At times like these, taking one day at a time is often a smart move.  But there are other benefits to be had from this more intentional approach... When you focus on winning the day, you also get a chance to reflect.  In turn, you can get clearer on what you really want, which is a powerful way to create more happiness.  If you want to feel happier today, these five super simple practices and tips are here to help you.  Check them out! 1. Practice gratitude  “Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” – Zig Ziglar Gratitude is one of the quickest and easiest ways to elevate your happiness levels. All you need to do is focus on something that you’re grateful for and notice how it makes you feel.  When you focus on gratitude, it’s hard to be frustrated or annoyed. What’s more, switching on positive emotions through gratitude inspires you to see the world through more abundant eyes.  Gratitude makes you feel happy whether you’re feeling thankful for something small like a delicious cup of coffee - or something big such as incredible health.  And if you need some more ideas of what you can be grateful for, you’ll discover 101 in this downloadable PDF.  2. Do a Random Act Of Kindness [RAOK] “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana Being of service to others is a powerful, but simple way to feel good.  From taking care of a chore you know a loved one is pushing off, to buying a drink for the person behind you in the line, these RAOK spread a little happiness.  And it’s not the recipient alone who benefits!  A RAOK will also elevate your happiness thanks to a phenomenon known as the ‘Helper’s High’ whereby your body releases feel-good chemicals.  Discover more about ‘paying it forward’ through random acts of kindness in this Courage Over Comfort podcast. 3. Say some positive affirmations  Science has found that repeating positive statements can help you feel more uplifted and optimistic about yourself and life! This reminds me of the famous quote from Henry Ford who said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right!”  In other words, your thoughts help shape your reality by influencing what you do and therefore, how you feel.  If you’re able to cultivate a more optimistic outlook on life, not only will you see the world through a lens of possibility, but you’ll feel happier too.  4. Practice mindfulness We spend a lot of time doing stuff. Whether that’s checking through chores, ticking off work-related tasks, or fixing things around the home.   When you’re engaged in lots of activity, it’s harder to find the calm within.  Mindfulness is a powerful practice that can help you slow down and connect with the stillness that always exists inside of you. Mindfulness can help you be your best! Through mindfulness, you can calm an over-active mind, settle stress, and feel fully centered in the present moment.  Eckhart Tolle said “All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself.”  Even 10 mins of quiet calm can help elevate your emotions and guide you to feel more present in the here and now. If you’re ready to explore this powerful practice for yourself, take the free Mindfulness Challenge and unlock 31-days of bite-sized audio meditations.  5. Spend time in nature "I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees." – Henry David Thoreau Nature is a powerful healer.  Whether you take a walk along the beach, in the forest, up a mountain, or around the lake, immersing yourself in some fresh air and a natural soundtrack is a powerful way to feel good - for a number of reasons.  Firstly, exercise releases endorphins, which makes us feel better.   Nature is also grounding, which helps us to feel more present in the moment. Nature also shows us that there is a sense of certainty amidst all the chaos [look how chaotically perfect nature can be!] Finally, being in nature is a beautiful reminder that we are all part of something so much bigger than ourselves. This perspective contains a lot of freedom.  When living in a world of chaos, confusion, and uncertainty, it’s easy to lose our footing and feel worried about the future.  Fortunately, there’s always a way to come back to ourselves and feel good within.  Jim Rohn said that “Happiness is not by chance, but by choice”.      By taking some time to infuse our day with practices and experiences that unlock joy, we can feel better about ourselves and our lives - no matter what is going on around us.  Which of these tips will you try today? 

