5-STEP PROCESS
INTRODUCTION:
Greetings to all. I hope everyone is enjoying summer. Everything is different, everything is new. "THE NEW NORMAL." First, I apologize. It was intent to go back to my video blog post for this week, but sometimes, life doesn't cooperate. My daughter got married this past week, I extended my visit, and you know, sometimes life just happens. That's what gave me the idea for this week's post. I'm a pretty organized guy, and usually do not let life get to far ahead of me, but this week, I drastically failed. Therefore, my video blog posts will resume the second Monday of every Month starting in August.
LIFE SIMPLY HAPPENS:
Today I am going to discuss a 5-Step Process. A way to approach life in a more organized fashion, because these steps apply to anything in life. First, we must understand that no one is perfect. Therefore, variations will occur. We will screw up. Did you know that on an average, 1 out of every 100 choices we make will be wrong? The question is, which one will it be? Wouldn't it be nice to know that, but we don't. Therefore, it helps to have an organized way to deal with life.
In my self-help book, "Balancing The Scales," I talk about two types of time. The one we all are most familiar with, and the other which is more important, and we simply never consider it. Most of the things we do not consider is not because we do not know about them, it's because we choose not to think about them. IF we don't think about them they either won't exist, or they will go away, right? Not so much. They will always be there, and trust me, when you least expect it, they will have an influence, even sub-consciously. It's ok, this is perfectly normal. It's part of the human condition.
Following a process, is the best way to take as much into consideration as possible. Earlier I stated I failed. Actually, that's not a good word to use. Fail, failure, or failed, is a horrible word. It's demeaning, and leads one to think they are a failure. Failing at anything does exist, but for different reasons. Think about this next statement for a moment.
When we fail, it's because we did NOT put the proper effort into whatever it is we were trying to do. We cause the failure. If we put the proper effort into anything, and it did not work out, all that means is we weren't successful.
The difference between the two should be obvious. Therefore, don't be so hard on yourself. This past week, I simply was not successful. I did not fail. Makes sense? On to the 5 steps. I call it P.A.P.E.R. Why that name, because it's an easy word to remember, and often times we write things down, so we don't forget them. (HINT)
THE PROCESS:
1. PROCRASTINATE:
We all know what this is. To delay or postpone an action. In this first step, we need to decide whether this needs our immediate attention or not. Whether we want to do it should never be a consideration. If it is a priority, and needs to get done quickly, do it. Putting it off can lead to it not getting done at all, or it can, and most likely will, get in the way of something else that needs to be done. DON'T PROCRASTINATE, PRIORITIZE. Once it's done, it's done.
2. APPROACH:
Everything we do revolves around how we approach it, mostly in a psychological way. Meaning, if we sit and mull over what we need to do rather than doing it, we are wasting time, and doesn't change the fact that it must be done. Try to have a POSITIVE approach about whatever it is you need to do. This psychological effect is perfectly normal. It's something most of us do that is second nature. However, the way we view anything will make all the difference. Every task, every choice, everything we do all share one thing in common. They have an end goal. Therefore, during the approach stage, you need to identify what your end goal is. What is it you are trying to achieve? This will always be something positive. We do not do things with the intent to have a negative outcome. Therefore, focus on the positive. The end results.
3. PLAN:
Figure out how you are going to get it done. For example, your partner just came home with a box that has a piece of furniture in it that needs to be built, or you need to get a room painted. Believe or not, what the task is, is not important. No matter what task we do, there will be aspects of it we simply do not like. Don't think about those. THINK ABOUT THE POSITIVE END RESULT. When we think about the negative, we rush. Most times, we need to redo it. Now we get to dislike it twice, rather than once. When I started my own business many years ago, it was in the field of electronics. At times, very tedious and aggravating work. My father said to me;
"Remember one thing. The first time you fix something you get paid and make money for fixing it. If you need to redo it, it's for free, so fix it right the first time."
MORAL: No matter what you do, your plan MUST include doing it right the first time.
4. EXECUTION:
So now, you are past procrastinating, you have a good mental approach, and a solid plan. Now the time has come to get it done. During this step, have fun. Take breaks, do not skip meals, do not do anything that will give you a reason to complain about what you are doing; such as, "I've been working on this all day without a break. Or, I don't even have time to eat?"
Things like this make whatever it is you are doing a chore, and takes any fun and joy away. This leads to rushing, and possibly making mistakes which will cause you to need to redo it. Tell me how many times this has happened to you? You go get a desk, or TV stand, or anything that need to be built. What do we all do? We build by the pictures, not the instructions. So now, after a couple of hours, you are down to the last step. The screws are too short. You realize that much earlier on you used the wrong size screws. But in the picture they looked the same. Now you have to take it apart, and rebuild it using the correct parts. What have you done? You have added to the stress, the aggravation, and the time it took to do this. Now, when I was married, my wife was always nice enough to smile and point out my mistake. Now, I'm more aggravated, my anxiety is heightened, and at times, it led to an argument. Execution is a very important step.
5. RELAX:
The final step in the P.A.P.E.R. process. Relax. Whatever it was you had to do, be it mow the lawn, build something, paint a room, get errands done, etc. Sit back, take a moment, and relax. Enjoy your results and what you accomplished. When you do this, it reinforces the positive attitude you started with, provides you with a sense of satisfaction, and most importantly, SUCCESS.
IN CLOSING:
There you have it. The 5-steps process. Now that you know it, it is easy to see how this can apply to everything in your life, because no matter what you do, there is always a process. Once you learn how to use the same process, it becomes second nature, and adds a high degree of balance to your life. Certainly, you can use a variation that you feel may work better for you, and this might serve as a starting point for you. As the saying goes, "whatever works for you." Thanks for taking the time to read my blog this week, and I look forward to getting back to the once a month video blog post in August. Till then, stay safe, and be well.
Thank you ... Caesar Rondina
VIDEO PRODUCTION WORK:
Producing video book trailers, business ads, and speaker introductions.
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