Thank you 2015



Thank you 2015 for....

This has been a new chapter in my life.  I left long term employment, I travelled, I have had some wise teachers and met new friends.

In March and April, there were my wonderful travels to Paris, Berlin, Rugen, Fussen, Archacon, Singapore.  For the snow, the heat, the laughs, the adventure, we always want to come back for more and planning to do this! In March , 2016 it is a USA road trip.

2015 has been the year of learning for me.  I look back and wow, I have really put in a lot of hours.

I decided to look at my health holistically and I am back into yoga and it is now a part of my everyday routine - I love my yoga, and I attended classes to discipline my breathing and learn new poses.  Also, practising Meditation, learning both passive and active styles and I am getting better at it all the time. I can see what all the fuss is about now.

Reading great books that have inspired and educated me.  The power of intention by Dr Wayne Dyer  is a stand out for me and I mourned the passing of Dr Wayne Dyer, yet rejoice that he was a part of my world and so blessed that his books are his legacy.  

I focused on my education this year and spent a lot of time working on my skills in coaching, NLP, mind mastery, financial mastery, public speaking, marketing, branding. Also getting a good handle on writing, who would have thought I would love to write!  My skills are setting me up for a great 2016.  I am totally grateful and humble to the teachers who have come into my life.

I know so many more people than I did this time last year and I am very thankful that I can call them my friends who are generous, intelligent and sharing.
Some of my goals have come to be...but there are some that are still outstanding that will cross over to 2016. I have learnt to enjoy the journey and creating each day to show my purpose to be the best I can be.

2015 has been a great spiritual awakening for me with the growing appreciation of our mental strength and the why and how to, to design your life rather than react to your life.

What a boost it is, to look back and find the gems in the year, looking at it from a thankful perspective, because yes there were some tough times but I am here, I am still going and I am going stronger.  The words that keep repeating to me are "design your life".
Do not lead a life by chance or accident, look at your intention of why you want to be and do and how to make this happen. I am very grateful that I have come this far and I will carry this gift of gratitude every day.

Thank you are the two most powerful words to have in your vocabulary.  Use them frequently.

So for 2016 my strong intention is to continue to design my life, to use and pass on the knowledge of why and how to design your best life and I want to see others flourish in their chosen life.

5 things I have learnt about motivating myself



Motivation is a key skill for unlocking your best future and the tipping point for reaching your goals. 

Motivation is the x factor to turn dreams into reality. Inspiration provides the pull, and motivation gives you the push.

Motivation is the core of all you do, all you want to do, its gets you jumping out of  bed, creating your day, energised, excited, urging you to give it another go.


What 5 Things have I  learnt about motivating myself, the things I know that stir me to provide direction and action to be better and thankful for what is on offer?

The first one would have to be, for me, about what I want from life.  

What am I willing to put in place for my desires and dreams.



If it is not clear to me, if I have not made it crystal clear what it is that I am after, what I want to achieve then I get very despondent about it all.

I know that when I am not clear on what I want from my life, it touches other aspects of my life, I become critical of little things; doubt my relationships, my abilities, my skills.  I have learnt that the fog in my brain gets thicker when I have lost the trail to my purpose and my beliefs.  

My mojo or motivation just gets harder to pick up and force. 

What I have learnt about motivating myself is to write it down and write it in many different ways and that provides me a way of really giving me definition.  
I also use drawing, music and long conversations with friends to give my dreams a really tangible shape and once I do this, my motivation gets a kick start to make it happen.

When I am clear on what I want from life, who I want to be with, the vision I have for what I want to do or see in my life, that is when motivation stirs, energy multiplies and that is a great feeling.

Whatever you vividly imagine
Ardently desire
Sincerely believe and
Enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass!

Paul. J Meyer



The second lesson for me, would be putting my goals in motion. 

I start with the big plan but look for the small wins.  This is obvious to me now, but not always.          I have jumped ahead as it was all about the big plan, things didn’t always come together straight away and I would find it harder to get motivated.  All I could see were the difficulties and the obstacles.

I have learnt that when I have big plans I look to the small things to fall into place and my intention gains strength and I am motivated to keep going.  

