General

Facing Trouble

In Lewis Timberlake’s book, First Thing Every Morning, he talks about trouble and how to deal with it effectively. He quotes Michael Jordan: “If it turns out that my best wasn’t good enough, at least I won’t look back and say that I was afraid to try; failure makes me work even harder”. This quote reminds me of ‘mental muscle’, where what you think over time can determine how you act. So, if your first instinct is negative (and I have been guilty), your actions will usually follow the same pattern. How do you change it? From my perspective, it takes a deliberate decision to change, daily practice with the goal of positive reaction to trouble, patience, and taking a few deep breaths to calm the mind down. Try repetition of positive thoughts –

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Solutions for the Challenge of Clearing Clutter

              After years of attempting large clutter clearing projects and completing very few, I have developed a system of tackling bite-sized clutter-clearing projects that result in success, saving time, effort and giving a real sense of accomplishment. Let’s look at a room in your home. Think of one room, one area of the room, then one small space to de-clutter. Let me give you an example. I have a utility drawer in my kitchen which I open daily at least once. I had become irritated every time I opened this drawer Why? Because I had to dig to find what I needed. My first decision was that I had to change this drawer. I then decided tools I would need (scissors, ruler, shelf paper etc.) and set a timer for 30 minutes. I totally emptied the drawer, put aside things for Goodwill that I.

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50+ Healthy Lifestyles: 5 Barriers to Long-Term Success

I will share 5 barriers to healthy lifestyles for those ages 50+ that can inhibit personal success, and more importantly, what to do instead. Here are my top 5: Barrier 1: Not believing you can or should cook meals at home. This is a mindset issue, especially for those who spent years caring for others and preparing 2 to 3 meals every day. They express “burn out” and look for other options. They frequently watch the Food Channel, but rarely take the next step – you know the one where they actually get in the kitchen and use the utensils! Instead, eating out is the option of choice. Expense is only part of the issue; calories consumed in eating one meal out can exceed any reasonable amount for one full day. What to do instead. If you are eating out more than three times a week, develop a new habit.

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Defeat the Everyone Else Comes First Syndrone

Reflect, for a moment, on something you have wanted to do for yourself and let fear get in the way of a positive outcome – one where you chose to let fear get in your way. The following examples illustrate the levels of fear and steps you can take to overcome them. Picture the following scenes: Mild “Everyone Else Comes First” Syndrome You have found an online painting course you would love to take, but that’s when the kids play soccer. A “but” statement is the most frequent first response. What to Do: Because you are really interested in this course, you begin to explore alternatives and ask questions. Is the course taped or on video? Are there makeup sessions? Can I carpool for soccer and have my spouse rotate times with me? Is the course repeated at a time when school sports are not being played? The point is.

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Personal Achievement: The 3 Biggest Barriers to Accomplishment

Personal achievement is challenging for many adults, especially those who want to move forward. When Mama is not there to nudge, snap and prod us into doing things, as adults, we need to recognize our barriers and get the 800-pound gorilla out of the room. I would like to share with you 3 of the biggest barriers to achievement. These are procrastination, lack of focus and lack of consistency. What do you think?  

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Self-Discipline – 3 Tools to Make It Happen!

If self-discipline does not come naturally to you and for many of us, it does not; there are several ways to develop the habit. Tool 1: Develop a love affair with time. Whether your days are heavily structured or loosely sketched, there are daily routines which need attention. If getting up is an issue for you, set as many alarms as you need and learn to leave the snooze button alone. If you work in a structured environment, heavy with meetings, assignments, and events, it is especially important to review your schedule, both before you go to bed at night and first thing in the morning. Make a list of those tasks you absolutely hate and set a digital timer for 15-minute segments to tackle them until they are completed. Tool 2: Become proactive. This simply means anticipating something coming up in the future and taking any necessary action prior.

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Failure – 3 Keys to a Grateful Perspective

There are several key elements to “overriding” our negative definitions of failure and viewing our experiences in a positive light. KEY 1: DEFINE FAILURE OBJECTIVELY. There are times when we do not see the forest for the trees. Let’s say that you have concluded a work assignment you are convinced was an abject failure – nothing good came out of it. You had been asked to lead a pilot project for your group and it was supposed to last six months. At the end of that time, you find that the results were not even close to what was originally envisioned. From your perspective, you failed. From your boss’s perspective, the pilot did exactly what he wanted done – testing a new concept with little money lost, few resources used, and new perspectives on what might be done in the future. While he may be a bit disappointed with the.

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3 Keys to Successful Client Relationships

There are several key factors we need to keep in mind as we make these decisions and these come from our clients! Key 1: Problem Solving. Do we understand what our clients are really trying to accomplish? This is where we put on our detective hats and spend time during the beginning of the relationship and during critical touch points in the process. It does not hurt to have a general check list of questions in front of us when we are first meeting with them, especially if this is a virtual project. Are we prepared for changes in their original requests, based on new business conditions? Do we ask specific questions about timelines, especially when we look at our schedules and see “hot spots” with other clients’ needs? This suggests a “project management” approach to our business dealings, with “who, what, when, where, how and why” questions explored up.

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Dreams Can Come True

We dreamed so much as children, but for some of us, we somehow lost this wonderful tool.  Would you agree that if we want a difference in our lives, we need to evaluate where we have been and where we are now?  Then would you agree that we have to be willing to change, evaluate, plan, implement and assess to make the change worthwhile? I would love to hear your thoughts –

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Volunteering – A Spirit Boost

Just completed a two-day work volunteering opportunity at Bible Study Fellowship International Headquarters in San Antonio, TX. Amazing people and institution – would not have happened if I had not jumped out of my comfort zone. Would love to hear your stories of “out of the box” spirit boosting experiences you have had.

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