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ―Nelson Mandela What would you do if you had all the resources you needed and you knew you couldn’t fail?  Just for a moment, allow yourself to consider that opportunity. Allow your imagination to explore what would you do, have, and be if ANYTHING was possible. See what images pop into your mind and get a sense of how you feel. What are you creating? What are you experiencing? Where are you going?  Then notice how your inner dialogue quickly interferes with a million and one reasons why it couldn’t work out!    One of the reasons we struggle to dream big is because we’re afraid to fail.  It’s a biological thing. As humans, we need to feel a sense of belonging because it makes us feel safe. No wonder we worry about the social implications of making a mistake or falling short of where you said you want to go.  Another reason is that we base our future possibilities on our past experiences. If your track record, inner-critic, or self-sabotaging self says that these things aren’t possible, will you really go all out to create them?  It’s easy to see that it’s our fears, which keep us small.  But how do you know until you give it a shot? Your past needn’t equal your future.  Who knows, this time could be different.  What if committing to something big cracks open a part of you that’s never been seen before?  Us humans are incredible creative beings. By taking action, we can turn a thought in our head into a physical reality. Pressure makes diamonds, which is why big goals [and dreams] can unlock fresh ideas and problem-solving abilities.   What if anything was possible? As Alice In Wonderland said, “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”  What’s more, the prize for thinking big isn’t the ‘thing’ at the finish line alone. There’s also the person you become as a result of going for it. It’s impossible not to grow and evolve when you step out of your comfort zone. Those new experiences and challenges ignite something inside of you. As you grow, so your perspective shifts [because you see the world through fresh eyes]. Who knows what you’ll think about from this new place!  So go for it… Take the leap.  Allow yourself to play inside that bigger container and see what magic you make happen.  Your best self is craving the challenge.  Here are some tips to help you on your way. How to dream big “If you can dream it, you can do it.” - Walt Disney Articulate your dream  It’s easier to achieve something big when you know specifically what you want to create. Turn vagueness into something concrete by writing down the future you see. The clarity will help you make your plan and figure out the steps you need to take to close the gap from where you are to where you want to be.  Know your WHY What’s the driving force behind your big dream? Knowing your why can help you tap into that energy within that will keep you pushing on - even when it gets too hard, too ridiculous, and too exhausting.  10x your vision Take what you want to create and in your mind’s eye and imagine what that outcome would be if you 10xd it. It’s a great game to play because it allows you to explore the possibilities and ideas you previously didn’t know existed.  How to achieve more “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford Dial down your inner critic Do you talk yourself out of taking action before you’ve even given yourself a chance? Your inner critic can be frustrating, but it’s trying to keep you safe by warning you of potential dangers. What’s more, if we hear the same rationalizations enough, we can believe them to be true.  Time to shine the light on your inner critic. Allow yourself to become aware of what it’s saying to you. Then start to challenge it by showing it examples of where you did succeed.  Build yourself up  You don’t have to climb Mount Everest on the first day, but you can walk a mile around the block. Remember, success is rarely an overnight thing. Instead, it’s the result of incremental steps. So take things one day at a time. The road ahead isn’t scary if you’re looking down at your feet!  Focus on the action you need to take in front of you - and before you know it, you’ll be rising to that summit.  Leverage the power of YET  You might not have all the skills, connections, and solutions you need right now, but you could in the future. The second you hear yourself saying that you can’t do something, simply add the word YET.  Sure, you might not be able to do it right now, but you could in the future.  Never settle  “You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.” - Babe Ruth Look how far you’ve come, not how far you still have to go There are TWO gaps on the journey to your goals.  • The gap between where you are now and where you want to go.  • And the gap between where you started and how far you’ve come.  It’s easy to feel down on yourself when the gap to the finish line still feels miles off, but what happens if you look behind you? Don’t minimize or downplay all the things you’ve done to get to where you are now. Celebrate your progress, knowing every single step is moving the needle.  The journey is as important as the destination  Is it worth thinking big and achieving more if you don’t enjoy today? The journey is where all the learning, the experiences, and the good stuff happens. So enjoy the ride. Take this approach, and you’ll feel more inspired to keep going.  You might be two-inches from the gold  You never know how far you are from that big breakthrough. What if tomorrow is the day you: • Find the solution to the problem you’re struggling to solve • Connect with a person who accelerates your progress • Secure the deal that changes the game If you want it, just keep going.  Because when you dream big, achieve more, and never settle, dreams really can come true. 

It’s not unusual to reject the feeling of being boxed in. It’s one of the reasons people have resistance to scheduling their time in 30-minute chunks and committing to firm plans. You worry that rigidity will squash your creativity, stifle your imagination, and take away your free time.  It turns out the opposite may be true.  Here’s the thing… You can enhance all of those things when you create a daily structure in which to play. This means:  • Determining your priorities and the order in which you’ll tackle them • Giving each task a time window  • Carving out designated timeslots for everything from work tasks to time with family and friends In the same way that healthy boundaries help keep children and pets safe, a robust, granular schedule that organizes your daily life will give you more freedom to explore what’s most important to you.  The idea that you’ll find more freedom in structured time schedules can feel like a paradox!  So if you’re still unconvinced, keep reading because I’m going to share some tips so you can make this concept work for you.   1. A daily schedule removes decision-making Your brain is at its best when it’s in a creative thinking and problem-solving mode. When your mind is joining up the dots, making new connections, and innovating, you’re in the perfect mindset for uncovering the one idea that may change your life.  Your brain can also store and recall information and make decisions, but these activities drain your creative energy.  