Learn Everything by Doing Nothing: Inspired by a summer of learning by (not) doing

Every year in mid-June when my children’s school wraps, I imagine how productive I will be with a different routine, and every single summer I have felt frustrated and frazzled, wishing I had more time…until this year. I (finally) figured out the “secret” to knowing everything, and it is quite simple: sometimes we need to do nothing. I’ll be honest; I did slightly more than nothing, but a whole lot less than everything I had originally set out to accomplish this summer. 

I admit that I occasionally jump on the “Take Massive Action” bandwagon, even though that concept without proper direction goes against the grain for me. Let me be clear: we MUST take action, and sometimes that action will be “massive”. I believe that we are misguided in our interpretation of massive action, and as a result, we deplete our good energy while spinning our wheels, sadly not making progress on what matters most (and for the entrepreneur in particular, what boosts the bank account.) On that note, I will share with you how I learned “everything” from “doing nothing” this summer.

I did close to nothing for almost three months, and I learned a lot. I am grateful I listened to my intuitive sense and let go of the frustrating and unrealistic expectations I had been setting each year, making summer rather disappointing. This year in addition to letting go of unrelenting expectations, I thoroughly enjoyed a more relaxed summer pace with my children AND continued to grow my business in a smart, un-rushed manner. Interestingly, I managed this without barreling forward or being overly busy. 

Sometimes I forget the following, but when I DO remember, the results are magical. In order to learn by (not) doing, let’s consider the following process: slow down to speed up, zoom out and then take inspired action.

Slow down to speed up. Identify your objectives and WHY they are important to you. Before charging ahead, pause and reflect to gain clarity about what you want and why you want it. I made a decision many years ago that I would spend time with my children while they are young and actually want to spend time with me. That proves challenging any time of year, especially in the summer, when childcare and camps are costly and sometimes difficult to find. This year when my children and I discussed what they wanted most out of camps and daytime programs, they shared that they preferred to have a “chill” summer, where, when they were at camp, they wanted to learn something that would enhance their lives. 

I am able to work mostly from home, and my offspring are old enough to entertain themselves for a few hours at a time, so I am generally able to accommodate this. However, despite being happy to allow for a “chill” summer for my peeps, I confess that I panicked at the thought of them being home so much. I worried how I’d get everything done with them asking for food, shuttle service or access to my computer and phone in regular intervals. Then I remembered to ask myself what I want most, and how that fits the bigger picture.

I want to make a living that provides a comfortable lifestyle, so I leaned back, took some deep breaths and reminded myself of why I designed my career around my life instead of life around career. This has taken some sacrifice, late nights and bullet sweating, yet I continually come back to this: I want to serve people in developing their life and career in a way that honors their highest desires, and the best way I can authentically provide that service is by doing the same for myself. 

Remembering my clear objectives and WHY - to help people to take control of their time, energy and success - helped me get back on track and maintain perspective. I believe that we all deserve the opportunity to feel successful and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We can have ‘it all’ without buying-in to the idea that we need to give something up in order to achieve. Why not have it all? (Being realistic, but a stretch, of course. I do not have access to fairy dust or unicorns.)

When getting clear on your objectives and WHY, ask yourself: 

• What do I want to achieve? 
• Why is this important to me? 
• What impact will achieving this outcome have on other areas of my life? 
• Specifically, what benefits will I gain? 

(Note that it is perfectly acceptable to be a little “selfish” here; the clearer you get, the more energy and time you free up to share with others.)

Zoom out. Once you are clear about your objectives and WHY, look at your one year plan from the 10,000-foot perspective. When I realized that coordinating summer camps and daytime activities for my children meant rarely having more than a few hours a day to work without interruption, I looked at my whole life and business picture rather than focusing on not having time to get work done in the summer. Here’s what I learned: when I’m hyper-focused and clear about what really needs to be done, I am more productive. I sort of already knew this, but couldn’t see past the panic of “not having enough time” in that moment. Boy, am I glad it passed!

In a wonderfully thoughtful article in The Economist about why people are so busy, I learned that the “problem” of not having enough time relates primarily to living in the wealthy first world, and some of this “problem” is a matter of how we allocate our time according to our skewed perception of this valuable, non-renewable resource (this is grossly over-simplified; I highly recommend that you read the article). What can we do about this dearth of time? For starters, slow down, get dreamy once in a while to get a clear picture of what we want, and why we want it. 

