I Am Not A Slacker!

It is 8:00pm , and I have just put the little one to bed.

As I sit in front of my computer and check my daily calender, I realize that I still have 5 things to do before I can bring an end to my work day. I also realize that I have not blogged in a week or so...and this is becoming a pattern.

I immediately say to myself, I am a slacker! Then I go to the Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary to look up the meaning of the word slacker...cause you know me...I must know what I mean, when I say what I think I mean (too much?)

Slacker: a person who shirks work or obligation.

NOT ME.

In fact, not only am I NOT shirking (evading, avoiding),my work, I am doing WAy too much! I am working, thinking, developing, writing, and researching way too much. AND...I love it! I love what I do. The more I love it, the more I want to do it. I am taking on new personal projects, writing new songs, negotiating new deals for my husband, finalizing the plans for my new website, and whatever else I can squeeze into the day.

I have made apologies on this blog, by email, and instant message for not blogging lately. My wonderful followers (those I knew about and those I didn't know about until they sent me an email asking me about missing some days of blogging) have made me come to a temporary decision.

For now, I will be blogging once a week (unless I really have something to get off my mind).
Thursday will be the day.

So look for my blogs on Thursday; starting next week!

Before I go, consider this quote by James Allen:

See to it that you rise by steady climbing, and you will never fall.

To Blog...Nakeia

Decision Remorse

I do something at least once a day that I wish I can take back or just do over. When I wake up too late, I wish I could start the day over. When I send out an email, I wish I would have said one more or one less thing. When I order the chicken, I wish I would have ordered the steak.

I wish. I wish. I WISH!

Life is full of opportunities to do things over. If I don’t like the email that was sent, I can always send a subsequent clarification email. If I don’t like the chicken, I can pout until my husband agrees to share his steak with me (‘cause his food is always better than mine). I may not like the way I started my day, but I can always end strong. Some things are not ideal, but that is the reality of REALity.

On the other hand, there are those life choices that we just have to live with. There are words spoken that can never be un-spoken. There is time that passes, that can never be rewound. Most of the things we do can not be undone. Some things are not ideal, but that is the reality of REALity.

You can drastically reduce the number of choices that you make and end up regretting by implementing some decision making guidelines. The guidelines should be made custom to your lifestyle and thought process. No one person processes things alike. I, for one, am a quick thinker. The longer I wait to make a decision, the harder it is for me to make it. Others like to take their time.

Here are 2 general guidelines that everyone can follow:

Create your own personal decision making guidelines.

Guideline example: I will wait 24 hours before making a decision.

Only make intentional decisions. There should be a purpose attached to every decision you make. If you want to avoid decision remorse, put some thought into it. To make sure you are making an intentional decision, complete the following statement:

Making a decision to _________ will __________________________________in my life.

Those 2 guidelines are simple and effective. You can use them as a foundation for setting guidelines of your own.

To Blog…Nakeia

Just Get There

The road one takes to through life is not always a smooth ride. I am still not sure why that doesn’t go with out saying. If you have gotten into a car, and taken a ride to anywhere land, you should know exactly what I mean. You may travel the same route to work everyday, but on any given day, a bump, some litter, an animal, or a detour may surface…without warning. So what do you do? Do you stop, turn around, drive home, and get back into bed? Or do you go around it, through it, over it, or find another way to get you to where you need to be?

You may be thinking… how can you compare a daily commute to work, to a commute through this thing called life. Well, I will tell you how. Simply put it into perspective. Both are about getting from where you are, to where you need to be. How smooth the may or may not be along the way really doesn’t matter.

Just get there.

To Blog…Nakeia

Planning Made Easy

The more I try to convince people to create an action plan, the more I realize how intimidating creating an action plan can be for some. No matter how easy I say it is…there is always someone that just can’t get past the fear of committing their dreams to paper and following up with some action.

As with life, planning can be as simple or as complicated as one makes it. I, for one, spend most of my time making my life as simple as possible. So when it comes to planning, I have four simple guidelines that I follow.

Define the goal.
In statement form, I write down what I intend to accomplish.

Research the area of interest.
I begin a regime of organized study. I find out exactly what it will take for me to accomplish my goal.

Prepare to take action.
Once I know what I want to do and what it will take to do it, I prepare an action schedule. That schedule simply details what I will do, each day, to move closer to accomplishing my goal.

Begin with the end in mind.
With tunnel vision, I direct my attention and intention towards what I want to accomplish.
Mentally seeing myself accomplishing my goals motivates me to push forward toward an expected end.

Those guidelines are simple, yet effective! I use them to create an action plan for my personal and professional life and it works every time. If you have had difficulty creating your action plan, give these guidelines a try.