Those big plans look awesome and the small wins along the way help to overcome the failures I may have, and yes the setbacks are there, as well.

So, I look for the small wins.   I always take heart from that old saying about how you eat an elephant…one bite at a time.   I know that I can achieve what I set out to do, when I look at it one step at a time. 

One thing that kills my motivation is when I want to get it all done sooner rather than later, I can get frustrated and lose the plot.  

Motivation is built on momentum and I am ready and alert to what I do and what comes into my life that builds on my purpose.  

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” Lao Tzu

I am motivated because I know that my success has the potential of helping so many people.

Always follow your passion
Let it lead you
It will always lead you to a successful interesting life.
John Keogh


The third lesson about motivating myself is how I am making decisions.  


The moment I hear myself saying, “I don’t know what to do”, or “I can’t decide” is a warning bell ringing for me that my motivation is low.  I find myself sitting on the fence about what to do next, I listen to others about what I should or shouldn’t do and I can feel myself getting confused.


How I am making decisions shows me how motivated I am towards my goals.  Decisions that are clear, exact, you understand the risks and the consequences, informed, sit well with you, this style of decision making shows you are motivated….and it also fuels your motivation.

My decisions are based on my values and when I find myself in a place of being indecisive, its time to revisit what I value and what is most important and listen carefully to my inner voice.  

I have learnt to trust my inner voice. 

The fourth lesson I have learnt about motivating myself is about knowing what are my weaknesses.  

What are the “traps” that can hold me back or suck all the motivation from me?  Time to be really, really honest with myself, no delusions or excuses here and my biggest weakness would be distractions and time wasting.  

The TV, the latest movies, advertising, or any screens can turn me into a coach potato real quick. It is an easy one to slip into, every night there maybe a favourite show and that can take me away from what I really need to do.  Time just goes when I am web surfing and losing motivation creeps up on me.

How I motivate myself and use my time better is to check my habits of how many distractions I have in my day.   I use Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix to help me work out how much time I am spending in each of the areas of Urgent, Not Urgent, Important, Not Important.    I find doing this, how much time am I spending in each area is a great motivator to lift my game and work on my tactics to keep me on track and juice up the motivation.



The fifth lesson I have learnt about motivating myself is that I am in a competition of one.  

The only competition that I am in, is the one with myself. My actions come from wanting to be better at what I do and what I value and what I have decided is important for me.   

When I start looking at others and how better they are, or I start competing with them, then my motivation gets harder to do, it now becomes a grind and my confidence and self belief needs propping up.  


I certainly learn from others, I choose role models, coaches and mentors who help me, but my success is my responsibility.  To motivate myself does not come from a place to be better than someone else or to keep up with someone else.  
My motivation comes from wanting to keep striving for the best me, the unique me, the creative, resourceful, spirited, fun filled me.




There are more lessons, but I am curious, what do you do to motivate yourself? 


I would love to hear and be inspired by you.

Dreams and the 8 Reality Check Questions

To follow a dream speaks of a fundamental human need of wanting to be more, have more, do more in our lives. 

Your " dreams do come true "slogans tug at our aspirations and as humans motivate us to evolve and strive for a richer reality and purpose. 

Our dreams fuel our hope and can strengthen our wellbeing and develop our uniqueness. 

It also comes with a warning. 
Our consumer culture and materialistic values can skew our big dreams.  

It may get us to the point where competitiveness, greed, lies, anxiety and to hell with the consequences are the driving forces to make the dream happen. 

We can lose sight of what is important in our life now. 

The dream that is not well thought out can lead to risky decisions, failure and inner conflict. 


There is a paradox here between having a dream and being realistic. Your dream still needs structure, momentum and a skill set.


A reality check provides you the wisdom to see how your dream can be a reality and the part you are playing in it, to make it happen. 

Reality Check No.1 is the WHY

1. Reflect on the Why for your dream. Why is it important to you?

2. Think about what it would be like to have this dream come true...not in a "dreamy" way, but in a real everyday way. 

When you start to live your dream, remember it is your now.

3. Be honest with yourself, that this dream is genuinely yours. You are not conforming to what other people, or society want for you. 

You don't want to go down a rabbit hole and find out later this was not what you wanted.

