This Week’s Focus Point: What’s Your Punching Bag?

I got a great birthday present last week from my wife and kids. They banded together to get me something I really wanted…a heavy (and speed) bag for my exercise room. I’d started using one in a class at the gym, but I wanted to have access to create my own routine. It’s a great core and endurance work out, and the new year was the perfect time to get going on it!

One of the advantages of working from home for me is that I can access this bag any time I need it. We all are susceptible to periods of frustration, stress, angst, anger, and sadness. It doesn’t need to be a mountain of a problem; often it’s a pebble in our shoe that while temporary, still has consequences to our comfort and peace of mind.

When in a bad mindset – that will happen to all of us – my practice is to change the brain chemicals. That means getting physical. In order to stabilize your emotions and optimize your “smarts” (e.g. mental acuity) to more successfully deal with issues, you’ve got to change the brain chemicals. For me, I can put on the gloves and go thump on the heavy bag until I’m tired. That physicality changes your brain by getting your emotions steadier, and allows you to make better decisions, improve performance, and create a better perspective.

You may not have a heavy bag to thump, but you have something. Go for a walk (even around the office). Do knee bends. Do push-ups. Heck, go on the internet and find dozens of ideas on how to increase physical movement while at work. The important thing is this – if you allow yourself to get emotionally out of sorts, it will kill your productivity, poison your self talk; and lead to poor decision-making. And worse, it will continue the cycle until you break it.

Change your mindset by changing your brain chemistry. The quickest way to do that is by (with apologies to Olivia Newton-John) getting physical.

If you’d like to discuss how I can help you and your company punch out the obstacles in your way for success and unleash your potential, then please call me at (360) 271-1592 or email me.

Quote of the Week:

“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

~ Muhammad Ali

© 2017 Toro Consulting, Inc. All Rights Reserved