6 Simple Habits to Help You Take Consistent Actions Towards Your Goals

I LOVE my daily blogs.  I'm slightly obsessed. It makes me a little sad when I log onto some of my favs just to find out they haven't posted yet for the day.  It's slightly hypocritical, since I don't always post everyday but I'm pretty sure I have a smaller audience than my "friend" Henrik Edberg from positivityblog.com.  Anyway, I was reading his blog today and I just had to post tidbits from what he said because it really fits into my life right now.   I'm taking the MCAT May 12th.  Yep, it's on the calendar.  I've paid for it.  I'm in a class.  I'm super nervous and scared but I'm going to do it.  Anyway, I have trouble focusing my attention and studying for it, even though it's a short month away.  So, today's blog post from Henrik is really helpful and insightful and I think I'm going to try it.....

1) Follow A Morning Ritual

You simply set up a routine in the morning that you do as soon as you wake up. This works so well because what you do early in the day often sets the context for your day. As humans we have a strong tendency to want to be consistent with what we have done before. That’s one big reason why a bad start often leads to a bad day and a good start often leads to a good day. So find your own good start to your day, one that helps you. Henrik's is for example very simple and includes a couple of glasses of water, a good breakfast, some light decluttering in his workspace and getting started with the most important task of the day right away after those first few morning activities.

2) When you are taking action, focus only on the process.

Focus on the process and you will be a lot more relaxed and prone to continue than if you stare yourself blind on the potential results that never come as quickly as you want to and puts you on an emotional rollercoaster from day to day.

3) Everyday remember why you are taking action.

Find your top priorities and reasons for why you are doing what you are doing.
It could be to provide for your child, to save up for a big purchase or for traveling, to get the job you really want or to raise your self-esteem. Or something else. To not lose track of why you are taking action, to stay focused, take a few minutes and write down the top reason(s) and put that note where you can see it every day. Like for example in your work space or near your bed so that you see when you wake up every morning.

4) Quickly remind yourself you don't want to hurt yourself.

Realize that when you disappoint yourself and don’t think and do as you really deep down want to you hurt yourself by lowering your self-esteem. Whatever you do during your day sends signals back to yourself about what kind of person you are. Do the right thing like being effective, kind, going to the gym or simply rest and you feel good.

5) Take Smaller Steps on the days when big ones seem daunting.

Per Henrik: On some days getting started with that most important task of the day or doing any of the big tasks may seem daunting and you start to procrastinate. When that happens, one thing that has worked for me is to be kind. To nudge myself forward instead of beating myself up. So at such times I focus on doing a very small and simple task or two. Or I may make a deal with myself to just work for 5 minutes on a bigger and more difficult task. Or if that feels like too much I make a deal with myself for 2 minutes of work.

6) Celebrate What You Did Today

Finally, one habit that you can use at the end of your work hours or before going to bed. When you appreciate your good work you feel even better about your life and yourself and over time taking more action with less inner resistance becomes possible and associated with even more positive emotions.
So take two minutes at the end of the day to think about what you can appreciate about what you did today. Or write down a couple of self-appreciative things in your journal. Have a tasty treat or a bigger celebration.

Hope these gave you a little motivation.  I know I'm going to try a few of these....starting today!  :)

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” 
                                                                      Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Time Flies

Wow. I looked at the last date of my blog entry and could hardly believe that I let that many days go by - yet again.  I say I love to write and yet I neglect the very place where I can write whenever and whatever I want.  I will vow (yet again) to try be better tomorrow and leave you with this inspirational message:

JOY

DO something that brings me joy: exercise (not actually doing it, but when I'm done)

BE that: Resourceful, today I will try think outside of the box.

SHARE joy: I will send a card to a friend

SPEND MORE TIME WITH THAT: I will continue to go to bed earlier so I can spend more 'morning time', I do love that. 

Becoming a Person of Action

The other day I stumbled across this article on The Positivity Blog, about How to Become A Person of Action . If you're my friend on facebook, you will notice that I linked up to it a few days ago as well. Anyway, I love it!  I think it's a very positive and motivational little blurp and I'm hoping to incorporate the suggestions into my daily routine. 

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”Leonardo Da Vinci

What action are YOU taking today?

Mark Twain's Top 9

I was reading The Positivity Blog the other day and came across Mark Twain's Top 9 Tips for Living a Kick Ass Life, and decided he was dead on.  I highly suggest you read the article, but I will summarize it for you =)

1. Approve of yourself. - “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

Plain and simple. Be comfortable in your own skin.  If you're not comfortable with your actions, behavior - yourself, you will probably walk around feeling uncomfortable and inadequate. If you approve of yourself, then you feel empowered and at peace to continue to work towards your goals.

2. Your limitations may just be in your mind. - “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

I'm so guilty of this one.  People set up their own road blocks all the time. If you think something matters, it does, or it will - because you will always be looking for that reaction, whether it be good or bad.  If you decide that it doesn't matter, then it won't and that part won't become a self-imposed roadblock in your life. It is, for instance, seldom too late to do what you want to do.

