Author: Carol Williams

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.”

Our brains are powerful. They keep our bodies functioning, allow us to feel our emotions, and generally run the show across most aspects of life. Put simply, our brains are AWESOME.

And, much like a car, our brains need maintenance to stay in tip-top shape and be healthy. After all, you wouldn’t keep driving with a flat tire, would you? Same way you wouldn’t try to drive the whole of Route 66 with just a quarter tank of gas.

So, since there’s no “neuro equivalent” to an auto shop you can drop your brain off at for the day, I thought I’d share some healthy habits that can help you maintain your brain and unlock its full, strong potential. Why not try one (or two) on?

Keep your brain ticking.

Ever heard the saying “use it or lose it”…?

Well, believe it or not, this definitely seems to be the case when it comes to your brain!

We all have something called a “cognitive reserve”, which is what helps our brain adapt to changes, like illness and ageing. To go back to the car analogy for a second, you can think of this cognitive reserve as your own mental gas tank; the higher your reserve, the more mental capacity you have got, to be able to cope.

To help build up your cognitive reserve, you need to keep it fired up through activities like singing, completing puzzles, reading (yes, you’re building your reserve even as you read this blog!), and travelling. All of these things create new connections in your brain and encourage it to stay active, and they’re also all really fun to do – and fun is never a bad thing!

I therefore invite you to make time for some of those activities in your day. Not only will the habit help your brain, but it will also help boost your mood too!

Get chatting.

Those activities I just mentioned are great, targeted brain-training, but there’s something else you can do to get your brain going on a more general level that is the PERFECT companion to each of these tasks, talking!

Socializing with friends and family can be a balm to many of life’s woes, and that’s because we as humans are social creatures. Meaningful socializations and connections make us happy. And a happy brain? Well, there’s nothing one of those can’t do!

So, if you aren’t already a bit of a social butterfly, why not expand your social circle by trying a new social group you relate to on for size? The conversation will do wonders for your brain and combat any feelings of loneliness too.

Breathe to de-stress.

Life can be stressful at times, I know. Periods of mild stress are “normal” and usually short-lived. But, if it all gets too much and you find yourself struggling with chronic stress, you’ll probably start to notice wider symptoms like exhaustion, feeling on edge, headaches and heart palpitations (to name but a few) start to creep in as well, making you feel even worse.

This is because chronic stress messes with the wiring of our brain, causing havoc and generally turning a bad day into a Bad Set of Days. There are many things you can do to try to combat stress, but one thing I have found that helps me find my inner place of calm is focusing on my breathing.

It can take a little bit of practice to become a real pro, so why not take a moment now to close your eyes and take a deep breath in… then push it (and any stress, tension or negativity you might be feeling) back out again. Then again. And again. Feels good, right?

Next time you’re feeling a little stressed or anxious, I invite you to stop what you’re doing and allow yourself even just one minute of recovery time to breathe and let your brain recover. You and your healthier, strong brain can thank me later.

Let your brain rest.

We all know sleep is important. We feel the negative effects of not getting enough of it pretty much immediately, don’t we? Slow thinking. Body aches. Yawning. You know the drill.

Denying our brain the chance to repair the wear and tear of the day before denies us the opportunity to really make the most out of the day ahead. Now, I know getting more sleep isn’t as simple as counting sheep, but there are other healthy habits we can try to get our brains the quality rest they need during the day that might help counteract any night-time problems we encounter.

The habit which I find suits me best is to plan breaks throughout the day to make sure I have dedicated periods of time to sit back, relax, and let my mind wander freely for a while. These moments of “wakeful rest” act as a powerful “reboot” and make a real difference to my mind and mood. Try it on for a day and see if it helps you, too.

Feed your brain positivity.

I’ve mentioned before that positivity is a vital part of making the most out of life. I even wrote a blog post about it back in April. Why? Because it’s TRUE!

When it comes to keeping our brains healthy, positivity is one of the most important and valuable fuels we can let it consume. Instead of creating opportunities for not so good self-fulfiling prophecies like “today is going to be tough” or “I can’t do this” to… well… fulfil themselves, you have the power to set yourself up for success by letting your brain know “I CAN do this” and “today will be a good day”.

You can say these things out loud, write them down, or simply THINK them. It doesn’t matter, as long as the message is sent with good intentions and received by an open brain.

In my last blog, I spoke about the importance of goals and shared some tips to help you make sure you don’t lose sight of those goals among the sheer CHAOS life can sometimes turn into. I hope you feel even just ONE STEP closer to achieving what your heart’s been desiring most.

What supports those goals?

Yup, the bottom of the Productivity Success Cake. Cake pieces made into habits.

Little stuff adds up. This is true with food choices,  yes, and it’s more than that. What I’m referring to are the little things scattered throughout our day which revitalize us and help us achieve what we want to (like those goals!), rather than hold us back and act as a big fat ENERGY DRAIN.

Here are some Healthy Habit Ideas. Try one on.

Start Your Monday in peace.

For me, listening to my favorite podcast on a Monday morning is a habit I got into a few years ago, and I find it really sets me up for my week ahead. Before, I just set up my Monday like any other day. Now, I give myself grace and space to clean laundry, clutter, etc. and it sets my mood and brain into the right spot.

I don’t really like reading. I take things in better when I listen- and I like to “do” when I listen (walk/pick up my home or office, etc.) For you, a podcast may not be a good option. You might find reading the NY Times or physically DOING something suits you more, and why? Well, that’ll probably be down to your learning style! So….check out a learning style assessment and love up your brain by honoring your style.

