Ok. I’ve just figured it out. I am the master of procrastination!! (Actually, I recognize that fact on a pretty regular basis, then find something else to do to avoid dealing with it

I’ve spent time trying to figure it out. Am I stuck because I am afaid of something? What is that fear? Am I avoiding a task because I just plain don’t like to do it? Sometimes for sure. When I find that I am doing everything else under the sun rather than the one thing I know I “should” be doing, I have tried to analyze my actions.

What is going on?? What are the causes of procrastination? Why don’t I seem any good at overcoming procrastination? The harder and harder I try to figure it out, the futher from reach it seems to be.

I had a coaching call with a lovely group of ladies this morning on this very topic. And, we came up with some very interesting ideas. So, in the form of brainstorming here are a few of strategies we came up with to stop procrastination:

• ask ourselves what’s the worst that could happen?
• get in touch with our “Why”. What is important about getting it done?
• Just Do It! Take a leap of faith
• break the activity down to baby steps and just do one
• make a commitment to someone else
• be creative and work from a fresh perspective
• focus on the value of the activity
• don’t do it! What’s the worst that could happen if you just left it?
• delegate it to someone else

What other ways of dealing with procrastination can you think of?

One of the ways that has been working for me is to look at my list and ask myself “what CAN I do right now?”. This is sort of an adaptation of the Action System developed for Compass by Kim George based on her principals of abundance intelligence. I’ve been working with the Compass Coaching Network for several months now, and this has been one of my biggest take-aways.

When I start to feel overwhelmed, or I’m avoiding something by wasting time, whatever the case may be… I just stop and ask myself what I can do. Right now. In this moment. And, it never fails to help me get into action.

And, once you get into action, (even if it’s not on the task you have been avoiding) you break the inertial,  feel like you are in control, and build some positive momentum.

Try a few of these hints, share some more, and let us know what works for you!

How committed are you to your dreams and ambitions?

There is power in absolute conviction and the commitment to do whatever it takes to move you forward.

Consider the following quote:

“Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no many could have dreamt would come his way.” W.H. Murray

Here’s an exercise that I am practicing myself right now to increase the level of commitment to my goals:

I have created a commitment statement. Like an affirmation, it states: I am committed to…. creating…… Several times a day, I stop and focus and re-commit. I am very intentional about creating the feeling of strong commitment during this exercise.

And, guess what? I am noticing that opportunities are appearing, and successes are mounting almost without effort. Hmmm. Maybe this actually works?

What would you commit to 110% if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Why don’t you try it on for size? Let me know how it goes!

Statistics apparently show that 22% of resolutions fail within a week, and over 50% have crashed and burned by the end of January.

So, what do you do? Don’t bother? Try again? How can you hope to succeed when past experience has proven that resolutions don’t work? Don’t give up!

Here are a few hints to help:

1. Do it differently! You know the old saying that the definition of success is repeating the same actions and expecting different results. So, how can you approach your resolution differently this year? Step back and ask yourself how you can make it easy and fun?

2. Be clear about the results you want. I know you’ve heard it all before: goals need to be clear, concise, and measurable. Instead of just writing it down, create a vision of the way you want things to be. Picture your goal as already achieved. Imagine what it will feel like with your goal already accomplished. Write it in a letter to yourself dated December 31, 2008. Create a vision board with pictures that depict how your life will be. Come up with an affirmation that you can say out loud to yourself daily. Use all of your senses to cement your desired outcome in your psyche.

3. Break it into tiny steps. Reduce to the ridiculous. Create tiny new habits that when repeated daily will become second nature and allow your resolution to be successful almost effortlessly. Tackle only one new good habit at a time.

4. Create accountability. Tell your spouse, a trusted friend, or your coach exactly what you want to do, how you are going to do it, and ask for their assistance. Ask them to keep you accountable to your goals. Ask them to give you encouragement when you need it, and hold your feet to the fire when you slip. Ongoing support will keep you focused and on track!

5. Plan to celebrate! Make the process fun by planning to celebrate every small success along the way. We instinctively minimize our accomplishments or think that we should have done more, faster. Instead, focus on and be thankful for each tiny step you make. Remember, the Law of Attraction says that what you focus on is what you will get more of. Focus and celebrate all that is positive!

Last night we held our annual Christmas Open house and spent a wonderful evening chatting, eating and drinking with friends.

It was a time for celebrating, but some of us were talking about more sober subjects. Like, how short life is.

A lot of us are getting to this “middle age”, and more and more friends are experiencing serious health problems, and some have even passed away this year.

This is a subject that I am really passionate about. My husband suffered a heart attack at 35. Since then, the quote in the title has been one of my personal mottos.

I wrote a post along these lines some time ago called “What are you waiting for?”

If I could only have one wish for you this Christmas Season, I would wish that you live each and every moment, of every day to the fullest! It’s all about the experience.

Merry Christmas

Remember the old saying: How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

A client sent me an email last week commenting on his progress. Part of what he said was: “Small changes, big results…..” 

It reminded me that making big changes in our lives can seem overwhelming. And, it’s sometimes that sense of overwhelm that keeps us from taking action. We know what we want. But, it seems too far, too hard, too much to accomplish.