3. Lighten Up and Have Some Fun! - “Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.”

Humor and laughter play a huge part in a productive atmosphere because your body and mind are not filled with negative emotions. Solutions to situations become clearer and more work is accomplished.

4. Let Go of Anger. - “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”

Anger is pointless and does more harm than good to the one that is experiencing the anger than to who the anger is actually directed at. Most of the time, the other person doesn't even realize you are angry with them in the first place. 

5. Release yourself from entitlement. - “Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.”

This is sometimes hard to accept due to our culture.  The media, for instance, portrays some "celebrities" as people who haven't actually done anything impressive with their lives, but they are rich or were on a reality TV show, so we follow along and actually make them MORE rich by caring about them - Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Richie - just to name a few. It doesn't help that if you grew up in middle class America your parents probably worked hard to give you 'the finer things in life' and as you grow older you feel some sort of entitlement.  It can cause anger and frustration because it's not just handed to you.  It can be, however, liberating, because you are now in the driver's seat - you can take your life wherever you want it to go.

6. If you're taking a different path, be prepared for reactions. - “A person with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.”

There are a million ways to do something, and if you decide to try something new or take the unbeaten trail, you may get adverse reactions.  It's most likely not about you but about the person passing judgment.  It goes back to the roadblocks because most likely people won't act as negatively as you think they will if you let it bother you. Or maybe they will love it, you never know.

7. Keep your focus steadily on what you want. - “Drag your thoughts away from your troubles… by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it.”

Dwelling on negative things in life is a choice and only you have the power to overcome it and succeed in your goals.  What you focus your mind on will greatly determine the outcome.

8. Don't focus so much on making yourself feel good. - “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

I love this one! I wasn't having a bad day yesterday morning, but I am a firm believer that your day can always get better (and most of the time always worse ;) ) but we were in with a patient and to hear her talk about how much she loved the hospital, the staff and the overall experience she was having even though her daughter was super sick was very motivating and gave me a wonderful sense of pride.  It definitely brightened my day and let me know that what I'm doing matters and that I made a good choice to work there. That's not always what the situation is going to be, but you've probably heard 'negativity breeds negativity'?  Well, positivity causes an upward spiral - it's contagious! =)

9. Do what you want to do.

Love it.  Do I even have to say more. I think Mark Twain sums it all up!  Write this down and keep it in a VERY visible place - maybe your mirror so you can read it every single day!!

   

So, Greece - anyone?



Greece.  That's going on my list too!  My hubby and I like to scuba dive and the sites I've been exploring lead me to beautiful Santorini Greece (pictured below).  It's exactly what I picture when I think of Greece - beautiful white buildings on a hill and (not pictured) millions of stairs ;)

Now I don't want to give the impression that I will be going to any of these places I post about anytime soon.  They are but dreams of places I want to go sometime in my life.  But,  if you have read any of my previous posts, you know that I'm all about setting goals and finding ways to achieve them, as well as learning different ways to motivate myself.  Travel motivates me.  Find what works for you and write it down - via blog, journal, post-it notes, scraps of paper you can fold up in your pocket or put on your mirror - and look at it often.  Remind yourself why you are working so hard.  And maybe someday we can meet up in Greece! (If travel is your thing :) )

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself.

Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice"

M is for Motivate, right?

"Don't be pushed by your problems, instead, be led by your dreams!"

Isn't it beautiful?!  The "Disney" Castle in Germany.  This is definitely on my list of place to go.  MCAT trip, maybe?!?!  In fact, I'm going to update my Dream Board with it tonight! =) However, first, I'm going to put in two hours of MCAT study time.  I mentioned how I was planning on studying on Tuesday and Wednesday (which is still the original plan) but this week I know I have a commitment on Wednesday so I'm going to "get it out of the way" tonight.  Well, one night of it anyway. Then, I will play with my Dream Board and do some scrapbooking and enjoy my evening!! I'll probably read a little more of The Help, too.  I'm 50% done and it is awesome!! I highly recommend it!  Oh, and I'm going to make more ice tea for my mornings.  Enjoy your Monday!!

Concentrating on 1-3 Goals

Having a clear focus on 1-3 goals is much easier than having a ton (which I always do)....so I will focus on 1-3 main goals and 2 mini goals at a time.  I will write them down (for the whole world to see - yikes!) in hopes that it helps me achieve my goals faster and more productively.  It is suggested that your goals should be in order of prioritization and allow for change if your goals shift.

Goal One - Study and take the MCAT.  I am struggling with a timeline on this one and that is something you are suppose to have.  The thing is, I need to get a great score.  The last test date in 2011 is September 10th.....exactly a month and a week away.  It's doable, but I need to make sure I get a great score, so if my practice tests aren't showing a good score I need to wait until spring. 

Goal Two - Lose 25lbs by my cousin Lea's wedding.  Totally doable.  Her wedding is October 1, 2011.  It's a little over 2lbs a week. 

