Where were you on July 6, 2009?

I was sitting at my laptop blogging these 9 things about how I wanted my life to be different in 30 days:

July 6, 2009:
Describe the me that I would like to be in 30 days: I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store. I feel so good about putting myself first every morning. I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not for me in a particular moment. I understand more about how I work. I am unique and I’m more familiar with me than I am with me in comparison to others. I am vibrant and honest. I feel shiny and sparkly inside. I am clear and confident. I’m proud of being me and love how I’m taking care of me.

I definitely didn’t fit that description 30 days after I wrote it…

But it’s now July 7, 2010…a whole year later…and guess what? They’re all true.

Wish #1 – I wake up happy and excited to see what the day has in store.

More often than not, this is now true for me. I love it! I wake up, plug in the white lights that I hung around the ceiling, then I lay back, smile and think, “I love it here!”

My room is absolutely beautiful and it makes me so happy. It mostly has red, orange, pink, and purple in it. There are green plants; 5 of them. I have a cool frog (Freddie) on my wall. He’s made of metal and he’s 3D and looks like he’s hanging there by his little suction cup feet. There are paper lanterns hanging in one corner. It’s my dream room. And it’s so fun to wake up in.

This has come true.

Wish #2: I feel so good about putting myself first each morning.

Yes I do! I have my little morning rituals – they vary sometimes – but Me Time is always there. Whether I’m walking around the block, meditating, sitting in the sun drinking my fresh juice, journaling, inquiring, singing to myself, or doing sun salutations…the morning is mine. And I feel AWESOME about it.

This has come true.

Wish #3: I am easily able to discern what is good for me and what is not good for me in a particular moment.

I am a chillion times better at this than I was when I originally wrote it. Why? Because I’m trusting myself more. I’m trusting my intuition. Trusting my life. Trusting my path.

There are times, especially when I am thinking of existential things and my mind gets away from me, when I feel lost and have trouble discerning whether I should be sitting or standing (as a dramatic example.) But on the whole, I am good at saying yes and no – which is what this whole thing was about when I wrote it a year ago. To make a decision and feel good about it and trust that it is good. Particularly around activities I get involved with, people I spend time with, and foods that I eat. I am good at it!

This came true.

Wish #4: I understand more about how I work.

Hells yeah. Have you heard of Wealth Dynamics? Seriously changed the way I understood how I should be working. But not only that. I’ve realized that I am not someone who works well with deadlines that involve other people. Nope. Just not for me right now.

I also know that in order for me to enjoy my work, I need to feel like I have a relationship with my projects and the people I’m creating things for. Oh, and on the creating topic – it’s not my strong suit to create things. Partly because of the deadline thing…and the fact that I’ve had some wicked Business Injuries over the last couple of years – some of which I have not yet recovered.

So for sure. I understand more about how I work. And I am loving learning more about me in this area.

This came true.

Wish #5: I am unique and I am more familiar with me than I am with my comparison of me to other people.

(Wow. What an interesting thing to write!)

Truth: I compare myself to others so much less frequently now. It’s almost amazing. I do things in public that I would not have done previously. Things like TALK to people in grocery stores. And make small talk with clerks in shops. I smile. A lot. And I am too busy having fun in my world to spend much time thinking about what others are thinking about me.

It’s so refreshing…it’s like…wow. Really refreshing.

And I really like me. More than I ever have.

This came true.

Wish #6: I am vibrant and honest.

Vibrant. Yes.

Honest. Yes.

Continuing to bring awareness to both. Yes. Especially about being honest with myself about how I’m feeling and not trying to control it or limit the degree to which I feel something. Preventing myself from feeling fully is on of the biggest ways I Upper Limit myself and stop myself from experiencing more joy, success, love, and abundance.

Wish #7 : I feel shiny and sparkly inside.

Oh yes! This had a lot to do with my health and now that I’m so on track with taking care of my insides, I totally do feel fresh and shiny and sparkly. I know that my insides are happy and enjoying the way I’m treating them. And all the good stuff that I’m giving them. And when I went to my brother’s wedding last month all my friends and family said I looked vibrant and healthy too.

