Choice + Commit To Action (2 steps in 1!)

I know that the steps of Choice and Committing to Action are some of the most challenging. It's one thing to be able to "armchair philosophize" about living your dreams, but deciding what you're going to commit to and taking action is where the rubber meets the road.

In case you missed it last week, I'm attaching my Yes/No Tool again. Remember: when you've done the work of getting clear not just about what you want, but also what's important to you (your values), decisions are easier.

Why is that?

Because at this point in the program, you know that we are our happiest when we make choices that honor our values, and that we are in a funk when we make decisions that are not in alignment with our values.

Keep using this tool to help you make decisions. Becoming aware of what you're saying "Yes!" to and what you're saying "No" to is a step that can bring a ton of clarity.

When I was an alpine mountaineering guide, I used to read a quote to the group the night before every peak climb. There are so many things to worry about at that time: weather, route finding, if we'll be able to complete the river crossing, will people get altitude sick, what if someone can't make it...You could stay up the whole night thinking about all this, so I loved the following quote because if took people's minds off of the "what ifs" and got it focused on the action:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. 

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now". ~ Scottish mountaineer W.H. Murray (with a couplet by Goethe)

Suffice it to say that once I became an entrepreneur and coach, I saw this quote pop up all over the place! It was nice to see something familiar as I embarked on new adventures in my life. And it was all over the place because it was impactful. And true.

Read this quote regularly, then make a decision - and commit to it.

Where do you find yourself hesitating lately? What decisions are you choosing to avoid making? Share with us in the facebook group

Love,

Ana

Downloads

Ziji Up! – Saying Yes and Saying No

I know we've only started the Choice and Commit to Action Steps a few days ago, but I wanted to remind you that it is important to feel a sense of completion, of accomplishment, of success! I want you to make sure you are not only aiming for the big goals, but the daily ones as well.

Small constructive actions taken on a daily or routine basis can quickly give you a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum - and build confidence! And you know what that means: you'll be more likely to take action again, and take more risks too.

These daily habits (or success practices) form the foundation on which major change takes place. Take a look at your Wheel of Life score to get ideas for habits or practices that would support you in moving forward. What action, if taken on a regular basis, would make a difference for you in one of the areas of the wheel? These practices can be related to either your professional or your personal life (e.g., process all incoming mail daily, exercise four times per week). Remember those things that will nourish you and provide you with satisfaction, such as spending twenty minutes a day with your children or taking a walk in the woods three times a week, calling one close friend each day, and so on.

Download the attached sheet and write out some daily habits you will practice.

Share with us in the FB group one daily habit you are going to commit to that will be doable and add to your list of accomplishments every day.

Love,

Ana

Downloads

Ziji Up! – Daily Habits

Time Vampires can suck your juice dry. Here are a few time management tricks from Dan Kennedy. Some may already be obvious to you - but some may not!

1. Tame the Phone: take few - if any - incoming calls. Instead, return calls at a designated time.
2. Practice Absolute Punctuality: saves time AND energy for everyone involved (and what goes around comes around! Don't waste others' times, and they'll be less likely to waste yours).
3. Make and Use Lists: You CANNOT carry it all in your head. Consider at least these three types of lists - Your Schedule, Things to Do, People to Call
4. Link Everything to Your Goals and Values: you WILL be more productive and efficient, naturally
5. Tickler Files: which allow you to forget and let go of things in the meantime. Set alarms or alerts on your clocks/watches/phones to remind you of things; schedule emails to remind you of important tasks. your brain will work better being able to let go of these loose ends.
6. Block Your Time: schedule things in blocks instead of meandering around. This means if you have a week, and one day you know you need to head into town to run errands, schedule ALL your town errands for that day, then schedule your other car-related tasks so you can block them together. This way, if you have work at home or the office to do, you can stay there and focus, and don't need to constantly break it up with inefficient flow interruptions throughout the week to do errands that could have been done in one full day. Also, consider blocking certain activities at certain times of the day (e.g. writing in the mornings on Monday and Wednesday).
7. Minimize Unplanned Activity: Most people just sort of show up. They show up and react. And at the end of the day, they have a hard time telling you where all the time went. Every task gets done more efficiently and faster when you plan ahead about how long it should take. Ideally, plan out your day in 1/2 hour blocks.
8. Use Your "Waiting" Time: Take the opportunity for long drives, traffic, airport layovers etc to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or to take out your notebook and jot down ideas (but please don't write while driving!). Meditate. Stretch. Catch up on calls you need to make. These bits of time add up - don't waste them!
9. Minimize Meetings: I don't think I need to say much about these. They are an uber waste of time. If you run a business or work in one, try to minimize the amount of time spent in meetings. Do as much as possible via emails and phone and 1:1 contact.
10. Live Off-Peak: You can avoid the "herd effect." For example, avoid the bank on Fridays, especially after 11am or if on the 1st of 15th of the month. Avoid getting gas or going to the supermarket the day before a long Holiday weekend. Avoid driving to work during peak hours. You get the idea;)

