Tag: you can do it

You’re Making a Difference

We’re all making progress on our respective life journeys, and while we’re in the progress, it’s a good idea to take a moment to review where we’ve been and try to get a better idea about where we’re going.

Chances are you’re feeling a strong sense of congruency with how your life is going, you feel like you’re making a contribution, you are feeling good about your life and life as having a positive future, feeling like the world can be a better place, and you’re just one of the people striving to do your part to make it happen. And happiness? You’re so happy, you downplay it to your family and friends because you don’t want to make them feel bad, see how good their lives could be, or think you’re off your rocker… So, you keep a low profile and try to blend in a little.

Nonetheless, when the alarm goes off, you reach over, turn it off and smile, because today, today is going to be another exciting, great day. Woot woot!

That, in itself, is a pretty good indication that you’re making good progress and you’re headed in the right direction. And while most days start so wonderfully, sometimes, just like anyone else, we go through transitions and changes of mood, too. What then?

Sometimes, when we’re trying to push through a personal level, it can take more time than we’d like it to. Let’s say, you had a goal and gave yourself 90 days to achieve it, but when you get to the third month, you realize you’re not as far along as would have liked to have been. What then?

Journaling sounds like a pain in the butt, but everyone that is on a path similar to ours, swears that whenever they hit a bump in the road or are feeling blue, a wandering through the old journal, infuses them with an indestructible resolve and unbound energy to go the distance.

Nonetheless, you got this, because now, when you pass a mirror, you smile because you know you’re good people and you’re so good with that.

You know you’re living a better life when you can’t remember the last time you had a bad day and you’re making changes in your life naturally, without even thinking about it, and you look forward to challenges, rather than stressing over potential trouble.

You know you’re living your best life when you have no fear or reservations about making new friends and expanding your circle of influence, and the way you integrate with them takes on a whole new flavor.

For instance, if you make a mistake, you don’t start looking for someone or something to blame for it, you just accept that it is what it is, and maybe even find humor in it, while looking for the meaning or hidden treasure inside the experience.

What others think about you doesn’t really matter anymore. They can like you, or not, and you don’t feel like you have anything to prove to anyone, and find comfort in doing the things you enjoy and make you feel good, regardless of what others might think, and you’re exercising your right to establish boundaries and use the word, “no.”

And as you are having an impact on those around you and are taking an active part in making the world a better place, you feel really good about the good work that you are doing.

And just in case you didn’t notice, others are taking notice of your good works and are even starting to comment on your change, growth, and contribution.

As you’re in the process of contributing, you are more concerned about the outcome than the preciseness of the execution, for it is better to do, than not to do. If things don’t go exactly as planned, no problem. Either you or someone else will do it differently the next time.

Goal setting just comes naturally and achievement of those goals comes easier as you find yourself more and more in the flow, and you’re not too concerned with the details that may have prevented execution in the past. Procrastination isn’t even on your radar because you’re a mover and shaker.

And you know what? You are making a difference, and you’re an inspiration.

You can do it.

Keep up the good works.

What You Do Today Defines You

How was your day today? What did you do today?

What you did today defines who you are as a person.

There’s a TV show that examines the last 24 hours of the lives of famous celebrities called the Final 24. It’s fascinating; who doesn’t want to know what someone does, what they think in those last 24 hours. In many ways there is nothing more critically important than how they spent their last 24 hours.

These people lived their lives and then, suddenly, left this physical plane of existence nearly by choice as in the case of drug overdose or suicide, or unexpectedly by way of murder, accidental death, or sudden death due to health issues.

Thank God, you’re not dead; not yet.

But in many ways what you did in the last 24 hours defines who you are as a person. If you look at your life, as you lived it today, the things you did, the thoughts that dominated your mind, how you spent your time, where you focused your attention, what you have to show for your efforts today, depicts the kind of person you are, if it was not unlike most of the days that preceded it.

For most people, today was just another lack luster day, and they don’t have much good to show for it.

