Masterful Mindsets

“If you work hard at a job you hate, imagine what you could do at a job you love?”  ~Michelle Weimer

As we continue this conversation about loving your work, it amazes me how many people not only don’t love their jobs, they don’t even like them. Work is where you spend at least a third of your day. Why would you continue to allow yourself to be miserable, day after day in a job you hate? 

The short answer - most people feel stuck and can't see a way out...

I talk to so many people who feel that they are stuck and can’t change careers even though they are miserable doing what they are doing. And I’ve had numerous clients hire me because of this exact problem. They feel like their career is going nowhere, they don’t really love or even like what they do but yet, they feel trapped into staying because they have bills to pay, they don’t want to lose their benefits, they don’t know what else they want to do, how to do it, etc.

The thing is, all the above reasons focus on the problem...

“The success of your life’s work is fueled by the love you have for that work. And that love is nurtured when you keep your purpose and passion in the forefront of everything you do.” ~ Michelle Weimer

I heard from several of you after last week’s Masterful Mindset. The common theme for many was that they “used to” love their work. But they feel they’ve lost their drive and are too burnt out to care much anymore. The combination of hectic schedules and demanding workloads full of mundane tasks have overtaken the passion and joy that used to be what drove them to show up fully everyday with purpose.

The big question I keep getting… How do you get that purpose and passion back?  

Well, if you’re finding that your problem is not that you don’t love what you do, but that as you go through the wearisome routines of day-to-day tasks or tackle overwhelming projects with underwhelming results, you’re feeling like the passion and zeal you had for your career has been replaced with a dull...

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”  ~Steve Jobs

The longer version if the above quote by Steve Jobs, is this:

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.

So, what about you? Do you love what you do? Are you passionately performing at mastery level doing your life’s work or just going through the motions at a job that does nothing more than pay the bills? The time you spend working really is a large part of your life. So why spend a lifetime any other way then doing great work that you love?

Whether you are an employee, an entrepreneur, the CEO of a multi-million-dollar company or a stay-at-home parent (And don’t kid yourself – that is a full-time job!) – I want you to get honest with yourself...

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort." ~Paul J. Meyer

Over the last several weeks I’ve shared with you that productivity is a key component to success so today, let’s review and get you ready to win!

Your level of productivity and success can be directly affected by your level of clarity, your level of energy and your level of courage.

Clarity - Setting yourself up for success when it comes to productivity starts with making sure you have a clear vision for what your goals and dreams are. Knowing what you want and why you want it. The deeper connection you have to why you want it, the more it will help you stay motivated.

Then preparing and creating a clear plan is extremely helpful for keeping yourself on track. Make sure you have a timeline for completion of the project as well as the tasks/actions necessary to move you in the direction you want to go to get you to the goal. (Note: ...

“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” ~ Sammy Davis, Jr.

You commit to a project or goal… maybe you’re excited about it or maybe it’s just one of those must do kind of things. Either way, as you get started, you feel something shift inside. Fear starts to creep in. Can I do this? Do I know what I’m doing? Am I good enough? And suddenly, every little excuse and distraction seem to work to keep you from making progress. You no longer know what your next action should be. You aren’t even clear anymore on the goal or how to get there. You procrastinate and you’re tired even thinking about it… Sound familiar?

Over the last few weeks, I’ve shared that if you want to be highly productive, it’s important to have clarity about what your goal is plus the plan for reaching it. As well as how important your mental and physical energy are to being productive. But if you don’t have courage to get going and to keep going when doubt, fear and failure get in your way –...

“Without gas in your car, it doesn’t matter if you know where you’re going. You won’t reach your destination. Likewise, without mental and physical energy, you probably won’t reach your goals either.” ~MW

Let’s face it, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. But some people manage to get so much more done than others. You look at them and wonder how they do it. Or more specifically, you may wonder how they have the energy to do it all!

See the reality is, often it’s not that we need more time to get things done but rather, more energy.

Do you have enough energy to get everything you want accomplished each day or do you find that you are so tired by mid-day that it’s hard to focus and finish the day strong?  

The best laid plans will not come to fruition if you don’t have the mental and physical energy needed to take action toward achieving them. That’s why high levels of energy are a key element to high levels of productivity and success.

So if you find that you often lose st...

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”  ~Steven Covey

Prioritizing clarity is a crucial first step if you want to increase your productivity and reach your goals! When you have clarity about what your goals are, you have a detailed plan for what needs to be done to complete them and in what timeframe, plus you know why these goals or dreams are truly important to you; you will have a laser focused vision for your journey to success.  

Ask Yourself:

• Do you have a clear vision of your goals and dreams?
• Do you have a plan and know what you need to do daily, weekly, monthly to keep yourself on track?
• Do you stay focused and in action on the priority tasks necessary to achieve success in your personal and professional life?
• Do you know exactly why reaching these goals are important to you?

Having clarity and focus helps you eliminate distractions. Think “bright shiny object syndrome” here. You no longer get distracted by every ...

“Each minute is a little thing, and yet, with respect to our personal productivity, to manage the minute is the secret of success.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin

How successful you are, can often be equated to how productive you are. It certainly isn’t the only factor to success. But let’s be real here… if you aren’t productive, you probably aren’t going to get far in your quest for success and you’re definitely not going to get there very fast. Of course, it’s important to remember that just being busy, marking things off a to-do list, it isn’t enough.

The tasks and actions you choose to focus on need to be in alignment with your ultimate goals in order for that productivity to really be of value. Anything otherwise, is just a distraction or detour from your true path to your desired life.

Sadly though, most people struggle with consistent, high levels of productivity. (And remember if we are making the parallel here that means they are likely struggling to have consistent, high levels ...

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

When was the last time you slowed down? When was the last time you just got quiet and still, enjoyed the present moment and paid attention to what was going on around you? Do you have patience with yourself? With others? Do you have patience when working on a project or in the pursuit of your dreams? Or do you get impatient and give up too soon?

I get it, sometimes it’s hard to have patience. I’m guilty of not always having patience myself. And I’m guessing you can probably relate.

Everyone is in a hurry to get to the next big thing. We all push on, but rarely do we take the time to sit quietly and be still. Rarely do we take the time to just be present and observe life around us. It’s so easy to want things to happen quickly. We live in an instant gratification society. But sometimes, fulfilling a dream takes patience and perseverance.

Too often, people just give up when things don’t happen as quickly as ...

“Happiness is a habit. Cultivate it.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Last week I shared with you that happiness is a choice and I challenged you to be the sunshine for yourself and others. This week I want to share a few simple ideas with you on how to cultivate more happiness in your life on a regular basis so you can in fact choose happiness and be the sunshine! Let’s go…

Guard Your Energy – Being around negative people who are unhappy with their current circumstances and unwilling to empower themselves with hope and hard work to create a better future, can be a real energy suck and emotional drain. Guarding yourself from that negative energy will help you keep your soul fire burning. Ever heard someone called a “wet blanket” it’s a term used to describe someone who spoils other people’s fun. So, you can see how they’d easily put out your fire. And how can you be the light that shines for others if you’re around people who are always putting out your fire?

Generate Joy – Just as negative en...