Skip to main content

Turn Off The Noise

Today I'm adding a bonus entry from my friend, David Spiegel. So many of my own clients complain about being overwhelmed by stress. Dave discovered a big point in his stress, and how to deal with it. He still does just as much work -- just with a bit less stress. And just in case you think you can't -- pay attention to where he mentions 50,000 text messages!  Doug



by David Spiegel

In May I began coaching with a weight loss company. Every morning texts would come in  and my job was to respond to them. In the early days, it was exciting as my client base grew from a handful to eventually a few hundred . After a short while the texts were rolling in at a pretty steady clip.It did not take long before it became an avalanche of messages.I couldn't answer them fast enough. I would open my phone and it would show 75 unanswered messages.

As I set about answering a few dozen more and more came ringing in. Each time my phone would chime telling me I had received a new text. After answering the first 25 of 75 I would look and see that I now had 87 unanswered messages! AAAARGHHHH!

Another text rang in, and another and another. I literally could not catch up. Brrring another. Brrrringanother. Brrrrrrrring another! Every time my phone would sound my stress level would grow.  I could hardly breathe!


Then one day in late October, my phone just froze. 


I could not text back to any of the messages I was receiving. I immediately got a replacement phone and transferred all of my data.


In the 5 months from May to October, from my start date to the day of the crash, I had received just over 50,000 texts. Received and responded to. Along with each incoming message was the audible reminder that yet another text awaited me.Like the constant dripping of the faucet, each text tone drove me crazy.


While setting up my new phone, Becky asked, "do you want me to put the text tone on silent?" You can do that?


Well, hell yeah!


And then there was silence!


Day after day, the texts keep coming in, without the noise. Without the clammer. No longer was I subject to the constant reminder that someone else wanted a piece of me. The demands on my time were now completely in my control. It has been delightful.


Along with the absence of noise has come a notable absence of stress. I can breathe once again. The tension in my neck has gone. The twitching in my cheek has ceased. I am relaxed. And every text still gets answered.


My point?

Sometimes you just have to shut off the noise!


-- David Spiegel

Today's resolution:
This year is just about done.....whether or not I am ready for that to happen or not.
I have a few more hours left today to address the balance of this year's items. Tomorrow, they will all make their way on to the For Next Year list!

If you or someone you know needs to lose weight -- let Dave know!  david@live2xlcoaching.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Measures Matter

Some people measure quantify first and quality later. Some people measure money first and impact to the team later (not even second!). How you measure productivity might determine your character and your reputation. Put people first.  -- doug smith

Your Reputation

More authority means higher levels of responsibility. More power requires more service to others, not less. What you do with your power is who you will be known as. Also, how you use the power you have creates who people will remember you as. How do you want to be remembered? -- doug smith  

For example

Get good at something that won't obsolete itself. For example: emotional intelligence creating great conversations encouraging people leadership What would you add to the list? Which ones are you developing? -- doug smith  

Personally

Improving performance does require us to take our work seriously. But it does not require us to take ourselves too seriously. Taking things personally is a waste of self-esteem. -- doug smith  

Show Up!

  "You've got to be there. Big decisions are being made!" my former boss told me a long time ago. "If your voice is in the room you might be heard..." It was good advice then and it still is. Show up. When there's a goal you're working on and an opportunity appears to advance that goal -- show up. When changes are being made that will affect you -- show up! When it matters to you -- show up. You won't always get what you want by showing up, but you never will if you don't! -- doug smith

The Problem With Compromises

Think about the last time you compromised on something. Whether it was a big compromise or a little compromise, how do you feel about it now? While we often call it "meet in the middle" it seldom does. Compromises are not automatically fair, no matter how implied that fairness is. Someone usually gets more out of a compromise than the person they are "compromising" with. If the low end is you, you don't like it -- and you remember that. If the top end of the compromise is you, you probably forget all about it even though the inequity simmers in the background.  Compromises must be constantly revisited because they are inevitably unfair. If you get the chance to balance things out, your relationship will prosper. If you miss that chance, the relationship will suffer. What's your choice? -- doug smith 

High Performance Leadership Combination

We can rationalize anything without making it justified. Leaders should always ask: who is this good for other than me?  High performance leadership does NOT mean performance at any cost. It means performance that serves a noble cause while also benefiting people. High performance leadership is a combination. Results without relationships are shallow and temporary. Take care of both, and you'll be a high performance leader. -- doug smith  

Decide

What do you want? Are you getting what you want? Intention is direction. Decide. And, then go. -- doug smith