How do you put your best foot forward?

Each day, each one of us encounters various situations that require us to be different people or more accurately, we emphasize different parts of ourselves in different situations.  Each day, we are mothers, we are work colleagues, we are wives, we are friends, we are business women, and we are daughters and so on.

Each of these roles requires us to act differently. Each person we collide with on our journey through life has a different expectation of us. They may only know a part of us as that is what we have chosen to reveal or in the case of our children or husbands, they know a great deal about us.

Some roles come to us easily and so there is no trouble presenting that side of ourselves.  We have practiced it well and we are used to doing that so it is easy to put our best foot forward.

However, some roles are harder to play.  Maybe the role has evolved or maybe we are trying out a new role – a new job, a new business, a new friendship, a relationship that becomes difficult, a promotion within the same company/church/club etc

Some roles we have been thrust into, mostly by choice but are now finding it incredibly difficult to live up to our dreams of what it should be like – Motherhood can be one of those things that shock the system.

How can we in each situation put our best foot forward?

Be Fully in That Space

One of the biggest things we can do in each different situation is to be fully in that situation, fully in the moment.  No more thinking about all the things we will do in the next hour, no more thinking about the mistakes we just made, no more thinking of all the things we wish we were doing instead.

This can apply to mothers who may feel a bit (can I say it!!) Bored! Of looking after the children and maybe you stop listening to their chattering.

Right now, be very fully in the moment.  Listen carefully to people speaking to you, pick up their body language, relate to them, get a feel for how they are feeling, respond to them appropriately – This can make an immediate difference to the results you get from people.  It can make a big difference to the way you respond to them.

Really BE here right now.  You may be surprised at the richness that comes your way as a result of really listening as well as the fact that your mind feels less cluttered as you focus on one thing at once.  Your fears reduce as you focus on the task in front of you right now, rather than the over-imagined fear of the unknown.

Yes I know females are multi-taskers but it really can be a bit overwhelming if we are always trying to do more than one thing at once.

How can you do this – really be in your current space and put your best forward?

• Get rid of the internet

  Yes, I mean it! Switch the thing off! It takes up so much extra time and makes your mind that little bit more scatty.  You and I know what a source of distraction it can be.
  The internet probably adds at least half an hour to any task you are trying to complete.  Then you are left with insufficient time to complete whatever you set out to do.  This then leaks into your next task of the day making you less focused as you worry about not finishing the one before.

• Plan your day ahead of time.

  Remember to include time with your family and friends as well as the tasks. It is best to write it all down or put it on your calendar – you probably have one on your mobile phone (Cell phone)
  Recording your appointments tells your brain and subconscious mind that you are aware of the things you need to do.  This relieves a lot of that feeling of urgency that spills over onto everything you are doing as you try desperately to hold everything in your mind.  You suddenly realise you are snapping at anyone who asks you a question because your mind feels disorderly; Even a simple question can make you forget something.

• Take a deep breath.

  Calm right down when you feel your mind cramping and blow out deliberately.  You can do this without being noticed so do it whenever you feel a build-up of pressure and focus right back in.

Have you any more ideas to help with putting our best foot forward?