Life is a Journey of Choices and Circumstances

June 7, 2011 By

Each moment presents you with a set of circumstances in which to make a choice. Once that choice is made it sets up another set of circumstances for you to make another choice.  You must grab up the learning from all the prior choices and apply it along with your creative potential to this new set of circumstances.  The trick is to let go of the past circumstances so you can fully focus on the present.  This is how you create and build a life.

Practical Application

Look at your life.  It is the sum of the choices you’ve made.  Make peace with the fact that you have made these choices and here is where it got you,  to your delight or your dismay and most likely a little of both.

Check your Life backpack. You have accumulated some powerful tools:  experience, learning, creative potential, support, and the maturity to know what you don’t want and a vision of what you do want (even if it is just a spark).

Become a near sighted Sherlock Holmes. Your power is in the present moment and circumstances.  Use your current circumstances to get your bearings and set your course.  Ask for Guidance, look for clues, observe yourself, get some space.

Allow. Observe. Act. Observe. Allow. Observe. Act. Observe.

Filed Under: Sparkly Ideas, Spirit

Let Go To Grow

June 6, 2011 By

This time of year with graduations and weddings, old and new beginnings.  It is worth remembering that every ending melts away with sparkles of a new beginning.  Love this piece from Reverend Safire Rose send along by Beverly Garb

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go. She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advise . She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all the memories that held her back. She let go of all the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go. There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore.

~~ Reverend Safire Rose

YOU CAN LET GO!

Filed Under: Circle of Awesomeness, Featured Posts, Sparkly Ideas

9 Ways to Get your Energy Back on a Down Day

July 21, 2009 By

1193776_29771708-sad-dogYesterday was a down day. I had so many things to do and zero energy to do them. My “get up and go” had got up and went. I decided to get it back and my list of 9 ways was born ready to remind me how to move out the funk next time.

1. Take a nap
Napping allows you to rest and recharge you energy. Also when you nap you clear out accumulated emotions and connect with your inner wisdom.

2. Exercise
Exercise is a faithful energy mover. If you can rally long enough to get a workout in, you will feel better and more optimistic.

3. Get outside
A walk in nature or around the block can clear the cobwebs out and help you get focused.

4. Call a friend
You can talk it out or laugh it out or just get out of your own little world for awhile. Take care that you pick the right friend. No sense in two of you being in the ditch.

5. Have sex
 :-)  Yeah, I think you know where this one is going….

6. Meditate or pray
Connect with your calm center and reset your compass.

7. Pet your pet
Warm fuzzy– guaranteed.

8. Take a virtual vacay
There are webcams all over the world. With a click, you can visit Paris, Maui, or just about anywhere. Open another browser and pull in local radio and you are there, baby! If you really want to go for it, you can even brew some French roast coffee and a croissant. Bon appétit!

9. Have a martini and call it a day
This is your emergency backup plan when all else fails. If you truly know that you are not turning this sucker around and chances of accomplishing anything meaningful today are slim to none, play ‘5 o’clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson, shut it all down and call it a day.

What are your tried and true methods for getting through a down day?

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Work Tagged With: , , , , ,

Create a Place to Soar for your Family

June 30, 2009 By

How did last week go?  In my book, creating warmth and laughter is tons of fun and gives your soul a nice warm fuzzy glow, too!

Unleashing Your Greatness

Part of being a growing, thriving individual is not just sitting in your comfort zone but stretching yourself and trying new things.  This week I’m going to add some adventure, playfulness, and challenge you a bit.  As we talked about at the beginning of the month, your home is a great place to try new things before you unleash them on an unsuspecting world.  Things like playing a musical instrument, learning some new dance moves, trying a new recipe, changing your hair or makeup, writing a book, taking up a new sport, or anything else that gets you going.

To begin creating a home where you and your family can soar, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Is your home set up to allow individuals to try new things?
  • Is there an atmosphere that is encouraging and accepting?
  • Is there a lightness that makes it easy to try new things and not feel heavy with the fear of failure?
  • Do you support and encourage each other in your attempts?
  • Does everyone have enough quiet time to dream the dreams and pursue their interests?  That includes you!

We all have been given different gifts and talents.  By honoring that and creating the physical and mental space for each family member to pursue their own interests and passions, you will create a home that is authentic, fun, warm, and challenging.  This environment will encourage and support your family to be the best that they can be.  And who wouldn’t want to come home to that!

