Category Archives for Get Out of Your Own Damn Way

Decide Already!

#118: Decide Already!

In the space between desire and action, there lurks a shadowy nemesis to all wishy washy scaredy cats and procrastinators. A powerful force to be reckoned with. A master of movement. A champion of change. 

What is it? 

Guess. 

Don’t daly or hesitate. 

Guess. 

Need a hint? 

Decide already!!!

That’s right, I’m talking about… 

Decision!

Why is decision a part of the change process, you might ask. Isn’t it enough to identify the things you desire to change…and then take action to change them? That’s a really excellent question. To answer you, I need to ask you a few questions: 

1. Have you ever dilly dallied, refusing to make a decision, only to discover that the decision went ahead and made itself without you? 

2. Can you relate to that old saying, “Be careful what you wish for!”? 

3. And more pointedly, have you ever made a decision that you regretted and invoked that old saying with the force of 1,000 suns? 

If you can’t answer “YES!” to all three of those questions, congratulations; you’re my hero! However, the rest of us mere mortals have experienced all of the above scenarios. Repeatedly. Yes, even me. 

I actually happen to be in the middle of weighing a major, life altering change. And even though this is what I do – and what I help others to do – for a living, I need a little help and support from time to time as well. 

So to give us all that extra boost we need to not only make decisions, but to actually do so with certainty, clarity, and satisfaction, I’ve created 3 powerful questions you should ask yourself every time you’re faced with a decision. I also reveal a shocking truth about decisions that may be keeping you from following through with the changes you know you need to make in your life. 

Ready to discover how to instantly make better decisions? Decide to listen. Now! 

Mentioned in this Episode:

#96: You Decide…Even When You Don’t

#115: Are You Ready for the Superpower of Change? 

#116: Whyyyyyy?

#117: What You Want? 

#117: What You Want?

#117: What You Want?

What you want? baby, YOU got it! 

Or do you? 

Before you can get what you want, you have to not only know what it is, you gots to burn for it, deep down, in your soul! What am I talking about? 

This is the stuff that moves mountains. It forges paths. Dams rivers. Launches ships and dreams and entire careers. It even drives some to drop houses on their sisters and others to terrorize little girls over a pair of shoes. 

Maybe you already know what I’m talking about…But I’m not ready to reveal it just yet. 

First let me congratulate you on making it this far in my epic series on change. Clearly you want to make some changes in your life or you wouldn’t still be here. Wanting something is a good first step towards getting it. But it’s not enough. If it were, you’d already be living the dream, right? 

What I’m talking about here today is essentially want on steroids. Want to the infinite degree. Want after guzzling a six pack of Monster*. Are you with me yet? 

History is littered with people who wanted things but never quite got it together to make their dreams happen. Their want turned to longing. Maybe even despair and bitterness. And eventually regret. You don’t want to be one of those people. I don’t want you to be one of those people! 

So what in the world am I referring to? What is it that your want needs to grow up to be in order to get you from wanting to having? 

Let’s go back in time… Think of something you wanted so badly that it became a singular obsession. Something you set your sites on and from which you refused to back down. Something you obtained or achieved. You visualized it. You worked tirelessly towards it. And you eventually manifested it. This was more that mere want, wasn’t it. What did you feel? What driving force catapulted you to that goal? What seductive flame was this?

DESIRE – appetencyappetitecravingdrivehankeringhungeritchjonesletchlonginglustpassionpiningthirstthirstinessurgeyearningyen!

Need a little help re-sparking your flame? This podcast will help you rekindle that fire within. I’m giving you a surefire – pun intended – 3-step process to reclaim your heat right NOW! Ready? 

 Let’s do this! 

*Disclamer: Please don’t guzzle a six pack of Monster; I WANT you to live! 

Mentioned in this Episode:

#97: Guess Again…Or Better Yet, Don’t!

#107: Ch-ch-ch-change it! 

#115: Are You Ready for the Superpower of Change? 

#116: Whyyyyyy?

Whyyyyyy?

#116: Whyyyyyy?

WHY? Because I said so. Because you have to. Because that’s the way it works. Because it’s always been that way. 

Feeling motivated? 

Of course you’re not! Those answers never work. They didn’t work when you were a kid. They don’t work on you now. But let me ask you this: Can you easily and readily provide exciting, empowering, satisfying answers to the WHYs in your life? Because if you can’t, you’re probably not going to truly find the motivation to get from this side of WHY to the other. In fact, it gets worse; you may actually become demotivated. And let’s face it, if you were from content on this side, you wouldn’t be asking WHY. (117)

The less in touch with your WHYs you are, the more loaded and offensive that question can start to feel. The more frustrated you can become. The more you may avoid looking for the answers. I mean seriously…WHY would you want to stress yourself out? WHY???

But here’s the thing: WHY isn’t going anywhere. WHY is in your face. Every day. And remember those flippant answers to WHY that I opened with? They become insidious. They are knee-jerk defenses to WHY that have only one purpose: To kill your motivation. (92)

So are you ready to use your superpower to master WHY once and for all? The first step to unleashing your motivation is finding YOUR WHY. Not anyone else’s. not some pat answers. But YOUR unique, amazing WHYs that will turbocharge YOUR unique and amazing journey. You’re here because you don’t want a cookie-cutter life; so don’t settle for no cookie-cutter WHYs. 

