yourself before you love anyone else” – it was true then and truer now. Without a positive relationship with yourself, every other relationship in your life will suffer. It always starts with you.
You are what you read. If your body is a reflection of what you eat, then your mind is a reflection of what you read and study. Fill it with good stuff, not just social media white noise.
You cannot compare your path with anyone else’s. We each have our own struggles, and we each have our own triumphs. Your path is your path for a reason. Pay attention to the lessons meant for you and you only.
To be productive, you have to remove distractions. Productivity is not about multitasking. It’s actually the opposite. It’s about trying to do less, so that you can ultimately do more.
If you aren’t getting done what needs to get done, there is a fear. We avoid the things we don’t want to do—or worse, wonder if we can do at all. This is why startup plans and book ideas get pushed to the back burner so often. To get the work done, you have to confront what’s holding you back.
Convey complex ideas in their simplest form. When talking to a client, take a complex scenario and illustrate it in the simplest form. Ask yourself: “Would a twelve-year old understand this?” Don’t talk down to your client, but make it easy for them to understand you. We don’t know what we don’t know.
Lack of sleep is not a trophy. Bragging about only getting three hours of sleep last night is not something to be proud of. What it shows is a severe lack of balance and an unsustainable workflow. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Your inner circle is your “dream team.” If you surround yourself with negative people, your dreams and positive demeanor will diminish and eventually become obsolete. If you surround yourself with positive and driven people, your dream will thrive. It’s on you to build your “dream team” accordingly.
Your life is a reflection of how well you know yourself. It always comes back to self-awareness. The more willing you are to address your fears, shortcomings, and points of conflict, the more self-awareness you will have and the happier you will be.
Thanks for reading!
Carissa Abazia
@CarissaMortgage