All you have to do is post a VIDEO TESTIMONIAL (on Youtube) saying how you have used my products and how it has helped you.

The only rule is you must state the name of the report, information, book, program, audio, video, whatever, in the testimonial and refer to where you found it – and the website name you need to type in the description box is:

http://www.TerriLevineRecommends.com

This is where I now keep all my products and this is where you will find any products you’ve purchased in the past that may have been on a different site back then.

Then send the testimonial video URL to me at t@coachinstitute.com so I can go check it out.

If it is good, you will win a Flip Video Camera.

How easy is that!

T

1.       Move your body.

Take a ten-minute walk in or outside the building.  Get your body moving to create greater energy flow.

2.       Talk to a colleague.

Seek out a colleague in your department or another one and let them know you are stuck or feeling stress.  Spend five-minutes or so just talking about how you feel.  Sometimes just verbalizing the feelings out loud makes us feel better.

3.       Take a five-minute catnap.

 
That’s right … put your head down and give your mind a break to work through the block.  It worked in school and it can be useful at work.
 

4.       Turn up the music.

If you have a radio then pick a station to listen to, really concentrate on for five-minutes.  Take your mind off the situation and let the music in.

5.       Eat or drink.

Take a snack break. Enjoy a favorite food or beverage and just relax for a few minutes.

6.       De-clutter your workspace.

Organize your work area. Put things in piles, do some filing, clear off your desktop.  Take your mind off of everything and design a better work area. A cluttered, messy work area can create feelings of stress.

7.       Give yourself a reward.

Have a special meal, call someone you haven’t spoken to in while, schedule a massage or new haircut or pick up vacation brochures.  Lift your spirits and give yourself something to look forward to.

8.       Switch tasks.

Stop working on the current project.  Switch to something you are more in the mood to do. Get yourself into a project or task that has more appeal at the moment and then come back to what you were doing at a later time.

9.       Create momentum.

Get into a routine.  Having a clear routine develops momentum and that will keep you from feeling the stress and getting blocked.

10.    Plan a quick get away.

Plan an escape for the weekend.  Take a trip on a train, plane, bus or take a car ride.  You may even want to bring a bit of work – the change in environment may give way to that block.

Answer each question quickly and instinctively – they are not presented in any special order because we don’t want your brain forming patterns and thinking of answers before we’ve asked the question!

1) How do you usually greet the end of the working week? Are you often a little disappointed that the weekend is here already, perhaps because you are so engrossed in an exciting work project or some work-related activity that you’d have preferred to continue/finish? YES NO

2) When the weekend is over, do you usually look forward to Mondays and bounce out of bed with enthusiasm to go to work? YES NO

3) Are you interested in and do you willingly participate in your Company’s special projects and employee schemes, perhaps even the social club? YES NO

4) Do you skip over or ignore the job vacancy sections in newspapers because you’re not interested in other jobs or because you’re not looking to see if a better job exists? YES NO

5) Do you have a career plan in place for your current position? Would you be interested if the company offered it? YES NO

6) Does your current position lend itself to interesting possibilities down the track in the form of promotions within the company, or transfers to other destinations or even to a sister company? Any possibilities at all that do or would interest you? YES NO

7) Do you enjoy the specific tasks and responsibilities of your current career? YES NO

Does your present job utilize your special talents and abilities, for example: if you are creative and are good at writing but you work as a clerical officer inputting data on a computer, then you are not utilizing your special talents and abilities. YES NO

9) Are you familiar with and do you care about your company’s Policies and Procedures? Do you know the background of your CEO and President and key people within the company? (Showing an interest in these things is an indicator.) YES NO

10) Do you meet new company initiatives with applause and enthusiasm? Do you believe those in charge are wise and know what they are doing? Do you trust your leaders? YES NO

11) Does any aspect of your current job resemble, in any way, the career you dreamed of when you were in high school? YES NO

12) Are you in your present job because it satisfies your personal aspirations, rather than fulfilling your parent’s “dreams” for you, or because it was expected of you? And did you apply for your present job because you were particularly interested in either the job itself, it’s potential, or the company? YES NO

13) Did you willingly go into this career/job/company without any pressure or influence from parents, family or government agencies who wanted to see you “financially self-supporting”? Was getting the job super important to you for reasons other than simply being employed and earning an income? YES NO

14) Do you tackle your work earnestly, happily working overtime if necessary? Do you approach work projects with gusto and enjoy completing them successfully, maybe even looking for ways to improve the job? YES NO

