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Top 10 Tips for a Terrific 2010
January 4, 2010
As 2009 closes and 2010 begins, we almost can’t help ourselves from looking back and from looking forward. It just seems to happen. It just seems to come with this time of year. This time can be filled with hopelessness or it can be filled with hope…hopelessness on wishes of what we “should” have done or hope on wishes of what we will do in the coming new year.
Hopefully, this new year will be filled with HOPE for you. May it also be filled with determination, zeal, fire, clarity and stamina. May you pursue the life you desire. Start now. Time is precious. If not now, when?
Top 10 Tips for a Terrific 2010:
- Know what you DON”T WANT in your life. This might seem odd but it is the best place to start. Make a list of what you DON’T WANT. It might sound something like this…”I don’t want to be so busy I can’t enjoy life…I don’t want to be stressed….I don’t want my schedule to be filled with things I don’t enjoy….I don’t want to be away from home every week…..I don’t want negativity in my life….” Think of everything that you want LESS of in 2010.
- Know what you WANT in your life. Make this list and get “fired-up” about it. “I want Wednesday night to be ‘family game night’…..I want to Fridays to be for me and my family…I want to have peace and serenity in my life….I want to earn $______…..I want to write a book….I want more friends in my life…” This is your list of what you want MORE of in the coming year. This is your list of what you value–your priorities for the coming new year.
- Write out your vision for 2010 and write it in the present tense…”I love my life….It feels so good to be spending time with my family…I am so happy to have more time at home…It feels so good to be living my life purpose and making $________…I am so proud of myself for writing a book…” Act as if it is all there. Get into the feeling and the excitement and the emotion. Spend time doing this daily, even if it is just for a short time. Dream it so you can manifest it. In fact, give your year a name. For example, it might be “abundance or serenity or success or family.” This is your theme or focus for the year.
- Make written goals for 2010. Again, be specific. “I will obtain __ new clients paying $_____ by _____ 2020…..I will drink ___ glasses of water a day….I will schedule ___ hours a day to write my book….I will work out ___ times per week…” Pick your top ten goals for the year and write them down. Won’t it be great to look back and see you accomplished these goals?
- Schedule an action step in your calendar. Take a step towards your goals–even if it is a small step. The important thing here is to take a step. If your goal is to “take three hours a week to pamper myself,” then call and schedule a massage or a manicure. If your goal is to “write a book,” then schedule ___ hours per day time to write. Get it on your calendar so it will happen.
- Be accountable to someone. Join a mastermind group or a coaching club. You could also hire a coach. Another option is to ask a friend to team up with you. In this way, you can be accountable to each other. Results happens when you are accountable to someone else for your actions. This usually guarantees follow-through.
- Gather with like-minded people. It is very helpful to associate with people who also want to move forward with their lives. Spend your time with people who set goals, encourage growth, stay in the present, celebrate victories, are positive, look to the future (not the past) and support each other.
- Have a very strong WHY. Write out WHY you want your vision–why it needs to happen. This becomes your anchor for the year. If you are met with challenges, take out your WHY and read it. Stand strongly in it. See it. Feel it. Know that it has to happen. Write about WHY “spending time with your family” is important, or WHY “writing a book” is important.
- Celebrate your victories. As you move towards your vision and you start accomplishing your goals, celebrate. Take the time to feel good about your victories. Remember that each ‘failure’ (if there is such a thing as failure) moves you closer to success. Feel grateful for everything you are doing to move forward. Gratitude builds momentum and fills your heart with happiness and encourages you to keep doing what you are doing.
- Have confidence in yourself. Know that you can do anything you desire. You are a capable, talented, unique individual who is capable of creating the life you desire. The key is to know what you want and to move forward to reach your goals–in your heart, in your mind and on your calendar.
BONUS TIP: Create a vision board or a mind map of your vision. Simply cut pictures out of magazines that visually demonstrate what you want in your life. This can be a structure to keep your vision alive. Look at it daily and know that you are moving towards it. Yes, you can create your dreams!
To An Amazing Goal-Setter, Go-Getter, and Dream-Catcher
“You like to go beyond what’s expected of you, and when you have a dream, you head out into the world to turn that lofty aspiration into an achievement. Many people wonder what sets a person like you apart from everyone else. It comes down to having an open mind and an open heart–and a whole lot of courage. You’re unafraid to sample new things, meet new people, an encounter what’s sometimes uncomfortable. You’re willing to make mistakes, learn from failure, and turn negatives into positives. You ask: With enough effort, what can’t be accomplished? And with your spirit and drive, you can achieve anything.” E. D. Frances
What’s so GREAT about “GREATfulness”?
