#currentconcepts

What better time than now to start reading that book?

          Or start learning that new hobby you have wanted to for years?

Or

    Maybe

         To take up that side business or get fit?

Someone with a proactive personality would see right now--having to stay home-- as an opportunity to do all those things that they haven’t had time for up until now. Without having a proactive personality, individuals could not hope to see let alone act on the opportunities they have in front of them. 

I took on shipt because it is getting a lot of orders right now, and held virtual grand openings for my network marketing business, and have been taking time out of my day to exercise.  Therefore, I have a proactive personality.

Do you? 

Take this fun little quiz to find out more about how proactive you are (DISCLAIMER: This is just a fun activity. It may or may not be completely accurate). 

Almost everyone I know has used a zoom or bluejeans video platform in the past month.  However!! There is a right and wrong way to listen on a video call. Even if it is not face to face, you still have to keep your reflective listening skills up. 

So... Let’s learn about reflective listening on video calls!!

--> Keep your video on - I know we do not always want to show our barely-brushed hair or messy room, but when your video is on, you’re more likely to listen and less likely to get distracted. 

--> Nod your head, or lean in, and look engaged - A few nonverbal gestures can go a long way to show that you are listening to the speaker in the video. 

--> Ask questions!!! - Even if your audio is off, you can ask questions in the chats during the calls. When someone asks for questions and no one on the call has any, it begs the question: was everyone actually listening?

I really do not enjoy getting political, but in light of everything going on, I feel this is relevant. 

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen people on social media refer to others as “the right” or “the left” when talking about values and ideas. I want to stress one thing. These people are stereotyping. Furthermore, those who believe everyone in their party holds the same exact values are projecting onto others. 

It goes without saying that not everyone who considers themselves a republican or everyone that considers themselves a democrat have exactly the same views and values. However, when an individual’s views are skewed so far one way or the other, they tend to only notice the things that already fall in line with their presumed beliefs about others-- in other words, selective perception encourages the stereotyping behavior. 

Why is this a problem? Lately I have seen people claim that “all democrats want communism and revocation of rights” and “all republicans don’t care if their family dies as long as the economy is okay” and that is clearly a dangerous thought process. Those who are projecting seem to think everyone in their political party is handling these circumstances properly. Both situations are not ideal. 

People typically fall into one of two categories: those with the positive effect, and those with the negative effect. Being an essential worker as well as a frequent visitor of social media, I’ve seen both in abundance. Here’s just a few examples: 

Positive effect

I do grocery delivery. Just today, one of my customers told me “At least I get to hang out with my family all day”, and gave an amazing tip. Later, after I got home, my mother informed me that (even though work has been made a LOT harder), that she is just grateful to not be laid off. Both of these show the positive effect in action. The customer could have complained about having to stay home, and my mom could have been upset with her new work schedule, but both of them chose to focus on the positives. 

Negative Effect

Most people, at least to some level, think of themselves as a law abiding citizen.  At the moment, many states have a Stay at Home order in place to combat the Covid-19 Pandemic.  If everyone is a citizen who listens to rules imposed by the government, then why is it that people actively act against the orders? In one term, this can be defined as...

Cognitive Dissonance.

This phenomenon occurs all the time. Think back to the last time you were driving. Did you go the speed limit the entire time?? Well... you probably did not. That is also cognitive dissonance. Another example, specifically in the workplace, would be a chef who knows all the rules and techniques of food preparation but cuts corners on processes to get food out faster (even when they care about consistency in the restaurant). 

Back to the topic of the stay at home orders:many people are still having friends over or going out in groups. This is not because they don’t care about rules, but rather, for the same reason one might choose to drive over the speed limit: they, personally, think that (in their circumstances) this course of action is acceptable and preferable. 

If you’ve ever taken a management class or are a business major of any kind, you have probably heard of a smart goal. This is super relevant right now as a lot of people are going into final exam week in the near future! This type of goal is characterized as follows: Specific Measurable Attainable Reasonable Timebound A smart goal helps the one setting that goal to actually MAKE the goal and carry it out bit by bit through action steps. Want an example??? Here’s one of my smart goals!  My goal: I want to finish my research paper on Entrepreneurship and the Business Cycle by April 30th. 

Lets take that piece by piece. 

Specific: finish my research paper

measurable: ONE research paper

attainable: Yeah! I have already done a significant amount of it and the rough draft is almost complete

reasonable: It’s definitely possible. I just need to spend a decent amount of time on it. 

Hey guys! So, with everything going on right now, I know I’ve found myself in some distress. You all can probably relate! Whether you’re an essential worker or at home trying to figure out how to pay all your bills, you probably are a LITTLE past the point of eustress (a good point of stress where you are challenged but not overwhelmed). SO.  What better time to mention some stress-prevention tips? It may not change your situation but these tips may help you to cope with it, prevent excess stress, and stay positive!  On the organizational level: 1. Goal Setting: 

> Right now, many employees are experiencing a thing called “flextime” in their position, which means that they can pick and choose the hours they work, due to the stay at home orders. Goal setting to make sure tasks and projects are completed in a timely manner can take away some of the stress that comes with choosing your own hours. 

2. Role Negotiation: 

> Some people are better suited to work from home than others. If you have a big project you knew how to complete from the office but not so much from home, call your manager/boss/etc to see about negotiating the duties and tasks involved. This should help you to hone in on how to complete your tasks as well as eliminate some of the stress involved in doing the parts of the project you personally are not comfortable with attempting at home. 

3. Social Support Systems:

> My business partners and I actually just did something in this category. Team Building and social support in this current situation might not be easy since no one can meet face to face, but try scheduling a company game night on the “House Party” app or just a zoom meeting to check in on each other. Support from the people you work with may help you feel less alone and more confident in doing the work.  ------------------------------------ On the personal level:  1. Exercise! 

> Don’t have access to a gym now? No problem! Get online and visit a gym website. Some are actually streaming live workouts (that’s what I’ve been doing). Exercise gets you moving and helps to prevent and manage stress. 

2. Leisure Activities:

> If you (like me!) spend a lot of time doing work right now, whether it be with online classes or working from home, it can take a toll on you mentally. To prevent stress from a strenuous workload, make sure to leave some time in the day to do something fun like drawing, painting, or even just reading a good book (or, whatever you like to do for fun). 

3. Keep a Healthy Diet

> It’s common knowledge that you feel better if you’re consistently eating healthy. That 3rd bowl of mac n’ cheese might sound nice in the moment, but if you want to prevent stress and not feel bloated and gross later on in the day, you may want to skip it. 

4. Relaxation Training

>If you’re starting to feel that stress creeping up, try out some relaxation training like meditation or breathing exercises. 

5. Positive Thinking