How will we know if we have achieved our objectives if we don’t know what they are, and how can we better allocate our precious resources if we do not know where to send them?

Once we have clarity we can now ask:

• What needs to happen so that I feel completely happy and satisfied with my results one year from today? 
• What actions am I willing to take to achieve this objective? 
• What roadblocks do I regularly encounter? 
• What actions am I willing to take to work around roadblocks?

You may notice the word “actions” making an appearance. Yes, now that we are clear and know what barriers we might encounter and how to work around them, it’s time to take action. I call this taking Inspired Action Steps. Take the one year view, see where you want to go, and work your solution and action steps backward from there. Stretch yourself, and stay realistic. What steps can you take every day to get 1% closer to your objective? Did you know that leaning back, observing and listening to your intuitive sense is considered taking action? Likewise, calling procrastination and self-sabotage “intuition” is also taking action, although that action will not help you reach your objectives. You have been warned. 

Once you are clear, the steps to take will become increasingly obvious, continually feeding the waterwheel of success and abundance (notice, there is nothing about trudging ahead and pushing against resistance or fighting any kind of fight.)

Take Inspired Action. A Lifehack article about taking massive action reminded me that taking action the smart way can boost motivation. Smart action is the inspirational thread to motivation. Sometimes we lack motivation, and then we feel inadequate and flawed, which can cause us to stall or not begin at all. Some super humans are possessed with excellent self-starting, seemingly flawless, highly-disciplined action-taking abilities. The rest of us mere mortals can hack their abilities by learning to tap our inspiration to fuel motivation. What better way to take action than by being smart about it? Remember to be realistic, but stretch yourself. We mortals are funny; if a task seems too hard we most probably will not get started, and if it seems too easy, we will likely put it off until we are under major pressure to finish. To bypass this potential roadblock, we can challenge ourselves, achieve, raise the bar, and challenge, achieve and raise the bar again - what I like to call the waterwheel of success and abundance, fueled by inspiration.

Try one or any combination of the following to help you take inspired daily action:

• Ask yourself: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now? 
• Choose 3 action steps you will complete by a certain time each day (master the mundane). 
• Daydream, journal or doodle daily for 10-30 minutes. 
• Create the feeling of joy and excitement before starting your day. 
• Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments at the end of each day.

With clarity and vision, we quiet the noise and hustle and bustle we have conditioned ourselves to believe is productivity. Once we are able to do this, we too will appear to have super human strengths and abilities. If every day you tap into your WHY and remember what is most important to you, even the most boring or tedious tasks can take on new meaning, and your productivity will soar. I invite you to do yourself a favor and give this a try. Do nothing. Get quiet. Get clear. Get inspired. Get more done.

If you would like to learn more about taking inspired action, schedule your free one hour strategy session.

Read the articles that inspired and informed this post:

Why is Everyone So Busy? The Economist (http://www.economist.com/news/christmas-specials/21636612-time-poverty-problem-partly-perception-and-partly-distribution-why )

How to Take Smart and Massive Action in 6 Simple Steps. Lifehack (http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-take-smart-and-massive-action-in-6-simple-steps.html )

Listen to Olivia Gamber interview me about Mastering Your Mindset and taking Inspired Action. (http://occupationalolivia.com/mastering-your-mindset/#more-425 )

Ease for the Entrepreneur

If you are an entrepreneur…you are busy. Too busy to spend months or years trying to figure out how to take back or maintain your life (not to mention your sanity) while you build and continue to expand your business. 

You have launched or are almost ready to launch your business, and you are feeling scared. And excited. And nervous. And hopeful. And wondering HOW to get it all done without working every waking hour of your life.

You feel good about who you are and what you do. You are confident in your strengths and abilities. You don’t want to sign up for a business school program, let alone pay for one. You simply want to understand how to have the most fulfilling and wonderful life and career possible. 

You want to get clear on what you really want, and you want to learn from other professionals who have taken the GIGANTIC LEAP OF FAITH to become entrepreneurs. You want a plan to get you to that seemingly elusive place of happiness and exquisite fulfillment. No fuss, no muss.

