Ten Ways To Quiet Your Mind During Turbulent Times



Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2008

by
Performance Programs, Inc.

Millions of people will soon arrive at their year-end holidays with unavoidable concerns about the state of the economy, the world, and their personal wellbeing. In addition to normal holiday stress, additional concerns will arise from what they see around them and the conversations that accompany the current state of affairs.

"This year, more than any time I can recall, we are subject to an epidemic of mental, spiritual and emotional fatigue," says Dr. Jim Loehr, whose latest book, THE POWER OF STORY: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny in Business and Life" is now in paperback. (Simon and Schuster, October, 2008, http://www.

energyforperformance.com/book_power_of_story.html). "If ever there were a time for people to increase their ability to manage their inner conversations and overall wellness--this is it." He adds, "The ability to see clearly in the storm is neither inherited nor something that necessarily develops with age. It comes from repetition and practice, much like strength develops from workouts at the gym."

Dr. Loehr is a performance psychologist who has spent an entire career helping high performing athletes, military Special Forces, medical professionals, business people, and organizations master the fear of failure and harness their "inner voices" in service of their goals and missions. He is the author or coauthor of 13 bestselling books, including THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT and STRESS FOR SUCCESS. His work has been featured in Fortune Magazine, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, and on Oprah.

Dr. Loehr offers ten "inner voice lessons" from THE POWER OF STORY to help people take control of their inner voices during turbulent times. He also invites readers to take a free self assessment to judge their current state of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual balance. (http://www.

energyforperformance.com/assessment_profile.html)* TEN INNER VOICE LESSONS

1. Take Control of Your Inner Discord. This sets the stage for the next steps.

Consciously turn to an activity that engages and absorbs you completely.

Continue it until you can talk with yourself calmly.

2. Summon the Voice of Your Conscience. Ask yourself questions like, "Is this (the stress-producing activity or thought) really something I should be spending my mental energy, time, money or other resources on?"

3. Summon Your Voice of Reason and Wisdom. Listen to the disturbing inner chatter and then write down the facts-just the facts-of what is happening.

Then write a brief story-beginning, middle, end-around those facts, using your best wisdom and perspective.

4. Summon Your Voice of Support and Encouragement. Whatever tone of voice you would use with people you care about the most, use that same tone with yourself.

5. Summon Your Voice of Toughness. Without access to the voice of toughness, many of us are too easily pressured by the world. Listening to this voice will help you to "hang tough" in an environment where we're surrounded by catastrophizing.

6. Summon Your "I Don't Buy It" Voice. When there is negative or nervous talk around you, maintain a healthy inner skeptic; distance yourself from negative group-think.

7. Suspend Your "I Don't Buy It" Voice. When you feel positive energy from the groups around you, sign on.

8. Summon Your Voice of Compassion. Every time you stimulate feelings of compassion within yourself, you increase this capacity. It is a practice that has as many benefits for you as it does for the recipient of your compassion.

9. Summon Your Voice of Sincerity. This voice gains volume when you listen to and acknowledge your deepest private voice, and then find an appropriate and honorable way of using that voice when speaking publicly to others.

10. Summon Your Voice of Intuition. Intuition doesn't follow the standard pathways of conscious logic and reason. Training this voice, listening to and respecting this voice, can pay enormous dividends in just about every avenue of life.

Book Information: THE POWER OF STORY: CHANGE YOUR STORY, CHANGE YOUR DESTINY IN BUSINESS AND LIFE Free Press, October 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-9468-3 The Full Engagement Self Profile (http://lge.perfprog.com) short version is available at no charge to the public. It is operated on behalf of the Human Performance Institute by Performance Programs, Inc. (http://www.performanceprograms.com).

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