Fixing that Overwhelming Feeling

As I have worked with executives and others over the years, the occasional feeling of being totally overwhelmed has been a very common complaint.  It is a symptom of being out of balance, when the tasks, troubles and challenges of the day reach the point where we simply don't cope well.

The staff at ThyBlackMan.com have put together an excellent piece on handling the overwhelming feelings we seem to get so often.  They recommend setting aside two 30 minute periods each day.  In the first, the advise that we simply stop and stay quiet.  Clearing the mind and soul are critical to success in finding balance.

The second 3o minute period is all about doing something that you really enjoy.  It could be exercise, reading, playing with the kids or whatever.  But having quiet time and then time doing something of your choosing each day makes the sense of being out of control and overwhelmed somehow less debilitating.

This is a great article, and I really enjoyed doing something I like to do - checking out websites with lots of practical advice for life.  And ThyBlackMan.com is one of those classic sites that brings a lot to the table in our daily living of life.

Nigel Marsh on Work Life Balance

Nigel Marsh, the author of Fat, Forty, and Fired gave a great talk recently on work life balance. He said, among other things, making small changes in life is the best approach to work life balance. Variety being the spice of life, Marsh recommends that we work to bring many aspects of our lives into balance rather than trying to focus on one big thing that is out of balance.

Watch his speech and then add your comments about what makes work life balance work for you!

The Lesson of the Red Horse

John Reh is the guide for the Management site at About.com, and is one of my favorite writers on management and leadership topics.  I ran across his article on The Lesson of the Red Horse.  I don't want to steal John's thunder by tipping off too much of the analogy, but suffice it to say that often in leadership, we get exactly what we ask for--no more and no less.  Clear expectations, being sensitive to the strengths and weaknesses of our people, and setting performance standards are all important in motivating our people to realize their potential and contribute to the overall mission of the organization.  Thanks, John, for a memorable analogy that will certainly help me in my management and leadership efforts.