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Dreams & Goals | Achievements | Keira Adams Journey |

INSTANT MOTHERHOOD! LEARNING TO LEAN INTO THE CHALLENGE.

by admin May 9, 2021

written by admin

What do you do if the week before Mother’s Day, you get a phone call from your adopted son’s birth mom, announcing she is seven months pregnant and wants you to adopt the child? I recently had my 50th birthday! My son is 6. A six-year age difference between siblings is significant. Despite these numbers, this baby will be his blood relative. His older brother was adopted by another family, but he will be able to grow up with this sibling. We want that for him.

Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing

-RICKI LAKE

After focusing on my son for the last six years, I was beginning to look toward the future. It felt like time to combine his needs and mine. I am setting up a nature school to offer a supplemental science course for homeschoolers in the area. My plan is to start introductory classes next month. It is not a small undertaking, and the plan gets exponentially bigger later in the year with a two-week-long outdoor nature curriculum for my son’s school. It is one of my passions, but the timing is not great for a new baby.

I have done a lot of introspection since that phone call. Motherhood IS a battle. I do not mean with your kids, but there are those days too. I mean it is a battle for your children. You are their warrior. You either give up, or you make it work. Moms do not give up when it comes to their kids. We should also fight for ourselves because that is a fight for our kids’ best interests. Stepping out of your comfort zone and letting your curiosity guide you does not mean completely throwing caution to the wind. We can all take a chance AND mitigate the level of risk involved. If we want to achieve our goals, feel personally fulfilled, and be the best mothers we can be, there will never be a perfect time. There will be bumps in the road, plans will suddenly change, and we can always find excuses not to. What sets us apart is the push to keep moving forward. It is not an easy road to travel. It IS, however, worth it.

Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws

-BARBARA KINGSOLVER

May 9, 2021 0 comments

Meditation for Everyone

by admin August 31, 2019

written by admin

Life can quickly become overwhelming on any given day. The quickest way to rebound and redirect is through meditation. Many people combine meditation with spirituality. However, I am talking about the tool anyone, regardless of their spiritual affiliation, can use to quiet their brain. A means to become mindful in the present moment, and strengthen our ability to focus. Many find the spiritual components are another benefit of meditation. Regardless of what brings you to meditation, it is a necessary tool beyond your comfort zone on the road to your extraordinary life.

There are two main types of meditation we will focus on here. The first is mindfulness and the second is concentration two areas in which all busy moms could use extra help. What is mindfulness? According to Wikipedia, it is the process of bringing your mind into the present moment. I spend my days looking ahead to the next appointment on my schedule or item on my to-do list. During the summer holiday, it was easier to attain mindfulness, gardening, hiking, or being out in nature. Now the beginning of the school year is upon us, and our ability to focus is under siege. Our kids have school, extracurricular activities, homework, and childhood, and we have to coordinate it all plus running a household, a marriage, and our needs. Our abilities to focus and reduce stress are essential. The ability to pause and think before we act is extraordinary.

If like me, you have no previous experience meditating; taking a class or using a meditation app are an excellent place to start. I will try five meditation apps Calm, Headspace, Insight, Aura, Stop, Breathe, Think, 10% Happier, and Mindfulness. I initially found them on a list of the top free meditation apps, but none of them are free. Stop, Breathe, Think, and Headspace both have basic free options, but the rest are seven day free trials only. They ranged in price from $45 – $100 annually to access the full app features. I will take the next seven days to try each of these apps throughout the day. I will log my state before and after meditation, noticeable effects, and compare their effectiveness.

Benefits of Mindfulness

There are many sub-types of meditation, including Zen, Mindfulness, Loving-kindness, Compassion, Appreciative Joy, Transcendental, Equanimity, Gratitude, and Breath. We will concentrate on mindfulness, concentration, and breath meditation. Meditation has been known to help a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, PTSD, chronic pain, improve focus & memory, lower blood pressure, and increase energy. I have been meditating for three days, and I can already identify daily stress knots developing inside my body. I release them by doing stretches. Knotted muscles is a significant issue for me because typically my body becomes so knotted up that I have to go to Physical Therapy annually to resolve it. In only three days, meditation is already helping with my chronic pain and stress management.

