Give Back: The Most Critical Jar The Ground Tenet

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Give Back

This is Easy To Do

This is Easy To Do

Give back. Possibly the most important tenet of Jar The Ground. Help others when you can, however you can. Give back by helping others overcome challenges similar to the ones you have faced or are facing. That way your experience is put to good use and there is one less person struggling for an answer you already found. Give back by making another person’s day, week, life a little less painful. This moves society forward.

 

What Are You Really Doing When You Give Back?

“Give back” suggests that you have received something that you should return or pay back. And in a way that is likely the case. If you are like me, many people have helped you along the way. You’ve been supported in many a success by individuals seen and unseen. The college admissions person you never met, and who decided to give you a chance. Or perhaps it comes in the form of the person working 3 jobs who keeps your office clean so you can start each morning fresh and uncluttered. Things get done all around us that affect us in positive ways. Often we never have a chance to thank these people who grace our lives with presence in the world.

I really like the notion of paying it forward. This concept is based on the assumption that doing so spreads a selfless caring and further enriches the social networks that connect us. In addition, it often makes more sense to help out a different person than the one who helped you since you are more likely to be helping someone truly in need.

How Everyone Can Do This

Service with a Smile

Just Saying Thank You Can Make A Person's Day!

And you don’t need to give a million dollars to charity or build a homeless shelter. It can be as simple as a smile and a thank you. I was in the grocery store recently and the gentleman in front of me said hi to the checker and then asked how her day was going. He commiserated with her about the long hours while she went about her work. At the end of the transaction he looked her in the eye and thanked her and told her he hoped her day would go by fast. When she started scanning my items she was beaming. I asked her if she knew that man. She said no, not really, but that he was always so nice. When I asked why she was smiling she said, “I know it sounds crazy, but I feel better after seeing him. You know how many people actually express concern for a check out clerk, or smile, or even say thank you like they mean it? Let me tell you, almost no one…” It turns out that woman has gone entire days at work without ernest appreciation. That’s something anyone can easily remedy.

Take a real interest in a person you interact with (but don’t really see) at least once a week or so. Starting with simple acts like that will make you more enriched, because you are enriching the life of another person.

Giving back is critical to the entire Jar The Ground process. It brings the process and your success full circle.

There is much more to the concept that you should give back. If you would like to learn more contact me  here. If you would like to schedule a Jar The Ground talk for your organization feel free to contact me via the “Book a Speaking Engagement” menu bar link above.

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Embrace Change and Challenges – Jar The Ground Tenet

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Change AheadEmbrace change and challenges. This is a tough one because many of us have been trained by society to view many life changes and challenges  in an extremely negative light. Most of us are programmed to make value judgements about everything that we experience. We place each life experience in one of two bins, “good” or”bad.” Add to this the fact that any type of change causes stress, it is no wonder that, in these volatile times, people are more strained than ever.

Change occurs with every day, every hour, and every minute that passes. It may just be a difference in temperature as you travel from inside a warm building to a chilly winter day outside. It can come in the form of that new car smell. Or it can come in the aching loss felt when a loved one dies. Whether we label our change “good” or “bad”, according to researchers and many mental health professionals, the effects of the resulting stress on our health is the same.

When challenges come to us with change these are most often either labeled “bad” or seen as things to be conquered such as the lack of stamina a runner seeks to lessen as she trains for a marathon. We are urged by counselors to “over come” our grief at the loss of a loved one. We “face” challenges in our jobs, relationships, and just about every aspect of our lives.

When I say to embrace change and challenges, I mean that they should be merely acknowledged for what they are. That is things that have happened and nothing more. Labeling something as positive or negative does not actually help us to cope and can cause us to inaccurately categorize the things that happen to us. We have no idea in the grand scheme of things what really is “good” or “bad” as this zen story illustrates.

Change and challenges will be what they are no matter how we label them. By taking a neutral stance we can approach our life without questioning why things happen or trying to “undo” them in our minds. Worry falls away, giving way to clear thinking. When change occurs and challenges present themselves we are not as flustered or shocked. We accept the effects as is and move on.

I know this is NOT easy! Accepting such things as rejection or the loss of a loved one and being able to view it as part of the impersonal flow of life is very difficult. But the rewards of being able to do so are huge. We can view our lives and the events that affect us with perspective and act rather than react.