This has come true.

Wish #8 – I am clear and confident.

Yes! And with that comes a feeling of maturity. Of independence. Know that I’m totally here for me and willing to do what it takes to take care of myself. I feel good about my choices and I’m confident and trusting that all is well and my life is wonderful. It can’t be otherwise. I’m finally getting this.

This has come true.

Wish #9 -  I am proud of being me and I love how I’m taking care of me.

Oh my gosh. I don’t think I ever expected to feel this proud of myself. To like myself so much and to appreciate the things that I do for myself on a daily basis. I have so much respect for what I do to sustain my life and enjoy it!

A year ago I was wanting to change my life in 30 days. Those initial changes got the ball rolling – now a year later – every one of those desires I had have become true. Super cool.

How would you like to be different in the next 30 days?

And would it be okay with you if they all came true in the next year?

Last time I wrote about how instead of valuing productivity, I now value feeling good.

And because I choose feeling good over productivity, my life is way different.

For one, I feel better more often. (Hi Captain Obvious!)

Another one is that by choosing to feel good, I also regularly meet my COE’s as Jen Louden calls them.

Conditions of Enoughness.

The other day I had a copywriting project to wrap up for someone. It was hanging out in the background of my mind but I just hadn’t made the leap to finalize it. So I went to Panera’s and gave myself a 3 hour time block to get it done in.

With the help of some good tunes and a window to look out of when I needed to daydream a bit, I got it totally finished in 90 minutes and my clients loved the work I did.

So guess what?

I let that be enough for the entire day!

That was all the work I was going to do and that’s all the work I did.

It was so cool.

I didn’t once think about all the stuff I “should be doing” that I wasn’t doing.

Was there stuff I *could* have been doing?

Of course. There always is…and there always will be other things I *could* be doing.

But should?

Not anymore.

Not when I declare what enough is and then lean into that and ride it.

It was totally enough that I completed that project. It was a big deal to finish it.

Totally enough. And because I declared that it was enough, I got to experience other things during my day.

Not knowing where enough is with work.

When I work without knowing what enough is, it’s like overeating.

I don’t listen to the signal to stop – if I even notice the signal at all.

I don’t know when to stop stuffing myself with work.

I don’t know how to feel good about what I’ve already done.

Not knowing what Enough is actually affects me negatively.

Because then I work work work – don’t take care of myself – then wind up in trouble.

What kind of life is that?

Learning how to identify what Enough is in my life may be one of the best lessons I’ve learned all year.

I use it around food. I use it around work. I use it around my body. Around my friendships. It’s amazing.

I’m even getting better at recognizing the Enoughness after the fact if I forget to declare it beforehand.

(Thank you for bringing Enough to life for me, Jen. )

Getting Clear About My Why

I’m the type of person who tends to want to know Why I’m doing things. (Other people need to know How, or What, or Application Possibilities.) Since I know that I’m the Why kind of person, it’s silly to ignore it.

So here’s how I use it: If I want to see something through all the way, I need to make sure I’m clear about Why I’m doing it. If I don’t give that information to myself and allow myself to connect to it, I’m setting myself up to fail. I’m not giving myself the best chance of succeeding. So I gotta be clear about my why.

I need to be clear about WHY I’m doing something. What is it that you need to be clear about before you feel good about doing things?

Another one of my non-anxiety-producing productivity tips is this one:

Putting Down The Stick

Remember the donkey withe carrot and the stick?

When I stop using the stick, it’s all different. I used to use Sticks on myself all the time. That’s how I got myself to do things. Beat myself up. Guilt myself into do it. Put pressure on myself to do things…or ELSE…all this yucky stuff would happen. That’s how I did it for years.

But guess what? I’m not willing to play that game anymore. Obviously it wasn’t working! So what if I got stuff done? It wasn’t fun and I didn’t like myself during it. I wasn’t happy. It made me physically ill. I wasn’t healthy. So that’s clearly not the right approach for me.

When I valued productivity above all else, I needed the stick.