Seven days from now, I will have a complete review of the meditation apps listed above. You have a list of the benefits achieved through meditation. The only thing left is to try it for yourself. Additional benefits from meditation include helping you to remain calm in stressful situations and strengthening your ability to be proactive instead of reactive. Meditation is an essential tool in the quest to find your extraordinary self.

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August 31, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – WORK HARD, WORK SMART

by admin August 29, 2019

written by admin

It may seem obvious, but it still needs to be said. If you want something, you need to work hard for it. As a mom, we know you can work hard. “Talent” will not save us from it. Most perceptions of talent are from ill-informed people who did not see the hours of work and practice that went into the ease and “talent” they observe now. Those who do have a particular talent still need to work hard if they want to be extraordinary. You don’t want it bad enough if you aren’t willing to work hard for it. It is as simple as that. Or is it?

You don’t wake up daily and say I am ready to work harder than ever. If you are like most moms, it is hard to drag yourself out of bed, and the busier the schedule ahead, the more difficult it is to get started. So, how are we expected to achieve the extraordinary?

There is a trick to get yourself up and moving when you don’t want to. This trick discovered by Mel Robbins is called the 5-second rule. She describes it in her book, “The Five Second Rule.”

The essence of the trick is if you have something you need to accomplish, count backward from 5 to 1 instead of thinking about it! The counting distracts your mind from talking yourself out of it. The method is golden. I have been using it for years, and it works. I have made progress on my novel and children’s book, and I got out of bed this morning and cleaned my messy house. The first ones were easy, but the last two were very difficult. I worked on my novel until 2:00 am, and my kids woke me up at 6:00 am. I do not do well without sleep, but I made it!

Mel Robbin’s book will teach you more about the brain science behind it. You will also learn how others have used it and to what extent it changed their lives. Regardless of whether the task is big or small, the trick works. Irrespective of whether you are energized or sleep-deprived, the trick works. If you believe in it or not, the method works. It seems silly that 5 seconds can make such a difference, but it can, and it will. Try it for one week and then tell me what it has done for you. It will not disappoint you.

Here is a list of additional tools to help you work smarter.

1. If you do not have the time to dedicate hours to something, try to spend shorter periods of 20-30 minutes with an intense focus on only the task at hand.

2. Measure your effort in the work you do. You will not see improvement unless your aim is measurable. For example, you can measure your writing efficiency using the time to write a blog post. Someone may initially need a day to write a blog post, but after six months, they can write a post in 2 hours—progress you can see and measure.

3. You should also automate or delegate. Your time is valuable. You can hire a Virtual Assistant to complete your least essential tasks or assign them to another family member, which frees you up to spend your time on the important stuff. Virtual assistants aren’t just for executives anymore.

4. It is essential to use technology to streamline your work. There is an app for practically everything, both personal and professional. You need to find the ones that work best for you. You can download grocery list apps that will send the last list to whoever does the shopping, apps to hire virtual assistants, online banking apps, social media syncing apps, exercise apps, etc. Use them and stop wasting your precious time.

5. Our final tip is to define processes to complete repetitive tasks. Establishing a defined method will help in two ways.

1) Processes will increase efficiency.

2) It will make jobs easier to delegate.

If you want to learn more about methods, check out The E-Myth by Michael Gerber

Increasing productivity is critical to working smarter. Here are some strategies to help boost productivity:

–Set clear goals: Define specific and achievable goals that align with your priorities. Break them down into smaller, actionable tasks to stay focused and motivated.

–Prioritize tasks: Determine the most important tasks and tackle them first. Use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix (categorizing tasks as urgent, not urgent, or essential) to prioritize effectively.

–Create a routine: Establish a daily or weekly routine that optimizes your energy levels and concentration. Stick to a consistent schedule to reduce decision fatigue and increase productivity.

–Minimize distractions: Identify and eliminate distractions that hinder your productivity. Put your phone on silent or airplane mode, use website blockers to limit social media usage, and create a designated workspace free from interruptions.

–Time blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities. This helps create focus and prevents multitasking. Use calendars or time management apps to schedule and track your time.

–Break tasks into smaller steps: Overwhelming tasks can lead to procrastination. Break them into smaller, more manageable steps to make progress easier and maintain motivation.