What are some things that you have been dying to try or learn?  Now is the time!

Great job this month! Celebrate all you’ve accomplished!  And let us know what changes you’ve made, we would love to celebrate with you!

Filed Under: Home, Home Management Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

HVAC Sales through Confusion

June 27, 2009 By
Are you looking to replace your central A/C unit(s)?  If you are let me first just say as someone who is going through the process myself, you have my DEEPEST sympathy.  Based on my experience, this is a confusing process and will generally wind up with you writing a very large check at the end and still not feeling 100% confident about your decision.  This industry makes if very difficult for the consumer to price compare, shop around, and get educated about the options.  Below are a few things I have researched that I hope will help you get started. Let’s wrestle with the hardest most important one first.

Choosing a service provider- Do Your Homework

 Unless you have someone you know and trust, I would suggest first tapping your network of friends and collegues.  If they have been down this road before use their experience.  If not, you are in no-man’s land. You can check the listings and look for licenses, certifications (BBB), etc but know that you can’t certify integrity.  It is critical that you get a few estimates and don’t be surprised if they vary widely.  Here are some questions to ask your potential provider

  • What do recommend? (more on this below)
  • Specifically (and in writing) what products and services does this price include?
  • Is this the ‘drive out’ or final price?
  • What if you find “other things” that need to be done once you get into the job?
  • Is there any room for negotiation in this price?
  • When can you start?  When will you be finished?
  • Is there anything else I should know? (I love this question! )

Also, be prepared to use your intuition.  My first interview was a 2 hour sales pitch with lots of extra work that would ‘help me in the long run’. It took me  full day to get the ‘sleeze’ funk out of my house and the fear of  NOT adding all the upgrades he was pushing out of my head.

R-22 vs R-410a Cool! Kinda?

I’m no expert on coolants but the bottom line here is the industry is set to make a big change in HVAC coolants in 2010.  The old stuff (R22) is going away, the new stuff (R-410a) is coming in.  There are many resources on the web about the differences between the two and how the r22 phase out is going to go down.  Read them.  Here is why– R22 and R410a use different equipment –and they are really not compatible with each other.  Meaning you can’t put the new stuff in the old equipment or interchange the equipment parts.  I’ve seen sites that say you can just suck out the old r22 and put in the new r-410a but most of the service providers I talked to would not touch this with a 10 foot pole. 

So, if you need to replace only the outside A/C and you choose to upgrade to a new r-410a you will need to replace the whole thing including the part called coils (they are in my attic).  So you see where this is leading… your old R22 dies.  Do you replace it with an brand new unit that takes r22 and is being phased out? What about repair or maintenance?  How will this effect any warranties you get with a new unit? Or maybe you upgrade to the more expensive r410a unit and re-do everything?

Duct work – My stress headache is back!

Duct work is in my attic.  They are big tube things that circulate the air to and from your house and the A/C units.  Remind me of Chuck E. Cheese playground only silver.  Your duct work may or may not be the right size and configuration for your A/C .  Apparently these tubes can be the unsung hero of your A/C unit.  Get this right and you will extend the life of your unit, increase your efficiency, and be way more comfortable in your home.  But no one could really tell me how much more life I would get out of it or how much more efficient it would be. 

One  service provider quoted me $2100 (in addition to the actual a/c unit) to straighten out the duct work.  Another provider said something like, “Were you cool enough when the old A/C was running?”  My answer was yes, I passed on the duct work.

F is for efficiency – SEER rating

SEER rating is the way they rate the efficiency of the A/C unit.  There is lots of information on the Internet and it is pretty straight forward.  Higher the SEER rating the more efficient the A/C.  Ratings generally start at 13  and go up to about 21.  Seems like 14/ 16 are mid-line and mainly what I dealt with.  It is hard to determine the actual benefit of paying the extra money for the higher rating (say 16 vs 14).  Maybe you can find it, I didn’t.  Other things I read about to consider for efficiency are duct work,a good installation, and keeping the equipment maintained. 

Now Its up to You…

This is the part where Yoda tells Luke Skywalker he must feel the Force and find his own way.  Do your homework, educate yourself, work your network, and use your intuition. Good Luck to you! And for the curious…

How my situation turned out

After consulting 3 service providers, I replaced my old r22 unit with a brand new one with a 10 year warranty.  I went with a company that I judged to be a honest and trustworthy.  I did not redo my duct work but know that I can add that later if it becomes important to me.  Yea, I realize that R22 and supporting equipment is phasing out. But the fact is there are many R22 in the world cooling homes right now and I’m banking on the fact that we along millions of others will have access to parts and service for the life of this unit.

