Personal Development

Functional Planning Personal Development

Let’s Get Our New Year Goal Setting on the Calendar!

Hello my Charmed Ones!

So, we are currently sitting at the head of the second week of September and before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving, then Christmas (and the Winter Holidays) and then viola, we’ll blink and it will be 2020! So, last week I sat down to do some forward planning for the rest of this year so that I can have an intentional and well paced final quarter of the year. I highly recommend you do the same at some point this month because there is nothing worse than stepping into the busiest season of the year with no plan but a prayer!

Usually, my Q4 is something of a hot mess!

Obviously, part of this has to do with my business. Q4 is a very busy time of year for most businesses, and then on top of that, Q4 is really where I pull out all the stops on my home-maker vibes. I’m not usually what one would consider the traditional home-maker type, but during the holidays I morph into a completely different beast. My home-making type during the holidays is what I consider a perfect juxtaposition between Martha Stewart and Morticia Addams. Over-the-top theatrical, dramatic, dark, and yet surprisingly cheerful and welcoming. Home cooked meals, candles everywhere, multiple decor changes around the house, guests and lots of events and excursions. So, yea, my life usually gets pretty hectic, like most during the final season of the year, and making decisions and plans for myself under that sort of stress just leads me into a spiral of overwhelm and sometimes a bit of disaster management!

So, during this end of year planning session, the main focus I gave myself was to answer the following questions:

What were my hard line priorities going to be?

What did I absolutely want to get done no matter what, what would be great to have completed before 2020?

What would be my stretch goals (those objectives that I’d like to accomplish if I have the time but nothing concrete is riding on their completion)?

Answering those questions, a very clear picture began to materialize in my mind!

One of the top priorities for the end of the year was to make sure both myself and my community were prepared for the new year with clear 2020 goals! I know it might be weird to think of my priorities in terms of what I’m trying to accomplish for you and the rest of the community, but this is my role our community as I see it. So keep in mind when you do your end of year planning session, that it’s okay to have objectives for others that pertain to your role in their lives. Just make sure you are reasonable with your expectations of what you can accomplish in the name of others.

What I KNOW I can accomplish for both myself and each of you in the community is to host a series of live classes and workshops where I give you as much opportunity as possible to set your goals for 2020 and get time with me to answer your questions about the goal setting and planning process.

Last year I hosted a New Year Goal Setting & Planning Workshop that was a complete success, and it’s been my intention to do host a similar workshop again this year! So, I’m pleased to announce that I have opened up ticket sales for the 2020 New Year Goal Setting & Planning Workshop a little early so we can get this scheduled into our calendars and make the time to prioritize this very important annual task!

CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR TICKET AT THE EARLY BIRD PRICING AVAILABLE THIS MONTH ONLY!

Now, let me give you some important details about the workshop. I loved last years workshop and so many of you reached out to tell me you loved it also, which I highly appreciate. But, I realize last year’s workshop would have benefited from a bit more strategic planning in order to ensure every single one of you had a stellar live experience.

The main issue with last year’s workshop that I want to remedy this year is that I need to teach this workshop multiple times in December, not just once! I know that the workshop is online and on-demand but, not everyone was able to attend the single workshop I hosted last year. Which is why I am very pleased to announce that due to my little Q4 pre-planning session, I have marked off time to host not one, not two, but THREE live sessions of the workshop!

The tentative dates for the 3 Live Workshop Sessions are:

• December 18th, 2019 @ 1pm Eastern Standard Time
• December 21st, 2019 @ 8pm Eastern Standard Time
• December 28th, 2019 @ 1pm Eastern Standard Time

Now, I say these are tentative dates because I have no clue what other obligations or family gatherings are happening during December, so I can’t fully plan for those right now (if only everyone were planning their year four months in advance lol) but I am very committed to these dates and times and if anything does change I will let you know and make up for the change with a rescheduled session!

  • For those of you who do pre-purchase your tickets, I’d love for you to reach out to me and let me know any suggestions for other times that work for you so I can keep those in mind!

Of course, when you purchase your ticket to the Workshop you won’t need to choose a single date, everyone who purchases is going to get access to all three live events so you have time to process your plans by attending more than one, or if you have questions during your first round and want to go through it again live, I know it’s great to be able to have more time with me live to get questions answered that may have popped up with you as you processed your goals the first time around.

With the Workshop, you are going to receive a set of goal planning worksheets for 2020, and once the live events are complete, you’ll have access to an edited replay of the workshop which will include the best version of the workshop plus all of the Q&A from the three sessions in one video. You’ll get access to the replay, plus email support from me through January 31st, 2020. Sound good?

