Renewing Your Zest For Life

The more that I listen to and observe people… the more convinced I become of just how stale and unsatisfying life has become for so many of you these past several years.

It’s reminiscent of when I went to my 25th high school reunion a while back. There were only a few couples out on the dance floor as everyone else had relegated themselves to the sidelines. When I asked the once vibrant women why they weren’t dancing, they replied that they were too old and too tired to tango.

Just because the world is in a state of upheaval and turmoil doesn’t mean that you are supposed to go through life on emotional cruise control and live a life of stress, fatigue and worry. There are real people out on the town who are dancing all of those hot Latin dances that you have relegated yourself to summarily watching on “Dancing With The Stars”.

It’s time to shake things up and put some zest back in your life! Take a moment to recall what your first date was like. Life was exciting and intense back then. And it can be again… but you’re going to have to stop living life in a protective bubble. So, what would bring out the flavor in your life?

Here are just a few of the many ways that you can put some real zest back in your life:

Be Bold and Do Something New: Stop telling yourself that “Some Day I’ll…” Dare yourself to do what it is that you’ve been contemplating for far too long.

Say Goodbye To Your Junk: There’s a bunch of crappy stuff that’s junking up your life. Deal with it and then get rid of it once and for all.

Get Off-Centered: You know everything that is at the center of your life only too well. That’s the biggest part of your problem. Start exploring the outer “edges” of your life. What’s out there on the fringe of your universe just waiting for you to discover it?

Pump-Up The Volume: What still excites you? What’s important to you? What ever it is… pump-up the volume and start doing a lot more of it.

Get Zest From The Best: What’s the “best” thing you ever ate? Go enjoy it again! What’s the most fun that you ever had? Go do it again!

Decide What’s Non-Negotiable: What are the things that you absolutely can’t live without? Make them a part of your life for keeps.

Determine What’s Missing: What is it that needs to be an integral component of your life? Build it in now.

Lighten Your Load: What ever has been weighing you down… get it off of your shoulders. Stop being so darn serious. Get real about it. Deal with it. Then be done with it.

Snag A Sunrise: Catch a spectacular sunrise at the beach or on a mountain vista and remember just how precious and fragile life really is.

Make A New Memory: Stop reliving your old memories and start making new ones. As Frank Sinatra once crooned… “The best is yet to come…” So go dip your toe into the unknown.

And then there is this one other thing… the daunting words of the famous publisher Elbert Hubbard… “Do not take life too seriously. You will not get out of it alive.”

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.



Give Your Business A Face-Lift For Spring

At least once a year it’s a good practice to give your office and work space a face lift. For most organization’s, their slow period provides the perfect time to not only get organized, but to prepare in earnest for the upcoming busy season.

Every work space from the corner office, retail storefront, warehouse, cubicle complex or home office will benefit from clean and organized surroundings. As well, it’s more appealing to your customer’s, visitors and a morale booster for your staff.

The best place to start is with everything paper. Clean out your old files and keep only what is absolutely necessary. Shred everything that has any sensitive or personal information about your organization, your people and your customers. Once this task is done, it’s off to the recycle center along with the rest of your office recyclables.

Your next step is to update and reorganize your remaining document files. And don’t forget your business card binders and Rolodex (if you still have one). Now repeat this same process for all of your electronic files, database and anything else that is virtual.

Next up… it’s time to de-clutter the desks and file cabinets. The promotional junk that you’ve accumulated has got to go. And the monthly desk calendar pad on the top of your desk should have gone bye-bye three years ago. Clean out the drawers too… how many hand held calculators, rulers and the like do you really need?

Once you can actually see your real desk top, take the time to clean and polish it. Now move on to the book shelves and file cabinets. Pull the books which are no longer utilized or that have become outdated. Categorize the professional, reference and resource books together for easy time saving access in the future. Reorganize the file cabinets and remove the extraneous items that have accumulated over time. File cabinets have a real purpose and are meant to save time… not to be the office catch-all.

Now it’s time to round up all of the strays from around the office and then gather all of your office supplies into one central location. Then test all writing instruments, sharpen all pencils and refill all staplers, sticky note holders, paper clip holders and the like. Subsequent to this protocol, inventory your office and computer supplies and then generate both a current shopping list and future needs schedule that will maintain appropriate supply levels.

The time has come to turn to your technology equipment and to assess your computer hardware and software needs, upgrades, maintenance, repair, optimization and back-up. Just like your paper files, delete the old or unnecessary files along with any programs that you no longer use. Once this has been completed it’s time to tackle your email files which may truly be your biggest source of clutter. Start by cleaning out your in box, sent files, deleted files (some of which need to be permanently deleted to actually remove them from your hard drive) and of course your spam.

Also remember that pictures, audios and videos take up tons of hard drive space. Keep what you need, place them on a CD/DVD and then delete what you can from your system. Reclaim as much disk space as possible and then optimize your computers by running the defrag and disk clean up programs.

With these tasks accomplished, it’s time for a little elbow grease and some serious down to earth office cleaning. Wash all windows inside and out, clean the blinds and draperies, vacuum the carpets and floors thoroughly and have them shampooed as necessary. Clean all tile, linoleum, baseboards, baseboards, door frames, doors, door knobs, hinges, light switch plates, walls and add a fresh coat of paint where needed.

Now that your office is bright and shiny, it’s time to freshen up its aesthetic look. Review your office equipment and telephone system needs. Consider rearranging the furniture and wall décor. Update your accent pieces, especially if you have a waiting room or foyer and don’t forget to update magazines, journals, brochures, information pamphlets and business card holders.

Lastly, perform an office makeover with regard to your policies, practices, procedures and business plan as this will help you clean up your old ways of thinking and help your organization to focus on creative ideas and new ways of better serving your customers.

And remember… that good organization will always reward your bottom-line.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.