Need a little help? In this podcast I walk you through my 4 surefire questions designed to cut through all the bull and right to the heart of your WHYs to find the true answers that will motivate you. 

So listen now. WHY? Because I got YOU! 

Mentioned in this Episode:

#115: Are You Ready for the Superpower of Change? 

Are You Ready for the Superpower of Change? 

#115: Are You Ready for the Superpower of Change? 

Have you ever fantasized about having a superpower? Maybe you secretly wish to fly. See through walls. Be invisible. Be invincible. 

Well, I can’t help you get any of those powers. And honestly, they seem like they just might be more trouble than they’re worth. Imagine flying into high rise windows. Or having to see the weird things people do when you’re not looking. If you were invisible, I bet people would trip over you all of the time. And being invincible? I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted just thinking about that one.

But what if I told you that you already have a superpower? One you use every day. One you likely neglect and take for granted. One that when properly focused and directed can help you get your heart’s desire. 

No, this is not where I wish you back into your bottle. This is where I reveal the incredible superpower that fuels all of your decisions and shapes how you approach change. 

Yes, change. We are still on that. But starting this week I’m turning up the dial to FABULOUS. And I’m not only going to tell you what this superpower is – this magical mojo that gets your change motor running – I’m gonna teach you exactly how to use it. Hell, I’ll even help fill up your tank! And of course I’ll give you the tools to get your own refill anytime you need one. 

In this podcast episode I reveal this unstoppable superpower and outline my 4-Step guide to truly understanding and mastering your wiles. But because it’s so powerful, so effective, I’m going to take the time to really work on it with you. We’ll spend the next four weeks digging into one step at a time so that we can roll up our sleeves, get a little dirty, and really flex those change muscles. Change on; change off. Just call me Ms. Miyagi!

Mentioned in this Episode:

The Perfect Recipe for Change

#114: The Perfect Recipe for Change

When’s the last time you baked cookies? I don’t mean the last time you bought a tube of dough and sat in front of the T.V. binging on carbs and romantic comedies. I mean an honest to goodness, full-on batch of homemade cookies involving a mixer and bowls, an oven, and everything. 

The last time I baked, it was on a whim. Now it’s not like me to be unprepared when I bake. But this time I was. I’d had one of those days and I needed to get my chocolate chips on. I didn’t have the recipe but I was fairly certain I could recreate it from memory. I grabbed the butter and the eggs from the fridge, threw them into a mixing bowl, turned the mixer to speed 5, and made a crazy mess. I’d completely forgotten that I was supposed to soften the butter first. Oops!

After scraping as much of the goo back into the bowl as possible, I set the speed to 1 and patiently mixed until my ingredients more or less resembled what I remembered they should look like. 

Next, I added vanilla and some sugar. After a manic hunt, I’d discovered that all I had was confectioner’s sugar and a few dozen packets of the raw stuff left over from a party. So I added and mixed until the texture seemed right. I then added flour, salt, and the only baking soda I could find…from the box in the fridge. 

It was at that point that I realized that the only chocolate in the house was an archeologically relevant, partially eaten Pound Plus bar with almonds from Trader Joe’s. I grabbed a cleaver, chopped it into chip-ish pieces, folded it into my mystery dough, threw some blobs on a cookie sheet, and put it into a preheated 450°F oven. 

12 minutes later I pulled out a dozen terrifying, smoking, blackened coals. 

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where I went wrong. A good baker comes to the kitchen prepared. She has all of her resources ready and accounted for. She has a plan. Because she understands the alchemy involved in changing a bunch of random ingredients into delicious, mouth-watering cookies requires precision and preparation.

Well, buttercups, the same goes for any changes. If you want desirable, predictable results, you must have all of your resources in order. Now I’m not saying things will never go wrong. Or that you won’t need or even want to do a little improvising. But coming to the party fully prepared is going to increase your chances of success exponentially.

So get ready to take inventory because I’m about to give you the perfect recipe for change! 

#113: 5 of My Favorite Quotes to Help You Get Your Change On

We humans are social creatures. We rely on each other for so many things. We form friendships, groups, communities. We gravitate towards people who share our opinions and world views. We look to our mentors and heroes for guidance. And we need this support to shape, confirm, and validate our realities. 

You don’t have to look far to find a bazillion quotes about virtually any subject imaginable. There’s something extremely primal and comforting about a good quote that strikes a chord deep inside you. It can spark a fire, a passion. A transformational “AHA!” moment. It can even move you to…well…change. 

Yes, we’re still on that behemoth of subjects. And next week it’s going to transition into some serious stuff. I’ll expect you to come prepared, wearing your big girl pants. 

But before we get all real up in here again, let me pamper your soul a little by offering up my 5 favorite quotes about change. I dare you to listen to this week’s podcast and not feel supported, even a little motivated.

[*Spoiler alert: That’s where we’re headed next!]

In episode 113, I talk about how each of my top 5 quotes has affected me personally. And I put them into context for you as we continue to foster your journey towards positive, proactive change. As an added bonus, I’m giving you 34 additional inspiring quotes about change in this week’s companion download. 

You have to change. It’s going to happen with or without your cooperation. But you don’t have to do it alone. And when you make conscious decisions and take positive steps towards the life you want, by design, support will appear as if by magic. Why not let me and 39 folks with some world class wisdom help lead your way?

Mentioned in this Episode: