The Secrets to Making Your Dreams Come True Webinar

Please register for The Secrets to Making Your Dreams Come True This Year on Feb 13, 2013 7:00 PM EST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6298749520438498048

“The Secrets to Making Your Dreams Come True this year” webinar will reveal key actions for you to set your year up for success. It will encourage you to move from your comfort zone so that you can achieve some of those dreams you have had for a long time now. A supporting workbook is provided so that you have an action plan for success.

We will spend time identifying your hopes, dreams and ambitions. Actually work out what you want from this year and then plan the first step required. Often when we set goals we set them in areas of our life that we are already comfortable with, a part of this process will look at where you haven’t thought about having goals and take the time to see if you should have some additional goals.

We will set these goals up so that you are feeling excited, motivated and can’t wait to get started. We want this year to be your best year yet! We will discuss the language you use to make your dreams come true this year.

We will spend some time thinking about the people you know who are living the life of their dreams, what you can learn from them and how you can use them to make your dreams come true.

At the end of the session you will have a clear list of dreams that are going to happen for you this year as well as the first step to get started. Let’s make your dreams come true this year so they are no longer dreams but actually a real part of your life.


After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

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Live Your Life With an Attitude of Gratitude

Cultivating gratefulness enhances your life and will provide long-term emotional rewards.  How grateful are you for your life, for those around you, for where you live, for having running water everyday?

We live in an extremely materialistic age.  It is standard to expect so much, often too much.  The fact we have and own so much appears to have an impact on how grateful we actually are.  Some of us tend to focus on what we don’t have at times rather than what we do have.

Imagine what it would be like if you started every morning being grateful.  Grateful for a wonderful night’s sleep, grateful for a warm bed, grateful for a comfortable mattress, grateful for being able to sleep in your own room.  Wouldn’t that be a positive way to start the day?

I once heard someone say – don’t wait to have a wonderful day – start your day in a wonderful way.  So why not start your day by being grateful from the moment you wake up.

Imagine the impact it would have on those around you if you show true gratitude.  You would be the person they aspire to be.  As we get older, we do tend to be more grateful, grateful for our health, our family, our friends, good food, at times even a sunny day.  When we are grateful, we magnify our positive emotions.

The impact this attitude of gratitude would have on your children or grandchildren and generally the people around you would create an incredible ripple.  You would be leading by example in such a positive way.

Gratitude is about appreciation; it is recognising the small details around you that are special.  We take so much for granted.  We start to appreciate ‘the little things’.  You start to see good in so many places.  Living your life being grateful means that in so many small ways, everyday will be a positive experience.

Keeping a gratitude journal is a fantastic idea as it allows you to spend time each day thinking about what you can appreciate in your life.  Oprah Winfrey once said: 

“If you look at what you have in life,
you'll always have more.
If you look at what you don't have in life,
you'll never have enough.”

So why not spread the gratitude and teach others around you how to be grateful.  Lead by example; start to send thank you notes to friends for small things.  It could be a call, a text or an email.

Display gratitude and thankfulness to those around you often. The more people that hear and experience your appreciation, the bigger the ripple effect.

The bonus is that the more you display appreciation and gratitude, the more you will experience and notice the small things that we do for others.  At times, if we let it, our life can feel hectic and we can reach our capacity and then comes overwhelm; however, when we stop, take a moment to enjoy the present that is when we can see, feel and experience, all the wonderful things and people that surround us every day.

Promoting this is promoting life.  Live your life everyday with an attitude of gratitude.

7 Tips to Work More Effectively

By implementing these 7 tips you are going to start feeling and being more productive and efficient.  If you implement them regularly they will develop into positive habits that support you to function at the best you can.

1. Plan your week

When you have planned your week, you are clear and know exactly what needs to be done.  It allows you to handle unexpected situations with a calmness.  But when you are so busy how do you find the time to plan?

The fact is that if you spend 30 minutes to 1 hour planning your week, writing down everything that needs to be done, prioritising the list by importance and then deciding what should be done on Monday, what on Tuesday and so on, you will save hours during the week.  It keeps you on track and your momentum going.

