Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re the Arsonist - Whiner21 (Day 7)

Here we are, day 7 of my 21-day commitment to help you move from whiner to winner.  Adapted from my book, “How to Stay When you Want to Quit; Re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”, this series takes key pieces from that program.

For two more weeks I will continue to pose a series of questions, exercises and thought starters aimed at helping you, or someone you love to get over it and to start getting to work on something productive.

Please share your thoughts.  I’d love to hear how you’re doing.  Now let’s get into Day 7, “Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re The Arsonist”

You may think you’re burnt out, but don’t blame it on burnout when you’re the arsonist!  When you moan and groan to the people who are putting up with you and all your crap and say you’re feeling burnt out, it ticks them off because it’s a load of garbage.  As a human being you are capable of sustaining a lot of real pain and hardship.



You’re blessed with a brain that has the capacity to solve almost any problem set before it.  You are just being lazy.  You don’t want to hear it but at its core it’s true.

Sure it’s hard.  It’s like a bowl of leftover food you come across in the refrigerator.  Maybe you don’t like what you see, but you need to do something with it.  You’ve got choices.

1. You can try to change it into something more palatable.


2. You can choose to ignore it … for a little while anyway.


3. Or you can choose to get rid of it.  Move on and find something else.

The same applies to you and your job.

Which do you choose?

Maybe you’re frustrated.  Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to do anything.  Some believe people are intrinsically motivated by one or more of three things.

1. Personal growth and development,


2. Enhancing an important relationship,


3. or Working on something bigger than ourselves and leaving a legacy.

What motivates you?



If you need to get better control of your attitude, surrounding yourself with positive people is an obvious start.  Each morning it’s up to you.  You can wake up, drag yourself out of bed, look out the window and say, “Good Lord, it’s morning” or you can hop up, take a deep breath and say, “Good morning Lord.”

Next up: “Making a Positive Difference”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Beware the 3 Donkey Day - Whiner21 (Day 6)

Believe it or not, people are generally good.  Very few wake up each morning and commit to screwing you in some way.  You need to beware the three donkey day.  If during the course of your day you find yourself encountering three separate people you feel are complete donkeys, then it’s probably you who is being the ass.  Go home and call it a day or take a deep breath and keep your mouth shut before you make a bigger fool of yourself than you already have.

When was the last time you came across three donkeys?



Reflecting back on that day, who was the biggest donkey? (If it wasn’t you, you may want to think again or ask someone who was with you.)

Knowing what you now know, what will you do different in the future?



Next up: “Don’t Blame It On Burnout When You’re the Arsonist”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Complaining is Fun - Whiner21 (Day 5)

We all like to tell people how we’ve been wronged.  And if we haven’t been wronged badly enough we like to embellish it a little so everyone will know the pain we are feeling.  It makes us feel like champions or heroes, in our own mind at least.  Think about it.  When you hear other people complain about their situation, don’t you think of all the alternatives that person could have done to avoid their pain?  Don’t you think, even if just briefly, that they sound like a pathetic loser?

What do you regularly complain about?



You may feel like all the smart people have already left the organization.  Maybe some of them have just modified their attitudes to match their new circumstances.  Can you identify them?  Are they in your circle?  They need to be, so you better find them and quick, otherwise you truly are screwed.  They can be the lifeline that stops you from sinking any further.

Who are these people?  Try to identify five.

How are you going to spend more time with each of them?  Make the time now to plan your approach using the log below.

Next up: “Beware the 3 Donkey Day”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

So, You Wanna Be A Star - Whiner21 (Day 4)

Sometimes you come across people who feel that what they’re doing is just a job.  They don’t feel like they get enough, and in fact they often think they’re owed something.  Their job is a mismatch for them. The person should go away because they bring low value to the team.  They are a Greatness Inhibitor.



Some people wish things could be better.  They want to help.  They may not love what they’re doing but it pays the bills and they at least have some ambition. They’ve have had moments of greatness and liked how it felt.  These people should place themselves where they can make the greatest contribution, because right now they’re of moderate value to the team, but they are Potential Stars.



If you want to make dramatic improvements start hanging around the people who see possibility.  They often problem-solve away from work and have a mutual feeling that their job enriches a part of their life and part of their life enriches the job.  Begin to imitate them because they are rare and are the needed leaders. They feel obligated to continue to perform and enrich themselves and others.  They are highly valued Stars in the organization.



Review the Value Matrix below.  Which one best describes where you are today? What are you going to do to progress through the Value Matrix to ensure you stay or become a highly valuable star?