15) Do you interact positively with your fellow employees? (You see them as friends and not just faces you run into from Monday to Friday). Maybe you socialize with them after business hours? YES NO

16) Are you a willing helper/volunteer if someone is burdened with a heavy workload? Do you feel like part of the team? Is cooperating with your work colleagues easy and enjoyable? YES NO

17) Can you or do you see yourself still in this position or within the same company in say, 5 years time? Do you want to be? YES NO

18) Would you describe yourself now as mostly happy with your life? Are you feeling enthusiastic, eager, and cheerful? Is your health good? Do you sleep well? Do you feel positive? Are you generally satisfied with your lot in life? YES NO

19) If you have a family, do you find it easy to spend quality time (and weekends) with them away from work without stress or arguments at home or at the office? YES NO

20) Are you so content with your current position that you are mostly unaffected by undue stress or frustrations? Are you happy with the way things are and appear to be headed with your career and/or within your company? YES NO

21) When you talk about your job to friends and family, is it more often upbeat and positive commentary? Do you find you usually only have great things to say about it? Are you proud of your job and/or company? YES NO

22) Are you so enthusiastic about your job that you’d be prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed at it? Would you take on part-time study? Travel? Join Associations? Do you dream big dreams about it? Does it feature in your future “goals”? YES NO

23) Would you be sad/reluctant to leave your present position if you were put off or needed to leave for any reason? YES NO

24) Do you feel that what you do is appreciated, that you are appreciated, and that what you do is important – that you are contributing to a worthwhile goal? YES NO

25) Are your suggestions and feedback about your role welcomed by the Company? Does your Company encourage personal growth and offer training schemes to aid advancement, and do you eagerly snap up training opportunities? YES NO

How did you do?

If you answered mostly or all NO’s, you don’t have a job, you have a ‘sentence’. You are in a job that really doesn’t suit you, or working for a company that doesn’t suit you – or it may even be the line of business doesn’t suit you. You may be in this job to please somebody else. You should look for a job that honors who you are and your unique talents and abilities. It is your right to have a job that complements your life, that not only provides an income but also provides joy and satisfaction and fulfills your goals and aspirations. You deserve to work in an environment that provides mutual respect and support. No dream job is too ridiculous to consider… We know a lawyer who’s become a florist, a lower level office clerk who’s become a H.R. Manager, a secretary who’s become a nurse, an engineer who’s become a self-employed landscape gardener, a factory machine worker who’s become an IT specialist, and a Police Officer who now runs his own Boat Charter business. You may not be qualified for one of your dream jobs yet – but you’d be surprised what is possible if you know where to look and what to look for. And you should start looking!

If you answered about half and half Yes and No answers, you should spend some time thinking about where you’re headed. Either the job or the company may not be right for you. Can you find the same position in another company? Or can you transfer to a different position or different department and take a position that will honor who you are and your special talents and abilities and that will see you bouncing out of bed in the morning, happy to go to work in the same company you are with now? Is it possible to redefine your present position, modify it somehow to better suit you? If not, you’d best take more notice of those job columns in the paper! Life is too short to settle for second best. Our careers take up the best of our days – don’t waste your days. When we are merely existing in a job or tolerating a job, we generally lose enthusiasm and interest for many things around us and we are not giving 100% – this is neither fair to ourselves or the company employing us. Don’t feel guilty about looking at other options, inside and outside the company. You may be able to tolerate a lot now, but down the track you are going to feel it more and wish you had done something sooner about the way in which you earn your living. You could even consider opening your own business – here’s a chance to really do something that appeals to you and utilize your special skills and talents!

If you answered mostly or All Yeses – congratulations! You’re one of those lucky ones who has found their niche. Make sure management knows you are keen. Be noticed for all the right reasons! Only two words of warning for you – don’t become so engrossed in your job that it becomes your life. There is more to life than work – make sure you balance your work life with outside interests, activities and friends, and most important, make time for your family! Keep your priorities straight. Second word of warning: don’t become complacent. You never know when downsizing will strike, or financial disaster may hit your company. You may be 100% happy doing what you do where you are now, and that’s wonderful, but keep up a network of useful contacts just in case that “rainy day” arrives. Keep your eyes open on what is available and what the trends are in the market place. You may never voluntarily look for another job, but circumstances may change this for you.

One of the challenges we all face, as human beings, is that of remaining non-judgmental. We tend to put labels on what we hear, such as right or wrong, good or bad, happy or sad, etc. Even young children hold judgment about what they see, hear, and experience. Somehow, society has trained us to judge others as good or bad and not to accept those who are different from us or what we consider the “norm.” But shifting into coaching mode, we believe that no one is right or wrong, good or bad … they just are, and we accept who or what they are, period. Not always an easy task, admittedly.