2. Plan your day

Spending time on planning your day makes a difference.  By planning, we know what needs to be done and we are working more effectively and efficiently.  I imagine you are thinking, ‘I planned my week, why do I need to plan my day?’  When you do your weekly planning that is the big picture view.  During the week, other tasks arise that need to be done, so that is what comes into consideration when planning your day.

3. Batch your activities

Every time you start a new activity, it takes time.  You have to get everything you need in order to do the task, you need to get into the mindset and you need a little “warm up time” during which you don’t work as fast as when you have done something for a while.  Once you are done with the task, you have to put everything away, and “cool off”.

So batch your tasks – email, phone calls, shopping.  It makes you more efficient

4. When at work, work!

Focus and concentrate and work when at work.  Just because you are in the office does not mean you are working.  There are many distractions around you – people, coffee breaks, meetings, etc. Focus and really complete the top three tasks for the day then you can reward yourself with a little down time.

5. Finish every activity you start

Fifteen completed tasks are more effective than forty five uncompleted tasks.  Leaving an activity half-finished is a big source of stress.  Whenever something is only half done, it gnaws at you and stops you from focusing on other activities.

On the other hand, when you complete a task, a rush of endorphins is released into your system making you happy, pleased and relaxed.  It gives you the energy to go on and complete the next activity.

So once you start something, finish it.  If you are breaking the task down then make sure when you stop, you know what the next step is.

6. Focus all your energy on the most important activities

The much quoted 80/20 rule states that 80% of the value you create in a day will come from 20% of the activities you perform.  Meaning, if you complete those 20% you will have done much, much more than if you complete all the rest.

Go through all the activities you perform and see which ones are the most important.  Find ways to focus more time on them.

7. Take a break!

The best way to save time is by relaxing!  To be able to work hard and efficiently, you need to be of sound mind and be able to focus.  Take a break once in a while and go for a walk, drink a cup of coffee or take a nap.

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

What Changes Do You Need to Make You Understand How You Use Your Time?

Last week, we spoke about the value of your time and your action.  Whenever you are about to begin a task, stop and estimate how long the task will take then compare how long it actually took.  You can learn an incredible amount from this exercise.  So …

What did you notice and what did you learn?

What are you going to change as a result of what you learnt?

Have you started to make these changes?

If yes, congratulations on taking action.  If no, not yet ... why not, what is stopping you from improving?

Some additional questions to think about:

• How does your day start?
• Do you have enough time or do changes have to be made?
• When checking your emails does it go on too long?  Do you have enough time or do changes have to be made?
• Is your evening at home enjoyable, and do you have enough time or do changes have to be made?
• Do you enjoy your weekends or do changes have to be made?

Action

Evaluate every task, to gain a better understanding of how well you use your time.  If you didn’t do the time tracking last week, feel free to go to the website www.lifestylerefocus.com.au/free-resources to download the time tracking forms.  Think about one small change you could make that will support you on your journey to creating a better life.

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

Do You Value Your Time?

Many of us underestimate the value of time and take it for granted because time just goes on and on.  We often say ‘we’ll do it tomorrow’ or ‘l’ll do that when I have time’.

What we don’t understand is that time is a valuable resource – it may actually be our most valuable resource.

You have the same amount of time each day as world leaders, such as The President and the Prime Minister, the same amount of time as successful entrepreneurs like Richard Branson and Bill Gates.

Your education, social standing, financial status doesn’t make a difference to the amount of time you get – no matter what happens we all get exactly the same amount of time, 1,440 minutes a day.

Control of time is the key to being more efficient.  It is an important skill to develop so that we can accomplish more tasks than the average person each and every day.

• So, how do you spend your time?
• Does your day have a structure?
• Can that structure be improved?

The first step is to start measuring how long tasks take.

This will give you an indication whether you under or over schedule your day. The majority of us actually under estimate how long a task will take and that is why we often don’t get everything done we want to complete in a day.

Action

For the next week, whenever you are about to begin a task. Stop and estimate how long the task will take.

Then compare how long it actually took.

You can learn an incredible amount from this exercise.

