Lent began nearly a week ago now. Lots of people give up seemingly simple things for Lent - food, alcohol, TV. I decided to give up procrastination in order to make progress on my goals for the year.
My goals are also seemingly simple. Lose 20 pounds. Blog more consistently. Put together and publish a book or books based on my blog posts from 2012-2017.
And there are times I blaze along on these goals. Other times, I seem to fall off the path and wander about lost in the haze of other temptations, mainly binge-watching TV or being caught in the trap of scrolling an internet feed.
So, I am recommitting to giving up procrastination for progress.
One of today's goals is writing and posting this blog post. Another one is clearing a space to do yoga and pilates. A third is to actually do either yoga, pilates, or Qi Gong (all of which I have videos for - and equipment).
What are you giving up to make progress on your goals? Or should I ask what are you willing to give up to make that progress?
Until next time, Namaste!
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Sunday, February 4, 2018
MaXIMIze - Intentions and Goals
In our office safety meeting last month, I gave a presentation that included the following information:
Recognizing your sphere of control, your sphere of influence, and those things outside of both that you can do nothing about. Once you realize the only person you can truly control is yourself - and that is where you should put your energy, and you can make the distinctions of control and influence, you can let go of that which you can't control and focus on that which you can.
This will help with setting intentions and being able to achieve your goals.
Another thing that helps with doing this is being able to set realistic goals. Realistic goals follow the SMART model:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results-Focused
Time-Bound
Examples I gave included losing weight, saving money, posting to this blog, and publishing a book or several books based on the my posts from 2012 to 2017. Each of those is broad enough to be considered an intention, until you apply the SMART model to it. We'll use losing weight as an example:
Intention: Lose Weight
Specific - how much weight? 20 pounds
Measurable - Did you meet your goal at the end? Are there milestones you can set/track?
Achievable - is this achievable during the timeframe set?
Results-Focused - Are you making progress toward your goal in the timeframe set? If not, what do you need to do to get back on track and move forward? Or, do you need to readjust your target?
Time-Bound - By when? December 2018
Once you've laid out your intention, and turned it into a goal (or goals, depending), then you can focus on the actions you need to take in order to work toward the desired result. Those are the concrete, measurable steps you can take and track in order to meet your goals. One foot in front of the other, as the saying goes!
Also, in order to reach your goals, you want to focus on reward, not punishment. You want to recognize your milestones along the way, and celebrate those successes. And, if you fall behind, you want to simply start again by getting back up and taking it one day at a time. If need be, reassess your goals and adjust them.
I will close this post with something I found on Twitter today, posted by Mindfulness Wellness (@HealingMB):
S - see your goal
U - understand the obstacles
C - create a positive mental picture
C - clear your mind of self-doubt
E - embrace all challenges
S - sacrifice free time
S - show the world you can do it
F - feed your focus
U - utilize all opportunities
L - learn from all failures
Coming up in future posts, we will talk about Manifesting Your Vision!
Until next time, Namaste!
Recognizing your sphere of control, your sphere of influence, and those things outside of both that you can do nothing about. Once you realize the only person you can truly control is yourself - and that is where you should put your energy, and you can make the distinctions of control and influence, you can let go of that which you can't control and focus on that which you can.
This will help with setting intentions and being able to achieve your goals.
Another thing that helps with doing this is being able to set realistic goals. Realistic goals follow the SMART model:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results-Focused
Time-Bound
Examples I gave included losing weight, saving money, posting to this blog, and publishing a book or several books based on the my posts from 2012 to 2017. Each of those is broad enough to be considered an intention, until you apply the SMART model to it. We'll use losing weight as an example:
Intention: Lose Weight
Specific - how much weight? 20 pounds
Measurable - Did you meet your goal at the end? Are there milestones you can set/track?
Achievable - is this achievable during the timeframe set?
Results-Focused - Are you making progress toward your goal in the timeframe set? If not, what do you need to do to get back on track and move forward? Or, do you need to readjust your target?
Time-Bound - By when? December 2018
Once you've laid out your intention, and turned it into a goal (or goals, depending), then you can focus on the actions you need to take in order to work toward the desired result. Those are the concrete, measurable steps you can take and track in order to meet your goals. One foot in front of the other, as the saying goes!