But.....HOW do you do it? What works? What doesn’t work?

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to STOP WORKING SO HARD?

You will be happy to know that I have designed a system to help you take back your time, energy, success…and sanity!

I have designed a simple system to help you get control of your time, energy and ultimate success so you are prepared to build your business with the right mindset in as little as 6 months. This is a MINDSET opportunity, not a business or marketing program (your business and marketing plan are on you and your tribe of trusted advisors, or we can talk and I can refer you to some amazing experts.)

Read the interview below to learn more about Ease for the Entrepreneur...

Q: How long have you been doing what you do and how did you start working with Entrepreneurs?

I have been an executive coach since mid-2010. I joke that I became a coach “kicking and screaming” after leaving the corporate and consulting world and being home with babies for 6 years. When I was ready to rebuild my career, I was re-thinking consulting since I had traveled extensively, with short notice, for long periods at a time - a lifestyle not fitting for my family and young children.

Trusted friends and colleagues continually encouraged me to become a coach, and I reluctantly worked with a coach to learn about career options and moving forward. After working with the wonderful Jodi Nicholson of Success Coach Institute, I became a Certified Professional Success Coach (CPSC).

Q: Who are your clients exactly?

Over time, I discovered that I absolutely love working with entrepreneurs, and so have honed my skills in this niche of amazing, inspirational people. In my one-on-one coaching practice, I work with established entrepreneurs who are on the brink of massive expansion in their businesses. Many of these incredible people are preparing to launch their grander vision, which takes a tremendous amount of faith, courage and serious gumption and tenacity.

My clients are big thinkers. They have HUGE VISIONS. They have a lot of drive. AND…they get easily distracted, feel like almost every opportunity is a great opportunity, and sometimes lack focus and energy. They often find themselves feeling over-worked and frustrated with their progress, no matter their financial success.

Q: What happens if you haven’t yet worked with people in my situation?

As a subject matter expert on clarity, direction and inspired action, I can help you get crystal clear on your vision of success. Once you have established your vision, the action steps will become more and more obvious, and you will write your plan. We understand that THIS is your inspiration, and that…

INSPIRATION + ACTION = MOTIVATION 

Motivation is not inherent. Inspiration is. So we tap-in to your inspiration and get you taking “inspired daily action” - THE BEST motivational tool available.

Q: How are you different from other “Life Coaches”?

I would first say that I’m not your typical Life Coach. I am an Executive Coach who has developed a system to help entrepreneurs stop working so hard. What makes me different is that I approach business and success as I do anything else in life, including projects, relationships, lifestyle management and wellness. I am passionate about helping people find empowerment and harmony in a way that leads them to a feeling of exquisite fulfillment, with the understanding that from this feeling, we can create anything our hearts desire. My approach is holistic, and we examine every area of life, including sleep, exercise, water consumption, thoughts and other habits.

Incorporating my experience and applying the coach skill set, I will help you get very clear on what you really want, and you will write your personal vision of success - also called “updating your story” - which will allow you to take the inspired daily action steps to achieve it.

Q: What type of personality do you work best with and what is expected of me?

My requirements and expectations are very simple: Show up willing and open. With willingness and openness, you can expand your vision, grow into it and manifest your heart’s desire. Truly. The “work” is easier, and feels almost effortless, when you are willing and open.

Q: What type of person is this program NOT going to work for?

A person who is not ready to take full responsibility for his or her success and failures would probably not be ready to do the “work” it takes to create unspeakable success and fulfillment (and, as a side note: I believe that failure is the best launchpad to our highest success). If excuses, procrastination and blaming are your game - and you are not ready or willing to change that - then you will not get the results you desire.

Q: What exactly is Stop Working SO HARD! Ease for the Entrepreneur, and what does it include?

Stop Working SO HARD! Ease for the Entrepreneur is a simple system of daily actions, mindset practices and course corrections that help the entrepreneur get very clear about their real desires. Once this clarity is established, then we start to look at regular roadblocks to success, strategize the work-around methods to getting past those roadblocks (which we could also call “self-sabotage”) and celebrate every success to keep the inspiration and motivation necessary to continue moving forward. This proven methodology incorporates years of study and practice in various schools of thought and their application, condensed into bite-sized chunks.

