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In today’s work and busy lives overwhelm is a
serious stressor and many times it just feels and
looks like an elephant. So how do you eat an
elephant, well the answer is, one bite at a time.
Let’s take a look at a real life situation.
I was working with the young lady who had six
projects all due in one week; she was feeling
overwhelmed, stressed, angry, alone and
concerned for her job. She and I came upwith these
5 simple steps & she not only made it through but
also cultivated an environment of teamwork and
relatedness because she brought a solution and
was very clear in her communication.
Here are the steps she followed:
1)
Get the Facts and Set Priorities
:
She took
the planning time to find out exactly what
was needed, from whom and by when to
meet the deadlines.
2)
Clearly define accountability and
consequences
.
By clearly defining what
was needed, by whom and by when, she
was easily able to clearly communicate the
accountabilities and also the consequences
for each item on her task lists.
3)
Communicate what you need.
She went
to the person she needed things from and
made a clear request detailing what was
needed, fromwhomand by when along with
howshewouldbeholding themaccountable
for completion or apply the consequences if
not fulfilled. She then followed up with her
superiors and the other team members to
ensure priorities would not be shifted.
4)
Followup FollowThrough.
Next she followed up
andfollowedthroughtoensuretheaccountabilities
were clear and priorities maintained and fulfilled,
and only if needed, applied the appropriate
consequences if not fulfilled.
5)
Maintain a High Level of Self Care
.
During
the weekend before, the entire week of
and the weekend after, she took on a high
level of self-care. She used the clear mind
meditation. She ate well, drank water and
went to her yoga classes. She knew that if
she let her fears take over and let herself
go into bad habits of extra coffee and
sugar and poor nutrition while skipping her
exercise routine, she would not maintain a
level head and her energy, thus causing a
downward spiral of additional stress.
HowDoYouEat
AnElephant?
By Jamie Sue Johnson
SOAR TO SUCCESS
/
A
pril
2016
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Personal Growth Strategies