If you have experience with this, write a comment and pass it along.  Help me add to the clarity and stomp out confusion!

[tags] HVAC, R22, R410a, SEER rating, 4 ton, Air conditioning, central air conditioning units [/tags]

Filed Under: Home, Home Management Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Creating Warmth in your Home

June 26, 2009 By

This month I’ve been encouraging you to put on your artist’s hat and create an authentic home—a home that supports, encourages, and nurtures everyone to be their very best.  So far, we’ve talked about how to cast a vision for your ideal home and create an atmosphere to influence family members to be the best they can be.  This week, I want to talk about love and warmth.

Fun and Laughter 

Most people love their families (well at least a few members anyway!) but we can get so caught up in the daily tasks of home management, stress of work, getting homework and everything else done that we forget to have some fun and laugh along the way. 

How to Get Started 

To begin creating more warmth in your home, think about the following questions:

  •  How (and how often) do you show appreciation and gratitude in your family?
  • When a family member comes home for the day, how is (s)he greeted?  Is it with happiness and energy or barely a grunt in that direction?
  • How often do you give hugs and kisses or touch each other in your family?  When you kiss your partner, is it the pecking kind of kiss or the ‘let’s put the kids to bed early tonight’ kind?
  • When was the last time you shared a really great side splitting laugh together?  Or even a few chuckles?

 Laughter is probably the most underrated medicine for relationships and improving the happiness scale in your home.  It takes away stress and bonds you tightly together (ala the “inside joke”).  Affection and appreciation also convey to your family how much you love and value them. 

 I challenge you this week to look at these areas and see if sharing a laugh, putting an arm around a family member, or expressing your appreciation doesn’t make things feel just a bit lighter and easier. 

Do you have a favorite memory or story of how laughter helped bring you closer to a friend or family member?  Share it with us!

 Have a fun week!

Filed Under: Home, Home Management Tagged With: , , , , ,

Adjust the Atmosphere in Your Home

June 23, 2009 By

Now that you have cast a vision for your ideal home, it is time to create a nourishing atmosphere in your home.  Atmosphere is defined as “a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence”.  Pay close attention to the last word, “influence”.  We start and end our days at home.  Home is where we learn and practice new things before we do them in front of other people. It is where children develop relationship skills and learn how to navigate in the world.  Even as adults, home is where we come to recover and regroup after a long day’s work.  The atmosphere in your home influences your ability to show up big and bold in the world and accomplish your dreams.

How to create an influential and nurturing atmosphere

Ask yourself the following questions:

  •  Are members of your household accepted and loved unconditionally?
  • Do they feel safe to try new things and be themselves?
  • How often do you and your family spend time encouraging and affirming each other?
  • How much focused time do you spend doing things together without distractions?
  • Is everyone responsible for their own actions and belongings?  Or are some carrying a big burden while others get a free ride?

 When you cultivate an atmosphere of love and acceptance, safety, togetherness, and set some boundaries/responsibilities you are creating a place where everyone can feel supported as they develop their talents and become their best.

What is one thing you can begin doing (or stop doing) this week to enhance the atmosphere of your home? Share it with us!

 Have a great week!

Filed Under: Home, Home Management Tagged With: , , , , ,

Is Your Home a Good Place to Be?

June 17, 2009 By

Do you think of yourself as creative?  Creativity is more than being a painter, sculptor, writer, or musician.  We are the creators of our homes along with our families. 

A woman’s home is a reflection of her life 

When I first heard this many years ago, I didn’t believe it.  I didn’t see any reflection of myself in my home.  All I saw were the kid’s toys, laundry piles, and my husband’s things scattered around the house.  Then it dawned on me, just as I was invisible in my home, I had become invisible in my own life.  I had put everyone’s needs above my own.   That was a wake up call for me. 

Today, you can see my imprint all around my home.  Right now on my coffee table, amid the baseball gloves and harmonicas, you can find my latest read, magazines I love, a great scented candle, and some work papers.  You can look at the household décor, the walls and shelves of my home and find things that bring me joy—pictures and keepsakes that remind me of great vacations and all the people that I love.  I’m even in a few of those pictures myself! 