Also, in order to reach your goals, you want to focus on reward, not punishment. You want to recognize your milestones along the way, and celebrate those successes. And, if you fall behind, you want to simply start again by getting back up and taking it one day at a time. If need be, reassess your goals and adjust them.
I will close this post with something I found on Twitter today, posted by Mindfulness Wellness (@HealingMB):
S - see your goal
U - understand the obstacles
C - create a positive mental picture
C - clear your mind of self-doubt
E - embrace all challenges
S - sacrifice free time
S - show the world you can do it
F - feed your focus
U - utilize all opportunities
L - learn from all failures
Coming up in future posts, we will talk about Manifesting Your Vision!
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, January 28, 2018
MaXIMIze - New Year - Values Assessment
If you are not living in alignment with your core values, your life may feel out of sync, you may feel unsettled, uneasy, and on edge, but you can't put your finger on why you feel that way.
An exercise I learned first with a group of women where I used to live, and have since run across in slight variations, is about identifying your core values.
Take a few moments and write down 10 values you feel strongly connected to.
Let that list simmer for a couple of days, and then refine it to five values.
Then to three.
Then to one.
Then, look at your life through the lens of your core values. Take the six areas we discussed in the last post, and see if you are living your life in alignment with these values.
My top core value is freedom - others are honesty, loyalty, fidelity, and responsibility. I'd say these are my five core values. So, how do these jibe with my goals for 2018?
Finances - freedom and responsibility - getting out of debt gives me the freedom to really plan for retirement from my current day job. I am eligible to retire in 2020, and being both eligible and financially able to will be a weight off my shoulders. I like my job, and I may not retire in 2020, however just knowing I have the freedom to do so is enough.
Getting out of debt is the responsible thing to do. I have enough in my retirement account to pay off my current debt and leave my children with a tidy sum of money - and being more responsible with my finances will give me the freedom to enjoy my retirement.
The same is true of my health - and getting my blog books published may enhance my financial freedom and give me a second career.
So yes, all my goals for 2018 jibe with my core values.
Do yours? If not, what do you need to change in your life right here, right now, to move toward living your best life now - in alignment with your core values?
In future posts, we will discuss setting intentions, goals setting, and Manifestation Boards.
Until next time, Namaste!
An exercise I learned first with a group of women where I used to live, and have since run across in slight variations, is about identifying your core values.
Take a few moments and write down 10 values you feel strongly connected to.
Let that list simmer for a couple of days, and then refine it to five values.
Then to three.
Then to one.
Then, look at your life through the lens of your core values. Take the six areas we discussed in the last post, and see if you are living your life in alignment with these values.
My top core value is freedom - others are honesty, loyalty, fidelity, and responsibility. I'd say these are my five core values. So, how do these jibe with my goals for 2018?
Finances - freedom and responsibility - getting out of debt gives me the freedom to really plan for retirement from my current day job. I am eligible to retire in 2020, and being both eligible and financially able to will be a weight off my shoulders. I like my job, and I may not retire in 2020, however just knowing I have the freedom to do so is enough.
Getting out of debt is the responsible thing to do. I have enough in my retirement account to pay off my current debt and leave my children with a tidy sum of money - and being more responsible with my finances will give me the freedom to enjoy my retirement.
The same is true of my health - and getting my blog books published may enhance my financial freedom and give me a second career.
So yes, all my goals for 2018 jibe with my core values.
Do yours? If not, what do you need to change in your life right here, right now, to move toward living your best life now - in alignment with your core values?
In future posts, we will discuss setting intentions, goals setting, and Manifestation Boards.
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, January 14, 2018
MaXIMIze - New Year - Time to Reassess
There is an an exercise I like to do at least annually called the Circle of Perception.
To do this exercise, take a piece of paper and draw a large circle in the center of it. Then divide the circle into six equal sections, like pieces of pie or pizza. Label each of the sections as follows:
Career
Relationships
Finances
Physical Well Being
Spiritual Well Being
Overall Well Being
Then, rate each of these areas from 1 to 10, and show that in each section. A rating of 10 would be the edge of the circle, 1 would be in the center of the circle (where all the pieces meet), and 5 would be at the midpoint of the section/circle.