It is possible that if today was such a magnificent day, and you are so proud of how you spent your day and would like to be remembered for this day forever,

DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN ANY POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING CIRCUMSTANCE

This is not the day to take any risks, or to try to, “go out on a high note.”

Instead think of this as only being the first day in a long succession of days, maybe filling up the rest of your life with productive, meaningful and fulfilling demonstrations of your ability to keep doing more, living a better life, your best life, and making the world a better place.

And if today was the same ol’ same ol’ run of the mill day-in-day-out kind of day, guess what?

You’re still here and God willing, you have a fresh new day ahead tomorrow.

This could be the day that you decide to take charge of your life and start living it in a manner that you can be proud of. You can take an active part in being the change you would like to see in the world.

One person can make a difference.

… and you could be one of those people.

Maybe tomorrow you can try a random act of kindness, or be the light in someone’s life. You would be surprised how little it takes to make a difference. It will take action on your part, but you will be impressed how doing something significant can make you feel so exhilarated. One random act of kindness actually improves the lives of both the giver and the receiver by ramping up the body’s bio-chemistry and improving the immune systems for eight hours; great benefits for just making the effort to do something good.

And the more you do it, chances are, the more you’ll want to keep on doing it and finding new ways to make the world a better place. The people who do so are by far my favorite people, I call them Acts of Kindness Superheroes.

It doesn’t take much, and you can be that person, if you set aside a little time to do it.

You can do it.

Stop and Smell the Roses

When we’re conducting the business of just getting along in life, it’s easy to take the time to stop and smell the roses. Of course, it’s not just the roses, it’s all the things in life we take for granted. If you want to maximize the life you’re living, you can achieve so much more joy and satisfaction by savoring all the nuances that add the flavor to each day well lived.

Everyone has the same 86,400 seconds each day, how are you going to use yours. By paying attention to those subtle details, you can get so much more out of each minute of every day.

Technology has presented us with ample distraction as an effective way to keep our attention engaged, which keeps you from getting bored, but potentially at the expense of loss of quality of life, at least in the romantic sense of it.

Tablets, iPods, cell phones, television, streaming media, radio, iTunes, NetFlix, YouTube, computers, video games, signage, all clamoring for your attention, it’s nearly impossible to have a spare moment, when something is not trying to grasp your attention.

You’re lucky if you have the ability to unplug, sit down to enjoy a family meal without television, phones or other devices, or any of the other simple pleasures in life, such as taking a walk, or just sitting and enjoying a face-to-face talk, without the presence of devices.

Not to sound paranoid, but recently, I was having a face-to-face discussion with someone who mentioned a restaurant I’d never heard of. Later, when I picked up my phone, a pop-up ad for that restaurant showed up. Coincidence? I don’t know, just saying… ‘ere, I digress.

If you really want to get all that you can out of this life, you need to make room in your life, in your day, in the precious moments of this life, to allow life to emerge before you. Make or find moments where you can sit in silent repose, to reflect about yourself, what you want out of life. Think about the things that make you happy and the activities which bring you joy.

Maybe it’s time to put yourself back in the drivers’ seat of your life, and not let media, commercialism, or the powers-that-be control you and your thoughts. Is it time to pay attention to you, your self, your body, your life?

If it is, then start making time for looking after you. Make time to engage in the activities that make you feel good. Schedule your “me time” to do whatever it is that makes you happy. It could be as simple as taking a walk in the park, feeding the ducks, sitting on a park bench, listening to your favorite music, taking a nice soak in the bathtub, or engaging in a particular hobby. Whatever it is that brings you joy, make time for that.

And when your day has come to an end, and slumber is just around the corner, take time to review your day. What did it look like? Did you take out a little time for yourself? Did you get all the things done that you set out to do? Regardless of the answers, love and forgive yourself.

It’s a crazy world out there, and we’re all doing the best we can with what we have. That means, you, too. So lighten up and give yourself a break. Cut yourself some slack and remember that tomorrow is a fresh, new day.