Well, if you already know you are down for this year’s New Year Goal Setting & Planning Workshop with me, don’t wait to purchase, grab your ticket now with the early bird pricing because next month the price will go up!

If you have any questions about the workshop, feel free to let me know! You can leave me a comment down below or shoot me an email.

Hope you have a productive week ahead!

xoxo,

Functional Planning Personal Development Productivity

How to Meal Prep!

Today I want to share with you another of my most productive habits that saves me time, energy, money you name it!

Meal planning!

I’ve had many requests to do a dedicated video on this topic, so I am going to share with you all my thoughts and strategies for mastering this essential habit.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW!

In the video, I explain:

• What meal planning is!

• My process and strategy for meal planning & prep

• Answer FAQ’s about meal planning- Lots of tips & gems you might be curious about

• The EXACT tool I use to help me stay on track and create a regular habit of meal planning & prep- THE MASTER MEAL PLANNER!

CLICK HERE to get your copy of THE MASTER MEAL PLANNER: a 52 Week Meal Planner & Recipe Organizer!

Enjoy the video!

xoxo,

Personal Development

What You’ll have to Sacrifice for Success

Today I want to talk to you about what you will need to sacrifice in order to find success. We all know there are certain things that you will need to sacrifice if you want to reach your goals but you’d be surprised to find out these aren’t always what you expect. 

First, let’s talk about what you won’t need to sacrifice, and sometimes these are the things you expect will have to go for you to reach a goal.

#1. You will NOT have to sacrifice other dreams or goals

It’s a mistake to think if you get one thing in life, you can’t get another. There is a logical timing to how you may want to approach each goal, but no path set in stone, so if you keep an open mind, it’s possible to reach two seemingly opposed goals at one time because the universe just works like that sometimes.

#2. You will NOT have to sacrifice relationships

You’ll have to become more intentional about your relationships for sure, but those who love and support you will always be there for you, especially while you go chasing goals, you just need to fill them in and they will become your greatest cheerleaders I’m sure!

Now, don’t be surprised if during this process, lower energy or toxic people in your life fall to the wayside. You’ll know who these fools are because they will be the ones NOT supporting you, or tempting you off your path. Let them go! I know it might require you setting boundaries, and it might pull at your heart strings but truly these people don’t deserve your energy. You should feel just about as bad letting them go as flushing shit down the toilet- and we all know we don’t think twice about that- for real!

“The higher we soar, the smaller we look to those who cannot fly” and as you elevate to a new level, anyone who is not also flying high with you is going to see you differently. Honestly, I can understand how it could be annoying for them always having to look up to see you- so just wish them well and move on, you will find other people at your level. It’s a whole new world up here!

#3. You will NOT have to sacrifice your self care

Now, again, people something think this is the first thing that needs to go if you want to be successful, but thats a mistake- in fact, this should be the first thing you up level on your way to success because you are going to need yourself to be in the best possible shape energetically to follow your goal to fruition.

What YOU ACTUALLY have to sacrifice for success

#1. Excuses

To be a successful person, you need solutions not excuses- you’ll need to turn into a professional problem solver for your life

#2. Bad habits

As you start focusing on your goals, your life will start naturally feeling more full, so bad habits will just slow you down. So identify them and get rid of them one by one!

#3. Indecision

A successful person gets that way by learning to make decisions and sticking to them. Not every decision will work out, but if you don’t make decisions, you aren’t moving and you aren’t getting any closer to your goal. Even if you make a “mistake” at least you are moving and I don’t know about you, but no matter if I make a left out my door or a right or head straight, I can still navigate myself back to the path. But if I sit at the doorstep, I’ll never go anywhere.

#4. Short term pleasures for long term results

You need to sacrifice immediate gratification for long term results. This is really the most important. 

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” Now, this doesn’t just apply to entrepreneurship, but success in general. You need to get focused and intentional now, and it will pay off in the long run. 

You’ll have to sacrifice fun late night plans, so you can wake up rested and refreshed, because exhaustion leads to poor health which will cripple your success.

You’ll have to sacrifice your bad habits, so you can form productive routines that help you keep all the areas of your life in balance. It’s not success if you win in one area of your life just for the rest to go up in flames.

You’ll have to sacrifice how you spend money on yourself. Instead of buying yourself something fun or frivolous, you’ll need to invest your money into your goal.

You’ll have to sacrifice fear and excuses, because success happens in the now, not in the later!

You’ll have to sacrifice indecisiveness, because success is a choice that you must continue to choose over and over. To be successful you can’t defer the tough decisions, you need to make them, act and move on.