To Blog…Nakeia

Write It Down!

As you join me in committing to Leave 2010 With No Regrets, here is a quick tip to assist you in your efforts.

WRITE IT DOWN!

If you have been following my blogs at all, you know this is a BIG deal for me. But…trust me, it works! Committing your thoughts, personal goals, grocery lists, and business ideas to paper, will change your life!

Here are three proven benefits to writing things down:

It focuses your attention.
Your entire body must be present in order to take the time to sit and write something down. You will also need your entire body to be present to turn the words you commit to paper into action. Those moments of focus can also be used to meditate. Once you have written your thoughts down, you can read over it every morning to help focus your daily efforts.

It acts as a memory booster.
Studies show that if you write something down, you are more likely to remember it. Remembering the reason you want to change will keep you on track. Reading what you have written down will also take you back to how you felt when you were writing it. That feeling of determination and drive will motivate you to continue moving forward.

It creates a permanent record.
I started the Leave 2010 With No Regrets Challenge because I got tired of seeing the same things on my New Years Resolution list. I had created many permanent records of the things I wanted to change, achieve, and conquer, but never did. Now I write things down to create a permanent record of the things I need to change, achieve, and conquer, and I do just that!

I just gave you 3 good reasons why you should spend this weekend writing down your plan to Leave 2010 With No Regrets. It is not enough to think about it. You must create a written plan that is followed by ACTION. There are 63 days left in 2010! It is not too late for you to join the challenge. You don’t have to carry your past into your future! If you start today, you can start the New Year with a NEW YOU!

To Blog…Nakeia

Challenge Update!!!

I recently shared an important session with Stacy, my pick for the Leave 2010 With No Regrets Challenge. She is well on her way to closing out this year completely content with the direction of her life. Stacy has been diligent in her efforts to maintain her focus, keep the insignificant opinions of other at bay, and move forward with her professional goals. I am extremely hopeful that her life will remain on track. Unfortunately, some unpleasant circumstances from Stacy's past have resurfaced, and she was thrown off track for a moment.

The difficulty that Stacy was trying to work through was, quite honestly, self-inflected. She is comfortable admitting that before committing to her personal development goals, she would make major life decisions on a whim. She wouldn’t give much thought to the consequences of her decisions and when things didn’t work out, for some reason, she would be surprised…really.

I kept asking Stacy this question, what have you learned? Even after the work we have done together she still had a hard time coming up with an answer that I would accept. At first she blamed others and then she blamed herself. But I helped her realize that there is no lesson in the game of blame. Eventually, her lesson was learned and she made it through the difficult moments, confident that she can face whatever’s next.

Here is what I learned about the, what have you learned, question:

In order to answer the question, you must get past the surface. It’s not just about the present circumstance. You must look at what led up to it. If you have made one bad major decision, more than likely, there have been others.

In order to answer the question, you must locate the start of the pattern. There is a spark that
ignites every fire. You must find out why you make the decisions you make.

In order to answer the question, you must be willing to admit to wrong doing. Being wrong isn’t easy. That is especially true when being wrong causes pain. Admitting what is wrong about you will lead you on the path that is right.

Those are just a few reasons why it is important to recognize the opportunity that learning life lessons can bring. Every time you are face to face with difficulty, you are also standing face to face to face with opportunity. You are giving the opportunity to move forward with the tools needed to do better next time.


To Blog…Nakeia

I Need A Therapist!

I am guilty...I have done it again...I have not been practising what I preach...I NEED A THERAPIST! Seriously.

I am on autopilot. I took on too many projects. I took on clients that require more attention than I am able to give (without taking away from some other areas of my life). I got behind on my housework. I got behind on my reading. I got behind in my writing. I got sick, and then I got my family sick.

Now I am playing catchup and interviewing therapist...cause I REALLY think I need one!

I have received your messages and I have not forgotten about you. I am just taking some time to get myself together!

Here is what I have done, so far, to get myself back on track:

Created a list of things that require my immediate attention. This list is very detailed and focuses on the things that I NEED to do right now. (i.e. unanswered emails from potential clients)

Limited my phone and computer use. For me, the phone and computer can be horrible distractions. I have set aside time at the beginning and end f my work day for returning phone calls and use of the Internet that does not involve current or potential clients.

Delegated duties that did not require my direct involvement. This one is hard for me, yet it is the most useful. Taking help where I can get it has increased my daily productivity. The more efficient hands involved, the more efficient the results.

If you are as guilty as I am and need to get yourself together as well, join me by implementing those three effective strategies and back on track.

To Blog...Nakeia