New Day, New Week, New Month…Now What?

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If you’re like me, there are probably a lot of projects and next actions that you’ve put off until “tomorrow,” “Monday,” “next week,” or “next month.” Well, time for celebration! Those moments, all of them simultaneously, have finally arrived! How exciting! The moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here! At last, I can start Getting Things Done!!! Oh, Boy!!!

I ask myself this question and invite you to do the same: How is today different than the day I decided to put off taking the actions I knew needed taking?

  • Do I have more time? (No. Pretty much the same 24 hours each day that I’ve always had.)
  • Do I have more motivation? (Not really. I still don’t “feel” like getting started.)
  • Do I have more information? (Yes. I did a lot of on-line research into the reasons why I procrastinate and came across this really good book. Once I finish it, I’ll have more insight into what I need to do to get started.)
  • Do I have a better approach? (Actually, I’m in the middle of totally re-vamping my GTD system. In fact, I’m beta testing this new application and I think it’s really cool…just need to make a few more tweaks…)

My answers to these questions are all pretty much BS excuses. They are true, but they are still BS. Honestly, the only thing that really has changed is my level of stress as deadlines grow closer, my level of anxiety as I continue to avoid dealing with “insert name.” Oh, and add to this list the number on the scale. I’m sure that’s changed, too (and not in direction I was hoping for).

I can’t help but wonder how my life would be different if made the decision…the COMMITMENT to stop putting it off long ago.

If you are reading this, we have something in common, you and I. We have both been blessed with another day. Although it wasn’t promised to us, we have been given the gift of more time to do what needs to be done. We have been given another chance. Regardless of today’s circumstances, regardless of our BS excuses, let’s not let this chance pass us by…

[bandcamp track=2713785131 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

This life will make you laugh 
This life will make you cry 
This life will make you wonder 
If there’s a God in this blue sky 
This life will tell you lies 
That can lead you to the truth 
But what you get from this life 
Depends on what it gets from you 

This life will make you dance 
This life will make you sing 
This life will make you blinded 
With all its bright and shiny things 
This life will give you chances 
That you don’t take and let pass by 
This life will give you dreams 
That you don’t live and just let die

CHORUS 
Oh, the time is now I need to wake up from this sleep 
I’ve got commitments to make, I’ve got promises to keep 
Life is short, so while there’s breath in me still 
I promise myself that in this life I will

credits

Released 20 June 2012
Lyrics, vocals and acoustic guitar: Rebecca Wise Girson (artistwithadayjob.com)
Mix: TheoNT at K and T Sound (kandtsound.weebly.com)

Should You Let Go or Keep Going?

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Despite what we’ve been led to believe, we cannot have it all. Fortunately in life we encounter many things not worth having. The challenge lies in making the distinction between who and what is worth holding onto and who and what should be kicked to the curb.

I’m at a place in life where I’m realizing that some things are just gonna have to go in order to make room for what’s truly important to me. I’m making a lot of choices, some of which are much harder than others. But letting go of some things is enabling me to fully commit to others. As a result, I’m getting BIG things done at a rate I’ve never experienced.

When we try to hold onto the wrong things, we’re like hamsters in a wheel: working our butts off but getting nowhere fast.

What about you? Are you needing to make some hard choices about what to hold onto and what to let go of? If so, here are some things I’m learning through my own process that may help:

STUFF:

  • Keep what you use, what you find beautiful and inspiring, what has meaning. Note that these things are usually not found in a box in your garage.
  • Toss, sell or give away the rest. Easier said than done, I know, and I’m in no where shape or form there. But it’s something I aspire to and, for me, an idea worth holding onto.

JOB:

  • Stay where you feel valued, challenged, appreciated by your leadership and compensated at a rate that is worthy of your time and talent.
  • Leave a place where the stress, workload and corporate politics are so constant they begin to manifest in you physically. On the opposite side of this, leave a place when your work is so mind-numbingly simple and boring that find yourself constantly watching the clock. You are capable of so much more and you know it.

PEOPLE:

  • Hold onto people with whom you share a meaningful history, the ones who laugh at your stories, the ones who know who you really are and who will not allow you to sell yourself short.
  • Say good-bye to those who use you or cause you pain regardless how good they may be in the sack or how sad their “story” is. You deserve better.

DREAMS:

  • Hold onto every single one with this caveat: put most of them on your back-burner / someday-maybe list. When you start letting go of other things, you’ll give yourself more time to devote to what really matters to you (which is the ultimate link to your life’s purpose). In the mean time,  identify the ones you would most regret if you left this world and never saw them through, and then commit to making them happen. Committing means putting a project plan together. It means identifying next actions and actually ACTING upon them.

Committing means saying with every ounce of your being…….. “In this life I Will”

Set Yourself Free

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Today has me feeling thankful for those who have put their lives on the line so that I can be free. I am forever grateful. In this life I will honor their sacrifice by exercising my freedom to be the person my Creator intended me to be.

“So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key”  -The Eagles 

What about you? Do you exercise your freedom? Or do you live your life in chains, bound by circumstances in which you feel you have no control? It doesn’t have to be that way. Things can change, but you have to change first.