So that is what you actually have to sacrifice for success, and if you can do that, you can achieve anything you imagine. 

xoxo,

Personal Development

The High Vibe Bible: A Manifestation Journal

Today is a really awesome day!

Today, I get to introduce you to a passion project I’ve been working on for over a year, The High Vibe Bible! This amazing little book is a 90 Day Journal to Raise Your Vibration & Manifest Your Desires.

One part journal, one part manifestation tool, the High Vibe Bible is a loosely guided journaling experience intended to help you get super clear on what you want to achieve or receive, and then help you align your thoughts and actions to make it a reality.

I fully believe that we each have the power to make our dreams and deepest desires a reality, but too often we coast through life never stopping to clearly ask for what we want. We let poor habits or the routine of daily life distract us from listening to the voice inside and ultimately fail to align our intentions with our thoughts, feelings and actions. Through a simple daily journaling practice that need not take more than 5 to 10 minutes, you can quiet your mind, truly know what you desire and align yourself to the vibration of it so that you can achieve it!

→ Imagine feeling the clarity of knowing exactly what you want in life and what you are working towards. There is no confusion, you know your time is valuable and meaningful because your life is filled with wonderful things that you’ve manifested and there is so much more on the horizon!

→ Imagine waking up with a purpose, excited to start the day because your journaling practice helps shift your mood to one of positivity and optimism. You feel more like the woman you’ve always wanted to be and you are unapologetic about treating her the way she deserves to be treated!

→ Imagine experiencing your day as that pleasant, low stress woman that family, friends and co-workers flock to because you are like a ray of sunshine for their day. You’re magnetic, you easily get what you need from others, and they feel truly blessed to know you!

→ Imagine the delight of getting each desire you ask for in such an easy and unexpected way that you feel like the luckiest woman on Earth. You choose to allow your life to be difficult or easy, why struggle when you can let it be easy!

These are the side affects that the High Vibe Bible can have on you when you commit to using this simple but powerful tool to establish a daily manifestation practice. Even if you are not usually drawn to journaling, the High Vibe Bible is such a different experience, but one that has the power to transform your energy and attitude through the act of putting pen to paper.

What’s Inside:

Each week starts with a worksheet where you will…

  • Write out an inspirational mantra or affirmation for yourself to use that week.
  • Clearly identify what you wish to manifest
  • Identify how your manifestation makes you feel
  • Provide strategies for how you intend to raise your energetic vibration towards a positive mindset
  • Document signs and synchronicities that indicate your manifestation is coming to fruition
  • Track actions you will take over the course of the week to keep yourself in alignment

Each day you have a designated area to…

  • List out daily gratitude
  • Briefly journal your thought for alignment that day

Each week ends with:

  • A summary of what manifested for you
  • Space to identify the high point of your week
  • An area to briefly journal what you’ve learned

At the end of the journal you will also find a collection of seven lists that you can populate during the time you use the journal. Update and refer back to these lists often to help keep you in alignment with a positive mindset!

So what are you waiting for? The High Vibe Bible is a simple and affordable tool to help you upgrade your vibration and your life.

Click Here to Purchase Your Copy Now!

I can’t wait to hear about all the wonderful things you manifest into your life with the guidance of the journal! Make sure to keep in touch with me on your progress.

xoxo,

Personal Development

What “happens” when I have gone MIA?

Like most content creators, if I don’t post to my platforms for an extended period of time, I get a lot of messages and questions from members of my community asking “what happened?” or “where have you gone?” 

The answer: Nothing happened and I haven’t gone anywhere. 

If something ever happened that prevented me from fulfilling tasks and obligations to my customers and community, trust me, you’d hear about it!

If you have a productivity question or need help with something related to my content or products and send me an email, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can to help! 

But there is a general expectation that has formed for online creators that sets a standard that a creator will continue to create unless they explain otherwise. I know not every person holds creators to this standard, and I don’t think we even do it knowingly much of the time, but when I started blogging and creating videos for youtube over 10 years ago, I didn’t agree to a lifetime of consistent content creation. I started doing it for the love of creating and out of a desire to help share my knowledge and skills with whoever was interested in learning from them.