This is where a daily structure is your best friend.  When you know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it, you reduce the number of decisions you have to make.  When you finish one task, you don’t have to invest brainpower trying to figure out what you’re going to do next. Instead, you just look at your plan and carry on.  [Insert Picture of a daily schedule if we have one] Fewer decisions mean less brain fog; leading to increased productivity and creative output.  2. Structure clarifies expectations and roles Have you ever held back from taking action or implementing a brilliant idea because you weren’t sure if you had the remit or not?  Structure can also clarify your permissions and boundaries.  When you know where the edges are, you can push as hard as you want within those constraints. You don’t have to second-guess yourself or worry if you’re stepping on someone else’s toes. You know exactly where you stand, which means there’s no need to limit your thinking or your actions.  When you know your playground, you get the freedom to play all out in that space. You get to take calculated risks, try out new ideas, and discover your hidden strengths and capabilities. It’s a great place to be that’s going to inspire your best self.  3. A daily structure sharpens your focus A robust schedule empowers you to focus on what matters most - in that moment and environment.  For example, if you designate Wednesday afternoons for deep work, you don’t have to worry about the other things on your to-do list during that time. Instead, you can switch off all distractions and double-down on the task at hand.  Similarly, if your workout slot is 8:30 every morning, you can forget everything else and focus entirely on your fitness routine.  In this way, structure stops you feeling guilty that you should be doing something other than the thing you’re doing currently!   When you know your daily time schedule has everything covered, you can relax and be more present.  And with less energy wasted, you’re going to get more done.  4. Reduce stress and overwhelm  A hefty to-do list is enough to bring most people out in a sweat! You can’t help but worry when and how you’re going to fit it all in. In turn, your productivity and quality decline because it’s harder to focus and concentrate.   Your daily schedule helps eliminate this overwhelm because you can see how everything will get done. It’s how your plan creates security and confidence that you won’t get behind.  In turn, you have the freedom to crack on and make amazing things happen.  Don’t be afraid of structured time schedules!  Your daily structure has the power to:  • Boost your productivity  • Sharpen your focus • Increase your creativity • Make you more present in the moment • Strengthen your problem-solving skills • Reduce stress and overwhelm  • Deepen your work  • And more!  So get into the habit of planning your time robustly. Not only will you get more done in fewer minutes, but you’ll unleash your creativity too.  And who knows where that’s going to take you…

We see those big plans, big ambitions, and big dreams - and we know you can do it.  You’re always going to get the naysayers and the haters who want you to settle for less. There’s a chance your own limiting beliefs hold you back too.  But as Disney famously said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” - something this article is designed to help you do. So keep reading! You’re about to discover FIVE techniques that prove you can do a whole lot more than you currently imagine possible.  BHAG here you come 💕 1. Pick a goal that sets your heart on fire It’s so easy to hold yourself back from what you really want. Life is tough [and busy]. You’ll always find a reason to get in your own way.  You’re right; most people don’t achieve their goals. But what if that’s because you’re setting the bar too LOW?  Check out these awesome words from Patangali, author of the Yoga Sutras.  “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, facilities, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”  Have you noticed that when you go after a goal that’s so desirable, you’re prepared to do whatever it takes? In turn, you unlock something different inside of you.  Somehow, you find a way forward. You discover the missing piece. You unlock a solution.  You make the required connections and join up the dots to make your way forward crystal clear.  Your mind is incredible and given the right goal, you’ll be amazed at what you can create. So don’t hold back. Commit to the mega vision that scares and exhilarates you, then watch how your “thoughts break their bonds” to make the impossible a reality.  2. Choose courage over comfort When it comes to discovering your personal edges, your comfort zone has a LOT to answer for!  Humans are creatures of habit - and it’s clear to see why. In an unpredictable, chaotic world, there’s a lot of safety and security in the things you know. Your comfort zone makes life feel predictable because inside your zone, you know who you are and where you stand. But predictability breeds more of the same.  If you want more, you have to stretch those edges by choosing courage over comfort consistently.  Sure, it’s scary to dip a toe into the unknown, but the growth opportunities are undeniable.  When you leverage courage to attempt something that scares you, hidden strengths and talents show up. Courage unleashes a desire to figure things out - so you can make it through to the other side. Courage also fuels the confidence and inner knowing that you can do it!  The prize is undeniable.  Choosing courage over comfort transforms your perspective about who you are. You get to see the before and after pictures in your mind.  Best of all, you have evidence that you CAN do more; giving you the freedom to take on bigger and bigger challenges knowing you’ll work it out [somehow!]  Ready to put Courage over Comfort?  Build your confidence muscle with the help of the Courage over Comfort podcast.  Do the bite-sized challenges and discover that you CAN do more than you imagined possible. 3. Use your imagination Here’s a cool fact… EVERYTHING created by humans started life as an idea in someone’s imagination.  Think about it… Thought is the start [and the spark] of the creation process. If you can see yourself doing something, maybe you can also make it a reality.  I think this is what Disney means in his quote, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”  Visualization is a powerful creative tool. No wonder it’s used by many of the world’s top performers. For example, athletes regularly visualize themselves achieving their goal; giving them the confidence to know they can do it when it comes to the real thing.  The reason imagination works is because your brain finds it hard to differentiate between imagination and reality. For example, science has found that playing the piano and imagining playing the piano sparks the same brain scans.  You can put this practice to work for your own goals.  See yourself doing the thing you want to do. Imagine how it would feel for your desired outcome to be your reality. What’s happening to your senses? What are you saying? What are other people doing?  See the image as vividly as you can - and let your imagination prove that you can do more.  4. Make time  Are you guilty of making time the reason you can’t do the things you want?  