Performance: Resistance Reduces Productivity

Productivity and performance are more likely to be higher when you are engaged and enjoying what you do. Feeling stressed and sluggish reduces focus and makes work hard. Have you considered that the reason why success takes 'hard work' is because you are plowing through so much resistance? Resistance is created when:
1. You don't enjoy your work
2. You are feeling stressed and pressured
3. You are feeling insecure, like a 'fake' (yes, self-esteem matters!)
4. You are afraid of change or facing new challenges
5. You are just plain... tired and drained

Did you know that sitting at the computer for hours at a time is a health hazard? When you are plugging away to get things done without feeling any passion or enjoyment, work will be 'hard'. Just believing that 'hard work' is

required to be successful makes the journey more difficult or unpleasant than it has to be. An attitude of 'hard' explains why we don't feel at ease (especially with change), and this contributes to 'dis-ease'. It contributes to a stiff neck, knots in your back and shoulders, and it is highly likely that your breathing is very shallow under these conditions. Shallow breathing is stimulating your stress response and is not allowing healthy oxygenation of your blood - this is certainly not going to help you to think clearly. It is certainly not going to help you to perform at your best. A brain that is poorly oxygenated and stressed will not only reduce your performance - it will reduce your memory. In fact, if you are sitting at your computer beyond 20 to 30 minutes at a time - breathing shallowly, dehydrated, and 'working hard' - you are reducing not only your health but also your lifespan.
There have been studies that demonstrate the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. 'Use it or lose it' is more than a catchy phrase. A study at the University of Massachusetts demonstrated that after just 48 hours of leg muscle inactivity the DNA repair mechanisms had been disrupted, insulin response was dropping, oxidative stress was rising, and metabolic activity within the muscle cells was slowing down - all after just 48 hours of disuse! So one simple tip to improve your productivity and performance is simply this:
Don't just sit there... smile, stand up and breathe deeply!
Even faking a smile can trick the brain into helping you to feel better - really. You can simply stop typing, stand up, and take a slow, deep breath every 20 to 30 minutes - with a big smile on your face. You can walk around the room when you talk on the phone. Move your body and breathe. As simple as it sounds, it is profound and can help to raise your metabolism even if only a bit higher. It will likely be more lasting, and certainly healthier, than chasing after fad diets to reduce your extra weight baggage from sitting all day.When we retrain our brains to develop new positive habits, we won't even have to stop and think about it; it can become automatic. An automatic good habit, how about that? Enjoying your way to success? Is that an innovative idea? It certainly challenges our thinking, that's for sure. On your way to success, make sure you include making health your goal so that you can enjoy all that money, fame, or world impact you are making. Whatever success means to you, enjoy the journey and stay healthy. You will be more likely to perform at your best, feel happier, and enjoy real productivity (instead of plowing your way through all that dreaded resistance) so that you can be successful without all that 'hard work'.

Valencia Ray, M.D. helps leaders and professionals to perform at their very best by reclaiming their true potential using The Art and Science of NeuroReInvention®. She sold her eye surgery medical business to take her purpose of 'restoring vision' to a whole new level. She now shows others how to expand the vision for their life and live with more purpose, passion and peace of mind. She is a speaker, consultant, author and executive coach.