Knowing how long even basic tasks such as getting ready of a morning may mean you now understand why you are always racing out the door a couple of minutes late.

It will allow you to more accurately estimate how much work you can complete in a day which in turn may change how you schedule your day.

You can do this is a notebook, on a scrap piece of paper or use the time tracking forms on the website www.lifestylerefocus.com.au/free-resources

Thank you and I look forward to sharing more tips, strategies and skills to support you to be more organised so that you too can create a better life.

“Be an inspiration to yourself and

you will be an inspiration to others.”

The Secret to a Wonderful Christmas - Enjoy Every Magical Moment

This time of year can be a busy time of year for so many people.  The school year concluding for children, finalising projects and tasks at work.  Facilities preparing for Christmas celebrations, many families then go on holidays so you have the preparation for holidays.  Then of course the Christmas cards to send and presents to buy.

I understand that it is a lot more for many of us than normal and that overwhelm, stress, exhaustion or whatever words relate to your situation start to be used in your language.

We can spend a lot of our time thinking about what’s next rather than actually enjoying the moment this time of year.  Can I encourage you to enjoy it, when you are wrapping presents put on Christmas music and wrap your gifts with happiness, excitement and love.

When you are catching up with friends, enjoy their company.  Whatever you are doing enjoy the moment because you are usually with people you love, who are special to you. When you are shopping you are shopping for those you love and to make the event fantastic for them.

Immerse yourself and be aware of the language you are using.  When you are asked “how are you” think of your answer, you can say “good” you can say “tired” you can say “stressed” or you can say “wonderful, thank you for asking” then smile.  Not only will you feel good the added benefit is they will feel good.

It is a wonderful special time of year, so enjoy every magical moment.

Wishing a Magical Christmas to you, your family and your loved ones.

Are You the Roadblock to Creating a Better Life?

Have you stopped lately to think about your life? What is happening in your life? Is this the life you want? What parts of your life do you love? What parts of your life annoy you? What parts of your life would you like some small improvements in?

Life is forever changing. We go through cycles in our lives which begin from the moment we are born. At that stage, we are a fully-dependent baby, and then we become a toddler, then a child, then a teenager. This is always such an interesting period where we are still a child and just breaking into being an adult, thinking we are an adult. This cycle goes on.

You could look at our school to work cycle. For many young children, it starts with playgroups, then kindergarten, then primary school, onto secondary school. After that, it is choices as to working or further study, eventually leading onto work.

Life doesn’t stop there. For many, it is the cycle of finding a partner, perhaps getting married, having children. This part is also a cycle, from being a two person house, to more than that, to then being, as they call it, “empty nesters”.

My point being that life is forever changing, but we often don’t change with it as well or as much as we should and can.

What do you want out of life? Have you taken the time to think about it? They do say we can have anything we want if we set our mind to it. That is where the problem is for many of us. We don’t set our mind to thinking about what it is we want. We are caught up in the circle of life. If you are finding it hard to think about then perhaps ponder on the questions at the start of this article:

·         What parts of your life do you love?

·         What parts of your life annoy you?

·         What part of your life would you like some small improvements in?

·         What parts of your life would you like some major improvements in?

You don’t have to answer all the questions at once as that may be too overwhelming. It may be best to think about some small areas for improvement.

So here are the steps:

• Think about the area of your life you would like a small improvement in.
• What is the change you would like to see?
• What do you have to start doing for this change to happen?
• What do you need to stop doing for this change to happen?
• When are you going to start?
• How will you know when you are successful?
• When will this change occur?

Fantastic, so now we are clear on what we need to do, how we need to do it, and when we need to do it.

So the key now is to take action. Nothing will change unless you take action to make the changes happen.

To finish, I would love to share one of my favourite Buddhist sayings. I really feel it sums up persistence, which is a skill we need to make some changes that will benefit us?

"In the confrontation between

the stream and the rock,

the stream always wins –

not through strength,

but through persistence."

So don’t be the roadblock to creating a better life for yourself. Take a little bit of time to think about your ideal life. Then think about one small change you can make today so that you are living the life you always dreamed.