How to create an authentic home that supports everyone to be the best they can be

The first step is to evaluate where you are and then cast your vision.  Your assignment for this week is to answer the following questions:

Describe the home that you have currently co-created with your family? Think in terms of the following areas:

  • Physical Aspects (décor, organization)
  • Emotional Aspects (what emotions do you feel in your home–happy, sad, relaxed, stressed)
  • Relational Aspects (how do people treat each other in your home)
  • Other Aspects

 What is your ideal vision for you home?  Think in terms of  the following areas:

  • Physical Aspects (décor, organization)
  • Emotional Aspects (how would you like your home “feel” to you)
  • Relational Aspects (how do would you like people treat each other in your home)
  • Other Aspects

 Next time, I’ll share some easy practical steps to begin creating  an atmosphere of support in your home. 

Happy Creating!

Filed Under: Home, Home Management Tagged With: , , , , ,

Solo-preneuring™: Get Paid to Do What You Love to Do

June 17, 2009 By

Do you look forward to going to work every day? Do you enjoy your work so much that you can’t imagine doing anything else? If so, don’t read any further. But if you’ve noticed that Monday through Friday the clocks seem to run slower than they do on the weekends, read on to learn how you can get paid to do work you love.

It is generally believed that you have only two choices when it comes to earning your living: you can be an employee of someone else, or you can start a business and have others working for you.

As an employee, you have to perform up to the expectations of others — your bosses. That means working the hours they set, and doing the work they give you, in the way they tell you to do it. In exchange, you get the security of a regular paycheck. Of course, we’ve all seen in the last few years that there is nothing secure about anyone’s paycheck.

Entrepreneurs work on their terms, but that doesn’t mean they have it easy. Launching a business requires a commitment of time and money, and may take all of both that the entrepreneur can scrape together. Often, the entrepreneur has not gone from slave to master, but has merely traded one master (the boss) for another (the business).

There is an alternative–Solo-preneuring. The Solo-preneur chooses the work he wants to do. She decides what hours she will work. He is not faced with the pressures of making a payroll, nor does he have to go, day after day, to the same old job. Most importantly, the Solo-preneur controls her own destiny. No other person decides her fate.

Solo-preneuring is getting paid for doing what you love. It is taking control of your work and your life. Solo-preneuring is a form of self-employment, but it is much more. It enables you to integrate your work and your life so that you feel good about what you do for a living.

The Solo-preneur has the best of both worlds–freedom from corporate bondage, without taking on the shackles of responsibility required to run a traditional business. Imagine waking up in the morning excited and happy. And doing work that is so in tune with your talents and interests, that it hardly seems like work to you. That’s what Solo-preneurs do.

The Solo-preneur finds ways to make money doing the things he enjoys, while minimizing or eliminating the tasks he doesn’t want to do. As a Solo-preneur, you may choose to do only one type of work. Or, you may combine two or more related functions (e.g., a desktop publishing business and a mailing service). You may even combine two or more completely unrelated pursuits.

My own experience is a great example. I enjoy teaching and speaking, so I conduct seminars and deliver speeches through my own company, and as a contractor for other companies. Writing is another favorite activity, so I write books and magazine articles.

Most of my traditional business experience is in insurance, and I am a licensed agent. Instead of selling insurance, though, I do contract enrolling. It allows me to use my insurance background as well as my public speaking skills, and I can accept work when I want it.

It’s important to remember that there aren’t a lot of rules about Solo-preneuring. The key is flexibility. Your enterprise can be as big or as small as you wish. You may start out small and grow to a large enterprise employing many others, or you may keep it small enough that you remain the only “employee”. You can pursue it full-time or part-time, or even in your spare time for extra income while you work at a traditional job.

The secret to success is starting small (without a lot of up front expense) and adding new profit centers to build your income.

In every other area of your life it seems that people will advise you not to “put all of your eggs in one basket”. No financial advisor would recommend putting all of your savings in only one investment. But when it comes to the key to providing financial security for you and your family, everyone from friends to a guidance counselor to your mom will tell you to go find a good job and stay with it. If that’s not putting all your eggs in one basket, then what is? We’ve all learned that the days of getting a job right out of school, staying there for 40 years, then collecting a gold watch at retirement are over. The work force is changing rapidly. And many people have found themselves pushed out of a company just when they need the job most.

