Have you ever given up on a project about halfway into it?  Many of us do that with our goals and dreams. Living your dream and creating the life you want is hard sometimes.  The actual work becomes so difficult, we forget about the reward at the end – living our dream - so we quit.  Then a few months down the road, we decide to start again, only to follow the same pattern.

Successful people have a way of visualizing the big dream – they focus on the result, not the work.  I can’t tell you how many times in developing this website I’ve almost given up.  I have literally had the thought, “Forget it.  This is too hard, I can’t do this.  No one should have to go through this, there’s got to be an easier way.”  Then I realized there was an easier way; I could hire someone to design the site for me.  But then I’d be at their mercy every time I needed to change it.  I want a site that I can re-design and customize on a moment’s notice.  If I give a speech and want to make materials available to that audience alone, I want to be able to do that immediately and on my own.  Luckily, I’m a very determined person who doesn’t give up easily.  I don’t like to give in and let something beat me.  More appropriately, I was able to keep my thoughts focused on the desired result instead of how complicated the process.

I’m still working on my site – constantly.  There’s a lot more I want to change and the list grows daily, but I can do it all myself and I’m constantly learning.  I also enjoy the creative side of maintaining my site myself. With each new language I learn, it seems as if there’s another that must be learned to go with it.  Then there’s the marketing side with new methods introduced daily.  There’s also the profitability side, which accounts for a lot of stress as well.  The important thing is that I’m living my dream of motivating, educating, and inspiring others to be their best through my writing, speaking and consulting.  This site is the glue that holds all of that together and to turn it over to someone else would not work for me.  So when the going gets tough, even painful at times, I let my “control freak” kick in and guide me through the process.

How to overcome the strong notion to quit

So what are some ways that you can overcome that strong notion we all get when the going gets tough to just call it quits?  I’ve put together some ideas and thoughts for you that have helped me.  First of all, take a step back and ask yourself, “What am I trying to do?  What is the desired result?”  If that desired result is strong enough, it will keep you going.  That’s what kept me going on this project and does so almost daily.  I remind myself of my unwavering desire to have complete control over my website.  That’s the most important aspect of my career right now.

Realize that it’s not really you

Those thoughts of, “I’m not smart enough to do this,” or any version of, “I can’t,” are just hogwash.  You can do it or you wouldn’t have started/been assigned the project to begin with.  More than likely, you just need to eat something, take a break, go for a walk, read something light, or get some sunlight - REFRESH!  At the very least, you need some perspective.  Refuse to give in to any negativity, wherever it’s coming from.

Make sure it’s your goal/dream

It’s common for us to get caught up in someone else’s dream.  If you’re faced with a situation where the work should be easy for you to accomplish, and you know how to do virtually everything required to accomplish it, but you’re still confronting blockages, think about whether or not this is your goal.  Or, are you being used to accomplish someone else’s dream?  When you work for someone else, it’s easy to get caught up in this, especially if you’ve chosen a field you’re not passionate about.  Assuming you can’t quit, (and I strongly recommend you not quit a project you’ve given your word to complete), think about what your individual reward is for the attainment of this goal.  Is it money?  Is it a better position within the company once this project is completed?  Find that incentive and focus on it.  As Brian Tracy puts it, “Let your vision of the future guide your present performance.”

Think of it as easy

With whatever you have to do today, think of it as easy, and it will be.  Don’t believe the voice in your head telling you that the accomplishment of a particular task is going to be difficult.  So you have to design a new website today?  Easy!  You’re on your way to an important meeting where you’re expected to a sign a $5 million account?  Easy!  You have only two hours to clean your two-story home?  Easy!   Why is it easy?  Because it’s important to you.

Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you are likely to become discouraged.  Dwell on it too long, and you will develop self-pity instead of self-discipline.  The next time you’re facing a must-do task and you’re thinking of giving up instead of paying the price, change your focus.  Count the benefits of doing what’s important, and then dive in.

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Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss

Fanatic.  Workaholic.  Over-the-top.  Insane.  Sick.
Electrifying.  Magnetic.  Charismatic.  Enthusiastic.  Intelligent.

All of these adjectives have been used to describe someone who is passionate.

An accountant who works until 11 PM – workaholic.
A motivational speaker who gets her audience on their feet – electrifying.
A dentist with 5 times the amount of annually required CE – over-the-top.
A salesperson with customers waiting in line – magnetic.

It seems that there are some industries where it’s okay to have passion for your work, yet others where everyone assumes that if you’re in that industry, you’re there because you have to be.

The truth is, anything you do can be electrifying and profitable when it is infused with the power of passion.

Why is passion so powerful?

First of all, it makes you more informed at what you do, which typically makes you better at it.  The better you are at something, the more confident you become.  The more confident you are, the more magnetic you are, and many times, the more money you make.  So passion can mean earning more money – especially in the long run.