One of the amazing things about online content is that it doesn’t usually disappear, and as I have focused a majority of my effort in the past 10 years to creating content that is “evergreen”, I now have a library of nearly 1,000 blog posts and almost 500 videos- I just had to look it up and I’m now astounded at myself for those numbers! So, you have access to nearly 1,500 pieces of unique content from me to enjoy representing a decade of work. It’s so much content that I’ve reached a point in the momentum of my creation process that I don’t always feel the need to create on schedule, and over the last few years, I have seen a trend with other independent content creators towards a similar attitude. Many big bloggers have shifted from frequent blog posts to focusing on longer form writing like books. Popular YouTubers have started focusing on creating video series where they can focus on quality over quantity with their work. Podcasters too, seem to be focused more and more on creating a structure of “seasons” for their episodes, instead of tying themselves to a weekly creation schedule. Of course, this observation doesn’t apply to all creators, however, it is also obvious that those creators who have been consistent for an extended period of time also tend to have a team around them geared towards the ongoing creation of content. I think these trends are meaningful, especially when we consider that most online content is free and therefore creators who have stuck to it for years ultimately have organized their efforts into some form of business. But not all creators have followed the same business model, because not all of us have the same goals.

Now, in terms of social media like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc, content is significantly more disposable and because of that it’s become so much harder for smaller brands to “keep up” in terms of relevancy on those platforms. In fact, the competition has become so fierce that these platforms have, in many ways, become “pay to play”.  Now, personally, I’m not mad about it! It is what it is and this is the evolution and development of social media. At the end of the day, I look at the situation like this: I can focus more of my effort on social media content or make the investment in ads to those platforms to remain relevant or I can see social media for what it is, an optional way for me to connect with my audience. Again, when I look at my goals for my business, the choice I make is to treat social media like an optional platform and share when I feel like I have something valuable to say. I would much rather put effort into content with a longer lifespan, like my products, classes, videos, etc then expend more resources to a stagnant platform.

So, I don’t post regularly to my social media anymore, I honestly haven’t for several years now and although there are times when I can harness my social media for specific business goals, guess what? Not being highly active on social media hasn’t hurt my business. Some might find that surprising, but I think that speaks to the efficacy of how I’ve intentionally structured my business. 

Now, let me get back to the main point of this post because it’s absolutely not intended to be a commentary on online business, but I did feel like some of you might benefit from learning more of my perspective on the business side of things. 

The point that I want to get across with this post is that I am dedicated to serving my customers and community to the best of my ability while remaining in line with my personal and business goals. Creating valuable and thoughtful content regularly is absolutely still my goal, however, I’ve relinquished the expectation that regular content means that I will post every single day or even every single week. And I really do believe this is actually a good thing, not just for me, but also for my community. I see the mission of my content and business as helping women create and live the life of their choosing, and I support those efforts by teaching about the science of productivity, planning and success. In my heart of hearts, I know that although my content and products support those ends, engaging in social media too much and consuming too much digital content ultimately takes focus away from engaging in real life effort and action to create the life of your dreams. There is a fine line between using digital content to educate and empower yourself, and using it as a crutch to procrastinate while feeling like you are engaging in personal development. The productivity science is clear on this and I’ve said it before, writing out a to do list gives you the feeling of organization and accomplishment even if you never take action on a task. Similarly, consuming educational or instructional content makes you feel like you are improving your life even if you never take action on the information. 

I realize this situation doesn’t apply to everyone in my community, but I would truly like to encourage you to use my content and products as they have been intended- to enlighten and inspire you to take action and implement what you have learned in your life. If you take action and things aren’t working as expected, you can always reach out to me or come back to my content and find a new tool or strategy to try. I want to encourage and empower you to spend more time executing and less time educating. Spend more time in real life and less time online because real life is where you will see and feel the manifestation of results.

I want you to know that I do truly appreciate that so many of you reach out with curiosity and concern when you don’t see me posting. It does make me feel appreciated and loved. Sometimes, it can feel overwhelming that there are so many of you who reach out that I feel paralyzed or that my actions are under a microscope. That is why I wanted to take the time to respond to those inquiries in this way because although I am aware of how I have been shifting, I don’t always see that I should be communicating that information to you. Personally, I do feel like there is a fine line I need to walk as a creator between keeping my community informed and oversharing. Believe it or not, it does still feel strange to me that so many people want to know what’s going on with me and my business, but at the same time I am very cognizant of how dangerous oversharing can be online to a creators personal safety and/or mental stability. 

So, I hope you can understand and appreciate my point of view with this post and that in the future it explains why I might seem absent, even though I’m exactly where I have always been on the other side of your computer screen, just a message away.

xoxo,

Personal Development

5 Bad Habits I’m Swapping in 2019!


Today, I’m sharing 5 Bad Habits that I am swapping for better habits to help me reach my goals in 2019! In this video I share the bad habits, why they were chosen, what will be taking their place and my easy process for determining which habits need to change if you struggle to achieve your goals!