A few more ideas:

• Don't hang out with vampires. Avoid drama queens, babblers, and complainers.
• Get lost: turn off your phone (or at least the ringer, or don't answer it), close the office door or go somewhere outside of the home/office away from the vampires. If they can't find you, they can't suck your blood.
• If you do get on the phone, have a set time for the call and GET OFF when you've reached that time. Say, "I have another call I need to be on in 15 minutes, but I wanted to return your call." That way they're prepared for it, and that is just a polite thing to do, too;)
• Have time limits for social media if you tend to get sucked in. The busiest people with all thousands of friends and all those tweets and posts usually have them written out days ahead of time and scheduled to go out at certain points, or they crank everything out in 30min each day. People who are TRULY busy cannot afford to be on Facebook for hours on end.

The bottom line is, plan your day, stick to your schedule, minimize distractions, and you will have more time. You can do it! And if this isn't your style, you don't need to do it EVERY DAY. But it would be good practice to get into some of these habits for your busiest days.

What are your top 3 time vampires? Share with us in the group!

Love,

Ana

Tell us about it on the forum.

Classic Quotes about Procrastination:

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week." Spanish Proverb
"How soon 'not now' becomes 'never'." Martin Luther
"A year from now you may wish you had started today." Karen Lamb

One of the most common problems is procrastination. We know what we want to do and should do. But still we end up spending hours upon hours doing "easier" work or escaping via TV, blogs or music, or, in my case, dancing in my kitchen.

Now, nothing wrong with a little escape from time to time. But if you procrastinate too much you will not get the most important things done. And you will also send yourself into negative spirals where your self-esteem plummets and you spend your days or more in a vague negative funk.

So what can you do? I combined some Ziji with some thoughts from Henrick of The Positivity Blog, and am sending you 7 tips to help you to stop procrastinating and start living your life more fully. Onward!

1. Stop thinking. Start doing. 
"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing." Eva Young

A bit of planning can certainly help you to achieve what you want to achieve. A lot of planning and thinking tends to have the opposite effect. This can lead to the "analysis paralysis" you may have heard me mention.

You think and think and try to come up with "the perfect plan." A plan where you don't have to make mistakes, where you will never be rejected, where there will be no pain or difficulties. Such a thing does of course not exist. But as long as you work on that plan you can protect yourself.

2. Don't blow a task out of proportion. 
"If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it." Olin Miller

By over thinking and putting things off you are not only trying to protect yourself from pain. You also make mountains out of molehills. The quotes above are so true it isn't even funny. The more hours and days you put something off the worse it grows in your mind.
Because you are dwelling on it. And so it expands in your mind. And since you are putting it off you are probably thinking about it in a negative way. This makes a little thing a big-ass Gremlin, a horrible beast that is threatening to ruin your life.

So plan a little and then take action.

Often if you have been there before, you don't even have to plan, and you know what needs to be done. So stop thinking and just do it no matter how you feel and what you think. How you feel right now changes as quickly as the weather so it's not the perfect guidance system or anything. And you don't have to obey what it says (tame that gremlin!). Just do what you know is right anyway.

3. Just take the first step. 
"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King, Jr.

When you start to look too far into the future any task or project can seem close to impossible. And so you shut down because you become overwhelmed and start surfing the internet aimlessly instead. That is one of the reasons why it is good to plan for the future but then to shift your focus back to today and the present moment.

Then you just focus on taking the first step today. That is all you need to focus on, nothing else. By taking the first step you change you mental state from resistant to "Hey, I'm doing this...freakin' awesome!" You put yourself in state where you become more positive and open, a state where you may not be enthusiastic about taking the next step after this first one, but you are at least accepting the possibility. And so you can take the next step. And the next one after that.

