Masterful Mindsets

“Your best is going to change from moment to moment, it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.”  ~ Don Miguel Ruiz

So many people put pressure on themselves to be perfect and what I find interesting about that, is the pressure of “perfect”, usually gets in the way of actually being your best. Maybe you can relate… Do you put pressure on yourself to be perfect or do you accept that your best is enough and simply make it a point to be your best true you each day?

This is where the fourth agreement, Always Do Your Best, from Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, The Four Agreements, comes in. It really could be the easiest of all the agreements and yet so many people struggle with it. But it's not because they don't want to be their best, or they aren’t capable of doing their best. But rather, it's usually a result of not believing that their best is good enough. So instead ...

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi  

Wouldn’t it be great if you could flip a switch and change the world? I’ve often thought about how nice it would be, to be able to rid the world of all negativities.

Of course, I know there’s no magical solution but what I do know is that there are a few simple concepts that, when practiced regularly, could change your life a bit for the better and perhaps the lives of others around you. And quite honestly, I think our world could use some change so why not let it start with each of us?   

Before I go on, please know that this is not a political post, nor is it a declaration of me thinking I have the answers to change the world. It’s simply a viewpoint on a couple fun and simple steps we can all take to be better and be kinder. And no matter what your beliefs are, I would hope you always strive for kindness and to be your best. So please read on…

Be Present – Try being in the now, fully present in the moment, full...

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the energy you bring to every moment." ~ unknown

Throughout this month we’ve been exploring different and perhaps less widely recognized, aspects of energy. Beginning with how releasing negative emotions can increase positive energy. Then we looked at the influence your energetic presence has on other people and on to the power of focused energy. Finally, last week I shared some of the sneaky bad habits that drain your energy.  

Now I want to give you a bonus, as we wrap up this month-long discussion on the power of energy and the pivotal role of energy in achieving high performance and success. Because as I mentioned at the beginning of this series, there are different types of energy that impact our lives, both individually and collectively. And in our fast-paced, demanding world, being able to maintain optimal levels of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy is not just a luxury; it's an absolute necessity.

So, ...

“People with purpose and goals have no time for drama. They invest their energy in things that will add value to their life and others.” ~Unknown

We all know that there are those common bad habits like not getting enough sleep, not eating healthy, poor stress management, etc. that can steal your energy. And yes, sadly even though we know we could be doing better, by improving those habits, common sense isn’t always common practice. So many people find they don’t have the energy they need to be as happy and productive as they’d like.

But what about those sneaky little bad habits that maybe you don’t even realize are draining your energy? That’s what I’ll be talking about today as we finish up this month’s series on Energy.

Take a look at the list below and think about how often you engage in these bad habits. Odds are, like with most habits, you do them without even thinking about what you are doing. They may be reactive responses or simply automatic behavior that you’ve learned....

“Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Often what keeps people from being highly productive is not a lack of time but instead, a lack of energy – mental and physical energy are necessary in order to be a high performer. But what about when you have that energy, you’re extremely busy marking things off a to-do list but still, you’re not really achieving success? What’s missing?

Well, if you had to clean dried up, stuck on food from a kitchen sink, would you use a strainer full of water? And if you did, how likely would it be that the gunk would come right off?

I realize this seems like a silly analogy but stay with me here…

Water in a strainer flows out everywhere and yes covers a lot of area but that tough spot that is stuck, it doesn’t budge because the water doesn’t have enough concentrated power. However, if instead of wasting that water covering...

“True success is a feeling of happiness and joy.”  ~ Michelle Weimer

If you were going to define success for yourself, how would you define it? It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that success is a certain dollar amount in your bank account, a seat at the top of the corporate ladder, a new car, beautiful home, fit body, perfect relationship, etc. You know, the storybook life that all too often gets portrayed through pictures on social media and in the movies. But what I think is even more important than “Instagram Glam” is the true feeling behind those images.

If you’ve ever gotten an email from me, you know I sign off, “Happiness and Success” all the time. There’s a reason for that… It’s because I wholeheartedly believe that they go together. See, in my opinion, it’s the way we feel about our lives that defines true success. You might have it all according to the external image, but if you don’t feel happiness inside, you have nothing that matters.

True success is a feeling...

"Don't call the world dirty because you forgot to clean your glasses."  – Aaron Hill

Last week I talked about the importance of having clarity and focus when you’re setting goals and striving for success (no matter what area of your life you want it in). So this week I'm giving you Clarity and Focus Part 2…

Let's refer back to my example of wearing glasses – last week I told you that for a long time I fought the fact that I needed glasses to see clearly. But once I started wearing them, I realized how much easier it made everything.

Admittedly, I still try at times to get by without them. But inevitably, when I don’t have the clarity and focus that they provide, it always makes whatever I’m doing difficult.

But what happens when you have your “glasses” on and you still don’t have clarity and focus?

Recently, I was trying to do something and my focus was blurred. My first thought was, “What the hell?” I mean, I had my glasses on, so why did I not have clarity and focus? Then I ...

"Focus. Otherwise you will find life becomes a blur."  – Anonymous

If you wear glasses, then you know how much easier life is when you have them on. Why? Because you have clarity and focus. Likewise, when you have clarity and focus about life, it makes having a happy, successful life much easier too.

But I get it, life happens, you get busy and before you know it, life becomes a blur. With the new year beginning, it can be easy to scratch your head and wonder where the last year (or ten years) went. And then your vision for your desired future can become a struggle to see, especially if you have a difficult time staying focused on taking decisive actions toward achieving your goals. So if you're ready to admit that you might need some help getting clarity about the life you truly want to create and refocusing your efforts to get there so you can make this your best year ever, then it's time to commit to clarity and focus.

Now let me tell you a little secret... I don’t like to ad...

“Resolutions require only words. Results take actions.”  ~ Tony Robbins

I have no doubt, you’ve probably notice that there’s always a lot of discussion about resolutions in January, then shortly after, the topic goes dormant and disappears until the next new year. My guess is, you may have even set down to write out your own resolutions this past week. Which is great, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to bash resolutions, but I do want to make a couple of things very clear to help you actually succeed at them this year.

Often people will use the terms resolutions and goals interchangeably. And while they are similar, there are some distinct differences that I think it’s important to know when deciding to set resolutions or set goals. So today, I’m going to differentiate between the two for you and tell you why, although you can have a goal without a resolution, if you want a resolution to really stick, you must have goals.

The two biggest differences between resolutions and goal...

“Another day, another blessing and another chance at life. Take nothing for granted and think of every breath as a gift.”  ~ unknown

As you know, if you’ve been following along the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing this month’s posts on Gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful thing. So much so that it can actually boost your happiness by up to 25%. So today, I want to explore the power of focusing on the gifts and blessings that we often overlook so that instead, we can make certain we take time regularly to look at them through the lens of gratitude.  

It can be easy to take people, experiences, and things in our lives for granted. But to practice gratitude from a higher level of consciousness, we must not take things “for granted” but rather see them “as granted”. This small shift in language creates a powerful shift in mindset and moves us from an attitude of entitlement to humility. And even if we don’t like to admit it, an underlying sense of entitlement is actually the #1 thing...