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→ MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

✔︎ Revlon Hair Styler: https://amzn.to/2DCcslP

✔︎ Mind Control Techniques Video: https://youtu.be/wMlxQpDxsTE

✔︎ Master Planner: https://amzn.to/2GHR9Sf

✔︎ YOU GOT THIS! Goal Workbook: http://bit.ly/YOUGOTTHISBOOK

✔︎ Smart Goals 101: https://youtu.be/b7DzVkM-93o

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Personal Development

7 Habits of Highly Successful People!

I LOVE READING AND RESEARCHING ABOUT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE, AND TODAY I AM SHARING 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE AND HOW I IMPLEMENT THEM!

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→ MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

✔︎ MY FAVE HAIRSTYLER: https://amzn.to/2DCcslP

✔︎ INSPIRATIONAL PODCASTS TO CHECK OUT:
🎧 Radiant Podcast Interview: http://bit.ly/2z7dOjY
🎧 The Other 50% Interview: http://bit.ly/2JiD5w2
🎧 Making it Happen with Henry Ammar: http://bit.ly/2PpVLzp
🎧 Style Your Mind with Cara Alwill Leyba: https://styleyourmind.libsyn.com/ep-89
🎧 Becoming Your Greatest Possible Self Interview: http://bit.ly/2RhFvhi
🎧 Tools They Use: https://toolstheyuse.fireside.fm/9 (this podcast interview wasn’t on alchemy

✔︎ MY PLANNER: https://amzn.to/2GHR9Sf

✔︎ PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNING INSERTS: http://bit.ly/2BZLHqM

✔︎ KETO MEAL PREP VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FSHkvmFFI&t=1178s

✔︎ GET 2 FREE AUDIOBOOKS FROM AUDIBLE: http://bit.ly/audible2free

✔︎ SEND SOME LOVE TO THE BOSSBABES FEATURED IN THE VIDEO
🖤 ERICA BUNN: http://www.thejewelbox.store
🖤 IVIANA BYNUM: http://ivianabynum.com
🖤 HALEY CAIRO: https://www.youtube.com/haleycairo
🖤 JULIE HARRIS WALKER: http://theotherfiftypercent.com

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→ WHAT’S NEXT?

✔︎ GET MY FREE TOOLBOX: http://bit.ly/FREEproductivitytoolbox

✔︎ BUY A FUNCTIONAL PLANNER: http://bit.ly/functionalplanner

✔︎ LEARN MY COMPLETE PLANNING PROCESS: http://bit.ly/mpmclass

✔︎ JOIN THE PRODUCTIVITY & PLANNING MASTER MIND: http://bit.ly/joinppmm

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→ FAQ?

✔︎ SHOP MY CLASSES & INSERTS: http://bit.ly/thecharmedshop

✔︎ LIKE MY GLASSES: http://bit.ly/ZTw7pb

✔︎ FREE 2 BOOK AUDIBLE TRIAL: http://bit.ly/audible2free

xoxo,

 

Personal Development

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills?

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills?

The internet is a wonderful, terrible place! Filled with information, content, opinions, many of us turn to the web to find answers, solve problems and get information, but I think it’s resulted in a gradual and general lessening of our own critical thinking skills. In this day and age, with so much information, content and advertising being thrown at us from every angle, I think it’s more important than ever that we be able to discern what information is real and what information actually matters to us and our lives. That last part is interesting, isn’t it? You’d think that we know what information pertains to us that we need to pay attention to, but actually, I find that many people spend and waste time on information that is of no essential use to them and ultimately allows it to detract from key information they may critically need. From a productivity standpoint, I find that talking and working with my students on overcoming issues of prioritization and task management ultimately leads to the solution of needing better critical thinking skills to better filter out relevant work from busy-work. The distinction between which makes the difference between a successful worker and an overwhelmed one! So let’s discuss critical thinking skills now and uncover some ways to improve them.

What are Critical Thinking Skills?

In order to improve on your critical thinking skills, I think it’s first important that you understand what critical thinking skills actually are! Critical thinking is defined as  “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” (Via CriticalThinking.org) Essentially, critical thinking skills are the ability to process information accurately so that you can then act on that information correctly.

Why are Critical Thinking Skills Important?

