What Are Normal Changes?

Normal aging brings physical changes in both men and women. These changes sometimes affect ones ability to have and enjoy sex with another person.

Some women enjoy sex more as they grow older. After menopause or a hysterectomy, they may no longer fear an unwanted pregnancy. They may feel freer to enjoy sex. Some women do not think things like gray hair and wrinkles make them less attractive to their sexual partner. But if a woman believes that looking young or being able to give birth makes her more feminine, she may begin to worry about how desirable she is no matter what her age is. That might make sex less enjoyable for her.

A woman may notice changes in her vagina. As she ages, her vagina shortens and narrows. The walls become thinner and also a little stiffer. These changes do not mean she can’t enjoy having sex. However, most women will also have less vaginal lubrication. This could affect sexual pleasure.

As men get older, impotence becomes more common. Impotence is the loss of ability to have and keep an erection hard enough for sexual intercourse. By age 65, about 15 to 25% of men have this problem at least one out of every four times they are having sex. This may happen in men with heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes either because of the disease or the medicines used to treat it.

A man may find it takes longer to get an erection. His erection may not be as firm or as large as it used to be. The amount of ejaculate may be smaller. The loss of erection after orgasm may happen more quickly, or it may take longer before an erection is again possible. Some men may find they need more foreplay.

What Causes Sexual Problems?

Illness, disability, or the drugs you take to treat a health problem can affect your ability to have and enjoy sex. But, even the most serious health problems usually dont have to stop you from having a satisfying sex life.

Arthritis. Joint pain due to arthritis can make sexual contact uncomfortable. Joint replacement surgery and drugs may relieve this pain. Exercise, rest, warm baths, and changing the position or timing of sexual activity can be helpful.

Chronic pain. In addition to arthritis, pain that continues for more than a month or comes back on and off over time can be caused by other bone and muscle conditions, shingles, poor blood circulation, or blood vessel problems. This discomfort can, in turn, lead to sleep problems, depression, isolation, and difficulty moving around. These can interfere with intimacy between older people. Chronic pain does not have to be part of growing older and can often be treated.

Diabetes. Many men with diabetes do not have sexual problems, but this is one of the few illnesses that can cause impotence. In most cases medical treatment can help.

Heart disease. Narrowing and hardening of the arteries known as arteriosclerosis can change blood vessels so that blood does not flow freely. This can lead to trouble with erections in men, as can high blood pressure (hypertension).

Some people who have had a heart attack are afraid that having sex will cause another attack. The chance of this is very low. Most people can start having sex again 3 to 6 weeks after their condition becomes stable following an attack, if their doctor agrees. Always follow your doctors advice.

Incontinence. Loss of bladder control or leaking of urine is more common as we grow older, especially in women. Stress incontinence happens during exercise, coughing, sneezing, or lifting, for example. Because of the extra pressure on your abdomen during sex, incontinence might cause some people to avoid sex. The good news is that this can usually be treated.

Stroke. The ability to have sex is rarely damaged by a stroke, but problems with erections are possible. It is unlikely that having sex will cause another stroke. Someone with weakness or paralysis caused by a stroke might try using different positions or medical devices to help them continue having sex.

What About Surgery and Drugs?

Surgery. Many of us worry about having any kind of surgeryit is especially troubling when the genital area is involved. Happily, most people do return to the kind of sex life they enjoyed before having surgery.

Hysterectomy is surgery to remove the uterus. It does not interfere with sexual functioning. If a hysterectomy seems to take away from a womans ability to enjoy sex, a counselor may be helpful. Men who feel their partners are “less feminine” after a hysterectomy may also be helped by counseling.

Mastectomy is surgery to remove all or part of a womans breast. Your body is as capable of sexual response as ever, but you may lose your sexual desire or sense of being desired. Sometimes it is useful to talk with other women who have had this surgery. Programs like the American Cancer Societys (ACS) “Reach to Recovery” can be helpful for both women and men. Rebuilding of the breast (reconstruction) is also a possibility to discuss with your surgeon.

About 1500 American men develop breast cancer each year. In them the disease can make their bodies make extra “female” hormones. These can greatly lower their sex drive.

Prostatectomy is surgery that removes all or part of a mans prostate. Sometimes this procedure is done because of an enlarged prostate. It may cause urinary incontinence or impotence. If removal of the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy) is needed, doctors can often save the nerves going to the penis. An erection may still be possible. Talk to your doctor before surgery to make sure you will be able to lead a fully satisfying sex life.