Secondly, having passion for a subject is a lot more fun than just tolerating it.  Imagine the cleaning woman who is enthused about her work, merrily singing and enjoying the process, compared to the one who is simply going through the motions.

Don’t be one of those people who goes through life performing only what is necessary to get through it.  Follow these 7 steps to become more passionate about your life today.

1. Imagine yourself being passionate.  Whether it’s a particular subject you want to develop, or life itself, imagine your new, passionate self.  What’s different?  Do you smile more?  Go to the gym?  Greet others with more vigor?  How does the passionate you look and feel?
2. Start with something you are already passionate about and take the time to really feel what that feels like.   I live in Kentucky where many people are passionate about our two world-renowned college basketball teams: the University of Louisville, and the University of Kentucky.  If those people could take that passion they exhibit during a big game to work on Monday morning, oh – what a world that would be!  Anything that you have fun doing will bring you that feeling that I’m talking about.  Once you’re there, try applying that feeling to whatever subject you’re wanting to develop a passion for.  Transference – in a good way!
3. Read and research your topic.  I can always get myself excited for a subject just by reading about it.  Why do you think that is?  Most writers are passionate about their subject matter.  When they’re not, it shows.  (Read – bores you to death!)
4. Develop and enhance your skills in that area.  Gardening enthusiasts can relate to this, but it applies to everyone.  Beyond just reading about the subject, get hands-on with it.  Developing your skills in an area will help you develop your passion.  Doing more with your life will help you become more enthusiastic about your life.
5. Ask, “what if?”  Once you’ve become knowledgeable and have acquired a certain level of skill, challenge the currently accepted theories in the subject area.  New inventions are created this way.
6. Share your passion – teach others.  You don’t really know something until you have to teach it.  Teaching is also selling.  When you have to stand in front of people and sell them something, you’d darn well better be passionate about it.  Just talking about the subject can ignite that little spark you need to take your passion to the next level.
7. Feed your passion by surrounding yourself with others who already have and share your zeal.  Professional organizations quite often fill the bill nicely here.  Not only are the other participants “freaks” about the topic, but these associations offer education and a chance to develop skills as well.

The most important factor in developing passion is a true desire to do so.  So being passionate about being passionate would be the first place to start!

Until next time,
Live joyfully!

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

I talk a lot about changing your perspective in order to maintain a positive attitude.  Today, I have a fresh perspective and even better reason for facing adversity head on.

When you face a challenge, whether it’s a financial crisis, relationship issue, or anything that causes upset, you grow in a way that means you will never face that same challenge exactly that way again.  It’s not just that dealing with issues openly makes you stronger, it gives you experience that makes you exponentially stronger than someone who has not dealt with that issue.  Let me give you an example.

This week my husband alerted me to an issue with an employee.  She has made a $1,600.00 mistake on another employee’s account.  I could fire her and/or the other employees involved.  I could scold everyone sternly and threaten them within an inch of their lives, (don’t think it hasn’t occurred to me!), but when I researched the issue with her calmly, I discovered that there was a flaw in her thinking and in her training, for which I am partly responsible.

The ultimate result will be a change in our office policy on how employee’s accounts are handled, and, rest assured, this employee will not make this mistake again.  She is a more valuable employee to me now because she will be more successful in the future.  I am a better employer because I corrected an overlooked flaw in my policy.

Every adversity is setting you up for future success.  No matter what it is.  Bo Bennett says,

“Think of success as a game of chance in which you have control over the odds. As you begin to master concepts in personal achievement, you are increasing your odds of achieving success.”

Adversity is often the greatest fuel to personal achievement.  Stack the cards in your favor and face your challenges head on.

Until next time,
Live joyfully!

I’ve added a special value to one of my upcoming presentations: everyone who signs up for my “Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life” webinar through TheSelfHelpSchool.com will receive a free copy of the e-book. Use the ad below and register today!

Posted under Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success

While everyone is screaming about the economy, I prefer to help people find ways of feeling better.  Interestingly, I do this all the time, it’s just that now that “times are tough,” I seem to have a larger audience.  Here are 21 ways to enjoy your time this weekend that won’t cost anything.