I’m not talking about making a big change. Just a small one. And then tomorrow, another. And then the next day, another (and so on, and so on…you get the idea). Before you know it, you’ll be flying on wings you didn’t even know you had.

You hold the key. You and only you. On this day, honor those who fought for your freedom by setting yourself free.

The Power of the Facebook “Like”

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That little “Like” button. They’re everywhere these days. Like it or not (no pun intended) we’ve become a Facebook nation addicted to swimming in the stream of activity updates generated by our “Friends.” Ignore the stream if you will, but there’s no denying its power to carry a message to all corners of the planet. But the question we must ask is: “What message is being carried?”

As is the case for anyone or any thing with power, those powers can be used for bad or those powers can be used for good. Every time we “Like” a comment, a business or a group on Facebook, we send a message that reflects our views about them and of ourselves. It’s at that point that we have the power to influence not only our friends, but the friends of our friends (and so on…and so on…).

If you choose to “Like” us on Facebook (and we hope you will), here’s the message you’ll be sending:

  • You’re someone who wants to do something that matters with the time you have in this life
  • You are a person who believes in honoring your word by doing what you say you will
  • You believe you have a purpose here that is bigger than yourself
  • You are committed to becoming more effective in getting “BIG” things done in your life
  • You have a heart for others and want to help them do the same

Does this message resonate with you? Are there people in your life who need to hear this message, too? If so, all you have to do is  click that little button and send the message on it’s way.

The Fallacy of Work-Life Balance

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If you’ve been striving towards work-life balance, I urge you to stop wasting your time. Why? Well, there are several reasons, but perhaps the most important one is that the concept itself is faulty. It’s based on the premise that your life and your work are two different things. This makes absolutely no sense.

Your life is it, folks (at least the one on this side). We all get one…no more…no less. Your life represents the totality of your experiences on this planet and what you choose to do with the time you’re given. As a result, you cannot balance your life with something else because there is nothing else. To quote Pink Floyd, from the time you’re born until the time you die, “All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.”

Work is nothing more than a sub-set of your life. Granted, it can be a pretty big sub-set, but it’s a sub-set nonetheless. In fact, everything you spend your time on is a sub-set of your life…eating, sleeping, commuting, even watching television. But you never hear anyone talk about “TV-Life Balance” do you? (I take that back…I think the guy who wrote “The Information Diet” talks about this). Anyway, you get my point.

To achieve balance, all things must be equal. I ask you, on what day did the planets align in your life where all things were equal?

This never happens.Just take a look at where you spent your time yesterday or last week. Did you spend the same percentage of time on everything you did? Even if you argued that work=work and life=everything that’s not work, it still doesn’t balance.

In his article “34 Things I’ve Learned About Life and Adventure,” Chris Guillebeau writes: “Balanced people don’t change the world…Instead of agonizing over balance, get excited and create change.” Well said, Chris. When we do something that challenges us, that matters, that makes a difference, it requires work. But do you think Mother Theresa was worried about work-life balance? Probably not. When we shift our focus towards doing something with our lives that matters, we probably won’t either.

What will you do in this life that matters? Join the “In this Life I Will” Commitment Campaign and tell us (and the world) about your goal.

Things that Make You go “WOW!”

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When is the last time you said the word “WOW!”? If you can’t remember, it’s been way too long. I’m pretty sure I say it on almost a daily basis. Some would suggest this as an indication that I’m easily amused, and perhaps they’re right. But I’ll take being filled with awe, wonder and excitement any day over complacency and boredom.

I follow Michael Hyatt’s Intentional Leadership blog and started reading his new book “Platform” this morning. In it he discusses what he calls the “WOW Experience” and why recognizing it is critical for success (I’ve included his “elements of wow” list below). Although the book discusses the WOW Experience more from the standpoint of the products we produce or the services we deliver, as I read the list I couldn’t help but think of how truly experiencing “WOW” on a regular basis is critical to cultivating happiness and a passion for life.

My wish for you is to insert a little WOW FACTOR in your life everyday. If something doesn’t make you say it, then do something amazing that causes a WOW Experience for someone else.

10 Elements of the WOW Experience

1-Surprise. A WOW Experience always exceeds our expectations. It creates delight, amazement, wonder or true awe.

2-Anticipation. Anticipating a WOW Experience is almost as good as the experience itself. As you think about it, you begin to live it in advance.

3-Resonance. A WOW Experience touches the heart. It resonates at a deep level and sometimes causes goose bumps or even tears.

4-Transcendence. A WOW Experience connects you with something transcendent. In that moment, you experience purpose, meaning…God.

5-Clarity. A WOW Experience creates a moment when you see things with more clarity than ever before. You suddenly “get it” in a new way.

6-Presence. A WOW Experience creates timelessness. You aren’t thinking about the past or the future. Instead, you are fulling present in what is happening now.

7-Universality. A true WOW Experience is nearly universal in that almost everyone experiences it in a similar way.

