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Tag: choices

Are you near or far sighted?

10 questions to help you decide:

1. Can you describe the life you want?

2. What does a perfect day look like, from the moment you wake until the moment you sleep?

3. Do you have an end goal in mind?

4. Is there a problem you want to solve?

5. Do you want a thriving business that lasts after you’re gone?

6. Are you wanting to make someone’s life easier?

7. Are you putting work into the world that is fulfilling?

8. Do you regularly experience love, prosperity, joy?

9. Are you creating a legend you’re proud of?

10. Have you found time to honestly ask: what makes my heart soar?

I don’t know about you, but I’m over titles, degrees, labels, accolades.

I want to know about the work you’re proud of, the art you shipped, the dreams that light your face with promise.

I see “hope” as wishful thinking. I believe there are concrete steps you can take — today — to make your wildest dreams come true.

Focus your vision on what really matters to you.

What skill/tool/lesson do you wish you would have learned earlier? Read responses from yesterday’s #cxchat here.

Is quitting an option?

Quitting might be the best thing you can do.

Quitting is a largely underrated skill. By removing yourself from situations that are detrimental to your growth, you place yourself on the fast track towards opportunity and success. Read more on why quitting might be good for you in this NY Times article.
A few things you might consider quitting:

  • where you live
  • your career
  • relationships
  • your job
  • destructive habits
  • irrelevant projects
  • time wasters
  • negative thoughts

Why (and when) should I quit?

Questions to help you decide if quitting is the best option:

  1. Is this person / situation / job / environment helping me move closer to the person I aim to be?
  2. Do I find this person / situation / job / environment supportive or destructive?
  3. Am I inspired to think big, create, start, and finish?
  4. Is the work I am doing meaningful, important to me, bettering my community, and/or changing lives?
  5. Do I mostly feel calm, confidant, and secure?
  6. Am I able to nourish most aspects of my being (mental, physical, spiritual) and accomplish the goals I’ve set for myself?

[You can also check out this Should I Quit? online questionnaire. Or find someone who can help you walk through this process.]

You always have options.

Instead of quitting, you could:

  • hope the situation improves
  • wait for things to change
  • complain about them
  • work to improve them
  • ignore them
  • get fired
  • settle

The important thing is that you realize you have choices.
The difficult part is honestly assessing which one is right for you.

When “some” is better than “done”

It’s tempting to delay beginnings. Starting a project carries a certain amount of anxiety and trepidation. Eventually this emotional upheaval is conquered, and a new relationship forms — a protective, cautious, calculating awareness of your dream. Your time, energy, passion, love, and sacrifice have been invested into this work, and your pride is as stake. Suddenly, progress is never just right, the piece is never perfect; it lies unfinished.

It’s up to you to define the dividing line between obsession and creation. It takes honesty and acceptance to separate work you’re proud of from slop that requires more attention. However, if you don’t begin, you won’t have anything to revise or shape. Your idea will be just that — an abstract concept with no real testing power.

What if you could accept a tolerable first iteration? Embrace the fact that unless you’re lucky or highly skilled, there’s a good chance you’ll look back at your first draft and cringe. Set specific goals and concrete checkpoints to overcome perfection paralysis and create something rather than nothing.

Do you wonder how other people get started? Not sure how to label finished from needs work? Ask others for tips during today’s twitter chat, 4pm EST (use #cxchat).

Do you have what you want?

True or false:

  1. Fairy tales are real.
  2. Adventure isn’t just for vacation.
  3. Your work can be meaningful.
  4. You have the ability to create more stability and security than with any employer.

Throughout my work with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and 1:1 clients, I’ve pinpointed three key areas that prevent belief in the above:

  • Resentment
  • Lack of focus
  • Stagnation (disguised fear)

As a result, I’ve developed a methodology to help people push beyond perceived limits and get what they really desire. It’s based on the following principles:

Get honest

Easier for some people than others… make the time and find someplace quiet to sit down and get real with yourself. You’ll need to make a commitment to be honest about what it is you want, how you spend your time, who your closest relationships are, what kind of environments nourish your soul. Being able to identify crucial aspects of your personality, character, likes, dislikes, and leadership preferences (do you listen, lead, or follow?) can help you with the next step.