1. Sleep late, and enjoy it (instead of feeling guilty.)
2. Meditate.
3. Give each pet, child, spouse, sibling, parent, and other significant persons in your life one hour of your complete, undivided attention.  Play with them; ask them about their day/life, and really listen.
4. Read a motivational book.
5. Read something just for fun – your favorite prose.  Or catch up on that pile of magazines.  Enjoy the time, realizing that it is your intent to spend this time this way.
6. Create a list of things you love.  (The way you feel afterward will explain why I’ve included it here.)
7. Take a nice, long, warm bath or shower.
8. Dance to your favorite music for one hour – pretend it’s a marathon.
9. Work on or create your Personal Strategic Plan.
10. Think about something in your life you would like to change, trusting that there is an answer.  Now take a nap and let your subconscious work on a solution.
11. Pretend that for now you work for yourself - you are self-employed.  You have complete control over your time, effort and energy.  What do you want to create right this minute?
12. De-clutter.
13. Organize an area of your home.
14. Plan your meals for the next week.  Perhaps there is a certain diet you’d like to try, or you’d like to start cooking more from scratch.  You have all those cookbooks and diet plans – put them to use!
15. Create a list of all the good things in your life right now.
16. Catch up on all your laundry and ironing.
17. Give the house a good cleaning and airing out.
18. Spend time getting to know one of your neighbors.
19. Visualize your life as you would like it to be.  Write it out.
20. Work out.  You don’t have to join a gym.  Go for a vigorous walk, jog, play a game of basketball, dance, whatever you love to do – just give your body the motion it craves.
21. Rest.  Work hard, play hard, and you will rest well.  Get organized and in control and you will have peace of mind that will allow your mind to rest as well.  Try it; you’ll be glad you did!

Until next time,
Live joyfully!

Remember - I’ve added a special value to one of my upcoming presentations: everyone who signs up for my “Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life” webinar through TheSelfHelpSchool.com will receive a free copy of the e-book. Use the ad below and register today!

Posted under Inspiration, Motivation, Weight Loss

I am proud to announce my new affiliation with TheSelfHelpSchool.com.  This project has been a work in progress for some time now and I’m happy to see it come to fruition.

As most of you know, I’ve been offering my Wake Up and Create the Life You Want seminar in several formats, including the classic printed book version.  I anticipate this new format via webinar will allow me to reach thousands of people all over the world.  It is my sincere desire to help people live more consciously and purposefully, creating the life of their dreams.

I have two upcoming courses:

1. Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life, based on my book with the same title, and
2. Wake Up and Create the Life You Want.

If you’d like to be more organized and get control of the clutter in all areas of your life, my Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life webinar will definitely inspire you to take action.

If you’d like some coaching on how to take control of the circumstances in your life and make life-transforming changes, sign up now for my Wake Up and Create the Life You Want virtual seminar.

Full course descriptions, times, and registration details can be found by clicking the links below.

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

Of the three final contestants in last season’s Food Network Star challenge, only the eventual winner, Aaron McCargo, Jr. , made the statement, “I am the next Food Network star,” in his application video. Now, I’ve written and talked about making statements of belief like this, and even at this level, but to see it in action – well – let’s just say, I got chills!

Anything you truly, deeply, with all your heart and soul believe you can have, you can have. It really is as simple as that. Wishing and hoping leave you wishing and hoping. Wanting something, but believing it’s impossible makes it impossible. Dreaming big, planning, taking action, developing self-discipline, all of that is for naught without belief.

How do you know if you really believe in something? You can feel it. Use an “I am” statement and pay close attention to how you feel. “I am the next Food Network star.” [Obviously, implant your own desired belief here.] Now, how do you feel when you say that? Skeptical? Are there any other thoughts that immediately follow it, like, “yeah, right,” implying sarcasm? If so, it’s not a belief yet.

If you’re having trouble getting to that feeling place, as in, you’re not quite sure if you really feel it, here is an exercise that will help.

Consider a subject that you know is absolutely true. For example, my hair is strawberry-blonde. I’m not a blonde, I’m not a redhead, I’m somewhere in-between and several hair dressers have labeled me as “strawberry-blonde,” it makes sense, so I believe it.

When I make the statement, “I am a strawberry-blonde,” it elicits a feeling of, what I call, “matter-of-factness.” This is a good place to start, but this statement/belief doesn’t bring forth a lot of emotion. I mean, being a strawberry-blonde isn’t exactly something I aspired to, it’s really just a trait I was born with. But it is true; at least, I believe it to be true.

So to take this process to the next level, I would think back to something in my past that I went after and achieved. “I won a Juilliard scholarship.” Now we’re getting closer because applying for that scholarship required a lot of work, I was really excited about it, there was fierce competition, and I won. (Even though I chose not to go – but that’s another post!)

You should continue to make statements of beliefs until you feel good enough to move on to your new desire. Make your “I am . . .” statement, and see how that feeling compares to the previous ones.

Do this exercise again and again, until your belief starts to take shape the way you want it. With time and enough self-discipline on your part to perform this exercise as often as necessary, you can change your beliefs, and your outward life experience will change with them.
Try it; you’ll be glad you did!

