Flip a switch.

Your mind is a powerful computer. When you give your mind the right input, it will, in turn, produce the right output. On the flip side, when you put garbage into your mind, you will get garbage out. Just what you would expect from a computer.
 
For most of my life, I had been telling myself, and anyone else who cared to listen, that I could never write a book. I really, honestly believed that I couldn’t. About a year and a half ago, I was inspired by a powerful book to look at my life a little differently.  Actually, it made me look at myself a little differently.
 
I remember distinctly the day that I flipped a switch in my mind. It started with a simple question to myself. “Could I write a book?”
 
The day that I allowed myself to believe that it was possible, the floodgates of my mind opened up and a stir of excitement started to grow in my belly.
 
Today, I hold my book in my hands with great joy, and I love to inspire others with it. I have proven that I am capable of anything I put my mind to. What will I think of next? A plan to take over the world?
 
You are also capable of anything, but you must first believe it is possible. Once you know that you can, you can! That is the secret.
 
So, flip a switch in your mind today and start getting more of everything out of your life. Namaste!

 

Be Prepared for Monday.

What causes stress? Anxieties about time management. How will you get it all done? Alleviate stress and be more prepared, calm and excited about your week by doing a few simple things each day. Here are some simple tips to help you get more efficient, and feel more prepared, quick.

  • If you have not done so already, you need to keep an agenda or binder that accurately shows your time. I was taught by one of my coaches to use an agenda with one day on each page, and to use my own hand to write in it (versus typing everything into a computer). Writing with your own hand is very powerful. You can print daily calendar sheets from Outlook and keep them in a binder if you are anxious to get started right now.
  • Write down everything that you need to do each day in the appropriate time slots, and then include the stuff you want to do (there is a difference). Need: get groceries. Want: go to yoga class. Although I could see myself arguing for need on the yoga class…
  • Use the notes section to write down all of the projects that you are working on, or tasks that need completing. Things like “book dentist appt” or “finish writing article for yoga journal” or “look up easy easter crafts to keep my kids busy, and me sane, while they are on Easter break”.
  • Cross off tasks as you complete them, or put check marks beside them. Do what feels right for you. If you do not complete a task on the day you had it written on, just keep moving it forward to future days. Eventually you will do it. When things come up suddenly, you will need to assess how to prioritize it based on everything else you have going on. Only make changes to your existing schedule if what comes up is an absolute emergency, or is something of extreme importance to you. You may be able to tackle it the next day, so do your best to stay focused on your original plan. But be sure to write everything down as it comes up so you never forget a thing.
  • Look at your week and see where the tasks you need to complete might best fit in. If you drop your kids off right by a registry office, perhaps you can squeeze in your vehicle registration renewal when you drop them off, then get groceries, pick up your mail, and get the coffee that you earned. Work smart, not hard. There is always time to do what you need to do, but you need to plan for it.
  •  Every day, at the end of the day, review your day, and then look at the next day. Create a plan in your mind of what you would like to get done based on the time you have, and then write that down. Seeing your next day all laid out for you can really ease the anxieties of a busy lifestyle. It is easy to feel overwhelmed with everything you need to do, but when you see it all written down, you will know that it is achievable.
  • On Sundays, review your week, and plan everything accordingly. You will sleep much better on Sunday night knowing that you have a plan that is scheduled to suit your needs.

Allow for some flexibility in your schedule, but if you want to take on the world, you have got to be accountable to yourself and your schedule. Plan it, then do it! You have full control over your time, and your stress.

Happy Monday!

Dream Big and Plan for Reality.

Having dreams and then chasing them is the ultimate feeling. Dreaming big keeps you motivated and forces you to keep going. Visualizing your success is a huge part of getting you there. You have got to see it to believe it and then achieve it.

Until you achieve all your wildest dreams, you do need to plan for what you have right now, and also plan for what you will need in the future. This means having a budget in place to keep you on track.  Do you know how much your monthly income is in relation to your monthly expenses? Do you plan to save portions of your money in order to pay for upcoming dreams, like vacations or vehicles?  Are you falling short every month and not sure why?

