How to Inspire Change

Need a boost of inspiration? Watch this lil’ movie and enjoy some nuggets of wisdom for how to build success all around you – in business, in family, in life.

5 Tips for Getting What You Want

“Our job as creators is the what and the support we will be given from the universe is the how.” ~Sonia Choquette as interviewed by Jennifer McLean on Healing with the Masters

Imagine, if you will, a boxing ring. In one corner is something you want – a goal. It could be something you want to buy or something you want to achieve. If that goal were a person, imagine what he/she would look like. How tall, how big, what does their face look like, and what kind of feeling do you get when you look at them? This person represents WHAT you want.

Now, in the other corner is everything that needs to happen before you can get your goal. It could be money, time, energy, or a number of other things. If the thing (or things) that need to happen before you achieve your goal were a person, what would he/she look like? How tall, how big, what does their face look like, and what kind of feeling do you get when you look at them? AND how is it different from the person in the opposite corner? This person represents HOW you get WHAT you want.

And if you want to go even further, imagine these two people actually going at it in the boxing ring. Who throws the first punch and who wins the first round? I’m guessing you either have a smile on your face imagining this scene or a look of frustration or fear.

To be honest, my HOW person seems about 10x bigger, scarier, and more menacing than my WHAT person, who seems very sweet, happy, and ready to conquer the world. But to be brutally honest, these two people are actually two sides of the same person…me.

Often, we get caught up in the HOW of the situation when really we should focus on the WHAT. What do YOU want? Think about it. And then think about it some more. Does your mind stay focused on the WHAT or does it wander to the HOW? I’m the first to admit my mind spends a lot of time thinking of HOW, getting stuck in HOW, which leads to negativity, frustration, and fear. I find when I’m able to stay focused on WHAT I want, the HOW works itself out. People and opportunities magically show up at the perfect time that help support me in manifesting my WHAT.

Here’s some tips to help you find and focus on your WHAT:

1. Set aside a chunk of time, whether it’s 5 minutes or 50. Have a pen and paper (or computer) nearby. Take some deep breaths. Close your eyes if you want. And just sink into your imagination to think about what it is you want right now. Get as silly as you want. The idea is to have fun and not get caught up in all the mechanics of how to make it happen. Then, write down your ideas.
2. Pick ONE of your ideas that you really want to work on. Spend time focusing on it. Write down as much details as you can. Then TALK to someone you trust about your idea, asking them to just listen. And
3. Spend a few minutes each day answering this question: “If I weren’t afraid I would…” Notice any recurring answers or themes.
4. Identify a safe and supportive person in your life. This is someone who lets you be you and doesn’t judge you for it. Ask them to help you focus on the WHAT and gently remind you when you are getting caught up in the HOW.
5. Make notes with your WHAT written on it and post them around your house, car, or office to help you stay focused.

Now all you need to do is sit back and watch the how unfold in front of you. I’d love to hear WHAT you want in your life and HOW it is manifesting for you. Leave a comment below.

Photo: india © by The U.S. Army

Being Vs. Doing: Are You Ready to Relax Your Way to Greater Productivity?

Do you find yourself spinning your wheels, pushing yourself harder and harder, trying to get more done, and thinking “if I could just finish my to-do list, everything would be better?”

Our society values accomplishments. Set a goal, work hard, achieve your goal. Rinse and repeat. But is life only about achievement? And if we’re always focused on doing doing doing, what can happen to our being or our spirit? BURN OUT, that’s what.

If you’re ready to start practicing the art of being rather than doing and get away from the constant burn-out cycle, please join me for June’s FREE Teleseminar…“Being Vs. Doing: Relax Your Way to Greater Productivity.”

In this teleseminar, I’ll cover:

• The Price of Living Life as a Human Doing Rather than a Human Being
• The Triangle of Doingness that Keeps You Stuck (and How to Overcome it)
• 3 Steps You Can Take to Relax Your Way to Greater Productivity

Don’t delay. Sign up today. The live call is coming soon. But don’t worry, if you can’t attend live, you can still sign up and get access to the recording. Simply go to the REGISTRATION page and enter your name and email to get signed up.