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss

My husband and I had a wonderful outing on Sunday.  After spending nearly all day Saturday rebuilding a Windows Vista® computer, B.J. was feeling rather lethargic with a bad case of “cabin fever.”  So Sunday morning we decided to go for a hike.  With a dinner obligation that evening, we opted to stay close by and drove to Red River Gorge.  (The Gorge is one of the nicest landscapes in our area and has some of the best hiking and rock climbing in the country.)

We decided to go back to a trail we had not trekked for a while, and discovered something new, True North Outfitters.  It’s a bistro, a gear shop with a guide service, and an international hostel.  Obviously, we were impressed enough that I wanted to tell the world about it.  We noticed it on our way to the trail, had a wonderful one hour and five minute hike, and decided to try the bistro for lunch.

The very friendly Susan Byer greeted us as soon as we walked in:  “Are you looking for lunch?”

The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed; the tables and amenities very clean.  The food was deliciously fresh and I could hardly believe my eyes when my husband tried, and liked, the cornbread salad.

True North Outfitters provides a variety of services for Gorge visitors, including trip planning. If you’re looking for something new or different to do this fall, I can’t imagine a more beautiful setting in October, (when the leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow), than the multiple vistas from Auxier Ridge Trail.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

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Get Inspired! What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams. You can read their stories here. If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.” Get Organized! Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book. This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life. Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.

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Posted under Inspiration

Some of you are about to experience Déjà vu.

Posted under Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

We sit around and talk and laugh about it a lot, but it’s one of the greatest obstacles to our careers, and in our lives – indecisiveness.  And ladies, you have to admit it, we are worse than men.  (Of course, there are always exceptions.)

Have you ever noticed that successful people don’t seem to have much trouble making decisions?  And we say, “well, of course not, they’re successful – it’s easy to make decisions when you’re already a success.”  Truthfully, it’s easy to make decisions anyway, and doing so will make you successful. 

Why do we (especially women) have such a hard time with this?  I was recently discussing this topic with some of my gal pals and we decided that it goes back to what we observed our mothers doing when we were young.  Our mothers didn’t make many decisions - especially financial decisions.  Even if our mothers worked, big-ticket items were always controlled by “Dad.”  In our household, my mother would sit and worry over the details of the purchase, while my father made it quite simple – we would buy the cheapest thing available!  (Quality sometimes won out, but not often.)

The other issue is that we’ve all been impulsive at some point and had it “back-fire” on us.  Buyer’s remorse is never a good feeling.  We don’t want to experience it any more often than necessary and we’d like to be able to blame someone else when we do face it again.  I can remember accusing Consumer Reports of poor research a couple of times!

If you’ve ever had a life-transforming experience, then you know that every positive change in your life begins with a clear, explicit decision that you are going to either do something or stop doing something. Significant change starts when you decide to either get in or get out, whether it’s life, work, or a relationship, it all starts with the decision, and ends with action.

Your assignment for today is to start making decisions quickly, and feel good about them.  Start small and work your way up to more important things.  I’ve witnessed women having trouble deciding whether or not to buy a pack of gum at the grocery, and then have trouble deciding which flavor!  But them all!  Or decide to stick to your budget and buy none.  Just make a decision and act on it.  By practicing on the smaller efforts, you’ll be prepared and rehearsed for more important conclusions.

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Get Inspired! What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams. You can read their stories here. If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.” Get Organized! Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book. This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life. Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.

***Please Note: All transactions are processed through PayPal, but you can use Visa, MC, AMEX, or Discover.

Posted under Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss

A good friend of mine reminded me this weekend of the movie, “The Bucket List.”  Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play two men who have been diagnosed with cancer and given a short but undetermined amount of time to live.  They end up on a road trip with the mission of completing as many items as possible on their wish list of things to do before they “kick the bucket.” 

Being reminded of that movie caused me to reflect on my daily lists and routines.  Completing a huge project like my husband’s new state-of-the-art dental facility is certainly a bucket list item, even for me.  But it has been a yearlong project, the hardest year either of us remembers, and it has taken me a little while to get my bearings and settle back into my life, with my own list of to-dos. 

Lately I’ve been going from task to task, from one minor project to another, forgetting about the big picture.  That’s not like me, but I guess it happens to everyone every once in a while.  I’ve been a little off balance and now I know why. 

If you think about it, our entire life is a bucket list.  One day, you’re going to get to the end of this life, what’s going to show up on your bucket list?

Until next time,

Live joyfully!

You can subscribe to this blog here.

Get Inspired! What do you want to create? Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: A Guide to Self-Empowerment has helped hundreds of people create the life of their dreams. You can read their stories here. If you choose the downloadable version, it comes with my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich.” Get Organized! Learn the secrets of getting and staying motivated and organized with the Eliminate Clutter and Organize Your Life E-book. This inspiring book gives you step-by-step instructions for getting control of every area of your life. Click here for the table of contents and to purchase.