November 2012 – Letting Go Cafe

Two Tips To Let Go and Reduce Stress At Work

Two “Letting Go of Stuff” tips to reduce stress at work:

Tip One – Have a walking meeting
Tip Two – Take a responsible play break from your work

Tip One
Have A Walking Meeting

Instead of holding your meetings in the same old conference room and breathing the same old stale air, take a walk. Get everyone together, have them bring their pads & pens, and head outside for some fresh air. A walking meeting can be exhilarating and reduces stress. It also gets the creative juices flowing.

If there is a park nearby, go there. If not, have everyone drive to the nearest park. Its a healthy alternative to having a meeting at a restaurant and less time consuming.

Schedule the morning meeting at the park rather than the office. Once everyone arrives, take a walk and take care of business at the same time.

If you have a balcony outside the office, then take some chairs out there and have the meeting. The goal is to do something vastly different to help reduce the stress and pressure of every day woes; and that will spark creative thinking. In the process, morale will also increase, which is a great benefit.

Tip Two
Take Responsible Play Breaks Every Two Hours

Since 1994, I have worked from home. In doing so, not only is it important to be disciplined and focused, it is equally important to take what I call “play breaks.” These “play breaks” last about three to five minutes. For example, I have a trampoline that I will jump on for about five minutes several times a day. Do something that will shift your focus and increase the oxygen to your brain. That focus shift and fresh oxygen to the brain will make a big difference in your day. Remember, it is okay to take a break, as long as it is done responsibly.

Prior to 1994, when I worked in an office setting outside the home, I kept little toys that I could easily play with in between doing my work. It helped. It also reduced stress in big way. Examples of little toys are a yo-yo, bouncy balls, squeeze toys, 3-5 pound dumb bells (for a smart person like you), and the like.

If you have an active game you enjoy like, basketball or air hockey, then get a small goal that hangs on the door of the office and shoot some hoops from time to time (or use a trash can). For the entire office, get an air hockey game (or the like) and put it in the break room. It will help to increase the morale of the employees if they can take “play breaks,” while at work.

As long as deadlines are being met for clients and the play breaks taken responsibly, there is no harm in having a fun “play break” items in the office break room for folks to enjoy. It can be a morale booster.

Letting Go of An Employee? Consider This…

Letting go of an employee is something “not” to take lightly, as most know. There are many, many considerations before you potentially destroy someone’s life and family by letting them go through termination. PLEASE, be very thoughtful about it during these challenging times.

A termination, regardless of your personal feelings for the employees, must be ethical, genuine, and based on evidence that supports the decision.

Before letting go of (terminating) an employee ask the following questions.

Is my decision to terminate based on an individualized assessment of this employee’s performance or abilities OR am I being influenced by stereotypes or perceptions?
Do I have a legitimate business reason for the termination? What is it?
Do I have a documentary record supporting my decision? Is it accurate and complete?
Is this termination consistent with company policy?
Has the employee been made aware of performance issues and given an opportunity to correct them? Are efforts by management to obtain satisfactory performance and lack of response by the employee documented?
Have I involved the human resources department, especially where a situation appears to present difficult personnel issues or the potential for legal action?
Is the termination decision going to come as a surprise to the employee? If so, why?
Has the employee made any complaints, charges or grievances that would affect the company’s right to terminate this employee? (sexual harassment, wage/hour overtime pay, failure to accommodate a disability, etc.)
Is the employment at-will or are there some limitations on the right to terminate?
How is the employee likely to react to the termination?
Am I prepared to conduct an exit interview?
Has the company obtained legal advice? Does the possibility of a legal claim, if the person is a member of an otherwise protected class, warrant getting legal advice before the termination occurs?

Source

Living With Joy While Letting Go

I am re-reading a great little book titled Ask and It Is Given, by Esther and Jerry Hicks.

There are many awesome examples, powerful tools, and easy to apply methods in this book. The first time I read it, I put it down thinking that it was a nice book. This second time around I am really getting in to the application of the tools and methods. One of the many incredible tools helps one to recognize what vibration level you are on, relative to your emotions.

This is a process that will allow you to begin letting go of negative feelings. I love this tool as it is in the form of a scale of emotions and thought patterns. These patterns are listed from most negative to most positive. For example, joy is among the top level positive feelings. Depression is listed among the lowest feelings. As you identify what feelings you are experiencing at any given moment in time, you are able to choose, consciously, to increase the vibrational level for those feelings, by moving up the scale of feelings.

Even though it is a scale and the feelings are ranked, the lower feelings are not bad, they just create different outcomes, based on whether we focus on them.

For example, if you find that a particular thought makes you feel angry, then that feeling represents a certain vibration that you are experiencing in that moment. Once you realize the impact of that feeling of anger, you can then choose to either change the thought, or change your feeling about the thought.

It is powerful and it is empowering to know that you can totally control your momentary destiny, in that way. By controlling your momentary destiny, you ultimately control your life long destiny.

Based on my example, this specific tool allows you to let go of what is restricting your feelings of joy and happiness, which gives you more control. The following was my experience just this morning.

During my walk this morning, I was thinking about a contract I am about to sign to lead a not-for-profit organization down a new path of success. As I thought about the contract and the current Chair, I noticed that I began to feel anxious, even bothered by some of the actions of that Chair. Realizing this allowed me to choose to take a different path with this potential client. That choice helped me to feel more empowered about working with that client.

I will be joyful as I meet with this client this morning, and I am choosing to only move in a direction that will bring me joy with this situation. If I stay with that vibration, then the law of attraction will bring that same vibration back to my world. This means that I will have to be conscious and aware of my feelings throughout the entire meeting with this client, which is most empowering. Its is awesome!

So I would like to highly recommend that you get Ask and It Is Given. This book can literally change your life, if you practice the methods it offers.

If you have just begun your letting go of stuff journey, Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks is a tool you want to have in your personal empowerment box.

Until the next post… take great care.
Darren