The Wilder Zone

3 Simple Steps To Radically Transform Your Productivity...Within 24hrs!

Productivity...always a hot topic, especially for entrepreneurs who, rather than punching a time clock and being paid hourly whether we're especially productive or not, earn our living in direct proportion to how productively we spend our days.

Productivity is something most of us have struggled with from time to time. If you're feeling overwhelmed, if you're finding you're procrastinating more than you'd like and you're less productive than you'd like as a result, then let me introduce you to an amazing woman who will transform your productivity.

Marie Forleo is a dear friend and colleague who is simply inspirational and brilliant in her approach to life and productivity. She lives what she teaches, and I'm tickled to be co-hosting a free tele-seminar with Marie, "3 Simple Steps to Radically Transform Your Productivity....Within 24hrs!" that will transform the way you live and work.

Hint: The secret to getting more done is not in what you do but how you do it.

I really hope you'll join us this Thursday at 3pm EDT. Marie and I always have a blast when we get together and she'll be sharing some of her best stuff on this call. If you can't make the live call, register now anyway and we'll be sure you get the recorded audio.

I hope to "see" you there!

How to Cope When Life Spins Out of Control

If I had to choose a single image to represent the week I've just had and the way I've felt during much of it, it would be this one.  Okay, so this is The Wilder Zone afterall, but PUHLEASE....this is ridiculous. It's been a crazy, outta control, whirling-dervish-tazmanian-devil kinda week that left me feeling much of the time as though my head were spinning. One of those weeks in which I've actually thought that the men in white coats coming to cart me off to the looney bin would be a welcome reprieve.

Sometimes life is like that. None of us are immune. Something unexpected occurs that demands your time, attention and energy, whether you have any to spare or not. And, of course, there's never a good time for these unexpected and/or unwanted events to occur. So what to do? While I wouldn't dream of claiming to know all the answers (I'll leave that to my two teenage sons), there are a few things I will share with you that helped me get through this past week.

1. Remember to breathe...seriously. One of the first things we do when we're stressed or overwhelmed is breathe more shallowly and rapidly, which far from helping, only further increases our stress levels.

2. Repetitive physical activity, whether it's dishwashing or jogging, is a great way to get out of your head and back into your body. Along with our breathing rate increasing when we're stressed, often our thoughts begin to race as well. Once you're back in your body it becomes much easier to focus your thoughts.

3. Reach out for help and support. Just having a friendly voice to talk it all out with can help you to sort through your thoughts and feelings, and can go a long way toward keeping you sane. If it were not for the loving support of some amazing friends this past week, I might be blubbering incoherently in a corner somewhere rather than writing this post. Your friends want to be there for you, but they can't if you don't let them know you need them.

4. Try free-flow writing. Writing is another great way to process your thoughts and feelings and bring you back to a place where you're feeling a bit more grounded. Free-flow writing is simply allowing yourself to write whatever comes up without censoring it. It's not about writing well and it's not intended for anyone else to read. If at first you don't know what to write, write "I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write." Before you know it, your thoughts will be spilling onto the page and you may discover thoughts and feelings you weren't even aware of before beginning.

5. Read something inspirational. While it's easy to keep a positive perspective of love and abundance when things are going well, it can be very challenging when life feels out of control or overwhelming. Having something inspirational to read from, even if only for brief moments throughout your day, can help you to regain a more positive perspective.

6. Remember that no matter how tough things seem, this too shall pass.  Although when you're in a state of stress and overwhelm it can feel as though it will never end, it will. It will pass. You will get through it. I find it helpful to recall other challenging times that felt just as difficult but that are now behind me. Somehow, some way, things have a way of working out, even if in the moment, I can't envision exactly how.

7. Let go of resistance and accept what is.  All too often we make difficult circumstances even more difficult by resisiting them. Thoughts like, "This shouldn't be happening. This can't be happening. This is NOT my life. Why me? Why now? I don't want to deal with this," run through our heads, but the truth is, like it or not, it is happening, whatever "it" is.  The sooner we can accept what is, the sooner we can take positive action to address or resolve the difficult circumstances.

8. Be gentle with yourself. We also tend to make things more difficult by beating ourselves up for whatever we're feeling or for not coping better, or by blaming ourselves for the situation, all of which serve only to make things worse. Cut yourself some slack. Be as gentle with yourself as you would be with a family member or a dear friend. Be sure to make time for the things you find comforting and nourishing for your soul, whether that's time with friends, meditation, time in nature, a soak in a hot tub, or your favorite comfort food.

9. Focus on all you have to be grateful for. No matter how tough things might get from time to time, there are always  things in our life for which to be grateful. Regardless of any momentary difficulties I am grateful every day for so many things. From the sunshine streaming through my window on this beautiful December day to all of the amazing, loving people in my life.   

I'll share just one last piece of wisdom, imparted to me by a very special and wise man who has not only offered me his unconditional love and support, but has kept me laughing when I most needed to, "Keep your chin up and your t*ts off the floor!"

Resistance

It’s very early morning, before dawn in fact. And while I tend to be an early-riser, this is a bit early even for me. I was in bed for five hours. You’ll notice I didn’t say I slept five hours. Sleep has been rather elusive of late. I slept, but fitfully, tossing and turning and waking every hour or two. It seems to be another symptom of the rough patch I’ve been going through.

The first being that it’s been more than two weeks since I’ve posted anything. I want to want to write. The ideas for posts pop into my thoughts frequently, and I’m collecting them in my mind like pennies in a jar. Unlike pennies in a jar, their value doesn’t increase with each addition to the collection. I know this, but…..(you knew there was a but coming, didn’t you?) I’ve been in a bit of a funk in the last couple of weeks and no amount of rationalizing all the reasons why I should be writing has worked to effectively change the fact that I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it.

 

Downtime

If your response to the title of this post is anything like....."Huh? Downtime? What's that?!" then keep reading, this post is especially for you.

During the mastermind call for the Book Yourself Solid program yesterday, as we were wrapping up and I was wishing everyone a wonderful weekend, I went on a bit of a rant. (Those of you that know Michael know that he's famous for occasionally going off on a rant. What can I say? His tendency to rant from time to time is rubbing off on me.)

 

Selfish/Selfless - A Different Kind of Balance

Selfish. Now there’s a word with a heavily negative connotation. Even the dictionary definition states it as: concerned chiefly or only with oneself. On the flip side the definition of unselfish is generous or altruistic. And the definition of altruistic? Selflessness. That describes exactly the state that so many who would be described as unselfish find themselves in………they’ve lost touch with their Self. They are selfless all right, but not in the way the dictionary means.

Where on earth did we come up the concept that putting everyone else’s needs and desires ahead of our own was a commendable, let alone admirable, thing to do? What twisted logic were we using to convince ourselves that the Universal laws that govern everything around us don’t apply to our Selves?