I’ve already given you some food for thought in the introduction of this post as to why critical thinking skills might be important to you, however, there are many more key applications and reasons why you would want to pay attention to how developed your critical thinking skills are and even make an effort towards improving them. On a very basic level, everyone has some critical thinking skills, as all of us think and use the information that we receive to do everything from basic mundane tasks to complicated projects and problem solving. All of us are wired within our brains to use the information around us in order to keep ourselves alive- this is basic human instinct, and because of this our default state is to use information selfishly to our own gain. Ever talk to someone who could take anything you said and find a reasoning why they are right and you are wrong? That’s the self preservation bias of our brains at work manipulating reasoning to make an argument that supports our own personal world view. The problem is, with something like 7 billion people on the planet, most people have completely unique world views and experiences. Yes, there may be areas of overlap, but no two people have the same life so no two people have the same world view. Which means that when we have to interact with others, which is quite often, in order to manage our lives to the best of our ability and move ourselves forward, we need to have more advanced critical thinking skills so we can solve problems.

How can We Improve Our Critical Thinking Skills?

As I mentioned earlier in the definition of critical thinking, these skills are a discipline, which means that you can develop them or you can loose them if you don’t actively use them. Think of your critical thinking skills like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets, but the more you ignore it, the weaker it gets. So, if you want to grow your skills, you will need to take a disciplined approach to exercising them. So here are three strategies I recommend making a regular part of your day if you want to see an improvement in your critical thinking skills.

#1. Question Everything

Most of us receive information and we just accept it. No questions asked, someone online states a fact and we believe them! Doesn’t matter if it is right or wrong, we blindly accept what we are being told. Now, I blame part of this on our educational upbringings that have conditioned us to accept the ideas and information of those in a position of power (even if that position is purely imagined) and society generally rewards people for not asking questions and just accepting things at face value. Accepting what we are told is easy- that’s for sure, but putting your brain on autopilot will not improve your critical thinking skills. So, when you are given information, any information, get into the habit of questioning it. Ask yourself “why” something is happening or whether or not something is true or false. Evaluate the information and think about it before just passively accepting it. Now, this does NOT mean you need to voice your questioning to others publicly. If your boss gives you an assignment, you don’t need to ask them “why” they are assigning it or what the purpose is if you don’t already know, but on your own time, think about why and question what you are being asked to do. It is only once you have formed a clear opinion or come to a reasonable conclusion that some task might be unnecessary or that certain information you received may be erroneous that you can bring it to the attention of others. Critical thinking is not about speaking before you know, its about thinking before you act.

#2. Face Problems Head On

It seems quite clear that the default mode for human behavior is to avoid problems and conflicts. This isn’t true of everyone, those who enjoy drama and manipulation due to an overactive need for self preservation love to exploit conflict, but most people avoid it if they can. People even go as far out of their way as possible NOT to solve a problem, mostly because they are afraid they won’t be able to solve it, which would conflict with our sense of self preservation that often tells us not to do something we can’t do in case it makes us look bad. No wonder the world has a disproportionate problem to problem solver ratio! Well, if you want to develop your own critical thinking skills, you need to break the cycle and face problems head on. Don’t avoid them, address them as soon as you are made aware of them, and begin using your reasoning to question and understand the situation and ways you can solve it. You will not be able to solve 100% of the problems that you face, but you will fail to solve 100% of those you choose to ignore.

#3. Understand and Overcome Your Perspective

As mentioned earlier, each of us has a world view or perspective that is unique to our personal experience in life, the preservation of which is a primary function of our egos. We’ve all heard anecdotes about how letting our egos get in the way can stop us from solving problems and making progress, and it really is true, when we rely too heavily on our own perspective and fail to understand the perspectives of others, conflict ultimately arrises. Now, I’m not suggesting that you make it your mission to understand the perspectives of everyone else in the world- that’s an impossible task and one that really won’t help you improve your critical thinking skills in the near future. Instead, what you can do is to seek to understand your own world view, personal biases and perspective so that you can consciously overcome your ego during moments of potential conflict. So, how do we seek to understand our world view? Again, ask yourself some questions, especially around your values and beliefs. If you struggle to identify what your values and beliefs are, you need only to turn on some 24 hour news coverage to hear the stories of the day and pay attention to your opinions on issues. Many people find that when it comes to their personal values or beliefs they “tow a line” for some prescribed ideology or another, without truly understanding or even caring about the issues at hand. Again, the default for human beings is not to question, to avoid problems and to protect ourselves in a conflict, but when you force your attention on your values and seek to understand why you are partial to one thing over another, you may find that long held beliefs seem irrational to you or things you thought were important to you really don’t matter much. Understanding your world view isn’t something you will be able to achieve overnight, and like the previous two strategies, it requires a discipline to execute in order to improve your critical thinking skills overall.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and the concept of improving your critical thinking skills. I’d love to know what you thought of this topic and any specific areas you may be interested in having me explore in a future post to round out this conversation and provide additional detail or insight. Leave me a comment or question below!