The answer does not lie in the advice given to entrepreneurs, either. The entrepreneur is told to take all his time and money and put it into one concern. Think of nothing else, work on nothing else, and focus completely on making that one venture a success. The reality is that, even with that dedication, a large percentage of entrepreneurial companies do not succeed. So the entrepreneur is left with nothing after working night and day.

And whether you are an employee, an entrepreneur or a Solo-preneur, you will find that business cycles impact you. Various types of businesses are impacted differently by these business cycles. If you operate more than one venture, each will react differently to change. One may slow down while another picks up. In this way you are not going to lose all of your income because of changes in the economy.

Don’t tie your success to one job, one customer, or even one line of work. Be flexible and follow your wishes and dreams. Start one venture, get it rolling, then start another. The time and energy to manage multiple ventures will be there for you, because the work itself will energize you.

Do you remember The Ed Sullivan Show? Ed often had performers who balanced spinning plates atop high sticks. These performers could keep ten or more plates spinning at a time by following a couple of simple principles: Start them one and a time, and tend each one as necessary. Think of Solo-preneuring that way. Start small, then build on your successes. Keep the whole thing in motion by tending whatever requires your attention today.

If your goal is to make $30,000, you may think that there is nothing you can do that would generate $30,000. That’s probably not true, but instead of looking for one thing you can do to earn $30,000, why not look for three ways to make $10,000? These enterprises may be related or not, you may do all of them part-time throughout the year, or you may do each one for only a short time each year. Whether you want to make $30,000 a year or $300,000 a year, the principles are the same.

Virtually anyone can be a Solo-preneur. The key to your success is having an interest in something and a way to make money with it. Most of us can easily identify our interests, so the next step is to determine how to make money with them. Once you start, the problem will not be coming up with ideas to generate income, it will be finding the time to put them all into action!

What Can You Do?

You have skills and abilities that others do not. We often undervalue the things we know and what we can do, thinking, “If I can do it, anyone can.” Well, “anyone” can’t. Maybe you are an excellent cook, or a Civil War buff, or you know all about computers. Whatever your knowledge or skills, they are of value to others. All you have to do is figure out how to package and market them.

Ask yourself:

  • What do I know that others don’t?
  • What can I do that others can’t?
  • What will I do that others won’t?
  • What can I do for others less expensively than they can do it for themselves?
  • Be open-minded and creative. You may not immediately see how to turn your interest into a profit center, but try looking at it from a different perspective. If you know how to make the world’s best cheesecakes, one option would be to bake and sell your cheesecakes. But how else could you use that skill to generate income? You could write and self-publish a cookbook of cheesecake recipes. Or you could teach a class on making the perfect cheesecake. There are probably many other ways that you could think of once you open your mind to the possibilities.

Get Started Now!

The best time to start is always now. Stop saying that “someday” you will take charge of your life and do what you have always wanted to do. Get out your calendar and look at every page. Do you see anything labeled “someday”? I didn’t think so. “Someday” is a code word for “never.” Don’t wait for the kids to go to school, or finish school, or move out. Don’t wait for the day when you have more money, or more time, or more whatever. And don’t think that you are too young or too old, not smart enough, or creative enough, or somehow not good enough to do this. There will always be more to learn and do, so don’t think that everything has to be perfect when you start.

How can you get started? An ancient Chinese proverb says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Take that single step today. It might be as simple as making a phone call to get more information about something that interests you, or you might sign up for a class, register a business name, create a flyer to promote your services, etc. Just pick a step, do it, then go on to the next step.

by Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com
Copyright 2003, Cathy Stucker

Want to know more about Solo-preneuring? This article is excerpted from the manual, Solo-preneuring: The Art of Earning a Living Without a Job, the self-help guide for those who want to escape corporate bondage and find success doing work they love. For more information, go to http://www.idealady.com/solobook.htm

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Work Tagged With: , , , ,

10 Ways to Change Your Life

June 17, 2009 By

Memes. funny word, big concept. Memes are essentially the building blocks for how we move through life. From “Where’s the beef” to “Nice guys finish last”, they are made up of ideas, behaviors, styles or usages that spread from person to person within a culture. They form the boundaries and limits we use to operate in the world. When we were infants, we soaked them up like a sponge and learned how to survive. As we grew older, we began to question them as well as gather evidence to support those that had already taken root, often subconsciously. Sometimes these memes helped us reach our dreams, sometimes not. Through awareness and conscious choice, our memes can support and energize us to reach our goals and create a new reality–one of our own choosing. So roll up your sleeves and let’s do some spring cleaning on those memes…

1)Name the Memes Around You
In your lifetime, you have been surrounded by countless memes. Your family history, culture, friends, television, music, the part of the world you live in, the time period in which you grew up all play a part in the way you view the world. As you become more in tune to these messages, you will be able to identify the ones that support you and eliminate those that don’t.