Once each section is rated, look at the circle. Are all of the sections rated equally or are some rated higher than others? What sections are rated below an 8?
For the ones rated below an 8, what would it take for each of them to be an 8?
Think about that for the next week.
Next week, we'll do an exercise aimed at determining your core values, and then look at what you've thought about for this exercise to see if what you said would cause those areas rated below an 8 to become an 8 really fit your core values.
Later in the month we will discuss setting intentions and goal settings.
Until next time, Namaste!
To do this exercise, take a piece of paper and draw a large circle in the center of it. Then divide the circle into six equal sections, like pieces of pie or pizza. Label each of the sections as follows:
Career
Relationships
Finances
Physical Well Being
Spiritual Well Being
Overall Well Being
Then, rate each of these areas from 1 to 10, and show that in each section. A rating of 10 would be the edge of the circle, 1 would be in the center of the circle (where all the pieces meet), and 5 would be at the midpoint of the section/circle.
Once each section is rated, look at the circle. Are all of the sections rated equally or are some rated higher than others? What sections are rated below an 8?
For the ones rated below an 8, what would it take for each of them to be an 8?
Think about that for the next week.
Next week, we'll do an exercise aimed at determining your core values, and then look at what you've thought about for this exercise to see if what you said would cause those areas rated below an 8 to become an 8 really fit your core values.
Later in the month we will discuss setting intentions and goal settings.
Until next time, Namaste!
Sunday, December 17, 2017
MaXIMIze - Celebration - Rituals and Change
As I look at my small artificial Christmas tree decorated with ornaments from my mother's growing up years, mine, and my children's, I realize rituals change as life changes.
One of my favorite holiday photos is when my daughter was about three years old, and she was kneeling in front of the Christmas tree she had just put the topper on (with the help of her dad). The tree was six-foot-plus and very bushy - the kind you can tuck the lights and ornaments into. There were lots of packages under the tree, and she was just looking up at the tree full of lights and ornaments.
For years we would go to a lot and pick a tree, a tall bushy tree. There were years when the trees were smaller due to finances, but we always had a cut real tree. With lots of packages under it.
The family grew and shrank over the years, with marriages and divorces, and now has stabilized to three kids, one kid's lady, and three grandchildren - and my significant other.
My little tree has presents for two under it this year, since the kids and grandkids are scattered to the four winds, and I no longer live in the same state as my older two children.
So traditions like stockings, opening a small present on Christmas Eve, and making cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning have changed. No more stockings, no more small gift on Christmas Eve to appease anxious children, but I still make the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. This year, there will only be three of us gathered together. And that's okay.
Children grow up, families change, as does life.
And that is a gift unto itself.
Namaste!
One of my favorite holiday photos is when my daughter was about three years old, and she was kneeling in front of the Christmas tree she had just put the topper on (with the help of her dad). The tree was six-foot-plus and very bushy - the kind you can tuck the lights and ornaments into. There were lots of packages under the tree, and she was just looking up at the tree full of lights and ornaments.
For years we would go to a lot and pick a tree, a tall bushy tree. There were years when the trees were smaller due to finances, but we always had a cut real tree. With lots of packages under it.
The family grew and shrank over the years, with marriages and divorces, and now has stabilized to three kids, one kid's lady, and three grandchildren - and my significant other.
My little tree has presents for two under it this year, since the kids and grandkids are scattered to the four winds, and I no longer live in the same state as my older two children.
So traditions like stockings, opening a small present on Christmas Eve, and making cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning have changed. No more stockings, no more small gift on Christmas Eve to appease anxious children, but I still make the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. This year, there will only be three of us gathered together. And that's okay.
Children grow up, families change, as does life.
And that is a gift unto itself.
Namaste!
Saturday, December 16, 2017
MaXIMIze - Celebration - Sometimes I Hate the Holidays!
I had a whole plan laid out of what topics that fit the theme of Celebration I was going to blog about this month - which got totally sidetracked for a variety of reasons!
A Facebook interaction - a reaction to responses to a post I shared on sharing favorite meals that Mom or Grandma made, which I addressed to my three blood children - has put a pall on the holidays this year.
