Busy Being Productive...

No matter who I talk to---no matter what day of the week it is--- I always hear the busy complaint. I hear:

I am so busy. I just don’t know what to do with myself.

I am so tired. There’s just not enough time in the day.

I can’t wait until the weekend so I can just relax!

No matter the specific complaint, there is one underlying theme that I hear flowing through the actual words. That theme is---I am busy not being productive.

I have been working with a client as well as my husband on the issue of productivity this week and I couldn’t help but remember some of my older posts on the subject. You can find those posts here, here, and here.

If you have been busy, then it is safe to say that you have been occupied, full of bustle, not free, active, and not available for use. All of those things would be great if they were followed by some sort of intentional results.

If you have been productive, then it is safe to say that you have been yielding something, creating something, causing something, or presenting something. In the case of being productive, an intentional action was followed by an intentional result.

Besides trying out some of the tips you read in the older posts linked above, before you begin an activity, ask yourself if that action will yield, create, cause, or present the intentional result you desire.

To Blog…Nakeia


Have you experienced a productive week so far? Do you spend your days being busy or productive? What tip could you implement today that will allow you to experience a more productive life?

Birthdays and Jump Starts

I was having a belated birthday lunch (Happy Birthday to Me!) with two of my friends yesterday, when I heard a question that I have heard so many times before. One of my friends asked does anyone know of a way that I can lose 10lbs fast. She is actually in a wedding that will take place in 2weeks and just wanted to get rid of a little extra weight gained by over indulging for the past few months.

I have also heard that weight loss question asked in this form:

Does anyone know how I can loose 10 lbs fast? I just need a jump start to my diet and loosing that 10lbs will get me motivated to do more…

I am sure you have either heard or asked the weight loss question in some form or another yourselves. Of course you know I have heard it. Well, I have also said it many times. And every time I say it or hear it I can’t help but think of the time I heard it or said it before.

We set many goals, from weight loss goals to weight gain goals. We set goals in the beginning, middle, and end of every year. Some of us see results and some of don’t, but in true human form most of us try and try again. For those who are tired of trying, a Jump Start Goal may be exactly what you need. I am talking about the kind of goal that, when achieved, will jump start your entire life.

I am sure that you a have a descent track record of fulfilling your goal to loose a few pounds, read more books, or watch less television and I can see how those things can be good improvements. But I want you to look at how those things could really jump start your life. Maybe you need to set a Jump Start Goal to loose more than a few pounds. Maybe you need to loose the 15lbs that will add 5 years to your life. Maybe you need to do more than just read more books. Perhaps you need to enroll in a course that will put you in a better position to receive that promotion at work. Finally, maybe you need to cut out television entirely for a few months or more and use the money you would have spent on cable to invest in the business you have always wanted to start. You could spend the time you would normally devote to television creating a business plan.

I want you to join me in thinking of ways that you could radically change your life. Think of major goals that could jump start your personal and professional life. It’s good to make small and steady strides but sometimes we need a leap that will get us closer to the life we want faster and with less effort. The minor changes you have been experiencing in your life are good, but a major change that could really give you the boost you need would be even better!

To Blog…Nakeia

What major goal could you set today that would radically jump start your life? What type of improvements would you begin to see if you fulfilled that goal?

Who's Keeping Score?

Normally when someone speaks of keeping score in life it has a negative connotation. Of course, it really only seems negative to the person on the loosing side of the board. Outside of a competitive setting, keeping score is a really great success tool.

This year I have gone into serious personal score keeping mode. One of my personal and professional goals has been to rid myself of any form of insanity, in every aspect o my life. In an older blog I wrote about this working definition of insanity:

… Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

In other words there were some behaviors, plans, and other habits that I had grown accustom to repeating even though they weren’t giving me the results I desired. I repeated those actions because they were familiar, comfortable, and quite honestly they didn’t require much thought; and I did this for years before admitting, to myself, the level of insanity required to do it. Insane---right?!

Well I’m healed! Insanity has left the building! I have been implementing new behaviors, plans, and habits and to ensure that insanity does not creep back into my life. I have been keeping score. I keep score of what works for me and what doesn’t. Of course if it doesn’t work…it’s gotta go!

Here is how keeping score can wok for you. Make a list of your immediate goals. Next to each goal, write down the action(s) you have taken toward completing it. If you were successful at it, write down the word HIT beside the action. If the action did not work for you, write down he word MISS. To ensure that you do not board the insane train, replace the actions that didn’t work with results driven actions; and only repeat an action if it actually helped you to achieve the things you desired. If you want to achieve the level of success you desire, you must learn to develop winning ways! Knowing what works for you and what doesn’t, and developing strategies to combat the MISSES and increase your HITS will give you the score you need to succeed.

To Blog…Nakeia

Do you keep score in your life? How many HITS and MISSES have you accumulated this week? How will you improve your score?

The Banana Colored Car

I don’t get embarrassed easily. But growing up there was one thing that would almost embarrass me, and that was my family’s banana colored car. Before there was the Facebook I am here applications and Twitter updates, there was the banana colored car that would update the whole town on my exact location. I mean really…you couldn’t miss it! That car was painted the worst possible color for a car, not mention the fact that it was almost as old as my grand-mom. BUT…it got me to where I needed to be---when I needed to be there.

I thought about that car today as I was doing my mission assessment. In December of 2010, I finalized most of my plans for 2011. I hit 2011 running steadily toward my mission to create a life and business that would empower everyone I came into contact with to use their God-given power to create the life they desire. Along the way I have had some unexpected challenges. However, I am exactly where I need to be---at the exact time I need to be here. I thought that all of my strategic planning, intentional living, and motivational thinking would get me to where I am today. I was only half- way right. The unexpected challenges--- the things that have brought me to the point of embarrassment---the things that gave everyone around me an update on exactly where I am in my personal and professional life--- have also been agents of success. Those challenges have forced me to commit more time to my business in order to get things done. Those embarrassing moments have forced me to come up with more creative ways to get the results I desire in my personal life.

One of the most important principles that you could ever learn and apply is this:

Every bad, unexpected, embarrassing, challenging, or unfortunate thing that happens to you has within it the seed of something good.

Some people are motivated to do good (I know this should say well, but good makes my point better), because of something bad. For example the most recent Tsunami in Japan motivated many people to give money that they would have more than likely kept for themselves.
Reflecting on the embarrassing banana colored car reminded me that I am strong enough to go through even the most embarrassing moments in life, just to get to where I need to be---when I need to be there.

To Blog…Nakeia

When was the last time you felt embarrassed? How did you handle it? What are you willing to go through to get to where you need to be?