Do you know your power?
I have asked thousands of people that question. Most tell me many things run through their heads when they hear the question, but, the answer usually is ‘No, I don’t have much power.’ These people are prime candidates for an addiction seldom discussed, workaholism. The behaviors of regular overtime, weekend work, work always brought home, in essence no division between work life and home life. Usually, adrenaline flows like water during the most inappropriate times for these people. This problem is now shared equally by women, men, young and old. I know these are not the most effective workers, but they live with a jaw clinching anxiety over everyone else’s work style.

If you see yourself, read on.

Americans are awake on Sunday nights fretful of the dragons they’ll face at sunrise. Those fears are rarely realized, I’ve learned, from the thousands of professionals I’ve worked with, who were sleepless on Sunday nights. This phenomena is labeled Mind Chatter by Dr. Herbert Benson. He has a proven technique to resolve it. I start engagements with that technique and lecture, often, on other ways to help. Learn about his work in his past and current books, Beyond the Relaxation Response, The Maximum Mind, .... Another handy tool is a book called Time-Out, a Recovery Guide for Workaholics. These are resources for a sometimes fatal pattern. Additional issues of high-anxiety, about the future, are often job related.

The workaholic tends to become a playaholic during vacations and holidays. Every moment is scheduled, regimented, and no one ever lives up to their expectations. As a result, the workaholic at home or work is anxious, tired, never refreshed. They tend to carry anger to the point of rage in their hip pocket. Gun slinger ready, they release it quickly and often. The chaos and change everywhere is manageable. Yes, workaholics, planning, with some routine, and predictability, is a profitable behavior. We can avoid major ailments, surgeries, and accidents, indicators of critical stage workaholism.

Today, even young kids, model “successful” parents’ misdeeds. Previously, books on work/life balance have said -- just do it. Severe workaholics require a different spin since they are ambitious and measure work progress by quotas, risk, and high monetary rewards. Accomplishments and winning are the only game to us workaholics.

Today, I thrive on opening the eyes of the American worker about their power and using it daily in their place of work. Take caution, overt stimulation from work-related adrenaline reeks havoc on your health and home life. There is a middle ground. Do not dive into a work bungee jump with closed eyes. Create solid habit reforming behaviors. Use a measured plan of action, support system, and obvious milestones. Recovery does not just happen. Get help!

# 1 Write a career plan to know where you are headed. Too often drifting is unproductive and you will never achieve as much as you deserve without that written, measurable plan. Remember your career is your one selfish focus area. You are the only one with your best interest in mind. Remember to plan for your whole life.

This is Work not Love.

# 2 Let your family know what the plan means to them. Reset expectations. For self-rightsizing regarding family finances, be tactful, sensible, and respectful. If you have created expectations, reversals are tough. Find benefits, options, and use problem solving before announcing changes. Don’t become a martyr, most of them were burned at the stake long ago, don't follow in their smoldering footsteps.

# 3 Enlist everyone who could be a positive influence toward your workaholism recovery. Approach receptive friends not immediate family. There are free lay ministers in most cities who are silent listeners so you can verbally hash out issues. Schedule time to talk it through. You are worth it, the rewards are tremendous.

# 4 Daily, practice a stress release method, walking, yoga, Transcendental meditation, the Relaxation Response.... Learn to function more effectively with a clear head, soft relaxed shoulders, and a loose quiet jaw.

Try this now. Sit comfortably, deeply inhale, hold it 4 seconds, and exhale slowly, audibly, with an ahhhhh. Experience the mellow feeling of calm, peace, and clarity. Use your first 15 minutes each day. Reap rewards defined in study after study showing performance is up, priorities done, thinking is sharper, and aging slows as a result of using a good, quick, relaxation technique. Calm, clarity, and peace of mind, are our natural states.

Driving abrupt behavior is a movie made image of perfection and peak performance, they never show the time off for multiple bypass surgery, headaches, divorce court..

Reprogram your success model.

Finally, form a workaholics’ recovery pattern. I’d have cyber meetings and chat on recovery successes, join me in my private chatroom. Now, let’s refrain from holding them at 2 am Monday mornings, shall we. There is little benefit to have learned and earned it all, only to land in physical, emotional, and relationship trauma. Recovery is living in the present while knowing you have planned for the future. The ability to take that sweet, calming, breath and enjoy the now without a head full of “I wish I wouldda, I shouldda, I couldda..” Is worth it.

Now, Go Home, Enjoy the Rest of Your Life!

Excerpt from: Peak Performance Workshop
Joyce Scott, owner of SuperbSpeakers.Com, was a Fortune 500 record breaker before forming her national consulting firm.
Call Joyce at 800.795.0493

  Make Your Advertising Message Stand Out With Original Stock Photography -- Only $30 per single image -- $95 for panoramas. 

Back to "Features" Menu