–Practice the Pomodoro Technique: Work in focused sprints of 25 minutes, followed by a brief break of 5 minutes. After four consecutive work sprints, take an extended break. This technique helps maintain productivity and prevents burnout.

–Delegate and outsource: Identify tasks you can delegate or outsource to others. This frees up your time to focus on high-priority tasks and activities that require your expertise.

Stay open to adopting new methods and refining your approach to maximize efficiency. Everyone’s productivity strategies may vary, so it’s essential to experiment and find what works best for your unique circumstances and preferences.

Although working hard is an unavoidable step towards an extraordinary life, use our tips and tricks to help you work smarter and more effectively. Your dreams are waiting. So, make the most of what you can accomplish.

August 29, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – FIND YOUR PURPOSE

by admin August 28, 2019

written by admin

Usually, you would find the word passion instead of the word purpose. Don’t get me wrong, passion is good. It is terrific when you have it, but it can also fade. Passion is energy. It can push you further, faster, and beyond our standard capabilities. However, you don’t start with it. It results from doing work you find fulfilling AND meaningful. When passion grows, you know you found your purpose.

It can be very disenchanting if you start your journey looking for passion and can not find it. This lack of passion can happen for various reasons, mainly fear. If your dreams are big enough, they should scare you. However, fear does not facilitate passion. Success incites passion. Instead, start looking for something you find fulfilling and meaningful. Once you find the meaning and fulfillment, the passion will come.

The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs, frees, or gives you a sense of meaning, joy, or passion.

-Terry Orlick

Your purpose is what you find when you are living life. Have you heard of the moms (MADD) who lost their children to DWI accidents? Look what they achieved. Maybe you have heard of moms whose children were born with a disease, suffer an injury, or have a disability? So, they work tirelessly to raise awareness and find solutions. How about all those moms who design solutions to simple everyday problems all of us mothers face? If you are under the illusion that moms don’t have time to find or have a purpose, you are mistaken. Having children led these women to their purpose.

My son grabbed my world and shook it to its core, then gave me an improved one where I found my purpose. My purpose is to protect and heal young children who have entered foster care. If you aren’t sure what yours is yet, watch this short TED talk by Adam Leipzig.

How do you find your purpose in life? According to Mr. Liepzig it is as easy as answering the following five questions:

Who are you?
What do you do?
Who do you do it for?
What do they want or need?
What do they get out of what you do?

Give it a try. Here is an example I wrote up for myself.

Who are you? Keira
What do you do? I show kids love, strength, and stability.
Who do you do it for? I do it for the kids who are separated from their families.
What do they need? A place where they can recover from the trauma of being taken from their families.
What do they get out of it? A chance to carry on a life with some normalcy, complete with love and support.

You also realize that you are not limited to only one purpose. I have many guiding me through life. The key is to know what they are so you know when you are veering off course.

Do not doubt what you have inside you. You have what it takes to find that purpose and achieve those dizzying heights you’re destined to succeed. You are a mom!

Finding your purpose can be a deeply personal and reflective process. Here are some strategies to help you discover our purpose:

What activities or hobbies bring me joy and fulfillment?
What are my natural talents and strengths?
What topics or issues am I most passionate about?
What values and principles are most important to me? What activities or tasks make you lose track of time?
What do you find yourself daydreaming or fantasizing about?
What activities or tasks make you feel energized and motivated?
What kind of impact do you want to make in the world?
What do you enjoy learning or reading about?
How do you want to be remembered by others?

Remember, finding your purpose is a personal and unique journey. It may take time and self-reflection, but by exploring your passions, values, strengths, and impact on others, you can uncover a sense of purpose that brings fulfillment and meaning to your life.

August 28, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – BE PROACTIVE

by admin August 27, 2019

written by admin

Proactivity is the key to achieving your goals. You can plan and prepare forever, but without action, your goal remains nothing more than a dream. Proactivity is action supported by a plan. It is the determination to tackle what needs to be done without pause or procrastination. Once you have the program, you take the first, second, and third steps.

Think proactively and dynamically. Be realistic, but set your sights high.
—Lorii Myers

TIPS TO BECOME MORE PROACTIVE:
1. Do not concentrate on the problems, but search for solutions.