If so, you’re not alone. What’s more, you likely feel highly justified! Life is busy. Your to-do list is overwhelming and you do have a ton of commitments and responsibilities that you have to take care of.  It’s no surprise your schedule feels packed.  BUT… How much time are you squandering unknowingly? For example:  • Does your five-minute glance on social turn into hours? • Do you binge on Netflix in the evenings?  • Do you allow yourself to be distracted and interrupted?  I don’t point out these things to make you feel guilty, but to highlight that you almost certainly have time in your day that you can clawback.  A planner is one of the best ways to do this.  Instead of allowing the day to run you, be intentional.  Make quality, protected, uninterrupted time for the things you want - but say you don’t have the time to do. And don’t leave this time to chance! Instead, schedule that time into your planner in the same way you would an appointment or a meeting. Do this regularly and see what becomes possible when you have time to play with.  5. Be accountable It’s hard to be on it all the time. Life is going to throw curveballs and you will have days when you mess up or lack confidence. New opportunities will show up too, which can distract you from your path.  Without the right support and encouragement, it’s all-too-easy to fall off your path.  This is where accountability makes a MASSIVE difference.  When you agree to be accountable to someone else, it’s not quite so easy to let yourself off the hook! That’s because your accountability partner/coach is there to remind you of who you say you want to be. They can:  • Ask the tough questions you want to brush off• Challenge your perceived limitations• Call you out when you’re out of integrity• Support and motivate you when you’re feeling down• Ask questions that shift your perspective and inject renewed optimism• And more! Your accountability coach/partner can hold you to that higher version of yourself - and remind you that you’ve got this.  Your life is there for embracing.  Your goals are there for achieving.  Your time is there for leveraging.  Your best self is there for living.  Remember, you can ALWAYS do more than you imagined possible. Each time you doubt yourself, remember these five techniques.  Then go out there and be your best self [whatever that means for you] 💕

How often do you hit the pillow wondering what you’ve got to show for the day? It’s a widespread problem. Busy does not always equal productivity, which explains why we can end the day with a to-do list barely touched.  So what’s the alternative? How can you set yourself up to Win The Day so that you can feel accomplished?  The answer is to sharpen your focus - something these seven tips will help you do. “I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.”- Zig Ziglar  1. Set the right goals Focus is all about directing your thinking, your attention, and your energy in one place - instead of taking a scattergun approach.  The benefit of focus is that it allows your brain [and your being] to concentrate on one thing at a time. In turn, your thinking isn’t fragmented. Your mind isn’t spread out over a million different things, which allows you to be more creative, think deeper, and solve bigger problems.  One of the most powerful ways to direct your focus is to set your goals.  When you know the direction you want to go, it’s a lot easier to push off the opportunities and asks that risk stealing your attention and pushing you off course.  When you have a clear goal, you have a barometer that allows you to check if your decisions are in alignment with where you say you want to go.  That’s powerful.  2. Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t  When a task feels difficult, or something goes wrong, it’s easy to get stuck in a ‘poor me’ mindset. But focusing on the problem can keep you stuck and cause you to go around in circles.  There’s a better way to invest your focus... Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, concentrate on what you want to create: • What CAN you do now? • What do you want to experience? • What are the possibilities open to you right now? This solution-based focus will empower you to come up with new answers and ideas. When you can see a new direction, you’ll also feel energized to get going.  In the words of Anthony J. D’Angelo, “Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.” In turn, you’ll inspire yourself to get more done.  3. Eliminate distractions Be honest; you knew this tip would be on the list, right?! We all know that distractions divert our attention down threads of thinking that keep us from the task at hand. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked against us. Social media and entertainment options are all designed to keep us tapped in.  When it comes to your focus, distractions are deadly.  Not only does a quick look at social steal your time, but it disrupts your thinking too. Plus, when you turn back to the task at hand, it will take you a while to get back into your flow.  If you want to get more done, switch off your notifications, turn off your phone, and put a ‘do not disturb’ sign on your door. Do what you need to do to protect your focus so you can finish your tasks and create the possibility of deeper work.  “One look at an email can rob you of 15 minutes of focus. One call on your cell phone, one tweet, one instant message can destroy your schedule, forcing you to move meetings, or blow off really important things, like love, and friendship.”- Jacqueline Leo 4. Put constraints on your time  Deadlines can be potent motivators. When the pressure is on, it can be easier to get stuff done - because you have zero choices but to make it happen!  You can leverage the power of deadlines through zero-hours scheduling.  Instead of giving tasks an open window for completion, allocate a specific timescale for completion. Commit to this timeslot by scheduling tasks into your planner [in the same way you do with your meetings and appointments]. Make yourself accountable to timeslots and allow that deadline to sharpen your focus.  5. Prioritize When you have more tasks than time, it’s easy to feel stressed and anxious. You worry about who you’re going to let down, what others might think about you, and what ‘sacrifices’ you’ll have to make to feel back in control.  Here’s the thing… Worrying doesn’t help you check through your to-do list. In fact, worrying steals your creative energy and your bandwidth, making it even harder to accomplish what you want to do.  It’s as the author Jodi Picoult says, “anxiety is like a rocking chair, It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you very far.”  When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the best thing you can do is just get started.  And to minimize the fallout that you find yourself worrying over, prioritize your tasks.  • Which task is the frog? • Which tasks are dependent on you completing something else first? • Which tasks can you delegate? • Which tasks can you streamline?  Direct your focus towards the tasks that will make the biggest dent and start there.  