If you’re like the rest of us, you’re juggling a world of potential activities and obligations. You can reduce some of the overwhelm and panic by making a list (which you can use old-school technology, such as paper and a writing instrument, or use your phone or other device that might be handy), and check off things as you do them. Don’t delete them, because there is satisfaction in the doing of it, so mark it as done. And if you don’t get a majority (or any) of the things done, “Oh well,” you did the best you could.

And if there’s something on your list of things to do, that you’d rather not do, then try to create an atmosphere that is fun or at least pleasant, so that you are making the best of it. This can make it appear to be less monotonous, if you can find a way to make it more entertaining, or to inject some joy in the atmosphere around the particular task.

For those who are maintaining a frantically paced workload, or prolonged period of focused attention on a particular task, learn to stop (stop) and take a break periodically. Get up and go to the bathroom, or stroll to the lunchroom, check out the parking lot, walk up and down a flight of stairs. Whatever you’re doing that is demanding your attention, make time for you, even if it’s only for a few (as few as two) minutes.

Commuters who spend a portion of their day in travel to and from work, or a job site, etc., find a way to break up the commute. Commute time is a great way to study and expand your mind by reading or listening (listening, if you’re driving) to positive information, but also think about breaking up the commute by pulling over, or stopping midway, to get out and stretch, and take the opportunity to allow your mind the opportunity to see or imagine something you might have overlooked amidst the hustle and bustle.

Think on those things that are good. Whenever you have the opportunity to think for yourself, make opportunities to reflect on all the good things this life has to offer. Think about how you might be able to make a contribution to your family or community that will have meaningful impact. Think about avoiding negative news, remain positive, and fill your thoughts with positive, enlightening ideals, while taking time to smell the roses every once and a while.

Put Off Procrastination

Why do today what you can put off tomorrow?

In my line of work, I am blessed to find myself among the movers and shakers of the world. These people are visionary masters who take action and see their dreams burst into vibrant life before their very eyes. To you and I, it looks like magic, but in real life, the only difference between these abundant leaders who manifest miracles and the rest of us, is their propensity to do today what they could have put off tomorrow. In other words, they have an impeccable ability to do.

It doesn’t mean their doingness comes easy. In fact, in many cases it comes at great sacrifice, but they do it nonetheless. They are the doers, and you see their fruits of labor as they continue to take action and help to make the world a better place. Even if their personality is more subdued, their answering to a higher calling precludes and trumps their inclination to hesitate or procrastinate.

What about you? Do you have a tendency to put off until tomorrow what you can do today?
Procrastination is rooted in complacency and lack of motivation. Some people might label such a person as lazy, or a couch potato, if they are more apt to be reluctant to take action. But isn’t that the common vibration all across America today? In general, people just are not as motivated to take massive action anymore. Hell, they’re not even prone to think for themselves anymore. It’s just easier to let someone else deal with it and enjoy what’s left over.

I mean, life in America has gotten a lot easier that it was only a hundred years ago. It’s hard to imagine a world without planes, trains and automobiles. It wasn’t that long ago to suggest living a life with media, computers, instant communications technology and online shopping would have been considered witchcraft or science fiction, and if you persisted, possibly an invitation to change your address to the loony bin.

So it’s easy to hang out with Jack and Diane and get high and watch the tube, two American lovers with nothing better to do, or surf the web, spend countless hours scrolling through social media, or whatever other pastimes might be distracting you from your opportunity to do something.

You have things you want to accomplish, but it seems like it gets harder and harder to get things done, because it seems like there’s just not enough hours in a day anymore. There’s just not enough time to get done, the things that you might like to accomplish. It seems like you’re always in a rush to get things done at the last minute. In fact, if it weren’t for the last minute, you might not do anything at all (and there’s nothing wrong with that).