Medications. Some drugs can cause sexual problems. These include some blood pressure medicines, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, appetite suppressants, diabetes drugs, and some ulcer drugs like ranitidine. Some can lead to impotence or make it hard for men to ejaculate. Some drugs can reduce a womans sexual desire. Check with your doctor. She or he can often prescribe a different drug without this side effect.

Alcohol. Too much alcohol can cause erection problems in men and delay orgasm in women.

Am I Too Old To Worry About Safe Sex?

Having safe sex is important for people at any age. As a woman gets closer to menopause, her periods may be irregular. But, she can still get pregnant. In fact, pregnancy is still possible until your doctor says you are past menopause and you have not had a menstrual period for 12 months.

Age does not protect you from sexually transmitted diseases. Young people are most at risk for diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, genital herpes, hepatitis B, genital warts, and trichomoniasis. But these diseases can and do happen in sexually active older people.

Almost anyone who is sexually active is also at risk for being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The number of older people with HIV/AIDS is growing. One out of every 10 people diagnosed with AIDS in the United States is over age 50. You are at risk if you have more than one sexual partner or are recently divorced or widowed and have started dating and having unprotected sex again. Always use a latex condom during sex, and talk to your doctor about ways to protect yourself from all sexually transmitted diseases. You are never too old to be at risk.

Can Emotions Play a Part?

Sexuality is often a delicate balance of emotional and physical issues. How you feel may affect what you are able to do. For example, men may fear that impotence will become a more common problem as they age. But, if you are too concerned with that possibility, you can cause enough stress to trigger impotence. A woman who is worried about how her looks are changing as she ages may think her partner will no longer find her attractive. This focus on youthful physical beauty may get in the way of her enjoyment of sex.

Older couples face the same daily stresses that affect people of any age. But they may also have the added concerns of age, illness, and retirement and other lifestyle changes. These worries can cause sexual difficulties. Talk openly with your doctor, or see a counselor. These health professionals can often help.

Don’t blame yourself for any sexual difficulties you and your partner are having. You might want to talk with a therapist about them. If your male partner is troubled by impotence or your female partner seems less interested in sex, don’t assume they dont find you attractive anymore. There can be many physical causes for their problems.

What Can I Do?

There are several things you can do on your own to keep an active sexual life. Remember that sex does not have to include intercourse. Make your partner a high priority. Pay attention to his or her needs and wants. Take time to understand the changes you both are facing. Try different positions and new times, like having sex in the morning when you both may have more energy. Dont hurryyou or your partner may need to spend more time touching to become fully aroused. Masturbation is a sexual activity that some older people, especially unmarried, widowed, or divorced people and those whose partners are ill or away, may find satisfying.

Some older people, especially women, may have trouble finding a partner with whom they can share any type of intimacy. Women live longer than men, so there are more of them. In 2000 women over age 65 outnumbered older men by 100 to 70. Doing activities that other seniors enjoy or going places where older people gather are ways to meet new people. Some ideas include mall walking, senior centers, adult education classes at a community college, or day trips sponsored by your city or county recreation department.

If you do seem to have a problem that affects your sex life, talk to your doctor. He or she can suggest a treatment depending on the type of problem and its cause. For example, the most common sexual difficulty of older women is dyspareunia, painful intercourse caused by poor vaginal lubrication. Your doctor or a pharmacist can suggest over-the-counter, water-based vaginal lubricants to use. Or, your doctor might suggest estrogen supplements or an estrogen vaginal insert.

If impotence is the problem, it can often be managed and perhaps even reversed. There is a pill that can help. It is called sildenafil and should not be taken by men taking medicines containing nitrates, such as nitroglycerin. This pill does have possible side effects. Other available treatments include vacuum devices, self-injection of a drug (either papaverine or prostaglandin E1), or penile implants.

There is a lot you can do to continue an active sex life. Follow a healthy lifestyle exercise, eat good food, drink plenty of fluids like water or juices, dont smoke, and avoid alcohol. Try to reduce the stress in your life. See your doctor regularly. And keep a positive outlook on life.

Source: The National Institute on Aging

The New Job

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking even for the most confident person. There are new names and faces to learn, new responsibilities, and new skills to master. If your new position is a promotion within the same company, you may have to face friends and co-workers who also applied for your job. If you have moved into the ranks of management, you may now be supervising people who used to be your peers. All of these changes can bring out anxiety and fear – making you question whether you made the right move.

