Archive for Life Balance
Five Tips to Help You Stay Focused on Your Goals
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Setting goals can be effortless. It’s not hard to think up or even write your goals down. Achieving them, on the other hand, can be a bit of a challenge. In order to reach your goals, you must maintain your focus on the end result, especially when things get rough. Here are some tips to aid you in staying focused on your goals.
1. Create a visual reminder. A wish book contains pictures, personal reflections and other notes related to the finished goal. Let’s pretend for a moment that your goal is to start a restaurant. Create a restaurant wish book full of pictures such as cutouts from magazines depicting restaurant grand openings, the type of furniture you would like in the restaurant, famous people coming to visit, or even a fake review that you have written about your impending opening night. Visual reminders are meant to encourage and keep your eye on the prize when you hit a rough spot in your plans.
2. Ask for help. This point can’t be stated enough. No man or woman is an island. Without help, everyone would fail at something. We’re not talking about help to start the business or any actual physical labor. This kind of help refers to support for you in general. Support such as weekly phone calls with a friend or mentor for encouragement, focusing sessions, or even just a sounding board for you when things get a bit off course.
3. Reassess the game plan. A goal is only as good as the plan behind it. Looking at that plan every three to six months, let’s you see what can be tweaked or omitted all together. As things change, so do the steps in that plan. If one step involved starting a website business by the end of the year, a major move to another state can put that on hold. Instead, maybe selling items on eBay or similar auction site would help keep you in the loop, without the pressure of reaching your original goal until the move is over.
4. Reward yourself. For every step along the way that brings you closer to your goal, celebrate. It can be a night on the town with friends, a new outfit, or a quiet weekend alone. If the goal involves saving money, then the quiet weekend alone would not dip into your coffers. For weight loss goals, a new outfit or trip to the movies won’t ruin all of the work you have done up to that point.
5. Learn how to deal with setbacks. One reason people lose focus on their goals is a temporary delay or two. They call them failures, when in all honesty, they are anything but. Setbacks can signal that the goal needs a new direction or you need to rededicate yourself to the task at hand. Put it into perspective, deal with the hindrance and move on.
Staying focused on a goal can be tricky and even hazy at times. To correct your vision and stay focused on the final result, use the five tips above as often as needed throughout the process of completing your goal.
There is Empowerment in Action
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If you’ve ever been stuck in a rut of inertia in business or in life before, you probably know the sense of helpless futility that seems to take over. You want your business or life to change, but you feel powerless to do anything about it yourself. You may find yourself constantly making plans to improve these areas, but never quite get around to taking action because it seems so intimidating.
Though taking action can intimidate and frighten you, it can also empower you and make you fierce! If you learn to use it effectively, it can provide the fuel to keep you moving forward toward more fulfilling circumstances. When you do this, you realize that there was never anything to fear in the first place, and you’ll quite possibly never get stuck again.
Below are three simple steps that show you how to get started:
1. First, be sure you understand that your business and life is the way it is right now because of your hesitation in taking action. This is important, because you’ll understand the importance of moving forward no matter how anxious it makes you feel at first.
Then, decide on one action to take to get the ball rolling. Think about your business or life right now, and ask yourself which situations you want to change first. You might choose your relationships, health, financial situation, business networking, or anything else that makes you feel powerless and stuck. Then think about one simple action you can take to inspire some positive change. It doesn’t have to be a huge action, just SOMETHING to start building momentum. It’s time to become fierce!
2. Once you’ve decided on your action step, you’ll have to push yourself to take it no matter what. This may seem incredibly difficult or even scary, but remember that most often the things you fear are not going to happen. In fact, you may not even have a clear reason for feeling scared – you’re just afraid of the “unknown”. Give yourself a pep talk or push yourself in any way you have to in order to move forward at least a little bit. After you take that first step, be sure to let go of any expectations of the things that will happen because of it, and allow yourself to feel great simply because you did something about it.
3. Repeat with the same step, and/or others. Once you’ve taken one step forward, you’ll need to keep pushing yourself to take others. Consider this…even if you take a hundred small steps in a month, you’ll be putting forth positive effort to make changes in your business and life, which cannot help but bring about better circumstances.
The good news is that taking action quickly begins to build momentum. Just as chronic non-action can create a cycle of negativity and stagnation over time, being proactive can create a positive cycle that continues to grow. It gets easier the more you do it, which eventually makes it seem almost effortless.
How can you build momentum in your business and life? Let’s talk about it here.
You Better Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
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Did you know that you talk to yourself all day long? No, not the mental chatter about activities and chores that you need to remember throughout the day. That’s a form of self-talk too, but I’m referring more to the things you say to yourself on a regular basis and more importantly, the tone in which you say them.
When you make a mistake, do you berate yourself angrily? Do you put yourself down or call yourself names? When you have a hard time making positive changes in your life, do you lament what a worthless person you are and tell yourself that you never do anything right?
Negative self-talk can be incredibly damaging to your self-esteem, especially if it’s a big part of your daily life. When you keep saying things like that to yourself, eventually you begin to believe them.
Most often these messages begin as statements uttered by the adults in your life when you were a child. They may have said something negative about you when your actions displeased them, or perhaps they had a habit of saying unkind things even when you didn’t deserve it. As painful as these experiences can be, even worse is when you pick up where they left off and keep repeating the same negative messages to yourself over and over.
The good news is that you can change your self-talk any time you want. You just have to know how to become aware of the tone of your messages and consciously replace them with more encouraging ones.
