What Now, Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun

So another year has come and gone, and although for some of you it hasn’t been a perfect year, the one thing you should take away is that despite everything, YOU ARE STILL HERE. As far as I’m concerned this means you had a great year.

I for one, found 2015 to be one of the most successful year’s to date, as far as setting goals and achieving them is concerned. Many of you have heard this before, especially from me, but I can’t stress enough the importance of writing down your goals so that you have a clear idea of what it is that you want. Once you set the goal, then it’s time to plan, plan, plan.

The idea of writing down your New Year’s resolution didn’t just come as a way to make just another tradition. The reason it is so popular on January 1^st is because it feels like a clean start, the old is behind and the new is ahead. So, if this feeling of starting with a clean canvas inspires you, then take advantage of the energy you’re feeling about it and once and for all GO FOR IT.

A tip on getting started: I’m all about ambiance, so I think it’s important to set the right mood when writing your goals and setting up your plan. Do whatever makes you happy. Turn down the lights, pour a glass a wine, buy a new journal, and pick out your favorite pen. Then, begin to brain storm. Write down all the things that in the past year you have said wouldn’t it be nice. Once you write them down, then, decide what you’re going to do each day to get you there.

After January 1^st, don’t just put the journal away—not to be seen again until January 1^st of the following year, keep it by your bedside. Read it each night before falling asleep, and in the morning upon rising. And most of all don’t worry if results don’t show up within 24 of writing your goals (though some may). The thing to remember is that life IS A JOURNEY, not trying to sound cliché, but it is true, a fact. You, living your daily life, is a journey. Now, you are in control of where you steer the wheel of your life; will you steer it toward your goals, or will you continue to leave it on auto pilot steering you nowhere?

I hope that this upcoming year all of your dreams come true or at the very least you get closer than you’ve ever had before. But most of all that love, peace, and happiness is the driving force behind every one of your desires!

Till Next Time!

If Not Now, When!

I watched a clip of Oprah Winfrey announcing that she is joining Weight Watchers, further declaring that every moment of her life has not been wasted and that each time she tried and failed has led her to this moment in her life where she is asking; if not now, when?

So dear readers, as another year comes to a close, I ask that you take stock of your life. Take with you all the great memories you’ve made, and leave behind those that don’t serve you. But most of all, have a full understanding that if you tried to make a change this year in any area of your life, but you didn’t succeed (by your standards) all is not lost. Whether you can see it or not, progress was made. A seed was planted. Now it is time to cultivate. Reassess your goals, set deadlines and make an action plan that will lunge you straight into seeing results. Because if not now, then when?

In my own life I have accomplished things this year that at one point I thought I never would:

• I got one of my degrees (something I started over 20 years ago)
• I started my own business
• Being healthy and active is now a regular part of my life, not something I wish for
• I completed my 2^nd novel, and got feedback from literary agents (this one, I’m especially proud of. I’ve only been writing since 2009 and when I send my queries out my heart is my throat. So when I finally get feedback, when they actually request my manuscript, words cannot express the relief and joy I feel at knowing that I am growing. I am changing. I am progressing.)

The constant thing I have done throughout this entire year is that I look for ways to get inspired daily. I have to learn, to listen to others advise, to their thoughts, to their own journey in this life. I am constantly learning and getting motivated. So I hope that this year, and years to come, my blog is that place for you. A place where you can come get inspired and get a fire under your butt that will get you to live YOUR VERY BEST LIFE.  As I usually do, I will ask you to take the challenge of taking your life into your own hands, and take whatever steps necessary to reach your goals, because if not now, then when?

Till Next Time.

 

BE WHO YOU ARE: Accept no substitutes!!!

A thought has been swirling in my head for some time now. Typically, it pops in my head when I see someone doing what they love to do.

I used to sit back in complete awe when watching people doing what they love. Wondering over and over how they got to be so successful… or, thinking wow, look how lucky THEY are... But now, the thought has been replaced with this. When I see someone doing what they “want” to do professionally—whether it is singing, dancing, writing, acting, (can you tell what my interests’ are?) I know that the reason they have achieved success is because they are just being who they are! “What?” You say…

Think about it this way. Who are you? Are you that nine to fiver that sits at her cubicle all day just watching time pass by? Or, are you this vibrant being, one that IS a writer, a chef, a teacher? The easiest and fastest way to start being that person is to simply BE WHO YOU ARE. Accept no substitutes!!!