The thing is, you can't see the whole staircase anyway, and it will shift and reveal itself along the way. That's why the best of plans tend to fall apart at least a bit as you start to put it into action. You discover that your map of reality doesn't look like reality.

4. Start with the hardest task of your day. 

Maybe you have an important call to make that you also fear might be uncomfortable. Maybe you know you have gotten behind on answering your emails and have big pile to dig into. Maybe you have the last five pages of your paper to finish.

Whatever it may be, get it out of your way the first thing you do.

If you start your day this way you will feel relieved. You feel relaxed and good about yourself. And the rest of the day - and your to-do list - tends to feel a lot lighter and easier to move through. It's amazing what difference this one action makes.

5. Just make a decision. Any decision. 
"In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Theodore Roosevelt

We feel bad when we sit on our hands and don't take action because it's unnatural. The natural thing is to be a decisive, courageous human and take action.

When you procrastinate, you want to do something but you don't take the action that is in alignment with that thought. You become conflicted inside and feel crappy.

What you do always sends signals back to you about who you are. Sure, doing affirmations where you say to yourself that you are confident can help you. But taking the confident actions you want to take over and over again is what really builds your self confidence and a self-image of you being a confident person. When you procrastinate, you lower your self esteem and send signals back to yourself that you are - well - a kinda lame and indecisive person.

6. Face your fear. 
"Procrastination is the fear of success. People procrastinate because they are afraid of the success that they know will result if they move ahead now. Because success is heavy, carries a responsibility with it, it is much easier to procrastinate and live on the 'someday I'll' philosophy." Denis Waitley

I think this is true. It's easier to live on that "someday..." thought. It's harder to just take action. To risk looking like a fool. To make mistakes, stumble and not avoid that pain. To take responsibility for your own life.

The easier choice can come with a sense of comfort, with a certain level of success, pangs of regret for all the things you never dared to do and a vague sense of being unfulfilled. You wonder about what would have happened if you had taken more action and more chances.

The harder choice gives you, well, who knows? But it will sure make your feel more alive.

7. Finish it. 
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task" William James

"Much of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started." David Allen

Not taking the first step to start accomplishing something can make you feel bad. But not finishing what you have started can also leave you in a sort of negative funk. You feel fatigued or stressed and sometimes you don't even know why. It's like someone zapped your inner power, your Ziji buzz.

If that is the case, go over tasks and projects what you are currently involved in. Is there something there you know you want to finish but haven't yet? Try to get that finished as soon as you can you will start to feel a whole lot better.

Just be careful. Don't think you have to finish everything you started. If a book sucks, read something else. Using this as an excuse to quit something that feels hard or unfamiliar is not a good idea. But there is no law that says that everything has to be completed.

So...what have you been putting off? Begin it now! You'll feel much more juicy 😉

Which of the above tips resonates with you most today? Tell us in the FB group!

Love,

Ana

Creating Structure

A structure will work only if you notice it. The cool thing is, whether or not you do what the structure says you're supposed to do, the structure itself will lead to learning. Start creating some structure for yourself to help you stay on task and moving towards your goals:

Basic Structures
Here are some structures that have worked for clients of mine:

• If you have a coach, send an e-mail to them every day when a certain task  is done (or in the case of ZUMP, you can also post it on the forum!).
• Wear a rubberband on your wrist when you want to remember to do something, such as breathe deeply, speak powerfully, sit up straight, turn complaints into requests, or tell someone something positive.
• Throw a dinner party once a month. This can be a structure for cleaning house or keeping up relationships with friends.
• Find an exercise partner.
• Devise an intentionally fabricated deadline on the day you start a project--such as scheduling a meeting to show a colleague or friend your completed project in two weeks.
• Schedule appointments with one friend a week for two months.
• Put a chair in front of the door when you come in at night to remind yourself to take along important documents tomorrow.
• Send yourself an e-mail or voicemail to request that a certain task be done.
• Ask a friend to send you a pre-designed postcard once a month to encourage you to... (you can also send these to yourself with automated ?