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="562" caption="Value Matrix"][/caption]

Next up: “Complaining is Fun”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Defending Your Happy Place - Whiner21 (Day 3)

If you’ve given it some thought and paid close attention to your emotions, you’ll eventually find your happy place. This place or thing is going to become a major touchstone for you.  It is going to be able to bring a smile across that sourpuss face of yours.  You’re going to do your daydreaming about this place.  It will spur you into action and ultimately get you through the day.

Your sanctuary may be as large as your home, or perhaps it’s a favorite seat at the local coffee shop.  It might be a stretch of beach or a particular bench in the park. If you haven’t identified it, now is the time to find your happy place, your peaceful spot, somewhere to contemplate life.

Maybe it’s not a concrete place for you.  It might be time.  Time spent with family and friends, or reading a book or painting.  Either way – it’ll fill a spot in your heart and you’ll need to nurture it with strong love, time and appreciation.  Know your happy place, it’s there you’ll find a sense of peace, happiness and excitement.  That’s why you need to nurture it, to make it strong enough to defend itself in your absence.

What or where is your happy place?

Next up: “So, You Wanna Be A Star”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Defending Your Happy Place - Whiner21 (Day 3)

Come on, Get Happy - Whiner21 (Day 2)

Look outside your work.  Is there anything making you happy?  The point is to find something that has nothing to do with your present condition.  You’re looking for a diversion, something different that gets you up and going, gets you excited. Wouldn’t it be cool to feel excited or passionate about something?

List three things that currently make you happy.

Some people may have trouble picking three things.  Here’s a tip that may help. Think about what makes you laugh out loud.  Can’t remember the last time you laughed out loud?  Start to pay attention.  Keep a log or jot memories down on sticky notes and refer to them often.  Some other things to try;

1. Listen to upbeat music,


2. Listen to inspirational speeches, sermons or books


3. Hang out with happy people.

Remember, you want to feel better, don’t you?  Then get excited about this.



Write down several things that make you happy.  Spend some time figuring out how to spend more time with the things and people that lift your spirits.







Next up: “Defending Your Happy Place”

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

Whiner to Winner in 21 Days (Day 1)

Twenty-five days into the New Year and some people are already whining.  There are whines about the economy, the government, the NFL, their own ill-conceived resolutions, their faltering relationships, their job.  Whine, whine, whine.



I’m taking the next 21 days to help you move from whiner to winner.  Adapted from my book, “How to Stay When you Want to Quit; re-scripting your life from whiner to winner”, this series will take key pieces from that program.  For 21 days I will pose questions, exercises and thought starters aimed at helping you get over yourself and get working on something productive?



Too harsh?  Not for you?  Tell a friend or someone you love who’s been going through a tough time to check in, because I’m confident they’ll get something out of this series.  Truly, so will you, even if you don’t want to admit it right now.  I guarantee there’s something going on in your life that you’ve been whining about.  Cut it out.  It’s time to make things better.



As you work your way through the next 21 days you’ll find concepts that can apply to virtually any job and any position in any organization.  Good luck and have fun on this journey as you take control of your approach and attitude toward life.



So let’s get right to it. Make note of your answers to the questions posed in this series, they will help you collect your thoughts.



Imagine you’ve just finished a day of work…

1. How are you feeling right now?


2. When you look in the mirror, describe whom you see.


3. What do you think you sounded like to people who may have overheard your conversations today?


4. Is your job fun? Why or Why not?


5. What’s changed from the first day you started this job? (Reflect, and determine if it was your job that changed or you.)


6. What if neither you nor your job changed?  Would you be happy to keep doing what you’re doing now for the next five years? (If you answered no, then you must learn to recognize, respond and thrive with change.)


7. Do you have a sense of purpose in what you do? Why or Why not? (If you do have a sense of purpose, what is it? Are you living on purpose?)

Next up: "Come on, Get Happy"

Share your comments, progress or tips on the blog, on the Karl Bimshas Consulting page on Facebook or on Twitter using the #whiner21 tag.

How Did You Get To Be So Awesome?

Having a vision of success is only part of the equation of achievement; unfortunately it’s where too many people stop.  They can see what they want so clearly that it hurts.  Yearnings are fine because they move us forward.  It’s a different story if the vision we set for ourselves leads to feelings of regret or depression because we’ve not achieved them fast enough.

Some wonder what they’re doing wrong, and why things never seem to work out for them.  As a result, despondent people give up on their vision.  What they should be doing is asking better questions.  Keep your vision.  I’d argue, the wilder the better.

If you created your own vision then you know deep within you’re able to achieve it.  Today, assume you already have and then figure out how you did it by asking “Forward Reflective Questions” like, “Why am I so successful?”  “How did I earn so much money?”  or “Where did I find this wonderful person?”  As with your goal setting, be as specific as you can in your reflection.

