Breakthrough
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VOLUME XV ISSUE NO.12 | DECEMBER 2023

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Breakthrough
"Productive insight; clear (often sudden) understanding of a complex situation." Free Dictionary

Pop the bubble of conditioned thinking and emerge into the creative realm of "no absolutes," continuous change, uncertainty and unlimited possibilities.

Then, there can be innovation, adaptation and optimal performance.
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness
Open-minded:  questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty.  

Mindful:  consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.

Achieve Less-Stress-Success

By George Pitagorsky

Everyone wants success. But what does success mean and what are you willing and able to do (or not do) to achieve it.

 

Success is achieving goals and objectives. It requires effort and effort can be stressful. Less stress promotes success. So make it a goal to manage your stress.

 

To succeed at less-stress-success, find the right combination of intentional effort, knowledge, and skill to use while pursuing your other successes. The knowledge includes understanding stress, the skill includes the use of intentionally applied techniques and concepts that address the causes and symptoms of stress.

 

Understanding Stress

Stress is physically, chemically, or emotionally caused bodily or mental tension. Some stress is necessary, healthy, and unavoidable. Manage it well and it is useful, manage it poorly and it is harmful.

 

Stress stimulates and motivates. When it exceeds the ability to cope it causes damage. Unnecessary stress can be eliminated.

 

There are four kinds of stress, psychological, cognitive, physical, and environmental. Unnecessary stress is the stress we can intentionally reduce or eliminate. The key to getting to healthy stress levels is addressing psychological and environmental causes. 

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Coaching – Wellness, Mindfulness, Self-Awareness, Performance


If you feel that you can be happier and more effective but something is in the way, consider coaching by George Pitagorsky.

 

Whether it is a session or two, or a longer or more structured program, George can help you breakthrough the barriers and transform you life.


Schedule an appointment to explore whether a coaching relationship is right for you.

www.self-awareliving.com


Check out my book The Peaceful Warrior's Path: Optimal Wellness through Self-Aware Living

Cognitive and physical stress are easy to understand. Cognitive stress occurs when we use the intellect to solve problems, too much causes brain-drain, fatigue, and poor intellectual performance. Physical stress is about the way we treat and use the body. Too much physical effort and we pull muscles or get worn out. Not enough, and we become weak and unhealthy. The wrong diet and not enough rest create unnecessary physical stress. We can moderate these stresses, but often environmental and psychological issues get in the way.

 

Environmental Stress

Environmental stress comes from our surroundings – atmospheric conditions, noise, smell, discomfort, pollution, the vibrations of the people around us, cultural norms, rules, and regulations. Excessive environmental stress causes fatigue, and distraction. It multiplies the effects of psychological, physical, and cognitive stress.

For example, a culture that promotes overwork increases cognitive and physical stress, leading to burnout. Ambiguity, irrational demands, and conflicting objectives and values increase psychological stress. A noisy environment makes cognitive effort more difficult. Difficult to deal with partners, co-workers, and neighbors are stressful. Comfortable physical conditions lessen cognitive and physical stress.

 

Psychological Stress

Psychological stress also multiplies the impact of the other kinds of stress. When you experience excessive physical and cognitive stress, the cause is psychological and/or environmental. Poorly managed psychological stress leads to errors of judgement, outbursts, withdrawal, overwork, fatigue, and even disease. It gets in the way of healthy relationships and detracts from optimal performance and wellness.

 

Psychological stress takes the form of worry, anxiety, self-judgement, and tension caused by fear of failure, and by clinging to impossible expectations.

With skill and patient effort, using meditative techniques, and a realistic mindset, the impact of psychological stress can be reduced or eliminated. The techniques include breath control, bodywork, mindfulness, and concentration practices. In some cases medication is needed.

The realistic mindset is founded on self-awareness, open-minded questioning of beliefs and biases, the ability to work with paradox and ambiguity, and the wisdom and courage to accept and let go.

 

Accept and Let Go

When you accept and let go, you reduce your psychological stress. For example, if you are worried or anxious about achieving a goal, you are wasting energy. Accept that you are worried and channel your energy to figuring out what you can do about what you fear. If there's nothing to be done, then why worry? If you can do something, why worry?

 

Psychological stress is the primary target. When we recognize and are better able to manage psychological stress, we can avoid the excesses that cause us to become stressed-out.

 

We may be able to reduce environmental stress by, for example, making sure expectations are rational, there is a healthy work-life balance, and the physical environment supports wellness and productivity. If you can't adjust your environment, then the trick is to accept and let go into doing what you can do, including finding a different environment.

 

Changing your mind to, say, stop worrying, and changing your environment can be stressful, if you expect to be able to do it before you are ready. Accept and let go into patient, persistent effort.

 

We can better regulate our physical and cognitive stress by applying breathing and body work techniques, taking breaks to rest and recover and changing our mindset. But that requires that we overcome the psychological barriers that keep us from doing it.

 

"Do your best, don't worry, be happy." Meher Baba



Emotional Support for Ukraine  
       
To support people experiencing the horrors taking place in Ukraine, we have published and wish to distribute freely

"How to Manage Difficult Emotions and How to Support Others"

in English and Ukrainian. Please pass the toolkit on to anyone who can benefit from it or can distribute it further.


Emotional Support for Ukraine is a small ad hoc group of coaches seeking to help relieve the suffering of those under fire, refugees, and helpers across the world. 
How to be Happy Even When You Are Sad, Mad or Scared:

How to be happy...How to be Happy Even When You Are Sad, Mad or Scared is available on Amazon.com. It is a book for children of all ages (including those in adult bodies). Buy it for the children in your life so they can be better able to “feel and deal” - feel and accept their emotions and deal with them in a way that avoids being driven by them. You can order the book at https://www.amazon.com/How-Happy-Even-When-Scared/dp/1072233363
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness
Open-minded: questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty. 
 
Mindful: consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.

By George Pitagorsky

Success is measured in how well and how regularly you meet expectations. But what exactly are expectations, and how do you effectively manage them when multiple priorities and personalities are involved?
Using the case study of a Project Manager coordinating an organizational transition, this Managing Expectations book explores how to apply a mindful, compassionate, and practical approach to satisfying expectations in any situation. George Pitagorsky describes how to make sure expectations are rational, mutually understood, and accepted by all those with a stake in the project. This process relies on blending a crisp analytical approach with the interpersonal skills needed to negotiate win-win understandings of what is supposed to be delivered, by when, for how much, by who, and under what conditions.

Managing Conflict in Projects
By George Pitagorsky

Managing Conflict in Projects: Applying Mindfulness and Analysis for Optimal Results by George Pitagorsky charts a course for identifying and dealing with conflict in a project context.

Pitagorsky states up front that conflict management is not a cookbook solution to disagreement-a set of prescribed actions to be applied in all situations. His overall approach seeks to balance two aspects of conflict management: analysis based on a codified process and people-centered behavioral skills.

The book differentiates conflict resolution and conflict management. Management goes beyond resolution to include relationship building that may serve to avoid conflict or facilitate resolution if it occurs.
 

The Zen Approach to Project Management 
By George Pitagorsky

Projects are often more complex and stressful than they need to be. Far too many of them fail to meet expectations. There are far too many conflicts. There are too few moments of joy and too much anxiety. But there is hope. It is possible to remove the unnecessary stress and complexity. This book is about how to do just that. It links the essential principles and techniques of managing projects to a "wisdom" approach for working with complex, people-based activities.


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