Q: Does this “Ease for the Entrepreneur thing” really work?

Yes! It will work under very specific conditions: you must be willing and open. Each person decides and commits to the level of desired success. It is that simple.

Q: What results can I expect?

First, show up willing and open. You can expect to leave the webinar with a clear vision of your own success, a method to access your genius (yes, YOU have genius; we all do!) and simple ways to stay motivated, even on the toughest days.

Q: How will we work together and what does the program entail?

First, listen to the webinar to learn more about the concepts. As I said, you will leave with a clear idea of your vision of success, ways to break through your own barriers to success, and knowledge of what inspires you, which will help you stay motivated.

During the webinar, I invite you to join one of two mastermind groups for entrepreneurs - one for “Emerging” and one for “Established” Entrepreneurs. If the opportunity resonates with you, then you will apply for the program by email, and we will take it from there.

Q: How long is the Entrepreneur Mastermind program?

Each mastermind group will work in similar, yet different ways:

The Emerging Entrepreneurs (EE1) will meet for 90 minutes, once per month, for 6 months. Email me for details and application if you would like to learn more about upcoming mastermind groups.

The Established Entrepreneurs (EE2) will meet for 2 hours, once per month, for 6 months. Email me for details and application if you would like to learn more about upcoming mastermind groups.

Learn more about Stop Working SO HARD Mastermind Workshops for Entrepreneurs!

Q: What’s the investment?

The webinar is a complimentary introduction to these concepts. YOUR INVESTMENT is your time, energy and undivided attention to the concepts and ideas presented. The more focused and attentive you are, the greater the benefit to you.

Q: OK, I’m ready to do this for myself, but I have a couple of additional questions. Can I call you?

Of course! It would be my pleasure to speak with you and answer any questions you may have. Let’s schedule a time to chat!

I look forward to meeting you and helping you expand and grow!

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Are you having any fun?

"Most of the time I don't have much fun. The rest of the time I don't have any fun at all." - Woody Allen

Do you get excited about the weekend? Why? And, what makes Friday so special?  Why T.G.I.F.? What do you look forward to most on the weekends? I ask honestly, because I have noticed that a lot of people look forward to the weekend, seemingly because they will rest and be less busy, and yet they cram-pack their weekends with errands and lots of "have to" activities.

How busy are you? Do you take time to take excellent care of yourself? I mean, besides working out and eating "good" food (if you do)? Many people think that working out and consuming mostly clean foods is "good enough" to be considered excellent self-care. I certainly know a lot of people who also think this is enough.

In working with corporate groups, and with my one-on-one clients, I am hearing more and more about sleep deprivation and lack of time to read, write in a journal or have fun; and I just have to ask:   What's up with THAT?!!!

If you love being busy AND you feel happy, with an exquisite sense of fulfillment, then perhaps this is the pace you need and desire - if you honestly, truly feel fulfilled in all areas of life.

However, if you feel that something is missing, whether money, friendships, a romantic relationship, time to yourself, a sense of calm, peace and harmony...anything, even if it seems insignificant, it may be time to make a few minor adjustments.

Here are two easy ways to start having more fun, even if you think you don't have time, and you can start now, not wait until the weekend:

1. Laugh more. Laughter lifts us up, lightens the moment and brings more joy into our lives. Listen to a podcast of your favorite comedian, watch a funny movie or t.v. show, call your funniest friend, or visit your funniest co-worker. Easy, right? And it doesn't take a lot of time.
2. Make a fun date with yourself. Commit to take some time to go do something you've always wanted to do. Start with the easy, cheap, local "bucket list" item so you will actually do it. Put it on your calendar in ink and go do it. If you want someone else to join you, decide that you will do it whether they can make it or not. Remember, your happiness depends on you, so commit to yourself and follow-through.

Life really is meant to be lived and celebrated, so if you've fallen or knowingly stepped into the trap of not having time, having too much to do, or depending on others for enjoyment and fun, take a step back. Start with something simple, easy and cheap. Knock out all of your excuses by doing the easiest thing.