Making It Easier

There are some things you can do to help yourself ease into the new job. Here are a few suggestions:

Visualization – Close your eyes and imagine what your first day will be like. See yourself as calm and confident. If you make a mistake, such as turning into the wrong office, picture your co-workers being helpful and sympathetic, not laughing at your faux pas. Picture in your mind the worst thing that could happen, then resolve it satisfactorily. Then, your real first day is likely to be a piece of cake.

Do Your Homework – The saying knowledge is power can help ease your worries. Study up on your company’s history, your coworkers, and your specific job duties in advance. Ask your human resource department for as much information as possible when you accept the position so you can be prepared on your first day. Jot down names and titles and memorize them.

Be Observant – After reviewing your formal organizational charts, you’ll want to keep an eye out for the real power structure. Learn who the movers and shakers are, and pick out mentors who can help you succeed in your job. Take some time to observe how the company works before voicing an opinion on how to improve things. Nobody likes a know-it-all, especially when you’re a newcomer. Once you’ve been in your position for a while, and have gained people’s respect and trust, then you can suggest making changes for the better.

Work Hard – A new job requires a lot of energy and hard work. Cutting down on your personal and extracurricular activities will allow you to spend some extra hours at work learning the ropes and getting to know your co-workers. Establish short-term and long-term goals for yourself so that you will have something to work towards. Your dedication to the job will convince former coworkers that you deserved the promotion or new coworkers that you were a “good” hire.

If You’re Still Not Happy

Give yourself two to three months to make the adjustment. If after that time, you are still uncomfortable or unhappy, you may want to speak with your supervisor. Maybe some changes can be made to make you more at ease. You may want to seek counseling if you feel your anxiety is without warrant. In time, you should regain your confidence on the job.

Determine What’s Most Important

Because no parent can do it all, you have to determine where your priorities lie. For most people, being a compassionate, nurturing, and involved parent comes above a clean house or attending every social function. Start saying no to things that don’t really matter.

Find Trustworthy Caregivers

If you spend too much time worrying about whether your children are in good hands, you need to reevaluate your caregiving arrangement. Ask friends or family to help watch your children when you are at work. Get referrals for professional caregivers and hold them to the highest standards.

Get Organized

Use calendars and meetings at home like you would at work. Hang a master calendar in the kitchen to write down family members activities and appointments. Hold weekly or monthly meetings to share concerns and schedules with one other.

Don’t Fret Over Housework

Learn to accept that your home will never look like the one on the cover of Home and Garden. Get the essentials done like grocery shopping and laundry and assign age-appropriate chores to the children. View your home as a space to live in, not a showplace for others to see.

Focus On Your Spouse and Yourself

When you get frazzled trying to meet everyone elses’ needs, take time out for yourself. You need to pamper yourself on occasion. It’s also important to maintain a close relationship with your spouse. Have a date night once a week or once a month so you can reconnect. A stable, happy marriage is the foundation of the family.

Keep in mind that superparents exist only in your imagination. Real moms and dads can’t reach this level of perfection without burning out or breaking down. Make sure you focus your time and energy on the people and activities which are most important in your life.

Adrenaline is powerful

The release of adrenaline when you are in a stressful situation stems from the classic fight or flight response which our ancestors needed to escape from danger. Your heart pounds, your breathing becomes shallow, your mouth is parched, and you perspire profusely. You feel apprehensive and tense, ready to respond to danger; but that danger may be a traffic jam, a deadline at work, a heated conversation with your teenager rather than the physical assaults which our ancestors faced. Even positive stress, such as a promotion or marriage, will cause stress. In fact, even boredom is stressful! Unlike our predecessors, you can’t respond to most stress by fighting or running away, yet constant stress keeps pumping more adrenaline into our bloodstream. Excess adrenaline can raise your blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart rate. Over time this adrenaline release may weaken the immune system. In fact, the hormones adrenaline and cortisone are such strong suppressers of the immune system that they are often prescribed for illnesses in which the immune system is overactive, especially allergies and autoimmune disorders. Still it is difficult for researchers to determine whether it is the hormones themselves or the behavior of people under stress, who often sleep less, exercise less, eat poorly, smoke and drink too much, which causes the assault on the immune system.