The only way you will be able to realistically achieve your goals is to know what you are starting off with, and then plan for what you need. Implement a personal monthly budget, and then be sure to stick to it.  You have got to hold yourself accountable to your budget in order to see the results.  Check out the Personal Budget Worksheet available on my website to assist you with this process. Reassess your budget monthly to ensure that you stay on track.

There are always ways to increase income or reduce expenses in order to achieve what you need. Plan for what you want, and then try to be a little patient while the Universe shifts things around to accommodate your wishes. (Patience is something I am still trying to wrap my head around. I want it all and I want it now!)

Make real plans today to achieve your dreams. Reduce stress and build confidence by managing your cash flow.  Happy budgeting!

Motivate Yourself.

Taking action and adding effort in your life is how you will physically see results. Taking action and effort requires time, and this time must be found in amongst the rest of your busy lifestyle. In order to make time to put forth extra effort, you may need to give up something else in your life. The only way that you will do this consistently is if you are motivated to get the results that you want.

You have to change your thinking about how your time is spent. Focus on what you want. Visualize getting the result you want. See yourself having the result NOW. How does it feel to get what you want? Write down the result you want in your journal, or on a piece of paper, along with the feelings you have surrounding your results (dreams).

This exercise is self motivation. You know what you want. You can see it and feel it and now that you have written it down, it is real. You have given your subconscious something to work on and focus on. There are always trade offs. What are you willing to do to get the results you want? You need to prioritize your time so that the focus is on your results, which requires you to be motivated. Take little steps everyday toward your dreams and results.

Do not grieve over the time you give up to put focus on achieving your dreams. Remember that you are chasing your dreams, and every step you take gets you closer to making your dreams a reality. Know that every action you take moves you forward, and then never stop taking action! Motivate yourself, change your thinking, take action, have faith, get results.  Namaste.

 

Rock Inspired Inspiration

You never know when inspiration is going to hit you.  The other day on my drive home from Edmonton, I was inspired by a Trooper song.  These were the lyrics that spoke to me…

“If you don’t like what you got, why don’t you change it?
If your world is all screwed up , rearrange it”

While this particular inspiration proves that I am a rocker at heart,  you don’t have to be a rocker, or even like rock music, to see the inspiration in it.

If you are not happy with the results you are seeing in your life, you need to know that you have the power to change it.  Grab onto that feeling of control, and make a change in your life, even if it is a small one.

I also like the reference to rearranging things in your life.  I love to organize! Rearranging a room in your home can have a tremendous impact on your life.  So make a concrete change to something in your home that has been bugging you.  Doing this will not only change how you feel about your surroundings;  it will also change how you feel inside.

Have an incredible Monday!

Be Free.

On her 8th Birthday, my daughter Trinity wore a shirt with the following small, inspiring quote on it:

Free to Love, Dream and Be ME!

Give yourself the freedom to love, dream and be YOU everyday.

Just Be Free.  Namaste.

Home again.

At the end of any vacation,  you may feel sad about your return to “real life”.  If this is the case, you need to rethink your “real life”!

It’s time to get excited about your everyday by making sure you are doing things you love.  Follow your passion every day in everything you do, and let go of the things that bring you stress but do not give you results.

Don’t know what your passions are anymore? Time to think about it for real.  in my book, Be That Girl, I walk you through writing a 5 year plan based on what you really want out of life.  Can’t wait for your copy of the book? Sign up for my e-newsletter at and receive a free video on changing your life today.

Chase your dreams everyday and soon your dreams will be reality.  Namaste.

 

Living differently.

Being on vacation in Roatan is amazing… and different. We are staying in a house, not a resort, so we are pretending that we live here. We are buying our own groceries and cooking all of our own food. Others have told me that this is a lot different than it is in North America, but I really did not believe them. Until now. The first noticeable difference is at the till and on the shelf. A bottle of wine costs 173 Lempira’s, which equals about 9 US dollars. And when your grocery bill totals 2000 it can seem a bit scary! (That’s about 100 US Dollars).