8-Evangelism. A WOW Experience has to be shared. You can’t contain it. You immediately begin thinking of all the people you wish were with you and of who you’re going to tell about it as soon as you get the chance.

9-Longevity. The shine never wears off. You can experience it again and again without growing tired of it.

10-Privilege. A WOW Experience makes you proud in a good way. You’re glad to be associated with it. You feel both privileged and humbled that you’ve had the experience.

The Impact of a Kept Promise

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Mia Enjoying a Day at the BeachRecently, I was reminded of a promise I made to my niece that I had not yet kept. Two years ago I told her I was going to bring her down to Florida to stay with me for a week. When I made that promise, I intended to follow through, but you know what the road to hell is paved with, don’t you?

Every time we say we are going to do something and end up not doing it, we break a promise.

Sometimes the broken promise is one we made to ourselves and sometimes it’s one we made to others. Either way, the impact of broken promises have the same effect. Like the boy who cried wolf, people stop believing in us and we stop believing in ourselves.

Our lives work in direct proportion to the commitments we make and keep.

Fortunately for “Aunt Becky,” it wasn’t too late. When I saw my niece a week ago, she still remembered that I told her I was going to take her to Florida. She still believed that I was someone who kept my promises. So even though I hadn’t planned on following through just yet, I decided then and there that the time to keep my promise was now. The impact is a very happy little girl who will remember this trip for the rest of her life (and who will remember that Aunt Becky is someone who keeps her promises).

What promises have you made that still need to be kept? We’d like to help by giving you an opportunity to join our Commitment Campaign. Simply click on this link and tell us what you will do. “Going public” creates HUGE momentum when it comes to turning “want-to’s” into “will-do’s.” Your life will never be the same…(promise).


Find What Brings You Child-like Joy

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Kids. Gotta love ‘em. They are pretty much filter-free when it comes to how they express themselves. When they’re not happy…watch out. But when they are…they dance, they sing, they laugh for no apparent reason other than being totally filled with the joy of the moment.  Remember what that felt like? If not, it’s time to get reacquainted with the kid you used to be.

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to observe several children-in-action to see how they operate. At my house, there are no children, only cats and a husband who is, admittedly, child-like in many ways. I observe them, too, but in order to interact with junior humans, I have to venture further.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to hang out with Leslie’s two children and this week I’m here at my youngest sister’s kickin’ it with two of my nephews. Although their little mannerisms and personalities differ, there’s one thing these kids have in common and that is JOY.  Laughter, giggles and silliness oozes out of their little pores ready to infect anyone who has not been totally taken over by grown-up-itis.

Fortunately for me, this dreaded disease has never completely taken hold, and so I’m a willing host easily infected with the child-like joy virus. How can I tell when I’ve got it? Easy. I dance, I sing, I laugh for no apparent reason other than being totally filled with the joy of the moment.

What brings you child-like joy? Do you know? If not, I urge you to make finding it a priority…your experience in this life (and the one to come) depends upon it.

Join our “In this Life I Will” Commitment Campaign by simply letting us know about something you commit to do in this life. Click here to enter. (A word of caution: if you write it, it will happen, so be careful!)

Let’s Start a New Trend: Reverse Customer Appreciation

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I don’t know whether he coined the term, but the popular Consumer Warrior, Clark Howard, frequently refers to contact centers as “Customer-No-Service.” We all have our horror stories of waiting forever to get a hold of a live person only to be transferred and, in many times, disconnected before we ever get our issue resolved.

Having been a card-carrying member of the contact center industry for over 20 years, I am very acquainted with how customer service departments operate (and don’t). This insider view sets me up for disappointment every time I need to contact a business for help. Well, yesterday, my expectations were exceeded in two back to back encounters with WordPress and Vistaprint. As a result, I’d like to take this opportunity to sing their praises.

My first KUDOS goes to WordPress. I did something to screw up the mapping of my website, rendering it un-searchable for almost the entire day. After trying to help myself by reading their on-line FAQ’s, I still was confused (no fault of their very detailed documentation). I submitted a ticket and within the half hour had my issue completely resolved by a guy who goes by the name of “MACMANX” and refers to himself as a “happiness” engineer. Thanks, MACMANX! You sure engineered MY happiness!

My second KUDOS goes to Vistaprint. I was trying to order two sets of business cards, but couldn’t get both sets to show up in the shopping cart (notice the trend of user issues..?). Anyway, I finally surrendered and called their customer service line. I was preparing to be lulled to sleep by their hold music when Claudia answered the phone right away. Not only did I not have to hold, she immediately knew how to  fix my issue and stayed on the phone to make sure all was good on my end. But what was even better is that Claudia took the time to actually connect with me on the call (within the contstraints of what was a very reasonable talk time, of course). After reading “In this Life I Will…” on our business cards, Claudia shared that she wants to do BIG things with her life and said that she would get in touch with me. Now that  MACMANX has fixed my domain mapping issue, I expect to be getting a visit from Miss Claudia very soon.

I urge you to take the time to “connect” with the various service folks you encounter each day and let them know how much you appreciate their help. A kind word from you might be the only one they hear (and the very thing they need).