Set goals

The goals you set for yourself provide the framework for your energy and efforts. Without specific goals, you won’t be as effective; your intentions and actions less efficient. The trick is to identify goals that are meaningful and relevant for you (sometimes folks confuse another person’s expectations and preferences with their own).

Once you’ve labeled what you want and have set both long and short-term goals accordingly, you’ll be able to do your best work. Get what you want by working backwards is a post that can help you create a plan that will crush obstacles and conquer blocks (both internal and external) that might stop you in your tracks. Your fears have a more difficult time hiding when you have concrete goals in mind and on paper.

Ship

The final stage, and perhaps the most important. Perfectionism, commitment issues, laziness, self hatred — these kinds of things show up here. Guess what? They’re mostly about fear. By forcing yourself to put your work into the world, you’ll learn that products don’t need to be perfect to be finished. You may even realize that your biggest obstacle in getting things done is…you. Ship, and show fear who is boss.

I’ve been using a tailored version of this formula with a number of clients and have watched incredible transformations take place. If you’re interested in learning more and seeing whether our work together might help you, feel free to drop me a note. I’d love to hear what’s working (and what isn’t) for you.

Do you have enough time — or are you afraid?

I don’t have enough time is a complaint heard in corporate settings, co-working spaces, home offices, and everything in-between. Since you won’t be getting more hours in your day, make sure you’re making the most out of what you have.

1. Cut out nonessentials.

Track your activities throughout the day. Are you spending hours dawdling at the local coffee shop? Could you check Facebook less? Do you say “yes” when you could be saying “no”? Are you accepting tasks that could easily be delegated?

2. Streamline.

Become more efficient in your day-to-day activities. Block out chunks to devote to specific activities and limit distractions during these scheduled appointment times. Combine relevant meetings (and add value by expanding the network of others).

3. Revisit your priorities.

If you really want it done, you’ll make it work. Are your daily decisions reflecting your utmost priorities?

4. Face your fears.

Be honest: Are you afraid? Not having enough time is often a cop out. Is this your excuse to delay an action or plan? Imagine if you accomplished your goal. What would happen if you succeeded?

Pretend you’re gifted with an extra hour today; how would you spend it? Dare yourself to make it happen.

What do you want?

My manual for daily adventure is one of the more popular posts I’ve written on this blog.

People are looking for excitement. They’re looking to add spice and variety to their lives. Sometimes it’s so easy to get stuck in a holding pattern that it feels like it’s too late to get out.

Today, I want to encourage you to carve out time for yourself. Set aside the “shoulds” and “musts” and deadlines and pressing calendar invites. Give yourself the space to ask the following question:

“What do I want?”

I’m serious. Get honest with yourself and listen to the answer. What do you really, really want?

I’m not just talking about a pay raise or a new car. What makes your heart soar? What are the things you dream of? What is your adventure?

What do you want?

If you have trouble with this question, break it down into parts. Think about your career, your love life, your home, your body, spirituality, money.

Is it a title you’re after? Are you wanting to feel connected and respected? Do you look forward to returning home? Is your relationship with your body uplifting and energizing? Do you feel grounded most of the time? Are you creating a life of abundance?

You can take this exercise one step further by writing it down. List what comes to mind when you consider each topic. Post this list someplace you’ll see it often and revisit it regularly to align your daily actions with your long-term goals.

Where you channel your focus is where you’ll attract opportunities.

Find what you love. Find what excites you. Refuse to settle into a rut that’s binding. If you’re in one now, get out. Visualize possibilities and pinpoint goals that will move you closer towards what you want.

Give yourself permission to ask the question (and don’t be afraid of the answer). It might not be clear, it might seem out of reach. The important thing is that you ask.

What do you want?