Month: August 2022

And just like that, the end of 2022 is in sight! Once we pass Labor Day, a chill is in the air (at least here in the Northeast US) and thoughts of pumpkin spice and sweaters come in. This article is your reminder to STOP IN YOUR TRACKS, review what you’ve ACHIEVED and take a moment to think about what you can do to finish the year beyond your wildest dreams, or better.

First, allow yourself to visualize what you truly desire. Close your eyes and imagine yourself for a moment, waiting for the clock to strike midnight on New Year’s Eve, what does it look like? Are you where you desire? Are you closing 2022 feeling satisfied and dreaming of 2023?

I know you likely yearn for a sense of accomplishment. Imagine resting over the December Holidays and year end, and feeling deeply satisfied with 2022. It’s possible. To make it easier, I put these in 4 steps.

Step One: Deeply consider where you are and where you wish to go.

You may have already achieved great things this year or the months may have passed you by and you’re wondering how it’s September already. Wherever you are, it’s not too late to change paths, spice up the last few months and race to the finish line with your arms wide open, holding your goals up above your head at the end of year podium like a first-place trophy. Sounds great, doesn’t it? To make sure you you’re on the right path to this celebration of YOU, here are a few questions that you may find useful. 

What were your goals at the beginning of 2022 and where are you with achieving those now? If you haven’t yet reached them, that’s okay! Try picking ONE or TWO goals and make them a PRIORITY. With so much going on in life, it’s easy to bumble along and lose focused on the task at hand but there’s still time to get back to your 2022 Desires, assuming that your original intent still holds.

• Are you clear on the outcomes? You picked your goals, great! But what does the final result look like? How will achieving them make you feel? And MOST IMPORTANTLY, how will you reward yourself?

• Once you know the goal, make a game plan and WRITE IT DOWN. Write it down 100 times and put it up around you. Scribble post it notes, stick them on the bathroom mirror, give yourself a constant refresher of why it’s important to stay focused and this in turn will help you reach your goal.

Step 2: Create clear, easy, and actionable steps for the remainder of the year.

It’s so easy to want to do everything but sometimes it’s just not possible so it’s important to BREAK IT DOWN (hint: breaking down steps keep us in WHELM…vs Overwhelm!)

• What is the goal?
• What are the steps to reach that goal?
• What other things to do need to make it happen?
• Can you put a timeline against each step?

Step 3: Write a list with a step-by-step plan.

Include everything you need to make it happen. Like building a house, you can’t start without having the foundations in place, so check in with yourself and make sure you have EVERYTHING you need.

Warning: this is a step most of my community will skip. Why? It’s “boring.” It seems like “a waste of time.” They don’t know the steps. Or they get so perfectionist about the exact steps they overthink it all and never do anything, and then that contributes to the “I am a failure yet again” voice. So, do this quickly, and begin. Just begin!

Step 4:  Remember, there’s still time to achieve fantastic things this year.

Don’t give up. Maybe you have not actually done anything you said you would do. Maybe you forgot what you said. This feels bad! I am here to say, it’s okay. You are still wonderful. You are still kind and smart and enough. I have got you. I believe in you. I know you kind of suck at planning. I know prioritizing can be tough. I know you get sidetracked. I know and I support you. It can be done. Really.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the Chinese philosopher Confucius.

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the actionable steps.”

PS: I know it sounds easy, yet, it can feel impossible, particularly when you feel scattered. Sometimes we don’t know the steps. Sometimes we don’t’ believe in our desired state. Sometimes we are not truly “sure” of what we want, anyhow.

In this case, I recommend one of two actions:

1. Download the Decision Guide
2. Set up a chat with me to Unscatter Your Brain and get you moving again

I planned the summer of “not hard.” Yet, July was so busy! How about you? Do you ever feel like you are like a hamster running on a wheel? Are you putting in hours of work, energy and focus which lead to little outcome and not getting you to where you want to be? While seemingly far fetched, it’s not too late. By following these tips, you will find yourself in a more productive, and efficient place, working your way to success, just as you had always imagined. You deserve success as you define it. Read on for 5 tips to move in the Direction of your Desire.

• Tip 1: Believe you deserve the shortcut to success.

Move away from the negative connotation of the word shortcut. For most people, they feel like taking a shortcut is cheating, fooling the system, cutting corners even but it doesn’t necessarily need to be this way. What if finding a shortcut was working intelligently, stripping out the unnecessary and mopping up wasted time? If you can find a way to feel SMART rather than ‘crafty’ or ‘cheeky’ by taking shortcuts, then you will be able to cover the same ground in half the time.

• Tip 2: Align yourself with your mentor.

Align yourself with those who have already experienced the success you desire, and don’t be afraid to seek advice when you have questions. If you can find someone who has successfully done what you want to do, why not follow their footsteps? Use them as your MENTOR? Following an established and successful model is an intelligent way of reaching your goals. Surround yourself with like-minded people and learn from them.

• Tip 3: Stop pleasing others before yourself.

Break away from the norm and move away from the expectations of others. In previous articles, I discussed how to break free from other people’s expectations. Once you can move past what pleases OTHERS and start doing more of what pleases YOU, you will quickly be on your way to success. This will in turn free you from the boundaries in your own mind and spark your creativity.

• Tip 4: Protect time…for the steps to work.

Connect the dots. When we get caught up in the day-to-day it’s so easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Taking the time to consistently review and connect the dots will be an excellent way to shortcut your success. Do it regularly: once a week, once a month and every quarter. Make this a priority. It means carving out time to look at the steps taken and if you are on track to “your” SUCCESS.

• Tip 5: Break the Rules.

Think about making it 10 times better, rather than 10% better. When you try to recreate something you or someone else has done and make it better, you find yourself working within the constraints of what has already been done. Aim big. Think BIGGER and success will follow. To be creative, you must start from your own imagination. so, watch what others have done, how they’ve done it and then MIX IT UP and MAKE IT YOURS.

I understand that there are likely deep feelings of guilt and shame with which to contend. So many scattered entrepreneurs have the experience of failing. Of being told they will fail again, both from others and from themselves. I

It’s time to shift that. The winds of fall will carry you to places you only dared dream about. I’ll leave you with this fantastic quote from Bobby Unser which is true, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.”