xoxo,

Personal Development

The 10 Rules for Living a Charmed Life

10 Rules for Living a Charmed Life

The 10 Rules for Living a Charmed Life

Rules. We like to make them, we like to break them, and whether or not you know it, we all live by a set of rules we have already written for ourselves subconsciously. Successful people are aware of their rules, and in fact, intentionally craft and monitor them to ensure that they are consistently operating at a high level and making progress towards their greatest purpose in life. The other week, I wrote about getting started with personal development for those who are new to the concept. In that post, that you can read here, I discussed how the first step to developing yourself on a personal level is to audit yourself and your current situation in life. Today, I want to share with you a list of 10 Rules for Living a Charmed Life that I myself and many of the world’s most successful individuals follow. As you read through these rules, audit your life and think about subconscious rules you may live by that conflict with any of these. You may find that areas of your life that aren’t going as planned may result from following the wrong rules.

Rule #1: Live Within Your Means

The most basic financial principle and recipe for a balanced life of more happiness and less stress is to spend less than you earn. 

Rule #2: Design Your Ideal Life

You are the master of your own destiny and it is up to you to take control of your life choices to build the life you want. 

Rule #3: Be Present

You achieve a powerful sense of focus when you are able to keep your mind on the present moment by not thinking about passed actions or worrying about future ones. 

Rule #4: Practice Gratitude

One who practices gratitude regularly will learn that they are, in fact, the luckiest person in the world. 

Rule #5: Follow Your Passion

If you are looking to find meaning for your life and joy in your work, the best course of action is to follow your passion. 

Rule #6: Create Your Own Opportunity

Not everyone is given the same opportunities in life, but you can make your own when you make a plan and work to execute.

Rule #7: Make Your Own Luck

If you want something to happen, you need to be willing to make it happen.

Rule #8: Love Yourself First

No one will ever be as important to your life as you are, so make sure you take care of yourself first and foremost. 

Rule #9: Surround Yourself with Friends & Family

No one is alone in this world no matter how much they believe they are. There is a community around you willing to support you whether that is the family you are born into or the family you create for yourself.

Rule #10: Love Fearlessly

There is no greater risk with any greater reward than to love. 

If you are ready to take your personal development a step deeper and begin working to implement these rules for a successful life, now is the perfect time to start the Charmed Life Master Class. The Charmed Life Master Class is a self-guided activity based digital course I designed to help you learn and execute these 10 rules to empower your life and it is currently being offered for it’s lowest price ever. Click here to read more about the Charmed Life Master Class, browse the course outline and see if it’s the right personal development tool for you!

xoxo,

Personal Development

How to Set Goals for Your Best Year Yet

How to Set Goals for Your Best Year Yet

How to Set Goals for Your Best Year Yet

The New Year has begun and most of us are starting our first full week of work for the year, myself included! Can you believe, I still don’t have my goals for the year properly worked out? I know, I know, so unlike me, but it’s not for a lack of trying, I promise. I’ve worked out most of my business goals and projects- that is usually the easy part for me in my goal setting process and how I spent a majority of my work time in December, but on a personal development level, I’m struggling to make heads or tails of what I want to come for the year. So, I’m going back to basics this week, breaking out my You Got This Workbook, and following my streamlined procedure for setting my goals! You’d think I’d have this process down by now, but realistically, goal setting is only something I do on a yearly basis so it’s helpful for me to have the goal setting process codified as a system to review, even if I DID right the book on it! If you don’t have my You Got This Workbook, it’s my Strategic Goal Setting and Planning Guide to Help You Achieve Your Goals and Organize Your Life and you can get your copy of this digital PDF workbook here. If not, today I want to share you with you the simple process outlined in the book to get you started working out how you will make this Your Best Year Yet!

Step 1: Figure Out What You Want

The first step to goal setting is always understanding what you want, and I will warn you, this is one of the hardest parts of the goal setting process for me, as well as many others I’ve spoken to! While some of us wake up knowing exactly what we want from life, others find identifying their passions or desires difficult. It’s no surprise really, we live in a world of immediate gratification, where hustle and busy-ness are hailed as the pinnacle of human achievement. Identifying your passions and true desires requires stillness and quiet time in reflection to get outside ourselves and see a big picture for our lives. Does this mean you will need to plan out everything for your life long term? Certainly not, but the more you can identify about the life you want to live, the more inspiration you will have to begin designing your ideal life and identifying the specific goals and projects you will set to make that life a reality.