Professional Coaches are trained to hold a neutral position. After all, who are we to judge? However, letting go of reacting to what others say or do or who they are is challenging and requires a great deal of practice.

I have a helpful technique to learn the skill of being non-judgmental, and it involves the art of listening.

1. Pick three people you will listen to that you already know.
2. Pick two people you will listen to that you haven’t yet engaged in a conversation.
3. One of the people on your list needs to be someone you hold in judgment in some manner.
4. Before you listen to them, tell yourself not to think about what they say to you with any judgment.
5. Focus on the person you are listening to and not your feelings or what you want to say in reply.
6. Set aside your personal feelings, beliefs, or agendas.
7. Listen to everything as if it was a plain and simple fact and nothing more.
8. Whenever you feel yourself getting emotionally charged or reactive, remind yourself to be quiet and just listen.

With continued practice, you will find that as you put judgment aside, you will gain the benefits of making greater connections with people, you will experience less stress and discomfort, and you will spend less time and energy with negative thoughts and more just being and letting others be.

Of course, treating the cause is the way to remove your blockages, but we know that can take time and meanwhile you have to do something about the everyday symptoms. So here are 10 ways to help relieve your stress and find some more get up and go:

1. Talk to Someone.
A problem shared is a problem halved… or something like that! It’s another well known fact that those who “get it off their chest” recover more quickly. Tell somebody how you are feeling. Maybe share with a colleague or friend over lunch. Keeping it to yourself is not a healthy alternative.

2. Listen to music.
Wherever you are, chances are you have access to a radio or an Ipod… pick your fave station or music, chill out and listen to it for a few minutes. A couple of tunes should be all you need to refresh your mind… you just need to give your mind a short holiday for it to feel refreshed!

3. Get moving.
Exercise has been known to help stress and it is has other health benefits. You don’t have to head for the gym and spend hours working up a sweat. Even a 10-20 minute walk during your lunch box, inside or outside, will make a huge difference to how you feel mentally and physically. Try it.

4. Clean Up your Act.
Literally. There is nothing more demoralizing than sitting amid piles of mess and disorganization where you don’t know where anything is and most of it is unnecessary but adds to the bulk which to you represents ALL the work you have still to get through. No wonder your get up and go got up and left! Who wouldn’t! Clean up. Make neat piles of things you MUST have on your desk, file the rest.

5. Granny naps and catnaps.
Grannies and cats have it right… grab a few mins and put your head down. You will awaken refreshed and ready to get going. Sometimes your mind just needs that little break… better to take 15 mins for a nap then waste a couple of hours in a brain fog that prohibits productivity!

6. Food for Thought.
Does your car run well on empty? No… and neither do humans. Don’t skip meals – and small healthy snacks throughout the day makes for great ongoing fuel. Take a snack break. Do something special and enjoy your fave beverage and relax while you enjoy it… it doesn’t take hours to enjoy a latte and fruit muffin, for example, but the benefits will last!

7. Pat Yourself on the Back.
I’m talking rewards here. Reward yourself. When you have worked very hard or achieved something special, or even if you haven’t and you are overworked treat yourself occasionally. You know what they say about all work and no play, right? Enjoy a nice restaurant meal… get a special haircut… see a concert… go away for the weekend… buy a new outfit. Do something just for you.

8. Do Something Different.
Ever practiced an instrument and kept making errors until you played something different and when you returned to the original tune you played it perfectly? Work is like that. If you’re blocked stop what you are doing and do something else for a bit. Choose something that holds more appeal at that moment – when you go back to the other task you’ll be in a better mood to do it.

9. Have a Routine.
When you are all over the place and don’t know what you should be doing, when, it hardly helps get you in the right frame of mind at the right time in your day. Have a routine. This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t break your routine occasionally, just that if you have none at all, it makes it difficult to get organized and can lead to stress and lack of confidence because you don’t know where you’re at and have no way to gauge how far off you might be.

10. Get away.
Sometimes taking a few minutes out of the day isn’t enough. Sometimes when things have become too bad you have to take stronger measures… take a real break. Go away for a weekend – take a plane trip somewhere or a train ride. If you must, take some urgent work with you – you may find sitting on a beach or a pleasant holiday resort type environment gives you that little something that makes doing the task more palatable. Being in a relaxed environment can work wonders!