Most of us will admit that the last two or three years have been life changing and goal shifting! You may have set business goals only to watch them turn to the right or the left. You hit the reset button one too many times and now you feel like you have lost your strong momentum.
It could sound crazy but one of the ways to get back on track is not by trying to push a boulder uphill on your own but with the help of others. There was a time when entrepreneurship meant being the brightest, the fastest, and the most goal-oriented person in the company. Push, push, push! The fact was: you were the company!
In all my years of working with people to help them structure their business and financial lives, I have found that entrepreneurially minded people typically set goals extremely high. I know because I have been an entrepreneur for years. I also have summited five of the world’s tallest mountain peaks! So, I have been one of you!
I have also learned that when strong-willed people reach a normally out of reach goal, their happy meters spin with joy over their accomplishment! “Wow! I did it!” they say. But the truth is “no.” If you are successful, a team of people working somewhere alongside you, helped you get where you are. No one is a “Lone Ranger!”
A little over a year ago, I climbed Mt. Everest, but I was not alone. Anyone who knows the history of that mountain, knows that isolation is a sure pathway to disaster. I had a team of people supporting me.
So, why don’t we understand this when it comes to life in and out of the office? We are relational people. There are a couple of reasons why I believe we push to “go it alone.”
First, we want the accolades for ourselves! Sorry but true!
Second, we find ourselves alone because we believe it is the right thing to do but in the long run it doesn’t work.
Staying connected, broadens us and teaches us to be flexible. There is strength in numbers! While I’m not a psychologist, it is easy to see how staying connected with people, keeps you connected with life! This is tremendously important for this time in our world.
So, what are the Benefits from being Connected with Others?
Reduced Stress. It is just common knowledge that isolation increases feelings of distress, particularly among older adults. Having friends reduces psychological distress and leads to more Perfect Days.
Happiness and more Joy. Happiness comes in various ways, but one is through having healthy relationships. This includes developing friendships that provide quality interactions. Develop friends on different levels—not everyone has to be a close confident! Keep your friendship numbers real. Too many and you are right back on a hamster wheel. Just the right number and you benefit yourself and others.
Personal Growth. Friendships teach you how to develop. They broaden you! Through close or intimate friendships, you learn how to be flexible and steady. Be committed to your friends and you will develop your “core.”
Reduced risk for illness. Big one for me! Overworking is a recipe for an “ER” moment, but maintaining a balanced life, keeps stress hormones in check.
Perfect Days follow a Pattern
For years, I have given people another “job” to do so that their lives balance out. I ask them to set a goal to do four things each day before 11am. Thus, the reason for Perfect Day 411. Reaching goals, even small ones early in the day, motivates you to stay in the game!
Keep your Core strong It’s what is central to our lives. If work is all you do, then you are not going to enjoy life. You may gain “head knowledge,” but your heart knowledge will be off center. Your life will contain a serious wobble.
It’s time to get out from behind your laptop screen and invest some serious time with those who are journeying with you through life.
Experience Life This begins when you take the initiative to look at life through different lenses. It’s not where you go, it’s the quality of the time you experience from being there. Brunch at the corner bakery with a friend can be a huge step toward reaching your experience goal for the day. So, don’t be afraid to keep some experiences simple and easy to enjoy.
Give Even When It is Hard By giving, I mean give words of encouragement, support, and cheerlead someone on to a personal victory. Giving financially, has its place but giving away something each day that costs you nothing is sacrificial and will cause your happy meter to turn.
Keep a Financial Check I advise clients to take the time on a regular basis to be aware of their finances. I have been a financial adviser for over 25 years, and it is NOT selfish to take care of yourself. Just don’t get “locked up” in your counting house and forget to step outside! Maybe it is time to take that long-awaited vacation or to do something else that you have been waiting for the right time to do.
Summing it Up
Turn the nightly news off! (Yes, I say this all the time.) Declutter your mind and your lifestyle. Build relationships; strengthen those you have. Travel to new places if only that means around the corner. Experience life! Learn something new and share your happiness with others. Invest financially but don’t sit and watch the ups and downs of the market.
Do life with a long-term perspective. Today counts but always work off the premise of changing what you can change and letting go of what you can’t. There are always new opportunities. Practice the Perfect Day mindset and it will keep you standing in the winner’s circle.
I would love to show you how this works daily. Most importantly, I can teach you how to gain the confidence you need to get on track for the future and many more Perfect Days!
You can read my personal Perfect Day story in the introduction of my book Perfect Day. In fact, download it for free, or sign up for a free consult with me. My greatest desire is to see you become all that you are meant to be.
About The Author: Cokie Berenyi
Cokie Berenyi has been in financial services and serving the needs of individual and institutional clients and entrepreneurs since 1996. Mother, author, business owner, financial “samurai” and Perfect Day engineer, Cokie loves food, wine, travel, stray dogs, goat cheese, tennis, and alpine mountaineering.
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