With those tasks out of the way, not only will you feel a million times better, but you’ll re-energize yourself for tackling everything that’s left. 6. Give yourself breaks Deep focus can get tiring! It takes a lot of mental energy to solve problems, imagine new ideas, and check through tasks and projects.  Keep yourself fresh by taking breaks.  Work in 30-minute Pomodoros, take a walk in nature or stretch your body with some yoga.  Give yourself space away from your work station so your brain can relax and recharge.  What’s more, when the pressure is off, you may find that some of your best ideas bubble up.  7. Use external brains Your brain is an incredibly creative tool and problem solver.  Your brain can conjure up the most imaginative ideas - and one of those ideas could change your world.  What your brain isn’t quite so good at is remembering stuff. It takes a lot of mental energy to remember things; valuable energy you could use more productively and effectively.  Imagine… While working hard on an essay, you're also conscious about remembering your 2 pm coffee date. Imagine how much of a distraction that date creates.  External brains allow you to extract the details and information that you want to remember and store them elsewhere.  In turn, nothing is stealing your focus - helping you to get more done.  Here are some examples of external brains that help to sharpen your focus by freeing up bandwidth:  Your daily planner - for managing and scheduling your workload Your calendar - your keeping tabs of your appointments, meetings, and dates Your notebook - for capturing thoughts and ideas that you don’t want to lose Your to-do list [or Weekly Action Pad] - for keeping track of your weekly tasks  Your Project Action Pad - for project management Focus is one of your most powerful assets - because where your place your energy is where momentum grows.  If you can sharpen your focus in an increasingly fragmented world, you’ll give yourself a substantial competitive edge.

Ever wondered why some people achieve all their goals while other people struggle to get out of the starting blocks? It’s frustrating to have big dreams only to see them fall by the wayside - especially when something inside you knows you can do it. So how can you make success ‘inevitable’? How can you make it more likely that you won’t fail? If you’re ready to smash your next goal and feel the high that comes from achieving something you craved, these three power principles will help you get there. Implement them into your life today and see how much further they take you. 1. Break your goal into bite-sized steps Overwhelm is one of the most significant goal killers. When the thing you want is way over there, and your starting point is way back here, it’s all too easy for the doubts to creep in. Big goals will stretch you, and they will push you out of your comfort zone. A big goal will require you to do things you’ve never done before, and this soon feeds your doubts. You wouldn’t climb Everest in one step. It’s the same with your goals. Instead, you have to identify the baby steps needed to take you across the finish line - then work on those instead. This power principle changes the game. Instead of feeling daunted by that mountain, put one foot in front of the other - every single day. Pretty soon, those baby steps compound into something significant and before you know it, you’ve arrived! What are the bite-sized steps towards your goal? For example: - Writing a book - write 500 words a day - Building a business - make three sales calls a day - Increasing your fitness - run once a day Your goals are more about the journey than they are about the final result. Figure out how to chip away at your target a little every day, and you’ll be surprised how much further and faster you move. 2. Foster a positive mindset The way you think about yourself en route to your goal will have an overwhelming impact on how far you can go. If you believe you can do it, you probably will. If you think you won’t, then that’s your likely result. Your mind is insanely powerful, and your thinking patterns are a crucial indicator of your success. When you’re working towards a stretching goal, your fears will come out with a vengeance. That is a given! Fear is your automatic response to perceived danger and a warning sign to keep you safe. In short, fear will do everything it can to keep you stuck in your status quo. If you want to make success inevitable, you have to cultivate a positive mindset. You need to foster the self-belief that knows you can overcome any setback and push through any hurdle. This transition will take work and commitment, but it’s doable. To help boost your positivity, try these three techniques: - Practice gratitude - when you’re thankful for all the things you already have, you realize how abundant you already are. This practice guides your mind in a positive direction and helps unlock the confidence you need to win. - Own your wins - train your mind to acknowledge when you’ve crushed it. Appreciate yourself for success and use the boost this gives you to propel yourself forward. - Affirmations - your mind is very suggestible. So if positivity is not yet your default, hack it with the help of affirmations. Look yourself in the mirror and repeat positive phrases daily until they become part of your inner dialogue and your belief system. 3. Prioritize what matters You say your goals are essential, but do you give them the time and attention they deserve? It’s all too easy to be busy, but not productive in today’s society. When you have a million and one things to juggle, it’s not unusual to start chasing your tail while burning the candle at both ends. Social media steals your time, notifications keep you from deep work, and distractions throw you off your train of thought. If you’re not careful, you’ll hit your pillow wondering what you achieved! If you want to move the needle on your life, invest more time doing the things that matter. You can do this by prioritizing your to-dos to ensure you’re focused on activities that make the most impact. When goals get the leftovers, you’ll always fall short, but give game-changing tasks the time they deserve and watch how this shift propels you forward. Daily time planning is a powerful principle that helps you get the most important things done. - First, decide your priorities - what are the three tasks that will move the needle the furthest? - Next, schedule these activities into your day. Give them a fixed time window and the space you need to do them correctly. Make success inevitable with the Self Journal It’s easy to get yourself into habits that don’t serve the bigger picture. It’s easy to fall into poor routines that slow us down instead of helping us move at pace. It’s why you need a Self Journal! This 13-week Goal Planner helps to make your success inevitable. Use it to break your goal into bite-sized chunks, then plan to close the gap every single day. Your Self Journal also helps foster positivity with its gratitude and reflection practices. And with productivity-sparking daily pages designed to move the needle at pace, you’ll soon be working smarter [not harder]. Get ready to uncovering plenty of quality time to do work that makes big dents. Don’t leave your goals to chance. Instead, plan to make them happen with the tool, thousands of others use to practice the three power principles that make success inevitable. Now it’s your turn.  