TRY THIS: Meditate on your life, taking inventory of your current life, what you have and don’t have, and what lifetime achievements you’ve hit or have yet to meet until you can make a list of the goals you are interested in achieving.

Step 2: Focus on Timing

Once you have identified what you want to achieve in your life, for either the near future or long term, the next step in the goal setting process is to get focused on what you will do this year to move your goals forward. After step 1, you most likely have a long list of things you want to do or achieve and the worst thing you can do is take the list as-is and start on everything. In order to achieve goals and success, you need FOCUS. This means you will need to take that list of goals you have and deciding when in your life you want them to happen. According to renowned success coach Tony Robbins “most people overestimate how much they can do in a year and underestimate how much they can do in ten years.” Although you may approach your goal setting process with a sense of urgency, you need to be realistic about what you will be able to do in the coming year. Take it slow and steady, choose the essential goals that you can realistically achieve this year and then break out your other goals and dreams into time frames for your life. There is a time and a place for everything in life, so think about where your goals belong in terms of the order you should achieve things and which time period in your life would be the best time to achieve which goal.

TRY THIS: List out your goals into a logical order of events. Don’t worry yourself too much about expectations in terms of when people “normally” achieve x in their life, unless age is truly a factor to consider. For example, for a woman having children can only occur within a specific time frame naturally, unless you are open to adoption which widens that scope. Achieving a college education can happen at any age of life, but it would be necessary for you to achieve a specific degree before you can reach a specific career goal related to it.

Step 3: Make a Plan

Now that you have identified what you will focus on for this coming year, the next step in this goal setting process is to make a plan for how you will achieve the goals you’ve set this year. Keep in mind that you can very well start on goals this year that you don’t intend to finish this year, as some goals (like going to college) take years to achieve. In order to achieve anything, however, you need to make a plan for how you will get from where you are right now to success with your goal. Personally, I try to keep my plans as simple as possible. Another common mistake I see people make with their goals is that they try to throw every solution at the goal and do more than is necessary, which ends up leading to overwhelm and failure to achieve the goal. If you have no clue how to achieve something or how to simplify the process, find someone with experience and ask them how they did it! They will most likely be able to give you feedback on the steps and direction you should take with your goal and give you information on things they did that was a waste of time for them. The more research you can do to make a simple plan to achieve success, the more likely it is that you will reach your goals!

TRY THIS: Turn your goals into project plans and break out as many steps as you can think of to track your goal and progress. This will be a customizable roadmap you can use to stay on track. You Got This includes key project planning pages you can use to break down your goals and detailed instructions for completing this process but you can also use my project planning bundle if you want to keep your projects in your planner as I do!

Step 4: Make a Change

Many goals we set for ourselves require us to make some changes in our life to support them. For example, if you set a goal for weight loss, it means you need to make lifestyle changes that help you avoid temptation and stay on track with healthy habits. For each goal, think about what changes you need to make in your life to support the success of that goal. After all, our habits define us and it’s the little things we do or don’t do each day that determine if we will be successful in practically everything in life. Don’t think you need to change your whole life and every habit or routine, but evaluate how changing your actions could support the achievement of a goal.

TRY THIS: Consider what one change you can make in your life or habits right now that will support your success with one of your goals. If you can think of more than one, really focus in on choosing one essential change that will make the biggest impact on whether or not you are successful.

Step 5: Execute!

Now, the hard part (second only to step 1) actually making it happen and executing on your plans. The easiest way to achieve anything in life is to have a good plan and solid work ethic- other than that, there really aren’t many shortcuts you can take. Before you achieve anything in life- any goal, any project, anything worth having really- it seems impossible, but don’t let the work ahead of you scare you. Small steps accumulate into significant progress. If you can commit to doing something everyday to move you closer to your goal, even just a simple little task, before long you will see progress. The best advice I have for you at this point is to focus on the next task on the list, instead of reviewing the whole list on a regular basis. If you can focus on what you are doing next, instead of worrying about the next ten things after that, you are less likely to loose motivation and actually get the work done!

TRY THIS: Build yourself an arsenal of motivation and inspiration. Follow specific accounts on Instagram or Twitter, put inspirational quotes around your workspace or make a vision board! Whatever you can do to keep yourself focused on the outcome and not the work, the more likely you are to achieve that big, scary goal!

It looks like it’s time for me and you to get started setting our goals for the year! I hope this post has been helpful to you for getting started, and if you need any additional assistance, I’d recommend picking up the You Got This workbook here in my shop!

xoxo,