November 29, 2009
I’ll tell you what’s so great about gratefulness…..
Gratefulness
- fills up your heart and your soul and your mind
- keeps you in the present, not in the past or future
- allows you to focus on all of the gifts in your life instead of the lack
- makes you see and feel all of the good
- brings more goodness into your life
- makes you feel positive and uplifted
- gives you an optimistic attitude
- has you see the glass as half full rather than half empty
- creates appreciation of even the little things
- is like a magnet and attracts others to you
- helps you to have a much lighter attitude towards everything else that happens
- gives you an attitude of expectancy–you can’t wait to see what other good will come into your life next
- endorphins gets produced in your body when you think about being grateful
If I could suggest any life coaching tool to help you be happier in your life, it would be to write in a gratitude journal daily. We all know that something suggested by Oprah must be great. Something magical happens when you start out your day and end your day thinking of three things for which you are grateful–just three, that’s all. Instead of celebrating Thanksgiving only one day of the year, what if you were to celebrate it every day. Try it and see what happens. I’m sure you will see it is GREAT to be GREATful.
Happy GREATfulness to you!
“Mirror Mirror on the Wall…….I am the most unique of all.” Find out why you need to brag about your YOUniqueness.
November 16, 2009
The same message keeps coming up for me. Here’s the message–”Each one of us is unique and each one of us needs to stand in our own YOUniqueness.” Part of that message also includes “It is good for us to brag about what we do well.“
Repeat after me….”Mirror Mirror on the wall…I am the most unique of all.”
I recently spoke to a group called “Mindful Moms.” It was a pleasure speaking to this great group of women. They are the Central Ohio Division of O.C.C.L.–Ohio Child Conservation Le
ague. Click on this link http://www.occl.org/membership.html if you would like more information.
In one of the activities we did, they had to “brag” about their YOUniqueness. One of the ladies raised her hand and shared that she wasn’t taught to “toot her own horn.” In fact, she was taught NOT to toot her own horn. We talked about WHY it is a good thing to “brag” about what you do well.
Identifying your YOUniqueness is EXCITING. It is about finding out who YOU are. It is about discovering what is different and special about YOU. Uncovering your skills, talents and gifts is EMPOWERING. When you stand strongly in who you are, life becomes EASIER. Life become fun. You don’t have to work at being who you are. It comes naturally. When you know who you are and are able to be that person, others are attracted to you. If you are being real and authentic, others can feel your PASSION. In fact, this kind of ENERGY is like a magnet. It draws people in. People will want more of you.
Doesn’t that sound great?
If you would like to uncover your YOUniqueness, answer these questions:
- What is UNIQUE about me?
- What comes NATURALLY to me?
- What do others ASK ME TO DO?
- When am I “IN MY ELEMENT”?
- What do I LOVE to do?
- What do others COMPLIMENT ME ON?
- Am I living a life that uses my GIFTS?
- Lastly, what is one little step I can take to stand strongly in my YOUniqueness?
“Everyone has her own specific vocation in life….Therein she cannot be replaced, nor can her life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as her specific opportunity to implement it.” Victor Frankl
So, go ahead and do it–stand in front of the mirror and repeat after me…”Mirror mirror on the wall….I am the most unique of all.”
Try it and see how it feels. It might start you on a path of uncovering your YOUniqueness!
A Life Coach’s Take-Aways from the eWomenNetwork Conference in Dallas
August 27, 2009
I recently attended the eWomenNetwork Conference in Dallas. OMG! It was so amazing. I am very FIRED-UP after attending the conference.
I had many take-aways from the conference. Here are a few:
- surround yourself with like-minded people and the energy abounds…this can be either positive or negative. The entire hotel was vibrating from all of the positive energy. I’m sure all of Dallas could feel it. In fact, the entire world probably felt it!
- dream and dream BIG…NO MATTER WHAT (this was from the fabulous Lisa Nichols Living a Life That Says No Matter What!
- each and every one of us can have our dream come true….I watched a fellow eWomenNetwork member perform as a comedian this weekend and the tears flow down her face when the entire room gave her a standing ovation. After 22 years, her dream has finally come true.
- give to others and you shall receive….I saw this over and over again this weekend. It confirms for me that when we give, we receive.