Are you facing some significant life changes at the moment?  Despite the best of plans, life often throws a curveball. These unexpected events can impact all areas of your life. For example, relationships end, jobs disappear, projects get cancelled or disrupted. In turn, we can lose our footing - leaving us feeling confused, frustrated, and even fearful.  As Deepak Chopra said, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.”  And the good news is there’s always a way forward - even if you can’t see how all the dots join up yet.  So if you’ve lost your sense of direction and no longer feel connected with your goals, this article will help you redesign your life and get back on track. Let me show you how… Accept where you are This first step sounds oh so simple, but it’s often tricky to do. Humans dislike change! Forced out of our comfort zone or familiar surroundings, we feel incredibly uncomfortable. Change creates uncertainty, which means we have less predictability over our life.  This feeling of losing control or feeling out of our depth is stressful. In turn, our instinctive response may be one of denial. Resistance is a common reaction to a big upset. There’s a part of us that just wishes things could go back to the way they were.  It’s essential to work through this process. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to get to a place where you acknowledge where you are fully.  From this empowered vantage point, it’s possible to move forward with fresh eyes. Take absolute ownership The only person you can change is you.  Sure, you can influence and inspire others, but the only person you have 100% control over is yourself. This truth is massively empowering. When you put yourself in the driver’s seat of your life, you recognize that you’re holding ALL the cards.  This is why taking absolute ownership for your current situation gives you the agency to move your life in the direction you choose.  It doesn’t matter if you caused your situation to change - or whether external events outside of your control were the cause. Decide to take absolute ownership regardless. When you take absolute ownership, you don’t have to wait for anyone else to move first. You don’t get stuck in ‘victim mode’ feeling disempowered and frustrated either.  Instead, you gift yourself a perspective where you become the creator of your life—revealing the freedom to move forward powerfully and intentionally.  Reflect on your life A significant change can rattle your identity. If you’ve lost your job, you lose that label. If a relationship ends, you find yourself single. Pulling out the rug knocks your confidence and fuels self-doubt. How can you create something new when you’ve known this way for so long?  Remember, the past holds clues.  My favorite Steve Jobs quote is incredibly insightful here… “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”  Use reflection to review your life with hindsight to understand how events and situations played out. Spot the connections and patterns to see cause and effect. Explore how seemingly small decisions morphed into some of your most significant circumstances.  Reflecting after a big life change can help you identify skills you didn’t know you had. It can help you spot areas of your life that need more attention. It can help you better understand your strengths and even guide you to make decisions for your future that better suit the person you are today.  It’s one of the most powerful activities you can do.  Visualize your future While a big change is often hard to navigate, these moments can give you a powerful wake-up call.  Because humans don’t like change, it’s easy for us to get comfortable. We can find ourselves running on autopilot - doing things simply because that’s the way it’s always been.  When you’re forced to redesign your life, you get to be more intentional about what you want to do NOW.  You get to proactively choose and make decisions based on who you are and what you want TODAY.  A blank life canvas can be a beautiful thing. For example, perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to understand your values. Maybe you can redefine your purpose from this new vantage point. Maybe you can dive into your passions now you have a new life space within which to create.  It’s not unusual for people to turn hardship into the best thing that happened to them.  This could be the moment you dive into the work you were born to do. It could be time to take that trip. Explore that hobby or proactively design the relationship you’ve always wanted to have.  When you’re in a space where anything is [theoretically] possible, you give your imagination the space to dream. And as you tap into what you really want, a new vision for your life will emerge.  So grab a big sheet of paper and map out what you want. Be bold. Ask for it all.  Set goals With your big picture vision set out, the next step is to plan concrete action.  When you know what you want to create, you can work backwards and figure out what you need to do to get there.  Make sure your goals are SMART - that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. You have a much greater chance of achieving a SMART goal than a vague dream because the destination is clearly defined.  We always recommend that you work in 13-week increments. If your vision takes longer than 13 weeks, simply distil that vision into quarterly targets. 13 weeks is the goal-setting sweet spot because it’s long enough to achieve something significant and short enough to keep you laser-focused - so you don’t procrastinate.  If you want a structure to help you plan your SMART goals, the Self Journal is perfect for you. Designed to help make your success inevitable, this five-star rated planner guides you step-by-step through the process of creating and achieving your goals.  Take daily action Remember, success is never an overnight thing. Instead, success is the result of consistent daily action. Make it your intention to win the day, every day. You can do this when you:  Select and track the right habits Identify your priorities Plan your day for maximum productivity Push off distractions Reflect and review to ensure your stay on track Most importantly, just get started! In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Keep yourself accountable Change is hard. Resistance, doubt, frustration, anxiety, lethargy, fear, indecision etc. - there are plenty of emotions ready to get in your way.  The road ahead isn’t easy. You can 100% guarantee that you’ll face blind spots and roadblocks ahead. You’ll probably make mistakes as you go along, but none of that matters if you keep going.  Accountability is critical when you want to stay on track.  