I'd love to hear from you. Are you having fun? Are you willing to commit to having more fun?

Please share what you do for fun by commenting in the space below.

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Two Questions You Need to Ask Yourself

I have tried to write about two different topics this week, and continued to bump into resistance around both. The first required research I didn’t really have time to complete this week, so I decided to table it for a few weeks when my schedule is lighter. The second topic is willingness, and what I find kind of ironic is that I was unwilling to stretch my own thinking enough to embrace the message that I really wanted to convey. Hmmm... This begs the question:

How do we know when it is appropriate to lean back, and how do we know when to push through to the finish?

My personal and coach-y answer is this: It depends.

There are so many times when it makes sense to lean back, soften the lens and see what we might not be seeing (you know, the forest for the trees thing). Actually, it makes sense to always lean back before pushing through. How often do you find yourself rushing to the finish, missing details? Have you ever pushed yourself to finish a project, or to “get over” a hurt, to later find that you have missed important details, or that you continue to feel hurt?

I know I say this a lot, though I also know at the very least that I will benefit from hearing my “steady drumbeat” message again, so I restate: Sometimes we need to slow down to speed up.

This is not the same as giving ourselves permission to quit or to stall progress, to procrastinate or make excuses for not stepping into our powerful genius. This leaning back gives us a moment to scan our energy, find resistance in our thinking (often manifested as physical pain, by the way - perhaps I will write about that another day), then address the resistance and take inspired action.

If you shoot an arrow, you must first get your eye very keenly focused on the target. Once you clearly see your target, you pull back on the bow, re-focus your eye in-line with the arrow, and finally release the arrow in the direction of the target. Imagine trying to shoot the arrow without pulling back on the bow. It would fall to the ground next to your feet, right? What if you take your eye off of the target as you release the bow? The arrow will launch in whatever direction you have it pointed, but will most likely land nowhere near the target. If you have a cramp in your shoulder or neck, how much energy is available to pull back the bow in order to launch the arrow with great speed and precision?

To avoid wandering too far into the metaphor weed patch, I will make this point: If you bump into resistance along the way, sometimes you can power through and just “gitter done,” possibly hampering your best energetic output. If you take your eye off the target (your goals, desired outcome, a dream you are making into your reality) you may miss it by a long shot. If you do not take a moment to lean back so you can get crystal clear on your goal, how will you aim, and will you even see the target? What’s more, how will you prepare yourself to build the momentum needed to get you through to the finish?

So, “it depends” is a simple and complex answer to the question: How do we know when it is appropriate to lean back, and how do we know when to push through to the finish? 

It depends, really, on your answers to the following 2 questions:

1. Do you know what you want and why you want it?
2. Are you willing to commit to reaching your goals, even if you need to slow down, lean back, adjust, re-adjust and re-focus regularly?

It seems that I have circled back to willingness. One way to measure your willingness is by taking action. If you can answer question 2 honestly, and you answer “Yes”, then the easiest and most obvious “proof” is in your action. Here is where I may muck-up the simplicity of “it depends” and contradict myself: Sometimes we need to take a step even if we are uncertain if we are heading in the right direction.

Wait.....didn’t I just say to slow down, lean back, focus on the target? Yes. However, if you are prone to “Analysis Paralysis” (and you know who you are, right?!) and you painfully comb-over every detail, ultimately stalling getting started, let alone making any progress, you might need to look at your target, remind yourself of why you want to get there, and just go for it. This is a kind way of telling you to kick your own backside into gear, with love.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best,

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

When we are very clear on what we want and WHY we want it, then stepping out in faith is easy. Ask yourself those two questions regularly, and write down or speak-out your answers. Breathe life into your dreams and desires every day, and take at least one step toward them. You are actively leaning back and focusing by asking those two questions, so if you continue to ask and answer honestly, you will be performing the delightful dance of slowing down to speed up, and you know what? You’ll launch forward like a rocket. You will. Trust me; I’ve been there, I return there, I re-start there and I manifest from there. Know that you are fully supported in your journey, and have faith in yourself and your abilities. Stepping out in faith requires very little beyond understanding why you want what you want.

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

If you want to get crystal clear on what you want and why you want it, click here to schedule a powerful coaching consultation.