You look around and think, “What’s the big deal?” as you notice that no one else you know is doing anything, either, so it just must be normal, and it’s good to be normal.
Lucky for us all, there is an amazing example of normal people accomplishing amazingly significant things every day, that they are not able to avoid doing. If you’re not one, find a woman who has given birth to a child, and you will be in the presence of such a person.

This is the ultimate act of creation, to see life magically burst before your eyes.
Was it fun? Hopefully parts of the process was enjoyable, but much of the process was challenging and in those final moments before birth, excruciatingly painful. But she pursued, pushed through, and so did the baby. And in that moment of success, when creator holds her creation in her arms and looks that baby in the eyes… There is no more meaningful moment in this life.

Moments, like this, are experienced by the doers who take action and do the work necessary to see their projects come to life, too.

So what’s keeping you from getting from here to there?

You might begin by looking around at ways in your life where you can tweak your life to create more opportunities to do something noteworthy of significant; maybe something you’ve felt compelled to do, but just thought putting it off would be easier.

If there’s something welling up inside you, and you’re thinking about taking action, maybe start with a simple to do list. This is an easy way to get your feet wet in the arena of productivity. Just by making a list of things you might like to accomplish today. You can ramp up your productivity by assigning a numeric value indicating how important an item is on your list by using a scale of 1 to 10, or 1 to 100, whichever feels better for you. And be diligent about getting the most important things done.

The next step to further improve your list’s efficiency is to take a moment to review what might be involved in accomplishing the things on it. How long will it take? Set aside the time necessary to accomplish specific tasks. The better you get at estimating and making time for things, the more time you will have for other things throughout the day.

As you begin to make changes in your life, you will notice things falling into an organizational arrangement, allowing you to adjust and make changes to maximize your time. The more tidy you are able to keep things around you, the more efficiency will be realized as you continue to streamline your daily activities. At this point, you may want to use some of your newly acquired free time to further streamline your environment. Then make time to reward yourself for doing so.

You are no longer a victim of the ticking clock as you begin to create time for activating your goals, dreams and desires. You’re making simple adjustments and creating more time for you to take the action necessary to prepare for the birth of your dream. If a particular task seems overwhelming, break it down into smaller steps which can be taken a bit at a time. Before you know it, you will have conquered the seemingly impossible as you move closer and closer to your goal and you find yourself on the other side of procrastination, leaving it far behind for those who are more “normal.”

You are accomplishing the most important things earlier in the day, so that you are being able to enjoy the easier tasks as the day goes along, so that you can enjoy more peaceful evenings, and find yourself sleeping better, knowing that you have made progress today.

You are dealing with the issues as they arise. You’re finding ways to take action over feelings of inadequacy, second-guessing, and varying states of emotional stress. Every day, you are better than the day before, and you are emerging as the confident, take charge person you need to be, to make your best contribution to a world waiting to hear your voice.

You Can’t Do That

Whether it is that frightened little voice inside, your best friend, a family member or your neighbor, what do you feel like when someone (including your inner critic) says, “You can’t do that,” or similarly tries to dissuade you by initiating a “reality check,” listing all the reasons why you shouldn’t attempt to do something.

You rationalize that your inner critic, friends and family are only looking out for your best interests and even they say they are only trying to protect you from the embarrassment of failure. They insist they don’t want to see you get hurt, depressed, or lose anything and that it is only of the upmost concern for your wellbeing that they try to help you see the light and encourage you not to pursue your idea.

Because there is a measure of unworthiness, a sense of not being good enough, that resides within you, you thank your friend for saving you from a potential catastrophe.

Though they may be representing themselves as caring so much about you that they feel the compulsion to help you not pursue a ridiculous dream or engage in an activity that could cause you suffering.

The truth is, the people who are closest to you are selfish and don’t want to see you try something and succeed, because if you pursue a dream or follow a calling and succeed, what does that mean for them? They will no longer be able to justify their “safe” lives of mediocrity any longer, and to feel as though there is a greater purpose in life waiting for them outside their comfort zone is just too frightening to consider.

