Business Fit Magazine Jacqueline Camacho-Ruiz

it. Worrying is having a physical reaction to
something that is not happening. Worrying
doesn’t change the future, but it can certainly
ruin your now.
How you feel right now is important. It defines
how you show up at home, in the office, to
your manager and employees. Again, you have
a choice here. What do you want to focus on
NOW? I say find things right now in your life
that you love and that you are thankful for. You
will develop much better relationships at work
and in life.
Forrest Gump has been right all
along.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know
what you’re gonna get." I like to say: life comes
in assorted packs. “The only certainty is that
nothing is certain,” said the ancient author and
natural philosopher, Pliny the Elder. There are
no guarantees, let alone extended warranties.
So, what do you do? The best you can. Always.
You try, and if it doesn’t work, you try something
else.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
We are beyond creative and are experts in film
editing. We edit out parts of what happened.
We have certain memories on a constant replay
in our heads. We can forget events completely,
and we can be triggered to remember things
that never happened.
And we are well-oiled and well-meaning
machines! Something happens, and we
associate a story with it without even realising
it. Here is a simple example: You don’t receive
the call you are expecting. You assume the
person doesn’t value you or your time. That
is the tip of the iceberg! Who hasn’t been
caught thinking, “He doesn’t care,” “She knew
this would upset me and she did it anyway,”
“They are doing this to test me,” or “My opinion
is not important because no one bothered to
ask,”? We also do it with ourselves: “I am not
good with math,” or “I don’t like rejection, so I
don’t ask for what I want.” And the list goes on.
It creates self-imposed ‘limiting beliefs.’
If only we used our powers for good and
assigned positive meanings to what happens.
To do that, we need to really mean it. We need
to consciously ‘re-think’ the stories—change
the narrative that often holds us back. Instead,
think and say things like, “I am proud of myself
for even daring to try,” or “I know that I can
master anything.”
I think Henry Ford was dead-on when he said,
“Whether you think you can, or you think you
can't; you're right.”
Make Yourself Useful
Luck is not a strategy. Luck is icing on the cake.
Take steps every day to be useful to others
and to the world. Have the mindset to be of
service, and you will be. Here are ways to do
that: Offer to help. Wash the few dishes in the
sink (yes, even if you didn’t leave them there).
Call people you love and say hello. Send the
‘thank you’ notes. Donate items you don’t need
anymore. Mow the neighbour’s lawn. Give a
heartfelt compliment or offer your seat on the
bus. At work: Say “hi” to people. Smile. Bring
pastries every now and then. Volunteer to
help with new initiatives or make the next pot
of coffee.
Be Your Own “Sponsor”
Let people know what you do—what is
accomplished and the difference it makes. No,
I am not suggesting you brag. I am suggesting
you give “status reports.” This will come easier
to the extroverts, I understand. If you are
on the shy side and don’t feel comfortable
announcing to everyone what you did, then
have one-on-one with the people that need to
know. Lean into the discomfort, “Fake it until
you make it.” At first it is a huge effort, and
eventually it becomes natural.
Pick any of these to get started and see how it
snowballs. You will start increasing your impact
anywhere you go.
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