Are you ready to commit to yourself? Do you want to go beyond thinking and talking about making change in your life, and flip to DOING? Schedule your complimentary powerful coaching consultation.

How Do You Show Up? Refine.

“Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes reality.” ~ Roy L. Smith

When I was growing up, my parents and teachers seemed to use the word discipline interchangeably with punishment and consequences, and I used to have a visceral reaction to people telling me that if I wanted something, I merely needed to discipline myself enough to practice my craft every day. Now that I am “all grown up” and have some perspective, I agree wholeheartedly (now that I’ve gotten over my teenaged self’s knee-jerkiness). I’m here to share with you that if you understand why you want what you want, then the simplest way to achieve is to first make the decision, commit, make some adjustments and, finally, refine your habits. In my mind, excellent habits means committing to a certain amount of discipline.

Over the past few weeks I’ve written about making the decision, committing and making adjustments to how you choose to show up. We understand that it takes 21-35 days to create a new habit, so I hope that you have been taking some time every day to practice how you show up, and when necessary, revisit why you made the decision you made (to show up strong, confident, peaceful, etc.)

In my coaching practice, my clients learn a lot about habits. You see, the more we practice our new and good habits, whether for lifestyle, career, or relationship success, the faster we reach our goals. Practicing a new habit is a way to replace an old habit that no longer serves you, and to create an effortless draw toward the success you crave. Simply put: make your own life easier every day by making powerful choices to change your life.

In the interest of keeping it simple, I am offering an easy way for you to refine your choices in how you show up.

3 Steps to Refining Habits:

1. Choose one new habit. Commit to work and focus on that for 30 days. Of course, there will be other things you will work on, but really focus on and commit to that particular one (eg., taking a deep breath before you speak - every time).
2. Write it down every day. Breathe life into it by writing it down, or by speaking it out. This renews your commitment to it, and is a disciplined practice.
3. At the end of the day, celebrate your achievements. At the end of each day, review your day, and make sure you celebrate that you have practiced the discipline of breathing life into your new habit. You can simply say, “I did it!” and that is a celebratory acknowledgement of your success. It IS that simple.

Give this a try. Share your journey with me by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you and celebrate YOUR success!

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Are you ready to refine your choices? Want to go beyond blogs and videos? It would be my pleasure to set aside an hour to share a powerful coaching consultation with you. Click here to schedule your call.

“Refining is inevitable in science when you have made measurements of a phenomenon for a long period of time.” ~ Charles Francis Richter

How Do You Show Up? Making Adjustments

You have made a decision about how you intend to show up. You have committed to becoming your highest self. We know that it takes 21-35 days to establish a new habit, so you still have time to make adjustments to your commitment. If you want to make this habit of showing up as your highest self smooth and easy to stick with, then it is time to assess and make some adjustments. One of my favorite personal development books, “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson, shares the following two analogies, which I have adapted to suit my personal communication style:

Space Shuttle. Did you know that while a space shuttle is in orbit, it is off-course up to 97% of the time? The internal tracking system communicates with the control center, which makes adjustments every few seconds. As if by magic, it reaches its destination -  with precision.

Cars. Imagine if you held the steering wheel tight while driving your car and never made any adjustments. How long do you think it would take until you drove off the road, even while on a straight-away? Take note of how many times you make adjustments while driving and still reach your final destination. So it is in life.

For the linear thinker, this may be “too intuitive” and difficult to accept. Let us keep in mind that life brings us ‘stuff.’ Things happen that are external to us, potentially keeping us from staying the course. The achievement of success hardly ever journeys a straight line from point A to point B. Very often, it is a messy, swirling, swerving array of seemingly disconnected points that get us to our final destination in our personal development. And so, in the true Coach Tracy fashion, I present a simple, effective method to make adjustments to how you show up (and you can apply this to any area of your life; how’s that for keeping it simple?)