Reducing the Adrenaline Response

You cannot and should not eliminate all stress from your life, but eliminating the most destructive stress and your reaction to it will decrease the assault on your immune system. The following tips should help you to reduce the adrenaline response:

• Learn relaxation techniques such as visualization, deep breathing, and meditation.
• Find your own specific relaxers such as a hot shower or a walk on a nature trail.
• Be realistic in your expectations; you need not be the perfect parent or the highest achieving employee.
• Establish a regular exercise routine which includes stretching to relieve tension. Exercise gives you a mild jolt of adrenaline while allowing you to work off the extra energy it produces. Your body then becomes more used to processing the adrenaline thats in your bloodstream during stressful times.
• Create action plans to reduce problems at home and work
• Know yourself and embrace your strengths; use positive self-talk to affirm those abilities.
• Develop leisure activities which encourage relaxation and mental stimulation such as golf, bridge, singing, doing crafts.
• Vent your feelings by talking to a friend.
• Get enough rest; most adults need seven or eight hours of sleep a night to feel truly rejuvenated.
• Skip the junk food and eat a balanced diet.
• Stay away from excessive alcohol, caffeine and tobacco which may all increase your adrenaline output.
• Learn to ask for help and remember that most people actually feel grateful for the chance to help others.
• Define misunderstandings before they occur by addressing troubling situations with your family and coworkers.
• Learn to accept and adapt to change optimistically.

By analyzing your stressors and your response to them, you can train yourself to respond more appropriately. This is turn will reduce the amount of adrenaline released and its effect on your immune system.

Unfortunately, workaholics can continue to function in our society because it is the most socially accepted form of addiction. Hard work is rewarded with promotions, and even greater responsibility. However, this very real addiction can cause the physical ailments, social isolation, and the break-up of families.

Compulsive Work Disorders

For the workaholic, work becomes the sole focus of their lives. Working means living and vice versa. Consequently, other areas of their lives get short-changed. To lead a healthy life, you need to invest your time and energy in a variety of outlets and relationships. Do you spend time on nurturing the following areas of your life?

• Close personal relationships
• Parenting
• Family life
• Friendships
• Leisure time
• Social life

How would you rate the above categories in order of importance? How would you feel if you lost your family, friends, and connection to society? Workaholics are in danger of just that, and need to learn how to achieve a balance between work, family, personal responsibilities, and fulfillment.

There’s a Cure

If you find yourself neglecting all non-work related areas of your life, it’s time to take action. Fortunately, you can correct a workaholic lifestyle. The first step is mandatory rest periods. Workaholics have lost the ability to respond to their internal cues for rest and relaxation. So it’s crucial that the number of hours spent working should be strictly limited, and time should be set aside for resting, sleeping or simply doing nothing.

In addition to rest, a healthy individual also needs leisure and recreational outlets. If you think back, you probably had hobbies or interests that you pursued before work gobbled up all your time. You need to set aside some time each week to take part in a recreational activity. Join a basketball league at your local YMCA, join a book club at the free library, or learn how to line dance. At first, you may have to force yourself to have fun, but after a while you will look forward to leaving the office and spending time doing something you enjoy.

Although many professions encourage employees to spend long hours on the job, companies are starting to realize that more hours don’t necessarily translate into greater productivity. In fact, as employees stress levels increase their effectiveness often decreases. Many firms are now investing in stress-reducing programs and outlets.

It may take some time and effort to re-establish a balance between work, home, and personal activities. But when you’ve conquered your addiction, your family and friends will thank you, and you will become a healthier, happier you.

Adrenaline is powerful

The release of adrenaline when you are in a stressful situation stems from the classic fight or flight response which our ancestors needed to escape from danger. Your heart pounds, your breathing becomes shallow, your mouth is parched, and you perspire profusely. You feel apprehensive and tense, ready to respond to danger; but that danger may be a traffic jam, a deadline at work, a heated conversation with your teenager rather than the physical assaults which our ancestors faced. Even positive stress, such as a promotion or marriage, will cause stress. In fact, even boredom is stressful! Unlike our predecessors, you can’t respond to most stress by fighting or running away, yet constant stress keeps pumping more adrenaline into our bloodstream. Excess adrenaline can raise your blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart rate. Over time this adrenaline release may weaken the immune system. In fact, the hormones adrenaline and cortisone are such strong suppressers of the immune system that they are often prescribed for illnesses in which the immune system is overactive, especially allergies and autoimmune disorders. Still it is difficult for researchers to determine whether it is the hormones themselves or the behavior of people under stress, who often sleep less, exercise less, eat poorly, smoke and drink too much, which causes the assault on the immune system.

