What Are You Waiting For?
"We cannot direct the wind,
but we can adjust the sails."
--Bertha Calloway
As summer draws to a close and we gear up for fall, it's a time for new beginnings. Kids are back in school and summer vacations are over, providing a natural space to refocus our energy.
Think of something that you wish was different in your life ... perhaps with a relationship, your financial prosperity, career, the environment around you, or your physical, spiritual, or emotional health.
Whatever you just thought of, how long have you been wishing for it to be different? How much longer are you willing to wait for it to be different than it is right now?
People generally fall into two different groups: those who wish
for things to change, and those who make it happen!
What’s the difference between these two kinds of people? Here
are seven key factors common to the “make things happen” group:
- They are very clear about WHAT they want.
- They’re clear about their WHY. They know the purpose behind
having, being or doing whatever it is that they want.
A compelling "why" provides the drive and commitment necessary,
especially when setbacks or obstacles appear along
the way...and they usually do!
- They FOCUS daily on what they want
and choose.
- They take CONSISTENT ACTION. They’ve made a commitment to consistently
take the necessary actions to get what they want, regardless
of how they feel at the moment. NOTE: You don't need to have the whole game plan figured out to get started! One action step is all you need to get you going.
- They build in ACCOUNTABILITY by telling someone else
about their intentions. People who share their intentions
with others are more likely to follow through with them, especially when shared with a trusted friend who can suspend judgment.
- They PERSEVERE. (View a short & powerful video clip
called “Don’t
Quit.”)
- They take 100% RESPONSIBILITY for their own life. They do not blame others for their present circumstances. They do not justify why something has not happened. Excuses are nails used to build a house of failure!
Let’s say you want to have an organized office. The first step is to
get crystal clear about what “having
an organized office” means to you. Does that mean that the flat
surfaces are clear and piles have been shoved into drawers and cabinets?
Or does it mean that you can find anything you need in a few seconds and
follow up on action items at the right time? What will having an organized office do for you? (What’s
your WHY?) What’s the plan for getting and keeping your office organized?
What accountability will you build into your plan in order to help keep you on track? Are you committed to doing what it takes until you have accomplished
your goals?
Are you ready to take 100% responsibility
for this, without blaming others for your current or future circumstances?
By paying attention to the key factors mentioned above, your chances
of reaching and maintaining success are greatly improved!
Staying Motivated
(It’s all in your head!)
Develop a daily ritual of writing affirmations in a journal
and reading favorite ones you've previously written. This is an uplifting
way to begin your day and help you reprogram your brain. You've probably heard that "you are what you eat." This is true for your brain, as well. The thoughts you feed your brain help you to manifest those thoughts in your life. You can either focus on what you want or what you don't want ... your choice! You'll get more of whatever you focus on.
At some level, the brain does not know the difference between fact and fantasy. If you constantly say to yourself, "I'm so fat!," then your brain will identify auto-pilot behaviors that will be set to align with those beliefs.
Over the past two weeks I've tested the power of affirmations while taking a Western Mediterranean 7-day cruise with my family. If you've ever been on a cruise, you know that it's one gigantic all-you-can-eat buffet available to you 24/7. The average weight gain on a 7-day cruise is 7 pounds, and I was horrified to see that I gained that much in one week on a cruise I took about 15 years ago!
Based on past experience, I could have easily repeated to myself, "I'm going to gain so much weight on this cruise!" Instead, I chose a different message: "I am healthy, toned, trim and energetic, and I enjoy an active lifestyle."
Repeating this mantra during the cruise, I found myself making different choices than I'd made on previous cruise vacations. I was pleased to step on the scale when I returned home to confirm that I had maintained my pre-vacation body weight, despite the fact that I ate a lot more than I usually do. How did I do it? As a "healthy, toned, trim and energetic person who enjoys an active lifestyle," I chose not to take the elevator on the cruise ship, even though our cabin was on level 4 and the food, pool, and gym were on level 12. Instead, I ran up and down 8 flights of stairs about 10 times a day, and I spent a minimum of 30 minutes every single day in the onboard health club doing cardio workouts on the treadmill. One day I got so involved in a movie I was watching (on the treadmill TV screen) that I did cardio for 144 minutes so I could finish watching the movie! We also did a lot of walking in the five ports-of-call we visited.
The thoughts in my head -- "I am healthy, toned, trim and energetic, and I enjoy an active lifestyle." -- helped me to align my behavior to match the belief I've installed in my mind. I will continue this mantra now that I am back home, as it supports me in getting to the gym for my workouts, taking the dog for a walk, and making healthy portion and food choices for my regular diet.
Focus
"Our limitations and success will be based, most often,
on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind
dwells upon, the body acts upon."
-Denis Waitley
Because you can only focus on a few intentions at a time, I suggest that
you to select no more than three affirmations that represent what you
choose to focus on right now. Post these affirmations in places where you
will see them throughout the day. Repeat them like mantras when you feel
discouraged.