There is much more to the concept that we should embrace change and ehallenges. If you would like to learn more contact me  here. If you would like to schedule a Jar The Ground talk for your organization feel free to contact me via the “Book a Speaking Engagement” menu bar link above.

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Note Taking with an Idea Notebook

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You may ask what note taking is and what does it have to do with motivation? Well it has a lot to do with motivation, in that we all have ideas and thoughts, that when not written down are often forgotten. We also need to be reminded at times what we need to do. To-do lists help focus us on the tasks at hand and to prioritize. I also suggest to you that notetaking software is not the answer for many people.  Certainly not for me, and I am a total techno geek, gadget freak. I find that a pad of paper is my most effective tool in this area. So, I have three things to share with you: what is note taking,  my thoughts on notetaking software, and why I use a pad of paper.

Note Taking

(Really, what do I mean by note taking?) This is not the boring note taking we all associate with school. It is also not like keeping a journal where you write your thoughts and feelings down once a day (not to say that is a bad thing – it can in fact be VERY helpful to people.) Rather, I am talking about having a way to record ideas as they come to you. When you are walking down the street or first wake up in the morning or while riding in the car (as a passenger), any time. This way you forget nothing (unless you have a photographic memory) and can refer back to your brief notes on your idea, break through, or whatever came to mind while you were too busy with something else.

Notetaking Software

OK, I personally do not think that notetaking software is the way to go. It means that you need to have your device with you all the time and charged. Fine I can probably make that happen. More importantly, Ijust find it difficult to get my ideas down quickly while fumbling with a phone, trying to find the app, typing on the tiny keyboard, etc.  It just does not do it for me. I have tried quite a few products. If you want to go this route here is a link to the best site I found for reviewing those notetaking software products.

Pad of Paper

OK the pad of paper (notebook) is my favorite. But this is just my personal preference. I can take it anywhere. It is easy to whip out and jot some notes down QUICKLY. And it is easy to flip through pages to find recent notes. I favor the moleskin notebooks. They tend to be a little more expensive, but they also last a long time, are small, and are flexible. They seem to be just the correct size, not too conspicuous or heavy. When I was a grad student and poor, I did use composition note books, you know, the ones with the black and white speckles. I think that Richard Branson used these when he was running Virgin Records.

Taking Notes in a notebookWhere can you keep your pad of paper? Well, if you are a woman with a purse…in your purse. If you are a man (without a man purse) or a woman without a purse…I keep it tucked under my shirt and held in place with my pants. Most people don’t see it there. You can also carry the notebook in the open. Some people think this makes you look like a geek (in a negative way). I don’t tend to hang out those people or listen to them much.

So, take your choice. But get into the habit of writing down  in your note taking device any idea or thing you see or hear that is important to you. Finally, you need to review those notes every day to ensure you take action on the things you noted. This will help enormously in your efforts to Jar the Ground every day!

If you have other ideas or suggestions, please post a comment.

 

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Increase Energy and Self Motivation with Music

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Increase Energy

Music makes us happySo, you are feeling blah or just lacking in energy. No matter what you are doing you can use music to increase energy as well as your self motivation. We are told by scientists that music can make us feel better and it can even increase energy we have and get us moving. Music makes us happy and when it comes to self motivation there is an aspect to an upbeat song that makes many people want to get up and do something. Whether that something be physical activity or even work, you can improve your chances of getting things done by using music to warm you up and guide you along the way.

Self Motivation

I listen to upbeat tunes when driving or cleaning house or even on a walk or exercise. It helps me to dispel that feeling of being disconnected and increases my self motivation to focus on what I want to do next and visualize positive outcomes. It increases my energy levels so I start new tasks with vigor. What music you decide to listen to really depends on what you like. Pick  songs that make you feel good and encouraged. Songs with more pep and positive lyrics are going to lift your spirits and get you moving (even involuntarily -  like tapping your foot to the beat.)

Try a different genre. And don’t discount the power of classical. I am a country fan for the most part, but I listen to a couple Beethoven and Mozart pieces that practically make me feel invincible. So be open to the posibility that something you don’t normally listen to might get you going.

So, next time you are sitting or lying around and need to Jar the Ground, listen to some tunes that you can’t help moving to, that make you feel unstoppable. If music works for you, please share a comment about how music helps you Jar the Ground in your life.

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