4. Why will my dream be of benefit to others? 

There is more momentum when you bring your relationships or the wider community into your dream.

Reality Check No. 2 is the WHAT

1. What is working in your favour? 

Write down all about you, your strengths, your education, your values, what you know to be true, how you handle problems.....

2. What do I need to make this happen?  

The reality is that there maybe things in your life now that will need change for your dream to happen.

3. What does this dream you have look like? 

Be clear and write it down.

4. What system do you need to put in place?  

It is the system or a process that will work for you? 

For me, I have the travel dream.  

I wanted to travel, I wanted to see beauty in its many forms and grow from all my experiences.  

Back 10 years, travel did not seem possible.  Fast forward to now and I am travelling to many countries every year, this is now a part of my life.  I still pinch myself that this is the life I am living and I am so totally thankful that what started out, as a dream is now what I do. 

You are born with the inherent gift to dream for something better, but the dreams you imagine for your life and the goals and systems you put in place are a skill set.  

This skill set will help you with the HOW and WHEN of making your dreams happen. Seek out what skills and what tools will work for you to set up your system or process to help turn your dream into reality.

Socrates was a wise man who knew the value of a reality check with this quote: 
"The unexamined life is not worth living". 

 
If, as you answer the reality check questions they cause you to stop and think more about what it is that you dreaming for, then it will all be worthwhile for you. 

 

In further posts, I will be talking about the skills sets to unlock your best future.

Do you have a comment, or perhaps more to add?  
I would love to hear what is true for you.

7 Ways to Hack into your success

7 Ways to hack into your success

The meaning of success is your meaning, what you want it to look like, what you want to have, be and do in your life. Your success is not another's expectations or how much money or toys that you have.  Your success comes from a place of integrity, joy and value.  It is there for you to hack into, when you choose. When you choose that you want a better life, when you want to rise up from mediocrity and grab the best life can offer.

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."  Napoleon Hill.

Are you ready?  Do you want to?

Once you have made the decision to grab success, to focus on what is important for you, it is time to hack into the success formula.

1.     Confidence before Perfection


Confidence will always trump perfection. When you wait for the holy grail of perfection your confidence will be drained, you will question what it was you were after. You will question your purpose and the value of what you are doing.  Perfection is an obstacle that will hold you back, you will use it to put off or to let go.  

I made this Hack #1 because when you are waiting to learn more, to research more or get the right sign, the waiting takes over, you will wait in the wings and wait and ponder and still be there looking for more before you start in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months time.  You can see what this can do to your confidence.  

Your confidence builds with action.  The action that is directly focused on what you want to see in your life. Your success is built on the confidence you have in yourself to keep moving in your chosen direction.

2.     Mine the Mindset


Strengthen your mindset by first finding out what beliefs are working for you and what are working against you.  Journaling is a great tool to mine your thoughts, your values and beliefs.  Keep asking yourself the WHY question.  Why do I want this so badly?  Why do I keep changing my mind on this subject? Why do I get scared?  Why do I do what I do?

We spend a lot of our thinking time in the past, stuff about what we did or didn't do, or how we screwed up. Our beliefs and assumptions can be wounded from past events and constrict what is possible and cause us to accept something less.  Don't build your identity on past pain, it is not who you are. Purge your past and look at your failures, yes it sucked and you kick yourself for it but what are the lessons or warnings, what can I learn and use now. 

Remember, you are what you think.  The defeatist dwells on the problem and the fears.  The courageous successful person will search for solutions and is optimistic and resilient.

Your mindset for success, the belief in yourself and what you can accomplish is your strongest foundation.  Keep developing your skill for positive, grateful thoughts and a strong belief that your success comes first from the inside.

3.     Critical Friendship


What a great asset to have a friend who can give you another perspective.  A friend you can bounce off ideas and a friend who will listen to understand and give you the space to describe your vision and how you are going to achieve it.  This friend is your confidante, no secrets here, just honest, thoughtful feedback with no personal agenda. The friend pays attention, asks questions and finds the opportunities that you are not seeing yet.

All this you may not find in one person, to hack into your success quicker you need a friend, a coach, mentors, a group, a community who will help and encourage you.


