Take a long thorough look at your life and identify what is really ailing you at the present moment. Then find a silver lining and choose to focus your feelings and energy and outlook on that. Don’t ignore your problems; but at the same time don’t let them engulf your thoughts and drain you physically and mentally as you strive to constructively, creatively and diligently overcome them. Choose which ‘worries’ you can work on and which it does not serve you to carry and are best dropped like a dead weight and relegated to the past. According to the Bayt.com Employee Motivation Survey 2013, more than 80% of professionals in the Middle East feel varying levels of stress on an average working day.
A common cause of serious concern is limited resources, especially over-spending and over-borrowing and the panic that causes. According to the Bayt.com MENA Salary Survey 2014, 36% of people in the Middle East save nothing from their salary. Our advice to you is to review your finances and your spending habits and ask yourself what is really necessary and what has become redundant or was never needed to begin with and needs to go. As you formulate a proper spending plan you will find the daily worries associated with finances will vanish and you will enjoy spending (and saving) a whole lot more.
Almost 80% of professionals in the Middle East say they read their industry-related literature on a regular basis as per the Bayt.com ‘Career Advancement in the Middle East’ poll, July 2011. If it’s been light-years since you picked up a book, start with a highly recommended article in your field of work or your area of need or interest. Read for work and read for personal growth and read for pleasure. Note the sense of satisfaction you get after reading a truly inspirational or educational book or article.
This is the day to forgive someone who has hurt you and also to ask for forgiveness from someone you may have hurt. Ask yourself what grudges you hold and reassess them and the burden they represent then choose to relinquish them and even to extend a gesture of friendship to someone you may have maintained at arms length before for no particularly fair or sound reason. Ask yourself who it is that you really admire and respect in your close or larger circles and choose today to send them a ‘love touch’, a sincere gesture of friendship and appreciation, whether via a simple call, message, visit or invitation. Do you owe anyone a ‘thank you’? Well, this is the day to shout it out.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of a good deed. In fact, 95% of professionals in the Middle East would like to be involved in more charity or community service according to the Bayt.com ‘CSR: Is Your Company Making an Impact’ poll, August 2013. Whether it’s an act of charity you can afford, a helpful hand at work or a simple gesture of kindness toward an acquaintance or a stranger, look for a way you can make a meaningful and positive difference in someone’s life on a regular basis starting today, and enjoy the act of giving.
Identify your vision of personal and professional success and make sure you have very clear and well-defined goals for the short, intermediate and long term. Every day, start with a vision of what you would like to achieve that day even knowing that you will most probably be disturbed and distracted in countless different ways as the day progresses. The clarity of your vision of success and goals will help you get there. Here are some tips to find your passion in life.
It could be taking on a new project or learning a new skill; it could be saying ‘yes’ to a project or outing or opportunity that enriches you, or saying “no” to a traditional task that simply does not serve your interests or anyone else’s. It could be communicating better or differently with those around you or seeking to be more productive or competitive or team-oriented. Identify areas you would like to grow and make the difference it takes to accomplish that.
What is it you really love about yourself? Take a moment to laud that quality you love most and enjoy that feeling. What have you accomplished today that you are also exceptionally pleased with? Again, take a moment every day to tabulate your progress towards personal and professional milestones, and smile at the sense of achievement and personal progress.
If you find you are at an impasse in life or career sometimes a different vantage point, even if it’s just physical, can give you a very constructive sense of clarity. Take your computer and see if you can work for a few hours or days from a different office or from the sunny conference room or from a café or a comfortable spot at home. Reorganizing and tidying and clearing out your office space often helps, as do little touches of rearrangement and redecoration, as clutter can often be extremely draining and counter-productive. Perhaps you need a few days off in a completely different environment to recharge and think things through. Here are seven ways it pays to take some time off.
No matter where you are, you are surrounded by miracles; find them, enjoy them and count your blessings. It could be your co-worker’s children visiting for the day; the flower bouquet in the foyer; the view of the ocean, city or green outside your window; it could be the sandwich your other half lovingly prepared for you that morning; or the bowl of fruits on the table; or even the smile on the face of the porter who opened the door for you. Wherever you are find the miracles that surround you, and be conscious of your blessings.