Toughen Up Buttercup!

By Heather Legge  

While chatting with another woman owner, up came the topic of how most of us achiever-type women (and some men) have a kind of conditioning of "Never Show Weakness".  More than the "never let them see you sweat" concept, it seems to have been adopted not only in business, but 24x7 in every area of life and relationships too, so that the perception is we are simply not allowing ourselves to fail at anything, and to not talk about it either.  

It's not all sunshine and rainbows living this way!  It's too much pressure to keep up a facade of toughness, plus we know what happens over time: in addition to the occasional embarrassing meltdown, we have poor health, severed relationships, end-of-life regrets, and a whole lot of other crap to look forward to.  All of which we might be able to avoid by dialing it down a notch.  It took me about 35 years to figure this out.  

Shift Your Days: Less Shitty, More Great

You know those days where things just flow, stuff gets done, and you leap over buildings in a single bound?  (Pretty much the opposite of "that totally sucked" followed by "shit, we're out of wine.")  A lot of people are in a rut of frantic mornings and a flurry of effort and exhaustion while nothing important gets done.  You're not like that- you're ahead of the pack.  But what if you knew how to never have a shitty day again?  

Try these 4 simple shifts in your morning or evening routines to make more of your regular days great ones.  No, of course it's not all sunshine and rainbows, but you might say "Damn, I'm good!" more often.

Change the Way You Live! Start Now.

Nothing irks me more than whiny complainers who do nothing to improve their situation.

Want true happiness?  Want better health?  Want more wealth?
  
Stop falling into the trap of staying stuck.  Stop making excuses.  Strike the word "but" from your vocabulary.  If you really want to make changes, decide what you CAN do and get after it!  Here are some steps to improve your quality of life:

Where Does The Time Go?

If you're not sure where your time is going, tracking what you spend time on is the BEST way to get to any core issues.  Yeah, I know- it's a pain.  But, SOOOO worth it!  You will be amazed - likely you'll be both pleasantly surprised and completely disgusted after reviewing your results.  Importantly, you'll gain insight and motivation to make some changes to you can get more priority stuff done in less time.   Following are tips for tracking so you can make changes and reap the benefits of better time use!

Design Your Best Schedule

Chances are, you are one of the millions out there feeling over-scheduled, under-effective, and worn out.  What to do about it?  First, decide that although it's common, it's doesn't have to be YOUR "normal."  Make a commitment to yourself for the next week to make some improvements.  Can you make 3 simple changes within one week that will help you better support your success?  I hope so!  How are you going to leave a powerful, positive legacy if you are exhausted?

Marvelously Simple, Stupid

“It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.”  

-Amelia Barr

Many people think that in order to dream and achieve marvelous things that marvelous measures must be taken.  And when those marvelous measures are deemed too drastic, they stop dreaming and achieving altogether.  However, I have four little words for you:  Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I say that very lovingly, of course.  What I mean by “K-I-S-S” is that you can continue to dream and achieve the marvelous if you just break things down into simpler steps. 

Want to completely shift careers? 

Why Aren't You More Successful?

You work hard, you worry, you're tired--but for all that, why aren't you more successful? 
Chances are, you're not really applying your time, money, or energy in the right directions, or with enough intensity.  Let's review 3 critical, yet simple things the most successful people do differently from the rest:

1- Know what you want
How can you possibly get from A to B if you don’t know what B is? Do you just get in your car and start driving aimlessly? NO, before you get to the end of your street, you know your desired destination. Strangely, most people don’t know what they want. Like most people, I used to spend more time determining where to go for dinner, or making out their Christmas list than determining what to accomplish over the next year. What do you want to be known for?

Giving Thanks is Good!

Blast Through Your Workload in Minutes!

Warning: this post is going to challenge your comfort level and if you try this strategy, you may never go back to working too many hours again.  If you are a gym rat, or into fitness-related media, you have heard of Tabata workouts.  Izumi Tabata is credited with the super-short, intense intervals of 20 seconds of all out effort coupled with 10 seconds of rest, repeated for a mere 4 minutes total for the entire workout.  Lest you think this isn't enough to fatigue all major muscle groups, just try it! *The secret to effectiveness lies in the ALL-OUT EFFORT made in bursts, coupled with shorter rests.* 

How can you apply this to your workload?  In three components: 1) decide on the most important work to be done, and 2) work in focused blocks of time coupled with 3) useful rest periods.

The Secret to Happiness!

I was having a conversation with a stranger at a networking event where we were partnered up randomly and given a topic.  Halfway into our time he asked me, “What’s the secret to happiness?” and was surprised when I had a confident answer.  A great discussion ensued (and a friendship)!  After 40+ years of serious evolution in terms of my personal happiness and studying this topic rigorously through my business the past 8 years, it’s not an exaggeration to say I have a very strong stance on happiness 'hows and whys.'  I am excited to share some of them with you here! 

80% of Perfect is Pretty Darned GREAT!

Calling all perfectionists and "get it right" folks out there!  If you're anything like me, you have come to realize that being a bit of a perfectionist is both a blessing (I am very conscientious and driven to succeed), and a curse (sometimes I am prone to 'paralysis by analysis').  Being completely honest with yourself, consider how this may be holding you back from your greatest triumphs...

What is it, exactly, that stops The Perfectionist from moving forward at times on some of the things that are important to them? Do a self check:  Do any of the following apply to you?

What The Heck Are They Doing?!?

A popular pet peeve for some of us is people not using their turn indicator while driving.  I admit, it annoys me a lot when people don't signal their intent at all, or if they turn on their blinker during the turn (what's the point?).  How many times do we hear ourselves saying in the car, "What the heck are they doing?!?" - or a similar version but chock-full of expletives?  We may say this regarding other people and businesses when we are not in the car too...

Build Your Legacy

Building a legacy sounds like hard work.  Until you realize you are already in the process of building your legacy whether it is intentional or not.  

"Remember, no more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty," as Napoleon Hill shared in Think & Grow Rich!