It is a pall I can choose to wear as a mantle, or one I can cry over and let go - and I will choose the latter.
The holiday season can dredge up all sorts of memories - good and bad - and how we perceive those memories can cause us to either be filled with joy and thankfulness for what we have right here, right now, or they can push us into melancholy, depression, and crying "woe is me" to the world.
So, when I had read responses to my post before bed last night, I was happy that my children - both blood and heart - were remembering good times and good meals. I went to sleep with that positive energy flowing through me.
When I checked the responses this morning, however, I discovered that my son and a Facebook friend of mine had an argument in the thread of the responses, and my son had left Facebook (which he has done in the past). This hurt me deeply, and yes, when I got more information on his responses, I cried.
I love my son and I hurt for him. However, he has issues he needs to address and find a way to heal. Unless he truly acknowledges that fact, takes responsibility for his own life, and works to change and grow into the healthy, happy, responsible person we all know he can be, then these flare-ups are going to continue to happen, particularly during times of celebration.
And that is why I sometimes hate the holidays.
However, I can choose to wallow in the negative emotions or I can choose to let them pass through and focus on the positive instead.
I can choose to respond rather than react. I can take that breath, fill my thoughts with positivity, and move forward from there, realizing life isn't perfect, and this too shall pass.
I will focus on the happy memories of the little boy who loved popcorn toast so much that he tried to make it himself, and continue to send the man that boy grew into positive energy, and hope he finds a way to heal for himself and for his beautiful children.
Namaste!
A Facebook interaction - a reaction to responses to a post I shared on sharing favorite meals that Mom or Grandma made, which I addressed to my three blood children - has put a pall on the holidays this year.
It is a pall I can choose to wear as a mantle, or one I can cry over and let go - and I will choose the latter.
The holiday season can dredge up all sorts of memories - good and bad - and how we perceive those memories can cause us to either be filled with joy and thankfulness for what we have right here, right now, or they can push us into melancholy, depression, and crying "woe is me" to the world.
So, when I had read responses to my post before bed last night, I was happy that my children - both blood and heart - were remembering good times and good meals. I went to sleep with that positive energy flowing through me.
When I checked the responses this morning, however, I discovered that my son and a Facebook friend of mine had an argument in the thread of the responses, and my son had left Facebook (which he has done in the past). This hurt me deeply, and yes, when I got more information on his responses, I cried.
I love my son and I hurt for him. However, he has issues he needs to address and find a way to heal. Unless he truly acknowledges that fact, takes responsibility for his own life, and works to change and grow into the healthy, happy, responsible person we all know he can be, then these flare-ups are going to continue to happen, particularly during times of celebration.
And that is why I sometimes hate the holidays.
However, I can choose to wallow in the negative emotions or I can choose to let them pass through and focus on the positive instead.
I can choose to respond rather than react. I can take that breath, fill my thoughts with positivity, and move forward from there, realizing life isn't perfect, and this too shall pass.
I will focus on the happy memories of the little boy who loved popcorn toast so much that he tried to make it himself, and continue to send the man that boy grew into positive energy, and hope he finds a way to heal for himself and for his beautiful children.
Namaste!
Friday, December 1, 2017
MaXIMIze - Gratitude - Your Attitude Affects Your Altitude
Your attitude about things in general and in particular affects your perception of situations and where you go in life.
If you choose to see the world as a dark, dreary, or even evil place, you will interact with others and your environment as a whole from that perspective.
If you choose to see the world as a bright, vibrant place full of hope, love, and goodness, you will then interact with others and your environment as a whole from that perspective.
Only you can control your attitude, which means you control where you go in life.
So where do you choose to go? To the dark side or to the light?
Since it is now December, we will be focusing on celebration for the remaining posts of 2017.
Until next time, Namaste!
If you choose to see the world as a dark, dreary, or even evil place, you will interact with others and your environment as a whole from that perspective.
If you choose to see the world as a bright, vibrant place full of hope, love, and goodness, you will then interact with others and your environment as a whole from that perspective.
Only you can control your attitude, which means you control where you go in life.
So where do you choose to go? To the dark side or to the light?
Since it is now December, we will be focusing on celebration for the remaining posts of 2017.
Until next time, Namaste!
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