Laura Bonarrigo

Life Coach

Workplace

Decisions matter – how to avoid what happens when you stall

A beautiful woman is happy because her decisions matter and she's willing to take action

These days, we all have a lot to think about. Often, too much. There’s your health, your family, your career. You think about how to spend your weekends, where to socialize, and what to do on your vacation. So when you wait to make that decision, choose not to take action or stall out of fear and anxiety, you risk way more than you realize. Especially those big decisions you may be afraid to make. Here’s how to avoid what happens when you stall.

Decisions affect the quality of your life.

When you let time go by, you lose out on opportunity and chance. Even when you think it’s best to slow down and think about things.
 
When you ponder, wait, or mull things over, you sacrifice the energy these goals need. Life doesn’t wait for us to become comfortable with what’s required. Especially these days. Our lives need us to be competitive, responsive and pre-emptive rather than reactionary.
 
 

When you don’t take action and play it safe instead, you lose momentum.

Life moves forward every day whether you’re ready for it or not. The opportunities that come your way don’t always stick around waiting for you to feel good.
Decisions matter. Your health often requires preventative action. Your career needs you to make brave choices. While your relationships need you to step up, be authentic and noble.
 
Any of these scenarios may feel uncomfortable. They may be anxiety producing. You may want to hide instead of taking that bold step forward. But ultimately, your goals don’t care how you feel. Your goals need you – your focus, your energy, your drive, your time, your intelligence, your heart – not your fears.
 
Time waits for no man. And wrong decisions are reversible. In fact, I’d argue, there are no wrong decisions. Just bold moves.
 

To avoid what happens when you stall, you must make a decision and take action.

No matter how small the step. When you’re positioning yourself for a promotion or your company for expansion, there’s no time to waste. There are concrete steps that have to be taken. If you’re going to move your family to another state, school year commitments can delay a move for years until you’re ready to be bold. Take that chance. And if you’re interested in asking someone out, don’t wait. That person you’re attracted to is attractive to someone else as well.
 

The story of your life is yours to create.

You can’t wait for circumstances to come neatly wrapped and presented perfectly. Life is hardly perfect. And you’re made of stronger stuff than a life of waiting and hoping, stalling to make those decisions.
 

Laura Bonarrigo is a Certified Life Coach and Certified Divorce Coach. Laura’s a writer, public speaker, and advisor to those ready to move their lives forward. For empowering and practical ways to begin anew whether personally or professionally, set up a call here.

Easy And Delightful Ways To Handle Colleagues’ Inconvenient Troubles

Two colleagues dealing with troubles writing on white paper sitting at a brown table.

Colleagues are people and people bring troubles. Whether it’s their sick child that interferes with their workload, an ill parent that makes them leave the office each quarter or the smell of lunch. Anyone who works with other people needs an easy and delightful way to handle coworkers and their lives. Fellow workers aren’t out to get you – they’re simply trying to live their lives. But for those who have to pick up the slack, inconvenient hassles are major distractions.

I’m a big believer in collaboration. I like working with others and seeing a project through. I come from the acting world and each performance was a project to complete. But when my peers aren’t pulling their weight (and who among us hasn’t seen this… ) it can be annoying and bring out our worst selves. So I came up with a few strategies that I teach others.

#1. Keep inconvenient troubles away from the simmering point.

In other words, speak up early and often. Understand the rules and regs. Figure out where the boundaries are and ask for help. When you do this, you stand a better chance of remaining cool rather than losing it with your associates.

Saying that I know it’s not easy! But what my clients find is that when they speak up, they remain more professional. And they’re able to persuade their superiors to help solve the issue at hand.

#2. Colleagues are people with real-life concerns.

The pressure of raising a family or managing a home is omnipresent. We know that. Which makes it hard because we feel guilty when other people’s stuff interfere with doing our jobs.

I like to remind clients that it’s amazing that anything works. And that most people are desperate for some positive feedback. By being grateful and complimentary, you offer a break from everyday stress. You also reward the things that move things forward.

Complimenting your difficult colleague may initially feel weird. But you’ll be surprised how doing so changes the entire atmosphere in your office. There’s a ripple effect that lifts the spirits of everyone.

#3. You may say “no” to taking on your colleagues’ stuff.

In reality, the culture of a workplace colors how far people will push. If you find you’re always the one to pick up the slack, perhaps, the environment isn’t for you.

I don’t advocate leaving a good job because of others’ bad behavior. But I also don’t suggest staying put. “Fish rot from the head” and if you’ve done you’re best to play nice, perhaps, it’s best for you to find an organization that has better HR systems in place. We spend too much time at work to be unhappy.

Working with others, you should expect difficulties. Even though inconvenient troubles abound wherever people gather, chances are it’s not your problem to solve. Collaboration is one thing, being taken advantage of is another. Try these suggestions and let me know your results. If you get stuck, reach out, I’ll be happy to help.

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