How To Beat The Business Blah's by David Ledoux
Have you ever been stuck in a rut with your business? You know the feeling.
The phone weighs 500 pounds. The computer growls at you. You feel listless,
frustrated, and irritable. The thought of even talking to a prospect gives you
"da-freke-owt!".
Why can't we concentrate? What happened to our motivation? What impact on
your income will a prolonged depression, lack of drive and an inability to
self-motivate have?
What do you do?
What do you do to stop it from coming back?
How can you beat "The Business Blah's"?
Here are 4 techniques that you can implement immediately.
1. Change your body chemistry - naturally.
Chugging back a six pack is no cure for the business blahs. Sure, its
tempting, and for a short period, you'll forget about business. Of course, no
work will actually get done and you may feel like hell the next day, making
things worse.
But your "blah" feeling might very well indicate a shortage of
nutrients, especially B vitamins. Women are particularly susceptible, as hormone
replacement therapy and birth control are B vitamin killers. Before you pop a
few vitamin pills, there may be a more pleasant solution, unless you're a
vegetarian. A nice roast beef sandwich is loaded with B vitamins. Next time you
don't feel like working, see if that lack of concentration goes away with a
Dagwood sandwich.
2. Change your brain chemistry - naturally.
Puffing a joint, popping some Prozac, or imbibing one of the endless
working-class drugs is no solution. Drug use in North America, both legal and
illegal, is at record highs. You'd think it was the sixties out there. There is
a pill for everything. Feeling sad? Take a red one. Can't concentrate? Take a
blue one. One pill makes you smaller, and one pill makes you tall, but the one
that mother gives you, won't do anything at all....
Forget it. Screwing with your delicate brain system artificially is a recipe
for disaster. If you feel the blah's coming on, try a famous home remedy.
Chocolate. Seriously. Food scientists have discovered that chocolate can
naturally change the brain chemistry and elevate the moods of 2 out of 3 people.
And that math is slightly higher in women.
A word of caution. Moderation. Turning into a bona fide chocoholic will only
make point #3 more necessary.
3. Them Shoes Were Made For Walking
Groan. When you feel listless, the last thing our bodies want is exercise.
And it's often exactly what it needs. But start slow. The best thing to do when
you are frustrated, fed up of work, and ready to scream is put on your running
shoes and go for a walk.
There is an excellent book called Breathwalk by Dr. Singh Kalsa. It literally
teaches a form of yoga through walking and breathing. The state change that
occurs in just a few minutes through a special form of breath walk is profound
and remarkable. It's immediate and noticeable. You get a mental clarity that is
perceptible through all your senses. Within 10 minutes you often achieve a
creative state, or a highly energized one. In less than 30 minutes your entire
body chemistry is altered. Endorphins, naturally pain killers are elevated, you
feel refreshed and recharged.
And the best parts are you lose weight, your flexibility and energy
increases, and it's low impact, free and convenient!
4. Change your state through sound.
Everyone has a song or two that instantly changes their state. Perhaps its
Paradise By The Dashboard Lights by Meatloaf. Your brain instantly flashes back
across time to that day when...you know... or maybe its Flashdance by Irene
Cara... or maybe its I Did It My Way by Frank Sinatra...or maybe Hound Dog by
Elvis...or Gimme Something To Break by Limp Bizkit. Whatever your sound of music
is, you'll know it because it creates a noticeable and profound change in your
state.
You smile. Your toes start to tap. You feel like moving. If no one is looking
you play the air guitar, or jump around, or dance. You sing, or scream, or
laugh. Within 90 seconds your body is energized. Your mood changes.
Our ears are direct input devices, much like our sense of smell. Music is a
powerful tool to change your state. Today more than ever its possible to create
our own CD's of our favorite songs. You MUST create your mood-altering CD for
emergencies. I have a favorite that is all hip-hop dance tunes from the late
eighties and early nineties. I have another of my favorite heavy metal. I have
another of my favorite jazz.
When motivating lags, tempers get short, and concentration gets frazzled, a
10 minute music break can often get you back on track.
There you go. Four methods to end the business blah's. Or at least put a dent
in them. The question is, "Will you use them?".
I believe in you. Make it a great week!
David Ledoux