Reducing the Adrenaline Response

You cannot and should not eliminate all stress from your life, but eliminating the most destructive stress and your reaction to it will decrease the assault on your immune system. The following tips should help you to reduce the adrenaline response:

• Learn relaxation techniques such as visualization, deep breathing, and meditation.
• Find your own specific relaxers such as a hot shower or a walk on a nature trail.
• Be realistic in your expectations; you need not be the perfect parent or the highest achieving employee.
• Establish a regular exercise routine which includes stretching to relieve tension. Exercise gives you a mild jolt of adrenaline while allowing you to work off the extra energy it produces. Your body then becomes more used to processing the adrenaline thats in your bloodstream during stressful times.
• Create action plans to reduce problems at home and work
• Know yourself and embrace your strengths; use positive self-talk to affirm those abilities.
• Develop leisure activities which encourage relaxation and mental stimulation such as golf, bridge, singing, doing crafts.
• Vent your feelings by talking to a friend.
• Get enough rest; most adults need seven or eight hours of sleep a night to feel truly rejuvenated.
• Skip the junk food and eat a balanced diet.
• Stay away from excessive alcohol, caffeine and tobacco which may all increase your adrenaline output.
• Learn to ask for help and remember that most people actually feel grateful for the chance to help others.
• Define misunderstandings before they occur by addressing troubling situations with your family and coworkers.
• Learn to accept and adapt to change optimistically.

By analyzing your stressors and your response to them, you can train yourself to respond more appropriately. This is turn will reduce the amount of adrenaline released and its effect on your immune system.

However, many companies don’t realize that this advice is as true today as it was ten years ago.

For example, a senior executive recently told me, “No one in my company writes anymore. We just send e-Mails.” Interesting thought. But totally naive. E-mails may have reduced the need for paper, snail mail and limbo time (the time a message spends in transit) but they still require the sender to convey his thoughts clearly and concisely, using the rules for good business writing.

In addition, e-mails are not as easy to write as some would think. In a recent consulting job, I found the employees were sending such sloppy e-mails they frequently had to send two or three messages to interpret their first transmission-a complete waste of time.

And writing short e-mail messages is often harder than writing longer documents. As Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “Sorry this is such a long letter, but I didn’t have time to write a short one.”

Your Writing Creates an Image

The company’s and the writer’s image are two more reasons for good writing skills. When a reader scans a document he subconsciously builds a picture of the writer. The writer can project the image of a conscientious, energetic professional, or the image of a bored bureaucrat marking time with an antiquated company.

Quite recently, a manager asked me to work with one of her new salespeople. After reading copies of the correspondence the salesman was sending to his customers, I pictured a man in his late fifties, probably with gray hair and blessed with old-world good manners. In actual fact, the salesman was just out of university. It turned out that the young man had been taking home all of his correspondence to write under the guidance of his father. The cheerful, straight forward and almost flip manner the salesman used on the phone and in face-to-face situations was in direct contrast to the old-fashioned, stilted correspondence he was submitting. Both customers and colleagues were confused by the opposing communication styles.

Good Writing Attracts Customers

Good writing is a way of combating today’s high cost of face-to-face sales calls. The president of a plumbing supply company recently told me that it doesn’t pay to send his sales staff out on the road visiting smaller customers or to have them spend a day on the phone making long distance calls. He has found it more profitable for his staff to build relationships with some customers by faxing or mailing them well-crafted letters and flyers.

And a salesman’s correspondence doesn’t always have to be of a sales nature. Smart salespeople use the writing process to keep their names in front of a customer on a regular basis. George Rummage, former director of Direct Mail Advertising, said, “A good letter can be you calling on a customer again and again.”

Every person within an organization is in customer relations, but this message has not yet gotten through to all employees. I have seen situations where salespeople do back flips to get an account and then lose it because of the poor correspondence sent out by other departments within their companies.

Check your own Business Writing

I have heard people say, “I don’t need help with my writing. I’ve never had any complaints.” Well, if you are a manager chances are your staff is not going to tell you that your memos require time and energy to interpret. If you haven’t taken a business-writing course in the past five years, chances are your writing is in need of a tune-up.

Business writing has changed dramatically, as have readers. Years ago to be able to write was the sign of nobility and wealth. And to receive a letter was something special. Even up to the 1970s, writers sought to impress readers with their literary skills, and readers still took the time to thoroughly read their mail. In today’s workplace, readers are too busy to spend vast amounts of time deciphering messages from long-winded letters and reports. Today’s writer must write to inform, seek immediate action and create goodwill-in as short as space as possible.

