Momentum – full speed ahead

Have you noticed that when you make one significant change in your life, it creates a momentum all of its own? 

You get fed up with the way things are. You’re tired of doing the same thing, and getting the same results.  You’re fed up with your own excuses.

That’s what happened to me when I got to that point where I decided to do something different.  In case you missed my two previous posts, you can read all about how I kicked procrastination in the butt here

You see, I’ve been a closet writer and didn’t even know it!  The more I blog, the more I want to write. The more I write, the more I think about things to write about. The more I think about things, the more deeply I experience and process my own life.

The more deeply I process my own experiences, the more insights I get into my life. The more insights I get into my life, the more I want to share them.  The more I share them, the more I engage with you, my dear readers.

The more I engage with you, the more I realize we are all connected. Despite our unique variations, our individual stories, our different journeys, we share this one human experience, embedded in a living universe in which we are all related in this great web of life.

The more I feel this deep connection and sense of global community, the more I can’t wait to jump out of bed in the morning.

And so it goes….. I wonder what will happen next?

What will people think?

My hubby and I were chatting about the Oscars over lunch the other day. He was telling me about the comments he heard on NPR. People loved Lady Gaga. People didn’t like Neil Patrick Harris. People thought Reese Witherspoons’ outfit was the best.

It got me thinking about these “people”. And the power they hold over us.

How many times have we had an idea, wanted to do something, but were stopped dead in our tracks by those dreaded words ringing in our ears “What will people think?”

The voice that turned us into people-pleasers and somehow along the way squelched our own uniqueness from bubbling forth unabashedly.

Who knows where it came from, that voice? Maybe our well-meaning mothers – you know, when we wanted to wear the striped pants and the flowered top to school. Or maybe a teacher, or some other authority figure.

It really doesn’t matter.  The point is, we all carry around this internal critic, this inner faultfinder who monitors our words and actions and is always on the vigilant look-out for what people will think.

Well, who are these people actually? You know what? Just folks like you and me, and him and her. With their own opinions. Which have nothing to do with us. Or as my friend Jeff Anderson puts it, the “them du jour”. When you stop and think about it, it’s really rather silly. Don’t you think?

So next time you have an impulse to do something out of the box, or to even realize there is no box, or step out of your comfort zone and make your voice heard, never mind what people will think.

Be. Youself.

You, glorious, unique, one-of-a-kind, You.

Kicking procrastination in the butt – Part 2

In case you missed Part I,  I’ve been talking about how I finally overcame 10 years of chronic procrastination.

It all started with my answer to this question:

If there is something that you want in your life that you don’t have, what is the ONE thing you could do towards that goal?

Often our big dreams and goals can seem overwhelming.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons we fill our lives with tasks instead of with our life’s purpose. 

Thinking of the one step, the one action we can take towards our goal is a much more manageable way to approach it.

In my case, I picked a rather extreme step. I decided to go on a live radio show, Healing your Life,  with Dr. Chris Michaels.  I’ve been following Dr. Chris’s show for years now, and I have learned so much from the raw, unscripted episodes as brave souls face their fears and overcome their challenges.

If you want to hear my whole 5-week journey on this reality radio show, you can listen in here.

Well, turns out it was just the kick in the butt that I needed. I told Dr Chris about my love for writing, wanting to find my voice in the world, and my idle blog that I rarely got around to writing. After all, I said, I am so busy. My schedule is so erratic as a freelance interpreter and translator. Work, family, my elderly mother, etc. etc.  “Pha! – Excuses!”, he said.

And you know what? He was right.  So he challenged me to get up early, and commit to blogging 5 days a week. So that is what I have been doing.

And all those reasons and excuses for not doing the thing that has been calling to me? They are still there.  They are especially loud when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. But you know what?   I made a decision. I made a commitment. Period.

So that is my secret, really. Make a decision. Choose the one action that you can do to support your decision. And make it public.  No, you don’t have to go on reality radio and bare your soul to the world like I did.  But do find an accountability partner, or some other support system to help you stay on track.

Ready?  What’s your next step? What’s the ONE action you can take towards fulfilling your life’s purpose?

Kicking procrastination in the butt

I’ve been suffering from procrastination for the last 10 years.

It’s true.

I’ve accomplished a lot in my personal and professional life that I’m proud of – but the truth is there is something I’ve been dreaming of, working on, planning to work on for the past 10 years – my grand plan for achieving financial peace, my ticket to global travel and adventure, my vehicle for making the world a better place. 

So after a lifetime of working belly-to-belly as a midwife, health educator, interpreter, translator, consultant, trainer …  I signed up to sell some detox drops with the vision of earning some serious residual income to fund my dreams.

And so I jumped into the world of relationship marketing (also know as multi-level, or network marketing). Yes, I know… images of scams, illegal pyramid schemes, pie in the sky promises, tacky sales tactics come to mind.

Fact is, I learned, relationship marketing is a legitimate and effective marketing approach that works by creating long-term sales relationships based on trust. There are high quality, unique products in this marketplace, and companies with vision and integrity. And there is a world of opportunity for self-development and learning new skills in the process.

The trouble is, even after I finally found my dream products, the companies I trust, and had my own first hand life changing experiences from using the products, I found that marketing wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be. So over the years I invested in a whole slew of classes, webinars, educational programs, books, etc. to figure it all out.  And here is where the procrastination came in.

A couple of weeks ago, as I was watching yet another webinar, my sweet supportive husband astutely pointed out ”Honey, it seems like you have been getting ready to get ready to “do the business” for 10 years now!”

I have to admit. It’s true. My dreams of residual income, quitting my day job and changing the world have still eluded me.  That’s when I realized something had to change.

So, what happened? Want to know how I finally kicked procrastination in the butt?

Tune in tomorrow. Here’s a hint: It’s an inside job!

Critical upgrade notification: your story is out of date!

If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve been reading Victoria Castle’s book The Trance of Scarcity.  In yesterday’s post, I reflected on some of the stories I have been unwittingly telling myself, and realizing how they are just not serving me.

Kind of like an out of date computer program running in the background that is making everything crash and slowing things way down. I bet you know what I mean. When that happens, and there’s a bug in the program, the solution is hopefully simple – we install an update.

So I realized it is time to update my stories. Like, seriously overdue time to update my stories!

Following Castle’s road map, here’s an example of how I am upgrading one of my old stories.

What is one of my prevailing Stories?

There’s not enough time

What are my actions and behaviors that keep that story alive?

I am often in a rush

When I sit down at my computer, I feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that lie ahead of me

I take on too much and then feel pressured because I can’t do it all

My shoulders start creeping up around my ears

I am not present in the moment

Given what matters to me, what is an upgraded Story I could choose?

I have the time I need to do what I love

What are my actions and intentional practices that support that new Story?

I leave with plenty of time to get to my appointments

I choose one task at a time to focus on, and give it my complete and loving attention

I say No when it is appropriate to do so

My shoulders are relaxed, and my chest is open

I breathe deeply

I am fully present to whatever I am doing

I trust my ability to choose how to spend my time

How about you dear reader, do you have an outdated story you would like to upgrade?