Try these simple steps for starters:
Develop awareness of your self-talk. It may take practice, but if you keep listening to your inner voice, you’ll begin to notice when you talk negatively to yourself.
Challenge the negative messages. When you notice yourself saying something negative such as, “You can’t do anything right” – stop yourself and challenge that belief. Is that really true? Maybe you mess up sometimes, but does this ALWAYS happen? Probably not.
Replace the negative messages with positive messages. When you realize you’re saying unkind and untrue things to yourself, simply turn it around in your mind. Using the above example, you might say, “Wow, that’s not true at all! I do plenty of things right. It’s true I make mistakes, but so does everyone. I’m a good person and I try my best.”
Over time, your efforts will pay off in the form of stronger self-esteem and respect for yourself and your capabilities. It probably won’t happen overnight, but the more you work at turning your self-talk in a more positive direction, the better you’ll feel about yourself.
How to Be More Productive Today
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Do you struggle with productivity? Are you always striving to get your task list accomplished but end up constantly moving tasks to the next day? If this describes you, here are a few tips for making your day more productive.
Create a To-Do List the Night Before
Instead of waking up in the morning to make your to-do list, make your list the night before. This way you can go to bed relaxed and confident for the next day. You also wake up in the morning knowing exactly what you have planned for the day. You might also consider planning on Sunday night for the upcoming week. Then when you wake on Monday you have a plan in place.
Prioritize
Take a look at the tasks on your list. What tasks offer the largest return? What tasks offer the most value and achievement? For example, answering email or paying bills isn’t a task that offers a large return. However, making a sale or meeting with a client is a very productive task. Put your most profitable or results-oriented tasks first on your list.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
The quality of your sleep is important to sustain your energy levels throughout your day. Good sleep means you’ll be fresh and energetic all day long. Creating a to-do list is a good way to help you get a good night’s sleep because you can put the day’s stresses to rest.
Also consider adding soothing night-time rituals to your routine. For example, meditate, stretch or read before you go to bed. Keep a gratitude journal and write before you sleep. Go to bed and wake at the same time to help your body know what to expect.
Eat Healthy
The food you eat has a direct correlation to how energetic and productive you are. Junk food will make you sluggish. Healthy food will help you stay energized all day long. Feed your body well and it will respond by keeping you alert and energetic.
Get Organized
If you spend half your time searching for files, names and numbers, you are wasting time. Make sure any items that you use on a regular basis are easy to grab from your desk chair. They should be easy to find and use.
Take breaks
Productivity doesn’t mean working from sun-up to sundown. In fact, if you work without stopping you’re likely to burn out. Instead, commit to taking a break every hour. Walk around or get some air to get the blood moving throughout your body.
Focus
Do you multi-task hoping it’ll make you more productive? Do you manage one task while your mind is already onto the next task? Both habits are unproductive. When you focus on what you’re doing, not only is the task more enjoyable, it also gets done faster and better.
Productivity is possible. With a little planning, attention and self-care you can get more done in half the time. These tools are simple but effective. Try just one of these steps and watch your own personal productivity improve.
Motivate Yourself
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There are some days when it feels impossible to get motivated. Yet in order to achieve your goals, motivation is essential. Without it, nothing is accomplished. Responsibilities and tasks pile up. Life becomes overwhelming. Motivation is even harder to find. However, with a few simple strategies you can motivate yourself every day.
What are you motivated by? Some people are motivated by a sense of accomplishment. Other people are motivated by praise. Still others are motivated by money. It’s even possible that you’re motivated by something else. What motivates you? Understanding what you’re motivated by will help. When you’re feeling unmotivated you can tap into that desire and get the kick start you need.
For example, if you’re motivated by money you might kick-start your day by doing something that earns a profit. Or you might look at the task you’re facing differently if you realize that it generates income.
Create a morning routine. Routines help set the mood for the day. If your morning routine doesn’t support you to be motivated, it needs to be changed. A morning routine that supports motivation and energy might include:
- Exercise – Walking or stretching.
- Meditation – Five to ten minutes is all you need.
- A healthy breakfast – Healthy carbs, whole grains and lean protein. Skip the refined sugars, flours and saturated fats.
Start each work day doing something you enjoy and are inspired by. What do you enjoy doing? What part of your business do you feel passionate about? Start your day focusing on those tasks and responsibilities. If you start your day doing something you dislike it’s really difficult to feel motivated. Conversely, if you start each day doing what you love, the rest of the day is much easier to manage. And it’s much easier to get out of bed feeling upbeat and motivated.
Take time away from work. Owning your own business can be a round-the-clock job. You go to bed thinking about your business. You wake up thinking about it. This kind of non-stop attention can be draining. It’s easy to lose motivation. Take time away from your business every day. Create working hours and stick to them. Take time during your day to get some fresh air and exercise too.
Take time off for vacations. Enjoy time with friends and family. And take time for yourself. When you are able to separate from your work-related responsibilities it’s much easier to come back to them with energy and a smile.
Get help. You don’t have to do everything. In fact, you probably shouldn’t. There are some tasks that are best handled by others. It saves you time, energy and money. Additionally, you’re able to focus on the tasks you enjoy and the tasks that bring in money. Consider outsourcing or hiring employees to manage some tasks. For example, administrative tasks are often easy and inexpensive to outsource.
Finally, consider finding a few motivation triggers. For example, is there a song that helps you feel energetic? Does working in a different environment help motivate you? Is there an affirmation or happy thought that makes you smile and feel motivated? These are simple strategies but they work. You can wake every morning feeling motivated and raring to go.
