Wednesday, April 17, 1996

Relax

Have you ever noticed that when you don’t need any new business, that’s when you get it? And when you’re desparately trying to increase sales, you can’t seem to find any new customers? Sometimes it seems that the harder you try, the less effective you are.

It’s possible to try too hard. To get so uptight and centered on something that you lose your effectiveness. Too much of anything will cause tunnel vision and burn-out. A healthy dose of perspective can be the cure.

Have you ever been “stuck", trying to figure out the answer to a tough problem? You work and work on it, and can’t seem to find the answer. Then you take the weekend off, come back to it on Monday, and suddenly the answer is obvious. What happened? You got so close to the problem, you could not find the solution. And when you backed away for a little while, you were able to see much more clearly.

Of course persistence is vitally important in any enterprise, and so is balance. Don’t get so obsessed with a particular outcome or detail that you lose balance. Learn to put all things in perspective. Sure you want to land that prospective customer, but not at the expense of your family and your health.

The trick is to remain focused on the outcome you desire, without becoming consumed by it. Learn to integrate all aspects of your life. Take time for fun, family and friends no matter how busy you are. And make it a point to learn something new each day in a field that’s totally unrelated to what you’re working on.

Learn to integrate a healthy balance into your life at all times, especially the most stressful periods. You’ll find that you can often get more done by trying a little less.

— Ralph Marston

Creative play       Why do children climb up slides?

Copyright ©1996 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.