Pursuit of Excellence

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0412/5-tips-on-when-to-sell-your-stock.aspx

Buy recommendations are prevalent and stem from a wide variety of sources, including investment newsletters, analysts, stockbrokers and investment managers. However, few offer much advice on when it is best to sell a stock. Here are five tips on when it might be time to sell. It hits your price target, a deterioration in the fundamentals, a better opportunity comes along, after a merger, and after bankruptcy. Obviously selling a stock when it doubles is a good idea, but when you are selling it when it doubles you are saying that the company is undervalued by 50%. I’ve said in previous blogs that understanding the numbers is important. The reason you should understand the fundamentals is to save yourself from losses when it looks like a company is deteriorating. Always look for better opportunities and factor in the opportunity cost. Take the time to read the final tips, but also consider how these tips factor into your investment portfolio. What is your asset class? Where is your focus? What lens are you looking at your life through?

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-burnout-before-it-ruins-your-professional-life-2017-4

Hard work is as American as apple pie. We pride ourselves on pulling 12-hour days — getting in a workout before heading to the office before running to the PTA meeting and making it home in time for the evening news. Being stellar at the office, exceeding expectations, and climbing the ladder are all a part of the American dream. Until suddenly you hit a wall. You’re mentally and physically exhausted. Going through the motions day in and day out, forgetting self-care and ignoring pleas from friends to “slow down.” You are burned out. This article is a reminder of the dangers of stress on our daily life. Whether you have an educated background or not, you will find yourself in a stressful work environment. Stressful jobs contribute to 120,000 deaths each year and cost U.S. businesses up to $190 billion in health care costs , according to a 2016 paper from researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Regardless of age, American workers are unwilling to take vacation time, because they want to protect their job or they feel like they must keep up with the pace of work. “Burnout is primarily caused by systemic factors in workplaces,” says Chicago-based clinical psychologist Dr. Adia Gooden. “Jobs that put more pressure on employees without support and useful feedback are more likely to see employee burnout.” Here are six keys to spotting burnout: know the signs, see how the office or work environment impacts you and others, consider how technology plays a role, know that workouts help but only so much, when to speak to management, and seeking professional help.

Research shows that burnout has three dimensions:

• Emotional exhaustion: Feeling used up and spent; sometimes physically and mentally, as well. You may have trouble sleeping, get sick often, and become irritated at the drop of a hat.
  
• Depersonalization: Feeling alienated and disconnected to others at work.
  
• Reduced personal accomplishment: Feeling apathetic and losing confidence in yourself and your abilities at work. Your capacity to perform is compromised.
  

Be mindful of the workload of your environment, and know when to set boundaries around your time away from work so work can’t creep into your personal time. It is healthy to work out, but it’s also important to eat properly, and to engage in practices that allow you to unplug from work even during the work day. Personally, I’ve taken up listening to motivational videos, or relaxation music through YouTube. For me, these strategies come alongside my primary response to exhaustion which is prayer, reading the Word, and listening to worship music. What works for me may not work for you but if it helps you engage in the principle of rest then it’s helping you pay back your time deficit. Build into your life time margin so you can truly rest and replenish your strength, and in doing so you may see a problem from a different point of view and solve it.

For this week, I’ve included Arnold Schwarzenegger – THE STORY SO FAR – Gym Motivation – Motivational Speech from MulliganBrothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs‬ 28:26‬ MSG‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