Often times, this is referred to as “fake it till you make it.” But the truth is you don’t have to fake it. Just be! Just believe you are that person, and then you are! As an example, I’ll provide this: let us say you want to be a pastry chef, but you barely have time to bake because you are stuck at your job all day, then you get home and have to take care of your family. Overtime, you begin to take on the identity of an employee with a stable job and benefits, with weekends and holidays off. This is now your life and worse of all, who you identify yourself as being. HOWEVER, if you decide that this is not who you are. That this is not the life you came to live. Then you will soon discover NEW ways to start doing the things you love. A note to remember: just because you’re not getting paid, it does not mean that you are not that person.  Money is not the approval stamp that determines who you are.  

However, in continuing with the above example, if someone were to ask you, so what do you do? Your answer should ALWAYS be “I’m a pastry chef.” Because once you believe it, miracles will start heading your way. That very person that asked what you do, can connect you with someone that will meet your financial needs. This is something that would have NEVER happened had you said, “I work for so and so.” Yuk!! Get those words out of your mouth and start being WHO YOU ARE. There is no other person you should be.

 Till Next Time!

Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge, Insight Into Why You Don't Achieve Results

I started reading Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge and his ideas are refreshing in that he provides a new outlook on how to truly make a change. When it comes to making life changes, you’ve heard it before, we all say the same things, however, Olson tells us that the problem is not that we don’t know “how to do it”—God knows we are inundated with “how to” materials. The problem is, in simple terms the “Slight Edge.”

He provides examples such as, let us say we have two people, one chooses to eat a pizza for lunch, the other a salad. In the immediate, there is no change, one is not suddenly more healthy, and the other more unhealthy. However, overtime, these types of choices is what gives the person eating healthy the slight edge. That person, overtime, will be healthier and look better, while the other person will not.

The problem is not that we don’t know “how” to do it; it is that we don’t do it. Partly to blame is the fact that we live in world that wants everything NOW, results now. Money now. Perfect body now. Happy marriage now.  However, that is not possible, especially if you want to attain AND sustain true AND lasting results. We must plant, cultivate and harvest. The problem, says Olsen, is that most of us want to skip the cultivating period.

I could not agree more. It is the little things you do moment by moment that ultimately creates you! Will you spend your money on the slots, or will you invest so that money can grow? Will you eat that sneakers bar or will reach for the apple instead? You may not see the result that day, or even the next. But one thing is guaranteed, when you cultivate what you’ve planted, results are inevitable.

So what will you plant? The dream of purchasing your first home? Finally getting the health and body you’ve been wanting? Whatever it is, just remember this, change is happening, even if you can’t see it yet.

 

Till Next Time!

What Direction are You Moving In?

Did you know that we are always moving in the direction that causes us less pain? You say what??

I know what you’re thinking, “nope! That’s definitely not true because every day I go to my god-awful dead-end job, which is most definitely causing me pain. If that were true, then I’d be moving in the direction of my dream job instead of my job.”

Well hold on now…   I don’t disagree that you may perceive your situation as painful. But the truth is that no matter how painful your “job” may be, something in your perception of your dream job is actually MORE painful than your current job/situation.  "An example please?” you say. “Well of course.”

Let us take the above example. You hate your job and you want to quit and start your own business. So why aren’t you just moving in the direction of starting your business, or why don’t you have it already? One reason could be because even though you HATE your job (pain) the thought of the instability that comes with starting your business is more painful. Therefore, as long as you have that belief you will NEVER achieve your goal of starting your own business.

“So what do I do?” you say desperately.

“Glad you asked?”

Here are three steps to help get clear:

1.      Identify: Analyze your wants and desires, is there an area in your life that you constantly struggle with and can’t seem to get it right, maybe it’s your career or your exercise regimen or your love life. Whatever it is, you first have to get clear.

2.      Get real: Now that you have decided what you want to improve, now it’s time to understand why you don’t have it. What is the “story” you have been telling yourself about why you can’t or don’t have “it.” For example, if you find yourself writing down, I’m out of shape because I have no time to exercise; now you know why you are out of shape, because in your eyes, you literally have no time.

3.      Change your story: Here’s where the magic happens, in sticking with the above example, tell yourself this, I have all the time I need to fit-in my exercise routine so that I can accomplish my desired goal.

If you’re getting some mental resistance on step 3, think about it this way. Really?? You have noooooo time? There is no way you have noooooo time. In reality, you are choosing to have no time. You can wake up 30 minutes earlier, or don’t watch your favorite TV show, or don’t take your full one hour lunch, instead split it, walk for 30 eat for 30. You see, where there’s a will, there a way.

My point is this, when doing the above steps you should not lie to yourself, during these steps you should acknowledge the lies/stories that have been preventing you from having the life you want. By doing so, you will move past the excuses and right into results.

Till Next Time!