If you want to live a better life, possibly your best life and make the world a better place, then don’t let these naysayers drag you down or keep you from pursuing your dreams.

You need to assess your support system and determine who has your back and who does not. Most people want to see you live an acceptable lifestyle similar to theirs, but you may have friends who will support you in whatever pursuits you might engage in. Keep these people (hopefully you can find at least one) nearby and consider mustering up the courage to

Go For It

Without people, like you, going for it, regardless of what other people say, we would not have light bulbs, long distance watercraft, airplanes or space travel. Almost every major breakthrough in science, technology, business, or lifestyle was preceded by opposition and name-calling, so you’re in good company.

If you choose to do so, you can put yourself behind the wheel and become the captain of your own ship by not listening to others who might try to keep you from achieving your highest and best.

“But what if I fail?”

If you were to ask any innovator throughout history, they would tell you that there was no such thing as failure as most major breakthroughs are based on the information gained from failures. Very few individuals hit a home run with their first swing of the bat. Finding your passion and taking action to work toward having an impact on your life, the lives of others and possibly the world at large will take the willingness to step into the unknown in faith.

If you are met with a challenge, obstacle, interference – or if you fail – persevere, push through and become the hero of your own story.

You Can Do It

When you embrace your passion and deliberately blaze your own trail regardless of anything that may stand in your way (even yourself), the impossible, making your wildest dreams come true, becomes possible.

You got this, you can do it.

Got It You Can Do It

There is no doubt, you got this and you can do it, but what does it take to get from here to there? And how can I move more quickly and confidently towards what I want?

As you may have noticed, some people are more likely to attract the things they desire because, like Larry the Cable Guy, they simply git er done. But what makes them think they can do it?

you-can-do-it-got-it

The substructure that is the foundation of their can do attitude is a general feeling of knowing they have confidence to problem-solve and achieve. This confidence can come from a variety of sources, like:

Mastery, Witness, Social Empowerment and Wellbeing

Mastery of a particular skill or practice implies that you have performed this particular activity with a satisfactory result before. The level of mastery is dependent on how many times you have completed this task with a level of competency. The knowledge that you have been there and done that without fail gives you the confidence and competence to think that you’re likely to successfully do so the next time the opportunity arises.

The witness has seen a procedure from start to finish on one or more occasions and believes it is possible to reproduce a satisfactory result based on the fact that he or she has seen the process before.

If you have witnessed a process in action, obviously it’s not the same thing as having done it before but you have a huge advantage over the majority of people who have no idea about how to even go about performing such a task.

Social empowerment is magical, because it bolsters your confidence in your ability to perform something you may not be officially qualified to do. This would apply to something you have never actually done or even witnessed before.

You might find yourself in this situation, if others believe you are the person who has the ability to get things done, so naturally, they are drawn to you to tackle a particular project. Even though you have no history of doing it before, their confidence in your ability supports your belief that you can actually do it, which gives you the confidence to move forward (often with satisfactory results).

Then there is wellbeing. Wellbeing represents the raw materials necessary to get through whatever task or challenge you face. You must have the physiological wherewithal to move through all the necessary steps which may require energy, a degree of strength and/or stamina. A healthy person knows they have these reserves in check, ready to go for it.

The people who are in the habit of getting things done are likely not sickly or depressed, but if they are, they have the ability to push beyond their biological or psychological limitations for the duration of the project at hand.

Armed with any degree of any of these four categories of support Mastery, Witness, Social Empowerment or Wellbeing will give you the strength or courage to be able to view a particular project or task as an opportunity, rather than a threat. You will be able to rationalize, set and achieve the goals necessary to move through the project and navigate unforeseen interruptions as challenges and deal with them appropriately. And in the event that you have tackled a project full on and have not achieved a satisfactory result, you don’t take it too hard.

To you, there is no such thing as failure. You take the knowledge from your experience and file it away for use (or avoidance) the next time the opportunity arises to demonstrate what you can do.

You got this

You can do it

Got it