4 skills to help keep you grounded in work and life

4 skills to help keep you grounded in work and life4 skills to help keep you grounded in work and lifeMy first job out of college welches as a project coordinator for a startup in Vail, Colorado. The company built and managed amazing ski-in, ski-out homes - the kind weve all seen on MTVs Cribs. Looking back, it was a great first job that almost any new graduate would have loved to land.close interview Advertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012257 bx-creative-1012257 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground- color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)This was my first taste of personal and professional discomfort.On any given day, Id be working on 10 different things without knowing my exact purpose, whether it was combing through a construction budget or analyzing data for an upcoming direct mail campaign. I was new and didnt know how to handle it. Discomfort set in quickly and I was ready to move back to my safe zone and chase the 9-to-5 life.Luckily, I had a hard-charging boss who saw a glimpse of potential and was willing give me the tough love I needed. Every day was a surprise, but there was always a purpose be hind his leadership tactics. I now consider him one of the most influential mentors in my life. On one of our many rides up to the job site, he told me that I needed to be where my feet were.Those words motivated me to change the way I think. I wasnt mentally present and my current path wasnt at all aligned with the life I always told myself I wanted. I didnt change overnight, but I spent the next three years focusing on how to get fully immersed in the business. I gained priceless experience as an entrepreneur along the way.Who knows what would have happened if I had never heard those powerful words. Below are four skills to practice to help you be where your feet are.Get comfortable being uncomfortableStepping out of your comfort zone and embracing challenges will build your strength to overcome bigger obstacles. Entrepreneur and BAM Communications founder Beck Bamberger sets a great example I began following Becks stories after meeting her virtually through an entrepreneur organi zation were both members of.She constantly puts herself in uncomfortable situations to see if she can get mora comfortable doing bigger and bolder things in the world. Two of my favorite examples are when she worked as a window washer for a day on the side of a skyscraper, and lived homeless for a night in the city. She embraces being uncomfortable in the wildfleischest ways. Take a moment and learn something new and remind yourself its only difficult the first time.Can you imagine what direction your life would take if the fear of getting out of your comfort zone was nonexistent?Take ownership and worry about yourselfYour actions write the script of your reputation, so worry only about the things you can control and practice taking ownership in your life. This will help build your immunity to fear. And when youre not scared of an outcome or things outside of your control, you will realize youre solely focused on getting things done. For example, say that disaster strikes your bigge st project due to the actions of a subcontractor. Should the subcontractor be worrying about who to blame, or taking ownership of the situation and implementing actionable steps toward a solution?Youll learn its easier to solve problems when youre focused on what you can directly impact.Refuse to loseWhen you are fully committed and performing at the highest level, you learn there is always a win in every scenario. It might not be the win you originally wanted, but it will be a win. This winning mindset will transform your previous negativity into an inventory of life lessons that drive performance.This winning mindset will transform your previous negativity into an inventory of life lessons that drive performance. It took me a long time to figure this out, but the dots connected after attending a mental toughness academy with Ben Newman. It was a two-day event that transformed my mindset. After my first event, I ended up attending four more events and became a sponsor. I became a w ild believer in mental toughness training and its directly correlated to my mindset of refusing to lose.Learn how to show appreciationIts easier to be present when you have close ties to your peers, and showing appreciation is a great way to build those relationships. Keep it simple and start small. For example, if someone at the office helped you with an Excel formula and saved you hours of work, dont just say thank you. Explain to them how their quick tip is going to skyrocket your efficiency. Connect their actions to your improvement and let them know the impact they made when they decided to lend a hand. Practice showing appreciation every day and youll develop much stronger relationships at every level.People dont get paid well to solve easy problems, and youll never learn to be an amazing problem solver if youre not present. Making the commitment to be where your feet are and practicing these skills every day will have a compounding effect on your success.Drew Gurley is the co founder of PolicyZip and Redbird Advisors, overseeing agency development and insurance marketing in North, South, and Central America.This article first appeared on BusinessCollective. BusinessCollective, launched in partnership with Citi, is a virtual mentorship program powered by North Americas most ambitious young thought leaders, entrepreneurs, executives and small business owners.close dialogAdvertisement Time left in video 000 left out of / Play/Pause Video Mute/Unmute Video close dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012255 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012255 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012255 bx-creative-1012255 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-group-1012255-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)backgro und-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)