Everything that is not grown on the island has to be imported, so almost everything costs more here than it would at home. Due to the heat and humidity here, maintaining the freshness of food even in the grocery stores is an issue. The meat in the grocery stores looks very different than what we are used to, and I still cannot bring myself to buy it. You have to look carefully at expiry dates, and a lot of times the stuff you want to buy (like milk) may not be in stock when you choose to shop. Yesterday for breakfast, I was fully prepared to make pancakes with a yummy pancake mix that was in the cupboard. We had a bunch of bananas that had just been cut off a tree and I had mushed them up to add to the mix. When I opened the bag of pancake mix and looked inside to measure out a cup, the mix was crawling with tiny little bugs. I promptly threw the whole bag in the garbage and moved on something else. These little bugs are common place here, and I suppose one either gets used to them or you don’t eat certain foods. Today, I cooked up some Macaroni Noodles for lunch. When I opened the box and saw movement, I thought “oh, well. At least they are going into the boiling water.”. I dumped the noodles in, rinsed them well once they were done cooking, and we all ate our yummy lunch. A girl has gotta do what a girl’s gotta do for herself and her family. Rest assured that I may be sticking to more fruits and vegetables while we are here from now on, and I will be asking others who live here how to compensate for the interesting foods here.

For now, I have some counters to wipe off so the sugar ants don’t come. I am officially playing “Survivor Roatan” and I feel like I’m going to win!

Roatan Time.

Our luggage managed to get to Roatan a day after we did, and we were told that the luggage would be delivered at 2:30pm. 2:30 came and went, and at 5 we decided we should do something. A quick drive to the airport, and there was our luggage sitting in the office. They had intended to deliver it the next morning at 10:30! I guess Roatan time is different than what we are used to. Everything here can happen, manana (tomorrow, or the next day…) The point is, there is no rushing on this island. Where we are from, time is money and there is always a rush to get things done. We rely on things being on time so that we can get everything we need to done. Rush, rush. Stay on time!

It is interesting to have the pace of your life slowed down to the crawl of a hermit crab. Certainly not what we are used to, but it is a change that I could get used to.

Ryan and I are trading off sleep in days on our vacation, and this morning was my turn. I had the best sleep, and I woke up feeling refreshed. The sun was shining when I got up, and the kids were already in the pool. It felt like it was at least 11 am. To my surprise, when I looked at the clock it was 8:00 am! Poor Ryan… the girls were up at 6 am with the sun! But time is all relative, and it is a matter of perspective. It really didn’t matter what time it was, I felt great.

And waking up on a Monday morning without the rush of my usual busy lifestyle feels amazing.

Take some time, even if it is 5 minutes, to refresh yourself and your body. Stop the hustle bustle in your own body by savoring 5 minutes of calm and peace. Rushing all the time in your life causing an increase in adrenaline, which is a fight or flight response. This can make you feel more stressed all the time, even when you’re not! Take a break, breathe, relax and refresh. Namaste!

Cooincidence?

I am required to volunteer once a month at my daughters preschool, which I love.  If I cannot do my scheduled shift, it is my responsibility to find someone to switch with me.  Recently, I needed to swap a shift in February.  I have a class list at home, but I was pressed for time and wanted to take some action right away.  There is a communication book that the parents write in if they need to communicate with the teachers, so I thought I would just write it in there and hope that one of the moms would be able to cover it off, and that they would chance to look at the book (most of us only ever look at it if need to write something in it, never otherwise).

A few days later, one of the moms came up to me and said, “Hey.  I was wondering if you would be able to swap volunteer days with me…I am not able to make it on my scheduled day”.

She had not even seen the note in the book, and she did not know that I was looking for someone to swap with also.  Ha ha! Thank you Universe!

We ended up swapping out days, and both of us walked away happy and knowing that a piece of our lives had just been handled.  Oh yeah.

And all I had to do was write it down.  I put it out there to the Universe, and then just went with the flow.

Start questioning the cooincidences that happen in your life, and try to track what you did to make that happen.  When things work, keep doing them.  You are in control.  Namaste.