3 Simple Steps to Adjusting Your Approach:

1. Lean Back. Soften the lens, so to speak, and take an honest inventory of how you have been showing up over the past couple of weeks since making your decision and commitment. That is it. Just observe and make note.
2. Reserve Judgment. Know that you will make mistakes. Do not judge your mistakes; learn from them. Ask yourself what you are learning, and then determine how you will do things differently. Mistakes are only “bad” or “wrong” if we do not learn from them and then make the necessary adjustments going forward.
3. Make Adjustments. Now. The famous footwear company says, “Just do it!” and here is my personal adjustment to that: “Just do it, NOW!” If you wait for the perfect moment, you will lock yourself into a perpetual state of not allowing yourself to achieve (also called “self-sabotage”).

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ~ Lao Tzu

The last part of the quote may throw some people off, because on the one hand while I am encouraging you to be specific and clear in making goals and crafting your dreams, on the other hand, I am encouraging you to be fluid and allow your life to unfold in front of you. This does not mean that you should leave things to chance. I simply mean that as you go along in hot pursuit of your dreams, taking daily inspired action, hold on to your dreams and goals with a firm, yet gentle grasp. Your dreams are like a newborn baby, kitten, puppy or bird. They require loving attention and gentleness. YOU also require loving attention and gentleness - and you deserve it.

As you continue to lean back, observe and adjust, be gentle with yourself. Be kind. Be compassionate. The more you offer this to yourself, the more you have to give to others, and the cycle of abundance continues to flow.

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Next week we will explore refining our goals and action steps.

Are you ready to make some adjustments? Want to go beyond blogs and videos? Let’s chat! Click on the connect button below, or email me directly to request an interveiw.

How do you show up? Commit.

Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind. ~ Bryant H. McGill 

Last week we talked about deciding how you want to show up. Have you gotten clear on why you want to become your most powerful self? If so, then you are ready to start building momentum to get closer to your ultimate goal.

Before you dive in, take a look at the quote above. How do you feel about enthusiasm being the energy and force that builds momentum for your soul and mind? Make the connection. When you connect your heart and mind to why you want anything, you are much more likely to achieve your desired outcome if you infuse your action steps with enthusiasm (or as I like to call it: taking inspired action).

If you want to ensure that the momentum you build is productive, I invite you to pause for a moment to get straight with yourself. Now that you have made the decision to show up (strong, enthusiastic, confident, prepared, however-you-want-to,) it is time to make a commitment. If you want to move quickly toward your goals, then I invite you to embrace the idea of slowing down to speed up. In the interest of keeping things simple and easy to implement right now, I have laid-out 3 simple steps for how to commit to becoming your most powerful self.

1. Decide on your desired outcome. Paint the picture of your highest self. Simply put, decide how you show up. Close your eyes and picture your best, strongest, most capable and confident self in a natural setting (work, home, social settings, etc.). Write it down. Write in the present tense to embed it into your mind’s eye and help make it real. How will achieving this outcome affect other aspects of your life?
2. Keep it Simple, Sweetheart (KISS). This is where people often derail their success by over-complicating, adding unnecessary details and getting stuck in the “how” of it all. Simplify. Keep it simple. Focus on 1-3 attributes you would like to develop. The key here is that the simpler it is, the easier it feels, and the more likely you are to take action, which is step 3.
3. Take consistent inspired action. What is one thing you can do right now to get 1% closer to your goal? Choose the easiest thing and do that first. Remember that if you take inspired action (refer to #1) and stay focused on the outcome you desire - showing up as your most powerful self - you will create momentum, and you may agree, momentum is your friend. Just take a step, and don’t worry about the rest.

It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through. ~ Zig Ziglar

Your character helps formulate how you want to show up. Once you made a decision, you already putting the change in motion. If you change your mind, you can change your life, and so taking inspired daily action is the best way to move yourself closer to your goals.

It may seem a little challenging to track progress with something such as your character and how you show up, so I have come up with a very simple 2-step process to help you keep track, and get this: it will help you be consistent and take daily inspired action. Do you like that? If so, then keep reading!

How to track personal development progress:

1. Write an action list of no more than 3 items to complete each day. My fabulous coach calls it the “Daily D.A.S.H.” (Definite Action Steps Happening). Write your DASH, by hand, every night before bed so you know how your next day is going to start. You can choose the same 3 actions every day, or other actionable items that you can complete by noon each day.
2. Acknowledge and celebrate ALL successes. This is as simple as saying “I did it!” when you finish your DASH by noon. Or, you could share your succes by telling a friend or co-worker. The idea is to acknowledge that you have made progress, which is getting you closer to your goals.