2. Hold yourself accountable

3. Be Consistent

4. Review your goals and your direction regularly

If you start off looking at all your problems, you will never make a move. So, instead, look for solutions. If you can’t find a solution immediately, consider it while taking smaller steps forward. Often, the answer will come to you, or you will find someone else to help you.

You must hold yourself accountable if you stand in your way or discover you caused the problem. Once you accept your role in your life, you can truly grow. If you are the cause, then you can become the solution.

Keep moving forward every day. The size of the step does not matter as much as the fact that you keep moving. Every step brings you closer to your goal. You will get there if you consistently keep moving in the right direction.

It is essential to review your trajectory often. Things don’t always turn out how you expect, but they will be how you want if you regularly monitor your goals and path. You don’t want to find out at the end that you arrived at a place you have outgrown.

Being successful requires being proactive and not waiting for life to come to you. It means you’re on offense, not defense. You’re active, not passive.
— Benjamin P. Hardy

A planned action is the key to making your dreams a reality. There is no way around it. You start with small steps but keep moving forward. Problems or obstacles are nothing more than an opportunity to learn. Do not let them stop you from pursuing your ideal life. Finally, keep reviewing your process and plan. You will need to adjust as you learn because if you knew everything, you would have reached your goal already.

Proactivity, grit, and drive are the powerhouses of personal motivation and success. They are interconnected:

–Personal agency: Proactivity, grit, and drive all involve a sense of personal agency and taking ownership of one’s actions and outcomes. Individuals with these qualities are proactive in seeking opportunities, taking initiative, and actively working toward their goals.

–Motivation and determination: internal motivation and determination fuels Proactivity, grit, and drive. Individuals with these qualities are self-motivated, have a strong desire to achieve their objectives, and will put in the effort required to succeed.

–Resilience and perseverance: Grit, drive, and proactivity require resilience and persistence in facing challenges and setbacks. Obstacles or failures do not easily deter individuals who possess these qualities. They show resilience by bouncing back from setbacks, learning from their experiences, and staying focused on their goals.

–Goal-oriented mindset: Proactivity, grit, and drive are all associated with having a goal-oriented attitude. Individuals with these qualities have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and are driven to progress toward their goals. They establish high expectations for themselves and dedicate themselves to ongoing growth.

–Action-oriented approach: The action-oriented approach characterizes individuals with proactivity, grit, and drive. Individuals who possess these qualities are not passive observers but are engaged in taking steps toward their goals. They will take risks, decide, and take responsibility for their actions.

In summary, proactivity, grit, and drive are interconnected qualities that contribute to personal motivation, resilience, and success. They involve taking ownership of one’s actions, being self-motivated, persevering through challenges, and maintaining focus on goals. These qualities often work together to drive individuals toward achieving their desired outcomes.

As with proactivity, you need to develop your grit and drive. These characteristics require discipline, perseverance, and a strong sense of purpose. Here are some strategies to help cultivate and enhance these qualities:

–Set challenging S.M.A.R.T. goals regularly: Break down your goals into smaller, achievable targets. Set specific, measurable, and time-bound goals that challenge and push you outside your comfort zone.

–Cultivate resilience: Develop the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adversity. View failure as a learning experience and use it as motivation to keep going. Practice perseverance and see obstacles as temporary roadblocks.

–Create a routine and stick to it: Establish a consistent routine that supports your goals and maintains your focus. Prioritize your tasks, allocate time for essential activities, and eliminate distractions that hinder your progress.

–Practice self-discipline: Train yourself to delay gratification and work consistently towards your goals. Develop habits and rituals that support your drive and discipline, such as setting daily or weekly targets and holding yourself accountable.

–Find intrinsic motivation: Connect with the intrinsic motivation within yourself. Identify what truly drives and inspires you, and use that as a source of energy and commitment.

–Seek new challenges: Continuously seek new challenges and growth opportunities. Step outside your comfort zone regularly and embrace discomfort as a catalyst for personal development.

–Celebrate progress and small wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Recognize the efforts and milestones you achieve as they contribute to building your grit and drive.

Remember that developing proactivity, grit, and drive is a continuous process. Be patient, embrace the journey, and stay committed to your goals. As you grow your grit, proactivity, and drive to achieve your aspirations, these qualities will become second nature, and you will become the extraordinary version of yourself. The version that carves out a clear and achievable path to your wildest dreams.