4.     Resourcefulness before Resources


Not every day is going to be a winning day, there will be times when stuff happens.  This is when your resourcefulness will really kick in.  You are resourceful when you know there is more than one way to get to your goal. You are resourceful when you are creative in your solutions and willing to take the risk.  Are you using your time in the best way?  Are you getting the right things done?  You master your resourcefulness by being clear on what you want, by being strategic in how you go about getting what you want, by taking managed risks and to focus daily on your priorities.

The success formula does require your work, your time and your effort. Be practical in how you have thought out your vision and have mapped your goals. Be strategic with your targets and with your resources. Work out what you want to see at each signpost along the way.


5.     Seek Focus & Flow

      This one, for me has been the key that has opened up my success. All my good intentions would work for a while, then I would be distracted, put things off or start again.  I can be impatient and would get frustrated when it didn't happen fast enough for me.  I was multi tasking and multi learning and when I sat back I could see I was just going from one experience to the next with little discipline.
      
      Focus and Flow have kept me in the rhythm of success and has opened up to me, so many opportunities.  

     When I focus on the expectancy of what I will achieve, it looks so real to me, even though it is in the future, I can now filter only that which is important.  The benefit of being focused on your vision is that you make clear decisions suited to your purpose and a determination to make it happen.

     The flow is when those decisions you started become your natural state. The natural state of how you want to live your life and what you want to see in your life.  
      
      This starts out as small actions you take on a daily basis, keep these daily actions for at least 21 days for them to become a habit.  Once they are a habit you move into a flow where your body and your mind want to do them without you consciously having to make it happen. A common example is to see success in your health, more energy, feeling fit and eating well.  You may have a goal, such as a good BMI, to run marathons, or less sick days. Your small actions you put in place, every day, turn into good habits and become your new lifestyle.

Set up your success rhythm and it will become your natural lifestyle.

6.   Purpose,  Pleasure & Pain

     Finding your purpose doesn't come easily to everyone. Do you feel sometimes you are hiding and that people mustn't find you out? Are you who you want to be?  is there a more extraordinary version of you? Do you want to live life on your terms?  
     Give yourself the best gift of time. The time out for yourself to clarify your purpose. Look at what excites you, what you love to talk about or read about, what gets you all fired up, what comes naturally to you.   You have a unique purpose, the right fit for you.  There is no need to push it, just let it bubble to the surface.

     Success is just the zing in your purpose. Success is the added benefit, the bonus points in our game of life. Your purpose has a driving force that you know what it would be like if you went ahead, the pleasure it would give you and you know the pain, if you didn't step into your purpose.

    What would it look like if you stepped into your purpose?  More time with your family, better relationships, travel, energy, sleep better, enriched, abundant, positive, secure....
    What would it look like if you held back? Anxious, scared, frustrated, lost, puppet, wannabe, ....

    The consequences of pleasure and pain attached to our purpose amplify our motivation to succeed.

7. Clarity for Now and the Future

     Once you have your vision and purpose, you are ready for the master plan.
     Step into 4 or even 5 years time, what does success look like for you? The time you spent getting the detail in your vision is going to help here to turning them into your big audacious/achievable goals.  It's time to get that clarity into what you want to achieve and attention to how you are going to make it happen. 
     Keep it simple, keep it actionable and make it fun & exciting.  

    Remember your success hinges on your action.  You are making decisions for change and your commitment will bring you success.


The 7 Ways to hack into your success give you rich fundamentals to create your success. There is more and I will be adding to each of the 7 ways, with insight, warnings, ideas and how to's to help you unlock your best future.

     My purpose is to help people connect with their best life.  This is exciting for me as its the opportunity to see people go from just talking about it to making it happen. 

     To help you really connect to your why and what you want to do.  

     I had some challenging and chronic phases in my life that had left me thinking "Is that all there is?". I can't I get ahead, I am dragging my feet, I am stressed and worn out.  I have learnt that when you set your purpose, set your intention and create a vision that is when things change, all aspects of my life got better and better.  The coaching I offer comes from a place of experience, never-ending research and testing and the desire to have that ripple effect on others in their life and to get your WHY into action.



 Unlock your best future
My words are centred in the desire and intention to help people bring about their best and connect to their best future.
http://isucceed.info