Mid Week Motivation: First Things First

Just Do It!  We all know the slogan.  And we all know what product it belongs to.  Truth be told, those three words say tons about how to get anything accomplished in life.  Just Do It.

Just getting in there and doing it has its merits without a doubt.  But it's been my experience that it's often times challenging to just do it when you don't have a decent grip on the present state of affairs -- work, family, personal responsibilities.  Part of being able to Just Do It, has a great deal with being able to see yourself doing it.  And it's been my experience that it's awfully hard to see yourself doing anything if you're constantly feeling overwhelmed.

So first things first shall we.

Let's first get you to a mental space where you can start seeing yourself just doing it. 

And the first step in the ever changing, fast paced, immediate gratification world, is to get your stress under control.  Yeah, Yeah, I know, everyone is stressed out beyond belief.  But if you're going to change your present circumstances you're going to have to get your stress under control.  Otherwise you're just running in a circle and not making any progress.  And that's no way to live your life.

So to get you started, let's have you start by practicing these 3 everyday, starting now:

Three_Rules_For_Turning_Stress_Into_Success.doc

OK, so you'll start practicing those 3 starting today.  But let's be honest, just getting your stress under control is easier said than done -- right?  I mean you can say all the affirmations you want, listen to your motivational CD's in the car on the way to work all you want, but if you don't actively apply what you're learning, it's just a process of going through the motions. 

No, you'll need one more vital tool if you're truly going to get your stress under control and be able to see yourself just doing it.

LEARNING_FROM_YOUR_MISTAKES.doc

Motivation is great!  Heck, that's why I spend each Wednesday giving you tools to use to keep you on track and moving forward.  But giving you tools is only as good as you are ready to apply them. 

Think of it this way. You can't grow a garden if you don't first prepare the soil -- right.  You first have to get rid of all the weeds, turn over the soil so it's soft and ready to nurture the seeds you plant.  Otherwise you might as well try planting a garden on concrete for all the good it will do you -- make sense?

So first things first.  Get your stress under control, learn from your mistakes, and as you're practicing these tools (see how I'm preparing you for the seeds of your own greatness), then you'll be ready to envision yourself doing or achieving the goals you have set for yourself.

You have the tools --

Now Go Out and Get It Done!

Mid-Week Motivation: Get CLEAR On This!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation wondering, "How the heck did I get here?"

I'm really not sure what is going on over the past few weeks, but it definitely seems that I've been running into many people are becoming fed up with what used to not bother them at all.  Situations or conflicts that they once brushed off are now irritating and aggravating at a level that is both distracting and frustrating. 

Being the overly inquisitive person I am, I asked why was the level of irritation so much greater now, than before?  What's changed that makes this situation less tolerable than it used to be? 

You would be surprised at some of the answers I received -- They truly ran the spectrum.  But what I found out is that it wasn't so much the situation that had changed, but the person had changed (think grown to a new level).  I got the impression as I listened to each of these individuals that it was kind of like putting on a pair of pants or shoes that once fit, only to wake up one day and find out that the pair of pants or shoes are now too small, out of style, too tight, and don't even come close to fitting your present tastes.

Sound like you or anyone you know?

Life is too short to be in situations and experiences that don't help you move closer to your ultimate goal.  That doesn't mean everything should be waterfalls and rainbows in your world all the time.  Heck some of my best lessons have come from experiencing situations that were uncomfortable, irritating and at times made me darn right angry.  But having learned the lesson from those experiences, in hindsight it was worth the short term discomfort.

And then it dawned on me, whether it's losing weight, saving more money, getting out of pain, or just having less stress in our lives, we all have to keep our goals at the forefront of our minds.

Most of us start out with good intentions and great follow through, but then something happens.  We say "Yes" too often when we should have said "NO".  We overlook the mild irritations thinking they would go away and yet they only got worse.  Then we wake up one day, completely off track,

frustrated and irritated at our present circumstances, asking "How the heck did I get here".

Life happens.  That is one constant you can rely on.

But there is a way to stay on track.  Whether it's losing weight, saving more money, getting out of pain, or just having less stress in your life. 

You have to have a code that guides you.  A way to make sure that each action you take is moving you closer to your goal and not further away.  And sometimes that can be a challenge to keep track of with all that we do day in and day out.

Here are a couple of excellent cheat sheets to help you stay on track no matter what your goals. 

THE_TOP_10_QUESTIONS_to_ASK_YOURSELF_FREQUENTLY.doc


Top_10_Tolerations_We_Can_Get_Rid_of_Using_Our_Emotional_Intelligence.doc

As my father was always fond of saying, "A word to the wise is sufficient". 

Nuff said --

Now Go Out and Get It Done!