Keep in mind that this journey to showing up as your highest self is a series of steps, and each step is taken in that moment, not in any other moment. Contemplate this quote by Eckhart Tolle.

Your outer journey may contain a million steps; your inner journey only has one: the step you are taking right now.”~ Eckhart Tolle

Next week we will make adjustments. I will show you how even though it is “off-track” 97% of the time it is in orbit, a space shuttle will always reach it’s final destination. There, you can exhale now. You don’t have to be perfect in every step. Simply take one step now. Then take another, and another and another..

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Are you ready to commit to yourself? Want to go beyond blogs and videos? Let’s chat! Click on the connect button below, or email me directly to request an interview.

G.O.I. Are you willing to get over it?

Do you ever wonder why things happen? Do you feel like you need to dig deep, figure 'it' all out, and explain why you feel the way you do? Are you sure of how you feel? Are you allowing yourself to feel your emotions, or are you so intent on finding the explanation or solution that the feelings are lost?

Perhaps it's time to just "G.O.I.", eh?

Obviously, I know it's not that simple, and would never intentionally minimize anyone's experience. However, I read a blog by Nathan Otto this morning that got my wheels turning. He suggested trying something radical: ignore yourself.

Many are so focused on transformation that it may not have registered that the transformation could already be complete.

Are you willing to G.O.I., forget yourself, and feel your way into the next stage of your life?

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." ~ Helen Keller

Getting over it, forgetting the self...perhaps is not easy, but is more accurately described as an exercise in willingness.

I offer 3 simple steps to help you "ignore yourself", and you may find it curious that they all involve turning inward first. They are:

1. Acknowledge yourself as transformed. NOW.
2. Believe that you are valuable. NOW.
3. Offer yourself compassion. NOW.

Just like learning a new skill, playing an instrument or training for an athletic event, this 'G.O.I. thing' takes practice, and practice makes progress. Remember this and you will find yourself feeling so much more fulfilled.

I invite you to ask yourself if you are willing to reach into your heart, allow yourself to feel your feelings AND acknowledge yourself for who you are - perfectly imperfect, valuable, deserving of loving kindness. Oh yes, and you are amazing, just as you are. I value you, and I honor you where you are - NOW.

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.

Courage Without Strength: will you carry on?

Lately I have been hearing about a lot about courage and strength. A friend who is going through a difficult time recently said to me, “I just have to be strong and carry on,” which got me thinking: do we really have to be strong to keep going? I would argue that it does not always require strength to keep going. I am reminded of a woman I worked with a number of years ago who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. At one point, she was very ill from the chemo drugs, and in a moment of frustration and extreme fatigue, she told her husband she felt like she wouldn’t be able to carry on, to which he replied, ‘You have to; we need you.’ She said she experienced a renewed sense of courage to face this disease head-on and to carry on, even in the absence of strength. She was physically and emotionally depleted, and yet she gathered up her might and continued forward. The last I heard, more than 10 years post-treatment, she has been cancer-free and living a very happy, healthy life.

• Have you ever asked for help when you felt you didn’t have the strength to carry on?
• Have you not asked for help when you didn’t have the strength to carry on?
• What kind of outcome did you experience?
• Did you learn?
• Did you grow? 

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on - it is going on when you don’t have strength.”         - Napoleon Bonaparte

Even in the worst of times, we can gather our courage and carry on without strength. I would even argue that one of the most courageous acts we could undertake would be to ask for help when we feel we do not have the strength to face or manage something on our own. We are encouraged to be independent, even fiercely so, and yet, by nature we are interdependent. We need one another at times, and there is much opportunity for growth and learning when we ask for help.

I invite you to consider asking for a helping hand here and there to get comfortable with the idea of receiving. One day, you might truly need someone’s assistance, and you will be primed to accept and receive without resistance. If you are not so sure about this, consider times when you’ve helped a friend or loved one in need. Chances are, you did it willingly and without judgment. Remember the compassion you felt for that person, and offer it to your own self. Be open. Be willing. Ask. Receive.

Give it a try, and remember this question: How can it get any better?

Blessings. Gratitude. Love.