There will be days when it all feels too hard and you just want to stay in bed! There will be times when you’ll wonder if your vision is worth the effort - or if you have what it takes.  As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right.”  Which version do you choose to believe?  An accountability structure is a powerful way to stay on track - and you have plenty of options:  Hold yourself accountable with the help of your Self Journal  Up the stakes with an accountability buddy  Or invest in something more structured and formal, such as the Accountability Club Start today Change is always uncomfortable - because it pushes us into the unknown.  And while you can’t control external circumstances and events, you CAN control your response to them.  Remember, there’s always a way forward - even if you can’t see that just yet.  So why not choose to use the steps outlined above to feel more proactive?  One step at a time, the situation you find yourself in right now could end up becoming exactly what you need to be your best self.  You can unlock clarity, confidence and certainty over your next moves in life with the help of the 20/20 Vision Course.    

When it comes to goals and becoming your best self, time is your most critical resource. Time represents potential. Each day you’re allocated another 1440 minutes to do whatever you like. Direct it towards the right things and magic can happen! But time management is tricky and life can make peak productivity feel elusive. Everything from distractions, to stress, chaos and confusion can squander your time and keep you from your finish line.But that doesn’t mean things can’t change. The reality is your time is always in your control. And if you learn to master these three critical timescales, you’ll be well on your way to thinking bigger, achieving more, while you enjoy today. 1. 13 weeks “The trouble is, you think you have time.” Jack Kornfield How often have you set a goal and then NOT achieved it? Here’s a scary truth… you’re in the minority if you successfully take a goal across the finish line! Achieving goals is hard because there’s so much that can get in our way.Which creates a new question.. How can you stack the odds in your favor? One proven way is by working within a 13-week timescale. 13 weeks is the goal-setting sweet spot because this timescale is long enough to achieve something significant, yet short enough to fend off procrastination. When you give yourself too much time, it’s far too easy to procrastinate. Life happens and that means a finish line that’s years off creates too much space to delay and dither. It’s all-too-easy for that internal dialogue to talk you out of taking action. “I can do that later” is a persuasive argument when you have a truckload of tasks competing for your attention! You don’t get that procrastination luxury with a 13-week time limit because your deadline is always in plain sight. If your why is sufficiently powerful, a tighter deadline will force you to get focused and do the work that closes the gap.But that’s not all… Imagine how much more you could achieve and how much further you could go if you crushed an important goal every 13 weeks? In this way, the 13-week strategy doesn’t just increase your productivity; it’s also a way to quadruple your output every year. So if you’re looking for a fast-track to more success, 13-week sprints could well be it! 2. Win the Day “The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” - John C. Maxwell Have you ever hit the pillow feeling super frustrated because you’re not sure what you actually accomplished - even though you were super busy all day long? Unfortunately, being busy is not the same as being productive. It’s possible to be snowed under and continuously on it, and still not move the needle. That’s because productivity is about working on the right stuff rather than any old stuff! If you’re constantly checking off the easy tasks or getting distracted by other people’s priorities, your goals won’t happen. Harsh, but true. Win The Day is a mantra that can inspire you to be more discerning about how you spend your 1440 daily minutes. Imagine how much better life would feel [and how you’d feel about yourself], if every day made a dent. You can achieve this when you’re clear on the bigger picture tasks that make a difference. Instead of fire-fighting or checking through a list of to-dos, get clear on what tasks matter. Then plan your day to ensure these tasks have your top priority and don’t get pushed. It’s so easy to delay your goals because other things shout louder. But you’ll forever be stuck in the pattern of “I’ll do that later” UNLESS you take a different approach. Remember, not all tasks are created equally. Pareto’s Law states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your actions. Put Pareto’s Law to work and you could Win The Day. And if you Win The Day every day - you’ll also win the week, the month, the quarter, the year, the decade [you get the picture!] 3. 30 minutes "Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time." - Jim Rohn Time is not renewable. You can’t hit the pause button and you can’t rewind. Once the minutes have passed, they are gone forever. So why are we so willing to squander our minutes and give them so little meaning? While 13-week planning and the intention to Win The Day takes care of the bigger picture stuff, the biggest shifts happen when you master your minutes. And for this, 30-minute time slots are a game-changer. Instead of tackling your day as a whole unit, break it down into 30-minute sections. This granular planning allows you to approach your day like a jigsaw puzzle. When you know how long each task will take to complete, you can fit these tasks into your day to create maximum results. Parkinson’s Law is critical here! This law states that a task will expand to fit the time window you give it. In other words, if you give a 90-minute task the entire day, that’s how long it will take you! Zero-hours scheduling is a powerful technique that will help you stretch time - so you can get more done in less time. However, this isn’t about packing so much into your day that you soon burn out. Use your daily 30-minute timeline to plan EVERYTHING. Your daily plan should be a combination of work PLUS dedicated, quality time for wellbeing, relationships, hobbies, passions, meditation, learning, reading - whatever your best self needs to feel fulfilled. When it comes to your goals, time can be your best friend. You just have to figure out how to make the minutes work for you. Focusing on these three timescales will inspire a massive leap forward. And if you want to put these timescales to work, the Self Journal’s structure has you covered.