Counting is a structure. When you want to pay attention to a certain behavior - when your gremlin or saboteur shows up, for example, or when you acknowledge others - simply count how many times you do it in any given day. This is a structure that focuses your attention on noticing. You can also count the number of cigarettes smoked, the number of calories consumed, the number of sales appointments, the number of times you apologize, etc. Counting does not require you to do anything other than notice. But noting every time you do something heightens your awareness.

A talisman can be a structure. A toy lion by the phone can remind you to be ferocious in pursuit of a goal. Raaaarrrrr.

A coach is one of the best structures. Yay! Coaching is a relationship of accountability, and a place where you stop everything and look at your life, at how you are doing, and whether you are headed in the direction you want.

Time Management
This category includes any kind of calendar, day timer, or to-do list. It can be paper, computer based, store-bought or handmade, rigorously designed down to the quarter hour, or just an overview. The key to its effectiveness is how well it fits you. There is a mistaken belief that there is just one right way. For all the evolution in for-mat and technology, from pencil and paper to smartphones, the best system is what works for you - and what you'll use.

Money Management
For most people, about the only structure they have for managing this part of their lives is the register in their checkbooks (if that!). Other structures might include computer programs, a monthly budget, regularly scheduled money management discussions with a partner, or the services of a financial planner or home budget consultant. If you tend to overspend on a credit card, you can pull out cash that you've budgeted for food or entertainment etc. each month, and use that (and ONLY that) to pay for those things.

Using the Senses
If you are highly visual, any structure that appears in your daily field of vision is likely to work - sticking notes to your refrigerator, computer, dashboard, or the cabinet above the desk, for example. Postcards or pictures cut from magazines are another good structure (vision boards!).

Repainting a room to change the visual space might be an impactful new structure, or simply changing a chair position so that you're forced to look at the world from a different perspective.

Think about how you could use the other senses as well. Auditory structures, like music or an audiotape of affirmations or visualizations (like the ones you heard in this course), and even scents (from essential oils or flowers) can be very powerful structures. Religious ceremonies and rituals have used fragrance for thousands of years because it's a structure that works. How could you use the structure of smell creatively in your life?

Some of the best structures come from your intuition and may not seem to make sense at first. Place watermelon seeds on the kitchen window sill . . . carry a flashlight in your briefcase . . . wear mismatched shoes today. One reason structures work is because they interrupt the ordinary mind-flow and grab your attention. The more outrageous they are, the more likely it is that they'll interrupt the semiconscious way we often glide through our days.

Pick one structure you will add to your life and tell us about it in the forum!

Love,

Ana

Acknowledge Your Efforts 

Attention perfectionists: It's not always about being the best, neatest, most organized, or most flawless; and it's not about winning or having success in everything that you do.

Now that you've gotten more clear, what does success or winning or being the best look like to you?

While we're at it, who makes these standards? Is it your gremlin? If so, let's change that, OK? It's time create your own definition of success.

One of my clients was in tears of joy when she re-defined her success. For years she had felt like a failure as she never seemed to be able to get off the ground financially. She didn't own a house, she struggled for steady work, and she was in serious debt. Her sense of failure was profound.

Then, her daughter, now in her 20s, came to her opening her heart about her struggles over the past several years with her depression, her identity, and her own failures. Her daughter told her how through all that, her mother was so important to her, and that she didn't know where she'd be without her. That she made her the strong woman she was.

"Ana, THAT is success for me," she said, crying. "I am so proud of her, of who she has become. I raised a good human being, a beautiful human being. I feel so much more free when I realize how freakin' successful I am. I am so proud of myself!"

Amen, sistah. And what a blessing to her daughter that her mother feels that way about her. One of my most beautiful moments I had with my father as he passed away was when he said, "You are my greatest creation." Damn. I still cry whenever I write that. But it feels good.

Do you ever look back and acknowledge/list all the things you've accomplished? We (our gremlins) spend so much time worrying, planning, fretting about the future, when do we ever stop to be proud of ourselves for where we are? Do you need to change your standards?

List 5 things you've been successful at in the last 5 years. Your gremlin DOES NOT GET TO COMMENT HERE. I'm not talking about winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and your accomplishments don't even have to be tangible things here. The first one on your list can be that you are taking this course to better yourself! Ready.......go!

Share in the group about 5 things you've been successful with. Go on. BRAG!

Love,

Ana

Downloads

Ziji Up! – Life Purpose Statement