In order for the affirmation process to be most effective, it’s important
that you state them as if that part of your life is already exactly as
you want it to be. Choose your words carefully. The most powerful statements
begin with I AM or I HAVE and keep the focus on what you want rather
than on what you don’t want. Powerful statements also keep you in the
present (I AM) rather than in the future (I AM GOING TO).
Example: “I am financially free,” vs. “I am going to be debt free.”
The first statement puts the focus on being free right now, and the feeling of freedom fuels the behavior that helps you to align your choices and actions with this belief. The second
statement puts the focus on debt and is also stated in the future tense rather than
the present. In order to experience the feeling, write your affirmations in the present tense. You cannot live in the past or the future -- only in the present moment. So it's important that the messages you send your brain are stated as if you are presently living the experience you desire.
Olympic athletes have effectively used the technique of visualization for many years. Visualization uses the art of "seeing" images in the mind as if they were real right now.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations:
- Relationships: I am experiencing a deep connection with my husband and daughter. I am a dream life partner.
- Prosperity: I am enjoying the financial freedom that enables me to
frequently travel on global mission trips and vacations with my family.
- Work: I am enthusiastically partnering with self-motivated, passionate,
kind people who have lots of fun working together as we spread
positive energy throughout the world.
- Physical Health: I am healthy, toned, trim and energetic, and I enjoy an active lifestyle.
- Environment: I am enjoying the peace and tranquility of our beautiful
home on the lake. I am enjoying working in my organized and
comfortable home office, where I feel inspired as I overlook our
lush green back yard and enjoy the peaceful sound of the waterfall.
- Spiritual Health: I am spiritually tuned and I enjoy the strong
connection I feel with God, nature, and with humanity.
- Emotional Health: I am enjoying being authentic to who I
am and what I value as I make daily life choices. I am lovable and worthy.
NOTE: Some of these affirmations have already manifested in my life, and some have not. For example, I do not currently live in a home on the lake with a waterfall in the back yard. Reading the affirmation above enables me to get into the "feeling" place of already living in that home. This provides the fuel that keeps me feeling hopeful, excited
and inspired.
Think of the affirmation process as a way to install new, powerful messages
into your subconscious mind so they can begin to materialize in your outer
world.
In July I flew to Phoenix to attend some workshops. I took a 7 PM flight,
which meant that I had to leave home by 5 PM, and I did not have time
to eat dinner before leaving for the airport. I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I got fed on
the flight!” When I checked in, the ticket agent informed me that I had
been upgraded to first class, where I was served a light meal.
I arrived in Phoenix at about 10 PM and it was still quite hot outside (nothing like Phoenix heat in the summer!).
Although I was very thirsty, I was also anxious to get to my hotel, so
I did not stop to buy a bottle of water on the way out of the airport.
As I headed outside I thought to myself, “It sure would be nice if my
driver offered me a nice cold bottle of water like they do on some
of the rental car shuttle buses!” As I walked to the taxi stand area,
I notice that there was a row of cabs on the left and a row of stretch limousines on the right.
As I moved toward the lineup of cabs, a limo driver approached me and asked,
“How would you like to take a limousine to your destination for the same
price as a cab?” I said, “Sure!” As I slid into the plush leather seat
of his stretch limo, the driver handed me a cold bottle of water!
"The poor man is not he who is without a cent,
but he who is without a dream."
--Harry Kemp
This was the stretch limo that took me to my
hotel, complete with a cold bottle of water!
Focus on your affirmations for the coming month and let me know what happens! I’d love to hear your story.
Need Help Getting Organized?
This FREE webinar will help!
Is this you?
- Do you often wonder where the time went?
- Does your to-do list keep getting longer, even though
it feels like nothing is getting done?
- Have you totally given up on keeping a to-do list? (After
all, you're never able to cross anything off, so what's
the point?)
- Do you have trouble finding what you need?
- Do you feel like you’ll NEVER catch up?
If you answered "yes" to
any of these questions, we can help out by teaching
you some powerful techniques that will help you increase your
personal and professional productivity. In fact, don't be surprised
if we can add an hour or MORE to your day EVERY DAY. Imagine
what you would do with an extra hour each and every day. That
is an additional 365 hours or over nine 40 hour work weeks of
extra time. Think of this next time you make the statement, “I
wish I had more time”.
Here's what you'll be able
to accomplish when you attend my upcoming webinar
and put what you learn into practice:
- Set your priorities and focus on what matters most (do this
and you'll be amazed at how fast you can start crossing things
off your to-do list).
- Remember important follow-up tasks BEFORE rather than AFTER… (wouldn't
that save tons of stress not to mention embarrassment?).
- Efficiently handle mail, filing, returning phone calls and
other repetitive tasks so you'll have more time to do the things
you LOVE to do.
- Streamline information management and communications (no
more time wasted on information that's "interesting but
not relevant” to what you need NOW).
- Relax and enjoy a less cluttered environment.
Register for a FREE monthly
90-minute webinar.
Next webinar is Tuesday,
September 14.
Buried in Paper:
Learn a simple five-step process to help you eliminate paper pile-up forever
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Do you stay in touch with important people
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