Okay, that's it - those are my main goals for now.  I have so many more to add to the list, but I really want to accomplish them so I'm going to devote my time to these for now (and my mini goals).

Mini Goals (Doll definition - goals that can be completed in a a day or a couple of hours)

Mini Goal 1 - clean cupboards and make room for roommate's stuff.  This shouldn't be that bad, I've just been procrastinating and not doing it yet.  Due Date - Wednesdy August 10th.

Mini Goal 2 - Organize my scrapbooking stuff. Needs to be done!!  Real bad.  It's all over our room and I love it, but i can't find anything anyway.  Due Date - Tuesday August 16.

Mini Goal 3 - Clean and organize our closets.  Enough said ;) Due Date - Monday August 22nd.

Okay, scary enough to write them down.  Tomorrow - a schedule, but I've already started....have you??

Focus

Ever feel like you have a case of the Mondays - all week long?  I know it's only Monday so you probably can't answer that question yet, but I had the most fabulous weekend with my family (valleyfair, visiting, MOA) and I really didn't want to start the work week.  I often wonder why I don't want to start the work week and I realize it's because I'm not accomplishing any of the goals I've set for myself in the past few months.  I've only been slowly starting to work on them, but it's not enough and I won't be satisfied with the end results (or lack thereof) if I don't put all I have into it.  Today I stumbled across a blog post about 9 Immediate Tips to Stay Focused On Your Goals (perfect!).  I'll highlight it for you, but I strongly encourage you to read the entire article - I'm feeling more motivated already :)

1. Concentrate on 1-3 Goals
2. Create a Vision Board (I posted about this earlier here) but a great place to learn how to make one is here
3. Create Milestones - end goals can seem like a lifetime away, so reward yourself and make milestones special each time you meet one
4. Create a Plan
5. Track Your Goal
6. Have Goal Buddies
7. Start a Journal Documenting Your Journey
8. Be Clear On Why You are Pursuing Your Goal
9. Learn to say "No"

I encourage you to read the whole article and start working toward your goals today!  Care to share what they are??

My Personal Commandments

There are so many things that excite me about Oprah Winfrey's website, especially under the "Spirit" section.  I find it a little ironic that I am now obsessing over an Oprah website when I was definitely that girl who rolled her eyes when she came home from school and found her mom or grandma watching Oprah.  Everyday...4pm...now it's Dr. Phil.  Still not loving that guy.  Anyway, most of the spirit sections are all about finding yourself, your passion, what you want out of life..etc.  And somewhere among the posts today I found a link to The Happiness Project.  I was hooked. How to make yourself Happy.  Don't we all want that?  Now, I  count myself lucky because I feel pretty happy in life anyway, but I know there is always room for improvement.  So, I read about it and I have to say, that today, I'm starting my personal life commandments (read more!).  I think it's going to be quite a fun project.  I have already picked a few of my favorites:

Dig Deep - my interpretation is that you can do anything you set your mind to, but it may take hard work, dedication and time.  Be patient, work hard and know that it will pay off.  Dig Deep, we have big hearts and we are stronger than we realize :)

Avoid Debt - no one likes money problems.  Live within your means.  I think my hubby and I do this pretty well, but I need to kick a few of my luxury habits like Caribou Coffee and, well, Caribou Coffee.  Once in a while is fine, but whenever I feel a little blue, feel like I deserve a reward, want something refreshing, feel like I need a shot of caffeine....I go there, and quite frankly that's ALL too often!  And, I need to stop going to the vending machines at work.  I still get healthy stuff like pretzels, veggie chips, what have you, but it's costing me money I don't need to spend. 

Stay In Touch - I feel like I do this alright, but I need to continue to work on it.  I spoke with my 13 year old brother for a good 40 minutes last night and that hasn't happened in a LONG time.  It was so fun to catch up about what's new in his life and listen to all his stories (of course they were all sport related)  and I loved every minute of it. 


Stay tuned for more as I come up with them. 

I have to recount my evening last night for you because I got to do 4 of my favorite things. 
1) Hang out with some great friends.  We bummed around different sections of the cities in search of a new ice tea mug for me (success!)
2) We went out to eat - I love, love going out to eat, especially with great friends.
3) We ate pizza!  One of my favorite foods, ever.  If you have never been, you must try Punch Pizza. It's a Neapolitan pizza joint that is only found in and around the TC.  It's awesome pizza! 
4) We went out for ice cream afterwards!  Yummm!! The place is on Grand Avenue and it's called Grand Ole Creamery.  It's an old school, homemade ice cream shop that has very unique flavors and they make their own waffle cones (complete with a malt ball in the bottom to stop the ice cream from coming out).  Highly recommended!! 

Counting down the minutes until my weekend begins. For now, I'll send you off with a hilarious video of the cutest little girl and also a tune that always brightens my day (which we need since it's RAINING in the TC)

Jessica's Daily Affirmations

Jake Owen's Barefoot Blue Jean Night - perfect addition to summer!!