Progressive companies carry out regular analyses of the correspondence and reports produced by their employees to ensure that the image and service level projected is consistent with the one they wish to convey. The analysis usually includes an examination of randomly chosen letters, memos, reports, proposals, form letters and boiler-plated material and may also involve interviews with staff and clients.

©2004 Jane Watson

Fulcrum Associates, Inc. (http://www.888fulcrum.com/)

There are certain steps to take in order to ensure success in reaching your personal, professional and/or business goals. The first step in effective goal setting is in knowing where you want to go. The second step is mapping the course you’ll take to get there. Then you’ve got to pull out of the driveway and get moving! Sounds simple, right? Well, it is. So why aren’t more people reaching greater levels of fulfillment?

If you’re having difficulty getting to where you want to be, then consider these three strategies for achieving more.

Choose The Right Goal

Too often people choose the wrong goals and then wonder why they have so much trouble reaching them. Is this goal what you really want to achieve? Perhaps the goal itself is an old goal, something you might have wanted at one point in your life but not one that fits your current focus.

Is the goal a should? If the goal is one that you believe you should accomplish but you don’t really want or need to accomplish, then working towards this goal will be a struggle. A should may indicate that your goal is one that someone else wants for you or that society is dictating for you. Your goals need to be your own. When your goals are based on your values and your current priorities, they energize you. The process of reaching them is exciting and achieving them is personally gratifying.

If you’re resisting the work necessary to meet your goals, then perhaps you’re chasing the wrong goal. Seek to identify the source of your resistance. In order to have an effortless and fun life, choose goals that bring you joy. If you’re chasing the wrong goals, you will never be happy with the results.

When considering a goal, visualize yourself having reached it. How does it feel? Is this what you genuinely want? If so, then you will experience intensity about achieving it. This will motivate you towards attaining the desirable result.

Keep Your Eye On The Ball

Stay focused on the outcome you want to achieve. It’s so easy to become distracted. There is a constant stream of things vying for your attention. When you shift your attention away from what you want, you lose sight of your target and can end up veering off course. It’s easy to focus your time and energy staying busy and crossing things off your to-do list. But if they are not the right things, then you won’t get closer to your goal.

Learn to say “no” to those things that are not part of the outcome you seek or part of the path you are traveling. When you keep your eye on the ball, it’s easier to say no to people and things that are not part of your vision for your future or the future of your business. Saying no to things you don’t want creates the space for what you do want. If you have difficulty saying no to the demands of others, then your people-pleasing approach is an obstacle keeping you from achieving your desired results. It’s your time and your energy; you’re in control of how you use it. Perhaps its time for you to focus on what you want rather than the desires of others. Constantly doing for others won’t get you to where you want to go. It might get you to where other people want you to go-but will you be happy with that?

Be Committed

Commitment is a critical element in reaching your goals. It means having the willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve success, and fuels your desire to keep you moving forward. Without commitment, your goals are just wishes.

Along with commitment, you need a sense of urgency, focus and momentum. Together, these four elements are your accelerator. The more urgency you possess, the more focused you are and the more attention you give to doing what’s necessary, the faster you’ll get where you’re going.

If you are not passionate about achieving your goals, you’ll resist doing what it takes to reach them. With commitment and passion, you’ll be able to stay on course. So, choose your destination wisely, map out your course, do something each day to move you closer towards your goals, and stick to them. If you are not sure where you’re headed, move over to the right lane so others can pass, or hire a coach to help you clarify your life, career and business goals. And yes, enjoy the ride!

Adapted from: North American Association for Career Education

Consider utilizing these tips to help you develop skills that will improve efficiency and increase productivity. Recognize those aspects of your routine that can promote a healthy, satisfying workday.

Practice Healthy Eating Habits

• Snacks and smaller meals are easier to digest
• Whether sweet, salty, crunchy, or creamy, seek to select a healthy choice
• Snack to increase energy and help prevent headaches
• Avoid going to bed hungry and eating spicy foods late in the evening

Organize Your Workday

• Be on time
• Purge workspace clutter by only touching paper once
• When possible, tackle your most important tasks first
• Make meetings more efficient by starting on time and being concise
• Set aside time in the evening to plan for the next day

Include Fitness In Your Workday

• Practice stretching exercises at your workstation
• Try to breathe deeply in repeated patterns
• Find ways to put more activity into your regular schedule
• Set reasonable fitness goals

Avoid Negative Emotions

• Keep a positive attitude
• Analyze your personal priorities and goals
• Stay focused and mentally alert
• Use peak energy time for your most challenging tasks
• Establish a consistent bedtime to ensure you are well rested