August 27, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET

by admin August 25, 2019

written by admin

Now that we understand the brain can build new pathways based on our behaviors, it is time to look at exciting things the mind can do. Mindset has proven to be the number one indicator of future success. Growth Mindset is the most critical concept in this series. Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered the idea of mindset in the 1970s. Since then, Dr.Dweck’s research has proven that those who aspire to become extraordinary must first look at their mindset.

What is mindset? It is a perception that affects one’s behavior. Dr. Dweck found two predominant mindsets: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset is the belief that a person’s potential is set and does not change. The growth mindset is that a person’s potential is undetermined and changeable by hard work. This means that by merely shifting your perceptions from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, you open up a world of possibilities for yourself where the sky is the limit.

Dr. Carol S. Dweck’s TED talk on Growth Mindset

According to Dweck, we each have a combination of fixed and growth mindsets. The goal is to identify where you have a fixed mindset and what triggers it and try to replace it with a growth mindset. To learn more about mindset and its link to success, read Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

HOW TO ADOPT A GROWTH MINDSET

How do you adopt a growth mindset once you understand the concept and its importance?

1. Listen to your internal dialogue. Write down your fixed mindset messages for a week.
2. Determine when the fixed mindset creeps in.
3. Write down a growth mindset response to each fixed mindset response you recorded.
4. Determine where your fixed mindset is holding you back from your goals.
5. Concentrate on catching and replacing those fixed mindset responses to growth mindset responses. 6. It will feel awkward at first, but keep at it. The more you do, the easier it will become in the future.

Here is a personal example from my life. I am currently writing my first fiction novel. I have always thought of writing as my “talent.” However, feeling extremely protective of my work, I rarely shared it with anyone. It felt so personal. I did not want to discover that my writing was terrible and had no talent. I eventually signed up for a course in which an editor reviews the first ten pages of your manuscript, gives you feedback, gives you a chance to make changes, and then you submit it for a final review. If the editor liked your book enough, they could request more pages to read. I am petrified of criticism, so the entire process was honestly excruciating. To this point, very few people had read my work. It had been a labor of love for over a decade. However, I held on to the hope she would request more pages.

What I received was a lot of constructive criticism. Initially, I felt horrified. I blamed myself for picking the wrong editor. I had chosen a junior editor in my genre, and I should have picked an older, more experienced one. I blamed her for not understanding what I was trying to do. I blamed myself for submitting it. I had embarrassed myself. However, I stopped and took a deep breath. I threw myself into making the corrections. I eventually convinced myself that if she was unhappy with this, I could make the changes, and she would ask me for more. By the time I resubmitted the manuscript, I felt giddy. I had to get a request for more pages now!

It was not my moment. My final review did not arrive with a request for more pages. It came with something even better. It came with an ah-ha moment. The editor told me what my writing was missing. I could not put my finger on it for years. The book was off, and I knew it, but I did not know why. It was liberating in one sense but frustrating in another. I did not know how to fix the problem. I made some initial attempts, but I couldn’t seem to crack it. So I eventually put my book back on the shelf.

I realize it is time to take that book off the shelf and start working on it. I have nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I am not scared of hard work. My passion will get me through. I fear looking back and realizing I never took the chance.

August 25, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – CONQUER YOUR FEARS

by admin August 23, 2019

written by admin

To truly live a life beyond the comfort zone, you must first manage your fears, anxiety, and procrastination. Using methods devised by Mel Robbins in her book the 5-second rule, You will control your fear, make anxious energy work for you, and push past procrastination. These are three of the most insidious barriers to fulfilling your most extraordinary life.

F.E.A.R has two meanings – Forget everything and run or Face everything and rise

-UNKNOWN

Fear is something we all feel. If you want to control it, you must first learn to recognize the symptoms in yourself. By doing so, you will learn to act earlier on before becoming paralyzed by it. If you get a lump in your throat, your heart starts to race, your palms begin to sweat, and your face turns red. Applying the 5-second rule when you notice a lump forming in your throat will reduce the severity of symptoms before they overcome you.