Exercise: Consider the following areas and the cultural beliefs that relate to them:

1. Money 2. Success 3. Relationships 4. World politics 5. Aging

2) Clarify What’s Influencing You
Were there certain beliefs in your family that you picked up? Did work have to be hard? Was it selfish to ask for what you want rather than go along to get along? Were there certain things that were just not done? The key shift is taking control and using your own thoughts, beliefs, and ideas to invent a new way of being that becomes a bi-product of your thinking propelling you forward to grow and evolve reducing the struggle.

Exercise: Ask yourself the question “Is this belief, idea, concept, or thought working for my life purpose?”

This sounds simple, but it can actually be quite challenging. We all have ideas, beliefs, and thoughts (all memes) which work for our lives and those which don’t. This question should also be asked as you are interacting with your memetic environment. Are the books, websites, journals, movies, and conversations you are having pulling you forward or causing a block in your energy or zapping you of your reserves?

3) Dust Off Your Dreams and Evaluate Your Strengths
What are your strengths? What comes easy or naturally to you? Find out what your strengths are, and apply these each and every day to your life. By getting clear on your life purpose and by examining your thoughts several times each day, it is possible to begin choosing memes which pull you forward.

Exercise: Make a list of things you were “driven to do” but you didn’t because of a belief.

Did you want to “major in interior design,” “invest in a certain stock,” or “date or marry a particular person?” Make a list of everything you have wanted to do in the past but didn’t, and then ask yourself “What were the reasons that you did not act on what you really wanted to do in life?”

4)Map Out Your “Superhighways”
Each of us takes in information in a variety of ways, however some ways are our preferred paths. For example, some people enjoy getting ideas from friends and family, some are moved by visual images, music or lyrics, and still others have to experience life to form their own conclusions. By identifying and using your “superhighways” you can enhance and speed up the process of creating a supportive belief system.

Exercise: Discover your learning style and work with it.

Do some investigation into your learning style and take note of the trends you discover about yourself. Do you prefer to listen to books on tape rather than read? You may be an auditory learner. You learn by listening. If you like to learn by graphs, charts, or from presentations, you may be a visual learner who learns by watching. If however, you learn by hands on experience, you might be kinesthetic and learn best by doing.

5) Eliminate Clutter Holding You Back
Waste and clutter crowd your thinking, and the visual image can create negative thinking, such as “I am overwhelmed” or “Things are broken” or “My house is messy.” The subconscious will take this thought and will translate it into “I am broken, overwhelmed, and messy.”

Exercise: Spend about 10 minutes writing down everything that is on your mind.

This could be a “to do list”, set of random thoughts, energies, or emotions. The goal is to get what is in your mind out and on paper. A “brain dump” is a great way to clear the mind of clutter and crowded thinking. The clearing process can shift your thinking in a heartbeat.

6) Get Creative and Broaden Your Horizons

  • Study an evolutionary trend, a culture different than your own, or a new territory worth entering.
  • Investigate a new topic or idea that interests you—read magazines, interview people in the field, find a group to join
  • Focus on the 15 frameworks. They can open a dialogue to new options, and new ways of thinking. (http://www.coachville.com/15frame.html)
  • Exaggerate or Minimize – If you take a problem, and you blow it up…really exaggerate the problem and make it bigger than it really is, what happens to your thinking? It normally becomes wildly creative. On the same note, when you make something much smaller, the creativity soars as well, because you are shifting your thinking into a mode which is either larger or smaller than is normal for you.

Exercise: Put yourself in a new physical environment.

We can be creatures of habit, doing the same things over and over again. If you always sit in the back of the room, try sitting in the front, left, or right. You can even sit in a different chair around your table at mealtimes or in your living room. You can walk instead of drive, try a new restaurant or route to work, etc. The new perspective will sharpen your ability to be open to new concepts.

