Do you find yourself dreading the start of the workday?  Are you feeling tired or just plain overwhelmed with everything you need to get done?  Unfortunately, you are not alone. According to a recent Work in America Survey , 57% of us experience negative impacts of stress. You can reduce stress at work, even with a demanding manager or environment. Let’s examine how you increase stress by not getting clear on priorities, making assumptions, and protecting your reputation. No Priorities Is your to-do list a never-ending assortment of everything brought to your attention? Are you often overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work? You may find yourself jumping from task to task, never feeling like you've accomplished anything significant. Not having a defined direction leads to stress and pressure as you struggle to determine what should be done first. Additionally, without clear priorities, you may end up spending too much time on less important tasks, leaving you feeling pressure...

There is one question that I ask very frequently. "Are you winning?".  When I ask this, I often get an awkward smirk in return and some kind of "What do you mean?". The Race A large part of my early life was dedicated to sports and athletics.  With most sports, there is always a clear winner.  I would like to argue that there is rarely a clear loser. Many world athletes participate in activities like track and field, cross country, ski racing, marathons, and more.  Most of these people focus on improving their skills, abilities, and results.  Anyone who has shown improvement or set a personal record will walk away from the event feeling a sense of accomplishment that is hard to replicate anywhere else.  These people feel the true meaning of winning.   Are you Doing Better Today than Yesterday? This is the real question, isn't it ?  You win if you have learned something new, completed that difficult task, or  helped a co-worker get u...