- stand in your YOUnique gifts…..in a room with thousands, no two women were alike. Each woman had a special look, a special talk, a special walk, a special message, a special gift.
- continue to grow, learn and stretch even if there is fear….it was so inspiring to see so many successful and powerful women who have walked through fears and grown because of it.
- work hard and play hard….yes, we learned and took in lots of information AND we also played and had lots of fun. The days were filled with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, wisdom circles and networking. The evenings were filled with awards and celebration, shopping and makeovers at Nordstrom, chocolate decadence and dancing.
- invest in yourself…..if you want to grow and learn then you need to invest in making that happen. This might mean stretching yourself and spending money on something that will help you grow and learn.
- set intentions…..before you attend an event or a meeting, go to a conference or go on a vacation, decide how you want it to be, what you want the outcome to be, or how you “see” it going. It makes such a difference in how it will go. Your intention will determine the outcome.
- get fired-up…..take your life or your business to the next level. Find out what gets you excited and do more of it. Keep taking steps to make your heart sing.
Ask yourself these questions:
- With what kind of people do I surround myself? Are they positive or negative?
- Am I dreaming BIG? What is my dream if I really do dream BIG?
- Do I really believe that my dream can come true? If I could have anything, what would it be?
- Am I giving to others in order to receive? Is there someone to whom I can give?
- Am I standing in my YOUnique gifts? Do I really know what they are?
- Am I growing, learning and stretching? Is fear getting in my way?
- Do I work and play hard or do I just work? Do I need to add more play to my life?
- Am I investing in myself? What would a good investment in myself be?
- Do I set intentions? Does my projection of how the event will go determine how it does go?
- Am I fired-up about my life? What do I need to do to get “fired-up”?
Which one of these questions resonates with you the most? Start with that question and answer it. Don’t censor your writing, just let it flow. After writing, ask yourself….”What did I learn? What did I discover? Where can I grow? Lastly, take one action step to help you grow in that one area.
Here’s my wish for you….That you will….DREAM BIG, GO FOR IT, GIVE TO OTHERS, STAND IN YOUR YOUNIQUENESS, GROW, LEARN, STRETCH, WORK HARD, PLAY HARD, INVEST IN YOURSELF AND SET INTENTIONS!!! My wish for you is that you will be “FIRED-UP.”
“I had always wanted an adventurous life. It took a long time to realize that I was the only one who was going to make an adventurous life happen to me.” Richard Bach
What was your biggest take-away from the last conference you attended?
What are you fired-up about?
I would love to hear from you. Let’s get lots of positive energy flowing!
Please add a comment which shares your “fired-up” story. I will be collecting stories from everyone and collecting them so that they can be shared. Let’s have some fun by sharing our excitement and sparking others to get fired-up too!
Stretching and jumping build confidence
June 9, 2009
I’m not talking about the kind of stretching you do before and after you exercise. I’m talking about when you step up and commit to something big and after you do, a voice says “What did I just do?” You might feel apprehension and anxiety, but you do it anyway. Something in you knows you will be stretched, and deep down inside you know this is a good thing. As an old friend of mine used to say, it will be a “hotdoggin’ opportunity.”
Well, that’s what happened to me this past weekend. I committed to doing the Write-a-Book-in-a-Weekend. Yes, you heard me right. I said “in a weekend.” It almost sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Well, guess what? It is possible. Donna Kozik of www.MyBigBusinessCard.com was the facilitator. She did a fabulous job. My friend, Meredith Liepelt of www.richlifemarketing.com had participated in April so I knew it had to be a good thing to do.
I learned many things from the weekend:
- When I stay calm and trust, I am much more productive.
- I don’t always have to have an exact plan; in fact, good can come from not having one.
- It feels good to make the time for me.
- If I need something, I need to ask for what I want (my family gave me what I needed–time and space because I asked for it).
- I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit.
- I am very passionate about inspiring and teaching others.
- Writing a book is exciting and fun.
- Stretching is a good thing–it builds confidence.
- When I set an intention, I send out a message to the universe that makes things happen the way I want.
- Being in the space of creating is a great place to be.
So, I ask you….have you stretched lately?
Is there something you dream about doing?
What is holding you back?
What if you just jumped?
Would it help if you were accountable to someone?
What is it costing you by not jumping?
What gifts would you receive if you were stretched?
Stay tuned for my book A Spark of Hope by Linda Wisler Luft.
I also would like to thank one of my past clients, Anne, who inspired me for the title of my book. She said coaching with me gave her HOPE.