7) Design Failsafe Structures
A failsafe structure is a structure or system which makes all environments stronger than you are. Failsafe means that the system or structure is not subject to changes in your mood or in what is going on in your life. Examples of failsafe structures include are

  • strong, stable Coach
  • stimulating artwork, pictures, and photographs access to solid resources (online, library, magazines)
  • structures for self care (weekly massages)
  • mastermind groups
  • music you enjoy waking up to
  • ongoing skills training
  • pets who greet you with happiness, excitement, and lots of kisses

Exercise: Identify 5-10 people you know and ask them to be on your team.

No one does it alone. Next to each person’s name write down their strengths. When you ask them to be on your team, mention their strength, “Bob, I have noticed you are a fantastic speaker, would you be willing to be on my team and help me improve my speaking skills.” Most people will be flattered that you asked, but if Bob turns you down, thank him for his time and ask someone else. In time, you will have assembled a team of people who can provide you with quick solutions to your challenges and stretch your thinking.

Be in Your Purpose
Find your purpose and put yourself squarely in the middle of it. Get to know people who are outstanding in your field, what are their beliefs, what drives them, what ideas do they have about success? Try those on, how do they fit for you? Study your topic or find a group. Instead of saying, “I can’t”, ask yourself, “How can I?”. Surround yourself with real success and unlimited possibility, then your meme’s will begin to shift and line up with your goals.

Exercise: Interview 25 people in your area of interest.

However you define success chose people who have attained it and ask curious questions. Some questions you might ask are:

  • “How/why did you get started?”
  • “What is the most exciting/challenging part of your day?”
  • “If you knew now what you didn’t know then, what would you do differently?”
  • “What are you most proud of?”
  • “What is success to you?”

Look for trends and differences in the answers to these questions. Then ask yourself “Which answers work for my life?” You may be surprised at what you find. And, you might even add some members to you team (See tip Number 7 above).

9) Pay Attention to Inklings and Other Guidance Tools
An inkling is a subtle sense of something, even with no evidence to back it up. As you begin to trust your inklings more often, you will find that your thinking shifts and you will become more trusting of your own abilities to make smart choices. Creativity and momentum are also increased. While we don’t recommend that you act impulsively on something that is going to cost you financially or in a way which harms you, we do recommend that you go with your impulses in areas such as creative writing, drawing, playing music, or in talking to a stranger “just because you want to.”

Exercise: Spend time each day in the alpha state. Research has found that the ideal state for learning is when the brain is in a relaxed, but aware state. Techniques for moving into the alpha state are varied. Some examples are meditation, yoga, swimming, deep breathing exercises, and guided visualization.

10) Realize That “Soakage” is Inevitable
Even though we carefully try to choose our memes, renegade beliefs will occasionally get in or resurface, we will always be a work in progress. Don’t beat yourself up but do the necessary things to maximize success. Below are a few suggestions:

  • Stop watching television (or at least…be very, very selective about what you watch.)
  • Immerse yourself in thoughts and literature which relate to your goal.
  • State your intention for what you see is possible for your day and make a verbal commitment to achieving just that. You hit the ground running, and you are in charge of your entire day…not waiting for others to call forth your best.
  • Observe nature – your thinking can become MUCH bigger and can reach far beyond where you are today.
  • Teach or lead others in a new way of thinking
  • Hold an “integrity day” to help people complete mundane tasks, such as cleaning their office.

Exercise: Create a “Vision Board” and reinvent this one time each month.

One time each month, take the time to post pictures of what you want your life to look like, be like, and feel like on a poster board or bulletin board. Once these pictures are in place, do one thing in order to move you closer to the direction of your vision. A personal vision can orient you in the direction of the future. The more you focus on pictures and goals of what you want and where you are going in life, the more your vision will be pulled in your direction.

This article was co-authored by Kris Knopp and Bea Fields. Kris Knopp is an idea advocate who believes in the power of ideas and empowers others to take their own ideas seriously and get moving on them.  She inspires people to see bigger possibilities and think beyond the ordinary answers in life. Visit Kris at www.InspiredLifeSolutions.com or email Kris@InspiredLifeSolutions.com.  Bea Fields is an Executive Coach, the Visionary Leader for the Personal Environments Community with CoachVille and the Owner of Five Star Leader Coaching and training.

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