Guilt-Free Zone
“Do more of what you can uniquely do and less of what other people can do.”
On this roller coaster of life you have probably felt the feeling of guilt a time or two along the way.
At this point in my life (having grown up Catholic where guilt seemed to be a daily way of bringing issues to light) I have come to a deeper understanding of the power that good guilt can actually bring. If we can acknowledge the control it may have on us and do something about it then it really is a positive emotion.
Guilt is officially defined as “awareness of wrongdoing” and really is an opportunity to look at a not-so-great situation in order to understand what you want to do about it. The only person that can stop making you feel guilty is yourself.
Feelings of guilt can range from:
• Not feeling in balance between business and personal life
• Being bummed about something that didn’t go well
• That bowl of ice cream you ate last night when you told yourself you wouldn’t.
The trap that guilt can put us in is when you get lost in the emotion itself without resolving the issue at hand. The worst case scenario can be a form of procrastination that doesn’t allow you to move forward because you are too busy looking over your shoulder.
Here is an antidote to give us (myself included) permission to move past the guilt when it starts to take over and derail forward momentum.
G - Get real
What really is going on with the situation and what do you want or perhaps need to get out of what is happening?
U - Understand what didn’t work
Understand what you should or shouldn’t do differently the next time.
I - Identify the change that you need to make
Something or someone is asking for your attention. Have you perhaps been caught in a comfort zone that is no longer serving you?
L - Let go of comparing
Don’t waste your precious time worrying about someone else’s agenda or what someone else may seemingly be doing better than you.
T - Tolerate nothing
If a problem keeps happening over and over and over that is causing you guilt, the question becomes “why am I putting up with this?”
Now it’s time to take a deep look within…
• In the morning when you look in the mirror who is it that you see looking back at you?
• Is it someone you love and cherish or someone who you might be a bit judgmental about?
• When you carry on into your day do you find that judgment coming along with you keeping you from getting your best work out into the world?
• Are always waiting for ”tomorrow“ to be the perfect time to implement something?
• Do you feel ridden with guilt over the feeling of regrets that seems to surround you?
• Are feelings of guilt coming up regularly around how much you do or don’t work versus time spent with those you love?
I know that is a lot of questions to start off the week. However, I hope that just one of them will spark something inside of you to begin to make the needed change!
As we wrap up our conversation for this month on the topic of Honoring Time, think about what is really keeping you from getting the most out of your time on this planet.
Find the perfect placement for the things you want in your life – and this is key – without always feeling the need for perfection. It’s then that you will find the unique and perfect placement of what you need in order to live in a guilt free zone. ;)
To Your Success and Victories,
- Cheri
Cheri Ruskus
Business Strategist and Founder of the Victory Circles
Email me: cheri@businessvictories.com