TED Talk Inside the Mind of the Master Procrastinator by Tim Urban

Next, we need to learn how to use our nervous energy from anxiety or fear to work for us instead of against us. If your fear gets the better of you or you start to have an anxiety attack, the next solution is to relabel that energy as excitement. The feelings of anxiety and excitement are the same. So if you label the sensations as excitement, it changes your mindset and helps you gain control over it. You then apply the 5-second rule to move forward.

The final trick from Mel Robbins book The 5-second rule deals with procrastination. She defines procrastination as the avoidance of stress. I am an expert at procrastination. There are two kinds of procrastination. Healthy and unhealthy procrastination. View the talks above and below regarding the types of procrastination. If I am dreading something, I make fantastic progress on anything and everything else to avoid what I should be dong, or I vegetate in front of the TV. I always know I am procrastinating or overwhelmed when I watch TV because I usually don’t like to do it. The steps toward avoiding procrastination are to forgive yourself for doing it, apply the 5-second rule, and don’t look back.

TED talk The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers by Adam Grant

Once you have learned to push through your fear, turn your anxious energy into positive energy, and get control over procrastination, you will be able to step outside of your comfort zone and take control of your destiny. If you liked this post please follow us on Pinterest at Beyond the Comfort Zone.

August 23, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – FILL YOUR LIFE WITH EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

by admin August 17, 2019

written by admin

Our final tip is to surround yourself with extraordinary people. I like to refer to them as your tribe. People shrink or expand to match the people around them, so you must surround yourself with people who support and facilitate your dreams.

Surround yourself with only those people that are going to lift you higher

-OPRAH WINFREY

To start, you must commit to building your tribe. The role of people who make up your tribe should include A mentor, a problem solver, a colleague, an achiever, an action man/woman, a constructive critic, and an optimizer. One person can serve multiple roles, but each character should be present for a fully functioning tribe.

The people you associate with have the greatest influence on your life. Your relationships will either make or break you and there is no such things as a neutral relationship. People either inspire you to greatness or drag you down into the gutter, it’s that simple. No one fails alone and no one succeeds alone.

-UNKNOWN

First, let’s explore the roles of your tribe members:

The Mentor: Someone who already has achieved what you are trying to accomplish. They carry with the experience you lack, and they offer guidance.
The Problem Solver: Someone who you can bounce your problems off of and helps you find genuine solutions.
The Colleague: Someone who is going down a similar path as you.
The Achiever: Someone who is passionate, ambitious, and has a track record of achievements.
The Action Woman: Someone who can identify when it is time to stop planning and start doing.
The Constructive Critic: Someone who can offer constructive feedback
The Optimizer: Someone who brings out the best in you, and helps you maintain your roll.

Now that you know what you are looking for, how do you find them? Look at the people around you. Do any of them already fill a role? For example, my husband is my problem solver. He strategizes continuous improvement for a living and has offered me some idea saving solutions.

Next, be open to new experiences as they appear. Depending on your goals, you can join local meetup groups, professional networking groups, mastermind groups, etc. I joined a local writers group, and I am hoping to attend an autumn writing retreat. Once you start looking, options will pop up everywhere.

Finding the right mentor deserves further discussion. Now you may look in any of the places listed above, or you can make it a separate journey. I like to go big. Depending on what your goal is, you should take extra time and effort to establish a relationship before asking them to do stuff for you. I have benefited from having amazing mentors in my life. I do my research, find out the top names in the field, and introduce myself. They are not always the best mentors, but if not, you will often find yourself in the near vicinity of one. People are just people no matter how rich, famous, or successful they are. Some are great mentors; others are not. You need to find someone with influence as well as someone who can bring out the best in you.

Once you find your tribe, things will begin to happen. It will be faster than you expect, and your life will never be the same. Hang on for the ride, and don’t forget the 5-second rule. ENJOY!

If you liked this post, you may like others from the series (above). Please follow us on Pinterest at Beyond the Comfort Zone.

August 17, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS – SLEEP & SELF-CARE.

by admin August 15, 2019

written by admin

Chasing your dreams and living your extraordinary life becomes a lot less enjoyable if you don’t take care of yourself in the process. This tip seems to go against all the others, but in reality, they need not be mutually exclusive. The richest, most successful people get their rest and put strict boundaries around their self-care rituals. The point is not to spend all your time working, but to increase quality and efficiency in your work and personal time.