Going the Extra Mile (Taking Life from Good to Extraordinary)

Have you ever fallen into the trap of doing just enough to get by? Afraid (or too tired) to push yourself just one smidge further to go from good to great? Sure it’s easy to fall into this trap. But just imagine. Imagine what life would be like if you went one step beyond what you thought you could do. One more ounce of sweat, tears, or perseverance.  “To get what we’ve never had, we must do what we’ve never done.” Enjoy this little movie about going that extra step.

Celebrating Memorial Day

Memorial Day. A day to remember those who are no longer with us. While this day was originally meant to honor soldiers who lost their lives, it has come to be a day of remembering people close to us (military or not) who have passed on. Some of us choose to spend this time in thoughts of our loved ones. Others choose to enjoy it as a day off.

However you decide to spend this day, be sure to take good care of yourself. Practice at least one good self care strategy today. Remember that YOU are important too and worth honoring today (and every day).

Photo: American Flag © by John Drake Flickr

Finding the Growth in Struggle

“It is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth. Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place of struggle now and then. In fact, struggle is a sure sign to them that they are expanding; it is their indication of real and important progress. The only one who doesn’t struggle is the one who doesn’t grow. So if you are struggling right now, see it as a terrific sign — and celebrate your struggle.” ~Neale Donald Walsch

There is beauty in struggle.

Now, before you tune me out, start building evidence to the contrary, or yell at your computer screen, take a breath and read on. Please.

I don’t know anyone who has not encountered struggle, hardship, adversity, or whatever you want to call it when things don’t work out as you planned or hoped. I do, however, know plenty of people who let that struggle define them, their identity, their actions, and how they carry themselves in the world. I also know people who have overcome their struggle in such a way that they use it as a springboard to a higher level and to help others get through their own struggles.

I have been in both these groups at various times in my life. And I’m guessing you have too.

The first group can be a place of being stuck, defined by circumstances, negative, drained, having difficulty making decisions, etc. It is a place we ask the question WHY and expect answers that make sense. Why did this happen, why me, why can’t I get over this. The more we focus on why, the more it eludes us and the more the answers don’t make sense. We question ourselves, others, our faith. It can be a scary place.

In my experience as a member of the second group, the group that overcomes, we can go through all the same things as the first group, but then something happens. A shift. An experience. A glimmer. Something that propels us forward out of stuckness. I think that something is as simple as a decision. A decision to be defined on our own terms, not the circumstances we don’t have control over. A decision to look at the situation with a different perspective, such as what we can learn from the experience and teach others from it. A decision to grow.

Keep in mind that staying stuck is also a decision. And sometimes, a good decision at the time. Sometimes we need a break from overwhelming experiences and feelings to be able to feel the ground beneath us again. It’s okay. For a while. It’s when we repeatedly use the struggle as an excuse to stay stuck (or not move forward) that it can really take a toll on us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

So, which group are you in today? How about yesterday? And what group will you be in tomorrow or in five minutes? Here’s some things to help you shift from struggle to growth:

1. Ask someone else what they think of your situation. Sometimes we are too close to our struggle to see the beauty in it. Ask someone you trust what they think the lessons are in it.
2. Journal about it. When my thoughts are jumbled and scattered, journaling helps me just get it all out. Just start writing, paying no attention to spelling, grammar, or sparing anyone’s feelings. Don’t censor yourself.
3. Make a list of all the lessons you’ve learned from a past struggle. See if any of those apply to your current struggle.
4. Do something different than what you are doing in your stuckness. If you’re sitting, stand up. If you’re thinking too much, do something to take your mind off your thoughts. Do something physical – take a walk, do yoga, ride a bike, etc.
5. Do something you love to do. A hobby, an activity, something that brings you joy. For me, this is usually something to do with music – writing a song, improvisational singing in the car as I’m running errands or driving to an appointment, or listening to some music that transports me to a different state of consciousness.

The more you look for the good to come out of something, the more you will see it. Just like any other skill, it just takes some practice. So what beauty will you find today?

Photo: Tree Trunk © by Accretion Disc