William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.
Remember that the most profound answers in your life are the simplest.
I had a conversation recently with a person that needed to request time off from work for a job interview. He wasn’t sure how to frame his request and he felt very anxious about it. The reason (as best I could understand) was that it was a particularly busy period at work and because of this he expected to get “push back” from his boss for asking for time off. He was totally immersed in the “negatives” associated with all of the ways to frame his request; how much time he needed to take off, should he take a full or half day, should he go into work and get at least something done before leaving? What was the best way to get the time off he needed and avoid the displeasure of his boss?
The pressure to perform and to “live up to other people’s expectations” can create an enormous amount of stress in our lives (as it did in this case). I’m not sure what this person ultimately decided to tell his boss to get time off, but I will tell you what I told him. All of us are at our personal best, with the greatest access to our own wisdom and common sense decision making when our minds are free of negative distractions.
As Anne Hathaway put it in the 2010 fantasy film Alice in Wonderland, “You cannot live your life to please others. The choice must be yours.”
William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Founder of Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com.