“Just saying yes because you can’t bear the short-term pain of saying no is not going to help you do the work.” - Seth Godin. The odds are stacked against you when you set a new goal or commit to a new habit. Studies prove over and over that once the initial enthusiasm has waned off, people struggle to achieve their goals. Overwhelm is a big reason why...In a busy world that’s fast-paced and highly pressured, there’s always more we can do. With plates stacked high and to-do lists exploding at the seams, it’s not uncommon for goals to take a back seat. It’s not that you don’t want to work towards them. Instead, you have to clear some space first - then you can focus on that goal. But the reality is the to-do list rarely shrinks! As soon as you check something off, something else gets added - and it’s not just work stuff either. Family life, errands, and other roles and responsibilities pile on the pressure too. With so much day-to-day stuff to take care of, you struggle to get to the bigger-picture goals and projects that could change your life. Fortunately, there is a productivity tool that can help you create the time, space, and energy you need to do more of what you love. It’s a two-letter word. And it’s saying NO. The hyper-productive word we’re too afraid to speak It comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. - Steve Jobs The ability to say NO puts you in control of what you do [and don’t] have or do in your life. No allows you to control the size of your to-do list by turning down opportunities, tasks, and responsibilities that you haven’t got the time, energy, or inclination to do. No allows you to maximize your energy by directing your reserves towards the things you care about - rather than someone else’s priorities dictating the allocation of your resources. No allows you to state your own priorities and to protect your time. If you’re able to say no at the right time, you can create the space you need to focus on the goals that matter to you. If only it were that easy! “If something is not a ‘hell, YEAH!’, then it’s a ‘no!’”— James Altucher NO may be a two-letter word, but it’s often hard to say. In fact, it’s so hard to say that we often say YES [even when we don’t want to], which steals time and energy away from the things you want to do. There are plenty of reasons why people feel uncomfortable saying no. • We’re a people pleaser.• We don’t want to let people down or disappoint others. We’re worried about saying no to our boss in case it affects our job prospects.• We feel guilty saying no to our partner, kids, and other family members - especially when they rely on us.• We don’t want to be rejected or judged.• We don’t want to look inadequate or incapable.• We’re worried about creating conflict [and not being able to handle it]• We don’t want to be labelled selfish• We want to be seen as a ‘nice’ person The list goes on! And it’s a problem, the more you say YES, the less time you’ll have for the things that move life’s needle. How to say no without feeling bad “No is a complete sentence," Shonda Rhimes If the word NO doesn’t come easy to you, rest assured you can change this. You can learn to say NO confidently and comfortably and without worrying about what someone else is going to say to you or think about you. Here are some tips: JOURNAL. Ask yourself why you struggle to say no? What are you worried about? What would it take for you to be able to own your time and energy to the extent that you can say no confidently? GET CLEAR ON YOUR PRIORITIES. What are your red lines? Where are your boundaries? One way to define this is to create your Personal Statement. BE KINDER TO YOURSELF! In the words of Lori Deschene, “You can be a good person with a kind heart and still say no.” YOU DON’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF. As Shonda Rhimes said, “NO is a complete sentence”. You don’t have to explain yourself. If you feel called to say no, that is often enough. STICK TO YOUR GUNS. If people are used to you saying yes, they may be pushed back by a change in tack. Resist the temptation to back down because the other person’s response has made you feel bad. Remember, this is about protecting your time and giving yourself the space to fill your life with what you care about most.  Whether you’re saying no to a client or your boss, telling your kid that can’t have another cookie, explaining to your parents why you can’t go for dinner, or turning down a night out with a buddy, the confidence to say NO [when you want to say no], puts you back in the driver’s seat of your life. Remember, say NO and achieve your goals! What will you turn down today? It’s a simple, but highly effective strategy to reclaim your time - and possibly your life.