I have always had to work on prioritizing sleep & self-care. As a mom, when time is short, I am the first to miss out. It is a basic fact of life for most moms. However, if you work it into your daily schedule, you will have more days of caring for yourself than not. There will always be emergencies and unexpected things popping up, but you will be better prepared to handle them.

Last week FD2 brought home lice from daycare. She had managed to pass it to both myself and my son. None of us had ever had it before. I was both horrified and overwhelmed. I usually have my son home with me during the days. Instead, I now had both kids at home, a mountain of new work to do cleaning bedding, clothing, blankets, dress-up costumes, brushes, hair ties, and combing out lice. The best part, I had to repeat it all in 7 days, and finally turn to a professional. My self-care for the week was lice removal. Not ideal, but it happens.

Under normal circumstances, my self-care involves taking morning hikes with my son, keeping up on my nightly skincare regime. Eating healthy and trying to lose weight, getting up early in the morning for some quiet and productive me time, and getting a full eight hours sleep every night. I also have one day a week kid-free, so I can catch up and regain equilibrium by gardening, reading, or something else I enjoy. It is not too complicated, but a perfect balance to keep me energized throughout the week.

The idea is to find ways to serve your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental needs on a daily and weekly schedule.

Physically: Self-care includes getting enough sleep, eating well, listening to your body, and getting exercise.

Emotionally: Self-care involves meditation, self-compassion, making time for any necessary professional support you need, and taking time to appreciate what you have in your life.

Spiritually: Self-care includes connecting with your meaning and inner peace. It could involve practicing your religion, connecting with nature, or exploring art and music.

Mentally: Self-care involves quieting your mind, reducing stress, and exercising it by learning something new every day.

If you find time to care for yourself and tend to your own needs, you are already a step ahead of most moms. You are the CEO of your family, which includes you, so start acting like it. You are cheating everyone if you don’t make yourself a priority.

August 15, 2019 0 comments

SERIES: 10 SECRETS TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS-S.M.A.R.T. GOALS

by admin August 13, 2019

written by admin

What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal? S.M.A.R.T. is the acronym for criteria for setting achievable goals. The concept has been around for years, but the meaning behind the acronym varies. Our interpretation of the S.M.A.R.T acronym for short-term goals is as follows:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Action-Oriented

R – Relevant

T – Time-bound

Specificity is something we have already mentioned frequently in our blog. If you want to achieve a goal, you need to define it precisely. If your goal is to be happy, what does happiness mean to you? If it means you need to travel to feel fulfilled. Your goal could be to leave town three months out of the year, that is a specific goal. You can narrow it down further, but you get the point. Happiness means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. You have to know what exactly makes YOU happy.

Measurability is another essential criterion. If a goal is not measurable, how will you know that you have achieved it? In the previous example, the desire to travel 3 out of 12 months every year is a measurable goal. It is a place to start. You may choose to narrow it down further as you go, but you have currently met the first two criteria.

There are two types of goals action-oriented and outcome-oriented. Action-oriented goals require you to act, and outcome-oriented goal requires you to achieve an outcome. Our third short-term goal criterion is an action-oriented goal. The action-based approach is essential for short-term plans. Larger, more extended plans are likely to be outcome-based, and that is ok, as long as you have a series of short-term action-based goals to get you in motion. For example,

An outcome-oriented goal would be I want a new job.

An action-oriented goal would be I will send out 5-10 resumes a week.

The outcome-oriented goal is not entirely in your control. It is dependent on someone else finding your skills desirable enough to hire.

The action-oriented goal is in your control. You can take the time to send out a certain number of resumes per week.

The next criterion is relevance. Your goal needs to be in line with your big picture or personal/business mission statement. It has to move your long-term goals forward while accomplishing the short-term ones.

The last requirement includes adding time constraints. You have to set a specific deadline by which to achieve the goal. If you leave it opened ended, it will never get accomplished.

Setting your short-term goals that meet the S.M.A.R.T criteria will increase your success at achieving your goals. I look at it this way, action-based short-term goals give you motion. Outcome-based long-term goals provide you with direction. Both types of goals are necessary for a successful journey.

August 13, 2019 0 comments

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