Dump out your brain

One really healthy habit I recommend people try to adopt is a ‘mind dump’. This is precisely what it sounds like: you, dumping everything out of your overloaded brain so you can regroup and progress. Now, the tendency is for us to write it all down, which works great if you’re a visual learner who needs to SEE things to process them, but if you’re an auditory learner this may not be as much help you because it’s not working WITH your brain as well as it could!

So, what can you do instead?

Well, the habit of mind dumping is still a useful one to get into, but you might be better off recording yourself listing off your mind’s clutter out loud, and then listening back to it afterwards as you try to get a plan together! Many of my clients are auditory processors. All they need to do is “talk it out” and they are clear. Solve your own problems like that or give me a call.

Or, if you learn better physically, how about combining the same activity with a jog to let things really sink in?

Do a morning ritual

Another habit which is a prime example of the need to adapt is the Coffee Ritual. I’ve mentioned this one before. This habit is designed to clear your mind and keep you Present, by making sure you’re living in the moment when you’re drinking your morning cup of coffee. This is PERFECT for those of you who learn best by physically doing something as it taps into your senses to get you thinking. However, if you are a really visual person, you might find more mental peace by looking at a piece of artwork and picking out the colors, the shapes, the EMOTION behind it, than you would from your cup of Joe. And that’s totally okay. It’s the intention which fuels the habit that matters most. There’s no ‘wrong’ choice here.

Let’s just put it this way… there’s no point trying to adopt a habit which isn’t right for you and your learning style. You’re not going to be able to ingrain something that conflicts with the very cogs that make your brain work. But that doesn’t mean you should give up and not bother trying to incorporate positive habits like the ones I mentioned in my previous blog into your routine! All you need to do is adapt them to work with you and your gorgeous mind. Celebrate the differences that make you YOU, rather than struggle to fit into someone else’s suit.

With that in mind, I leave you with this from Julius Charles Hare.

“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.”

Many people, particularly neurodiverse folks, avoid “goals” because they have had a history of “failure.” Try as they may, their life is littered with good intentions that do not result in the intended product. As a result, they find themselves not trying, or, when they do try, they expect to fail…and so, guess what? Yes, they do – they “fail.”

What happens? Most often, “life gets in the way.”

You know, the inconvenient flat tire that makes you late. The unexpected trip to the doctor’s office which derails your week. A trusted supplier letting you down at short notice…The list goes on (and on… and ON!)

Now, these individual problems might not take long to resolve, and their impact is usually minor, but the thing about them is that they all add up to create one big Problem: distraction.

So, how do we combat this distraction like the true Wisdom Warriors we are and make sure we don’t forget our goal? How do we keep our focus when the busy, LOUD old world around us (and our own brains!) keep getting in the way?

These seven steps/tips I’m about to share with you tend to work for most people. Try one or two J

1. Be Visual.

If, like me, you like to be able to literally SEE things in front of you, I invite you to start a ‘Goal (intention) (Future Accoomplishment) (Challenge) Board’. It’s easy – all you need is a corkboard, two pieces of string and some post-its! First, use the string to split your board into fourths. Then, write your goals on your post-its and divide them into two: those you want to achieve soonest will live in the top left quarter of the board, and those that are sort of on the backburner for now will go on the bottom left. And then, when you complete a goal, move it across to the right-hand side so you can see how far you’ve come and feel PROUD! I like to keep my board in my home office, as that’s where I go when I want to organize myself, but you might find your kitchen or someplace else works better for you.

2. Set Reminders.

Modern technology can be a real friend to us sometimes, and “goal” setting is no exception! Assuming you’re tied to your phone, use a reminder app to note down your goals and set yourself an alert to pop up during the day to keep those goals in the front of your mind.

**note** when you begin to ignore the reminders shut them off and try something else.

3. Keep it Fun.

Goals are not chores. How about a Goal of napping? The moment a goal stops being fun, your brain will find ways to avoid working towards that goal: it will seek out pretty much ANYTHING ELSE instead, like those distractions I spoke about earlier! So, find a way to make your goals fun and light, that way you’ll look forward to working towards them and feel more motivated instead of allowing them to become a burden. And, speaking of burdens…

4. Breathe.

If there is no way to make a goal fun and the thought of it alone is enough to make you break out in a cold sweat of dread…stop it. Is it a necessary evil you can’t avoid, or does it simply need refining? For example, have you put “run three times a week” down as a goal even though you hate running and your actual goal is to “move” three times a week instead? Don’t add something that does not come from your soul desire.

5. Buddy Up.

Teamwork makes the dreamwork, they say, so why not find yourself an ‘accountability partner’ when it comes to your goals? Having someone to remind you of your goal and keep you on track can be a real help when life gets busy. This is one of the main reasons participants have such raving results through my Streamline your Success Group coaching

6. Lighten the Load.

You may have the tendency to take the phrase ‘seize the day’ a bit too literally and go on a mad spree of goal setting (or doing laundry, or paperwork…) completely bombarding yourself with EVERYTHING TO DO all at once. If this sounds like you, take a moment to go through your goals list and get rid of the ones you either aren’t fully committed to or were added to the list as ‘easy wins’ you knew you would tick off right away. They are a distraction.

7. Break it Down.

 That super important, MAJOR, ultimate, FINAL goal you’ve set yourself looks and sounds great, but it can easily become a mirage in the distance if we’re not careful. To keep it fresh and current in your mind, make sure you give yourself milestones to hit on the way to that final goal. That’ll keep your motivation high and stop you feeling like you’ve ‘achieved nothing’ because you’ve not checked off that big goal yet.

As always, here’s a final thought before you go…

“We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” ― Robert Brault