We can start moving forward by breaking the actions needed into teeny, tiny bites. “Reduce to the ridiculous” might be the motto here.

Let me give you an example. My client was looking to increase his energy and motivation.

We discussed some steps that might help such as being healthier and reducing clutter. Then we broke them down even further. The goal was to create habits by taking tiny baby steps over and over until they became habits. Then we’d add another step. 

First step - drink 1 glass of water every day.

2^nd step - walk to the end of the street and back

3^rd step - do the dishes first thing in the morning

And, lo & behold! He is starting to feel more positive and good things are coming into his life.

What daunting project have you been putting off? How teeny, tiny can you make the bites?

Check this out! I am now the “wine” columnist for the website www.BoomerGirl.com. How cool is that?

Well. Cool and a little scarey! I’ve been asked to write articles about wine and life at least a couple of times a month. That’s pressure.

I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone and made a commitment. So, now I have to perform.

Isn’t it funny how sometimes you really want things to happen, but when they do, it scares the heck out of you? And, it forces you to get into action.

Where might a little commitment help you get into action?

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Have you ever caught yourself saying something like: “I’m going to go on that vacation when I have saved enough money.” “I’m going to take that photography course when I have more time.” “I really want to try Kayaking, but I want to get in shape first.” “When I retire, I’m going to buy an RV and do some traveling.” (At least ½ of these come from my own personal repertoire - care to guess which ones?)

When you catch yourself putting off things you’d really like to do, stop and think: How many friends or relatives do you know that were waiting “till”, and never made it?

I know that seems a little harsh. But it’s also true. My husband spent his 35^th birthday in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital after having several heart attacks. Now, mostly, we don’t wait. I’m a huge believer is planning for the future, but living for today. Don’t leave your future entirely to chance, but live every day like it’s your last.

Many people never live the life they dream of because they are waiting for something that may never happen. Be proactive; take control of your future and your today.

If you knew that you had only 6 months left to live, what would you do differently today?

Here’s a little exercise: Spend ½ an hour writing out as many things as you can think of that you want to do in your life. Be creative; think outside the box, stretch a little. What would you like to do? Be? Learn? Where would you like to go? What do you want to contribute? Who do you want to spend your time with?

Now, which of those things would you absolutely want to do if you did only have 6 months left to live? Which ones would allow you to leave this world with no regrets?

Finally, and most importantly, what do you need to do today to grab hold of life and begin to live out some of those dreams?

Want some help? Give me a call for a free coaching session!

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate (or wine!) in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Are you feeling a little groggy from too much kicking back and relaxing this summer?

 September comes like the morning alarm. It’s the wakeup call that we have to get back to work. Time to get refocussed and re-motivated.

Sound a little hard? How about a 90 day Coaching Hangover Cure? For a limited time, I am offering a special coaching package designed to get you moving again!

How would it be to reach your goals for 2007 before the Christmas rush begins?

Sign up for 9 - 30 minute coaching sessions through September, October and November for a special price of $500! Or, just $167 per month. That’s almost 45% less than my regular rates.

Does life ever get in your way? You know, you have your to-do list, you think you are on track, and WHAM! life throws you a curve ball and you are totally off track. You’ve lost your direction. You’ve lost your momentum. What do you do?

 Well, this post is my way of putting things back on track in my life. It’s like that first step - again!

It seems to me that just doing something in the right direction, one tiny baby step, helps to break the jam and get things moving again.

 It gets me wondering though. What do you do to get unstuck? I’d love to hear what works for you. Leave your tip in the comments & I’ll compose a list!

Getting started!

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King

This is it! After months of procrastination, I am finally getting a blog set up and almost ready to send out my first Life! Uncorked Newsletter. Where do you procrastinate? What things do you put off doing while you look for exactly the right way to start?

The quotation above really speaks to me. I have been playing around with ideas, trying things on, asking you for advice, all the while putting off this first step because I couldn’t “see the whole staircase”. I wanted to have everything right before I started. I wanted to know what was next. I wanted to miraculously turn on my computer and find the newsletter already there waiting for me. I kept looking for the inspiration to GET STARTED!

Another quote (I don’t know whose) is that every journey begins with a single step. Sometimes, we just have to give up needing to know everything before we start. Sometimes, it is the wisest choice NOT to look before we leap. We can get so hung up in looking for the things that may trip us going up the staircase, that we never put our foot on that first tread. Does this ever happen to you?

One way to overcome this “analysis paralysis” is to remind yourself why the goal you want to achieve is so important. Really understand what starting up that staircase will do for you. What’s at the top? How will it be to be standing up there looking back down and saying to yourself “that wasn’t so hard!”?

Sometimes, the staircase just seems too long. Too daunting. Too dark and scary! What happens when you take that first step? You get one step closer. Each step gets easier. You build momentum. And, before you know it, you have maneuvered the obstacles along the way and achieved your goal. What “staircase” have you been hanging out at the bottom of? Would you be willing to just close your eyes and take the first step? Why don’t you give it a try?

Let me know how it goes!