Do you think if you ask questions like these you’re lying to yourself?  You might not FEEL successful yet, so how could you ask such a question?  It’s easy.  Because like Michelangelo’s David, the person you want to be is already in there, you just need to get rid of the things that aren’t serving you anymore.  The baggage that someone else unloaded on you and you’ve been carrying all these months or years.

Our mind is a powerful solution-seeking machine.  It likes to find answers.  So if you question why you’re a failure, you’ll get answers and you won’t like them.  It’s better to question why you are a success in whatever you choose to pursue.  The answers to those questions may also surprise you and they will unlock a way of thinking that will bring you closer to your vision with greater speed.

The Daily Focus Sheet

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="284" caption="The Daily Focus Sheet"][/caption]

Daily Focus Sheet

Need to keep focus on what’s important to you?  Plan your day and reflect on what you’ve done.

Here’s a free worksheet to help you out.  Beginning tonight, think about your main purpose or goal for tomorrow and the week ahead and jot it down.  Then list ten things you need to do that will bring you closer to that goal.

Before you go to bed tonight, or first thing in the morning, brainstorm ideas to improve a challenge you’re facing.  Remember in brainstorming there are no rules; write out anything even if it seems ridiculous.  It’s the ideas after those ones that will be truly creative.  That’s why it’s important to come up with at least ten.  If you’re lucky, two of them might actually be pretty good.

During the course of the day strive to be more pleasant.  Make it a goal to make ten compliments to other people.  It could be for a job well done or shoes well shined.  People want to hear from you.

Finally, at the close of the day, list ten things you’re grateful for.  Fall asleep in that state of gratitude.  Make copies of this worksheet and try if for a week then tell me how you feel.

(Click above or HERE to get to the Daily Focus Sheet)

Americans’ job satisfaction falls to record low

Here's a link to a survey I read today:  Americans’ job satisfaction falls to record low

This unfortunately tracks with what we're seeing in the marketplace.  Satisfaction with bosses have always been a bell wether for overall job satisfaction.

Leaders, the challenge is to make work more interesting and fun so innovation can flourish.  How to do that?  Good teachers do it every day.  Go learn from one.

The First Monday

When you got up to go to work today were you giddy with excitement to start the year off fresh or were you full of dread?  Were you saddened that the holidays are over and you have to get yourself into a new routine?  Do you miss your family so much that you want to share more time with them?

In the current economy, you might be grateful just to have a job even if you don’t really like it, which begs the question; why are you investing so much time in something you don't love.  Money?  Duty?  Habit?  Fear?

Each morning you have a choice.  You can get up bleary-eyed and mumble, “Good God, it's morning.” or awake refreshed and bright-eyed and say, “Good Morning, God.”

Today, appreciate what you have.  Find, create or develop excitement, maybe even inspiration for the year ahead for yourself or better yet, for others.

If you're not happy where you are, you just found a great goal to work on.  If you’re fortunate enough to actually be happy where you are, good for you, now go help your co-workers get in that same affirming and confident place.

Have a great day.  It's up to you.

Learn more by reading reading, "How to Stay When You Want to Quit; Re-scripting your life from whiner to winner" available on Amazon.com

Congratulations, You Made It.

Congratulations, you made it.  It’s a new day, month, year, and decade.  The “first of the year” has arrived, so no more feeble excuses.  It’s time to get to work on you.

“But today?  It’s a holiday.”



Well Kid, any day you make progress on your goals is cause for celebration so you might as well get started.  Do something.  Have you written your goals down yet?  Have you shared them with a supportive person?






[caption id="attachment_111" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Most Contributed to Success"][/caption]



In a recent survey 38% of the respondents cited Support from Others as a major contribution to their success last year.  This was second to old-fashioned Discipline and Persistence.

Of those same respondents, 55% were optimistic about accomplishing their goals in 2010.  That’s a good start, although 100% would be better.  Those who aren’t  sure may be pragmatic or they may be a little too reliant on luck.










[caption id="attachment_112" align="alignright" width="234" caption="How Likely to Accomplish 2010 Goal?"][/caption]

For the nearly 20% who are beginning the year with low confidence there are two choices; break your goal into smaller manageable pieces, or find a new worthwhile goal.  If you don’t think you can achieve your goal, how can anyone else?






Working on your goal will not always be easy so begin the habit of asking, “Does this move me closer to or farther from my goal?”  If you listen to your intuition, you will always hear an answer.  Heed what it tells you and choose to do the things that move you a little closer…everyday.  There are 365 days in this year, what you do with them is up to you.