But now, I choose feeling good over productivity . When I choose feeling good, I can’t use the stick anymore. It doesn’t go together. When I choose feeling good, I put the stick down and pick up the carrot and move toward my goals instead of away from my worries and panicky fears.

I used to use the stick but I realized it wasn’t giving me the results I actually wanted. Now I’m switching it up and putting down the stick in favor of the carrot. What’s your relationship with the carrot and the stick?

Making it inevitable.

So how do I help myself move forward without pushing myself and tying myself to my computer for days and days?

I set up conditions that will lovingly, and kindly support me in finishing The Thing.

With my recent Thing, I realized that one of the reasons it’s so hard to finish is that I’m not in communication with anyone about it. I’m not talking to my prospects in this niche. I haven’t been talking about it with my clients. I’ve basically totally abandoned the thoughts that need to be active in order to complete this project.

Now that I see that I’ve been doing this, and I see how the lack of engagement about the topic has been keeping me from being able to work toward completion, I’m setting up a condition that will make it so that I DO get that interaction on the topic of the unfinished project.

I’m creating a group teleclass coaching program so that I can talk with my people about the topic of the book I’m going to finish. That my inevitability.

By creating the class and having people register for it, I’ll have a context for opening up the topic of conversation again – both with the participants – and in my mind. And the people who pre-ordered the yet incomplete book, will get to attend this program for free.

So as I re-immerse myself on the topic of the book within this teleclass coaching program, completing the book will come naturally because I’m thinking about the topic so much more.

Again…it’s one of those duh kind of moments, but if I’m not immersed in the content for the book I want to finish, it’s going to be much harder for me to finish it.

Solution? Make it inevitable that I have some conversation going about the topic of the book. If that’s what I need in order to complete the project, then I’m going to give it to myself. That’s the domino that when it tips, the others will start tipping too. It has nothing to do with fear, shaming, blaming, pressure, or anxiety. And everything to do with being really clear about what I require so that I can give myself the conditions that will help me succeed.

What ingredient is missing in the recipe for you completing The Unfinished Thing? What kind of conditions could you set in place to make it inevitable that you’re set up for more success and have the support you require?

Saying we’re overwhelmed is socially acceptable.

“It’s all so overwhelming.”

“I have so much stuff to do.”

“Ugh. I’m overwhelmed.”

Sounds like a bummer thing to experience…

But nobody really freaks out when you tell them you’re overwhelmed, have you noticed?

You don’t get the same OMG reaction that you’d get if you told them you broke your leg or were covered in poison ivy.

But don’t let people’s ho-hum reaction to your overwhelm convince you that it’s not a big deal.

Overwhelm is a sign of serious neglect.

Self-abuse even.

Think about it…

It can cause heart palpitations, anxiety, sleep troubles, sexual dysfunction, depression, sudden changes in mood, freak out sessions. It impairs judgment and can sabotage your business success.

Feeling overwhelmed sucks. And it hurts.

<Queue the melodramatic doctor’s voice telling you all the side effects to watch out for with those new-fangled prescription meds.>

Overwhelm is a sign of serious neglect.

If we’re feeling overwhelmed, something is seriously off.

There’s more (and bigger!) stuff going on than we’re admitting.

Overwhelm doesn’t happen when there are just a few things going on…

There has to be a big huge thing we’re neglecting – which gives those other little things a place to hang out and bug us.

Overwhelm only happens when something important is being seriously neglected.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed…get honest with yourself.

What’s the Big Thing that you’re neglecting?

It’s not that you have too much to do.

It’s that there’s one Big Thing you haven’t been doing.

Haven’t really stayed connected to my Trip metaphor…

Might be time to look at my relationship with it.

What happened? Why aren’t I having as much fun on my vacation as I was before?

What if nothing happened?

Is it okay for me to be on vacation and not be all crazy in love with it?

Is it okay to be on vacation and feel kind of…meh?

Yes. (I proudly assert to myself.)

And just acknowledging this is actually reconnecting me with the Trip.

Ta-Da!

Friday Rememberings:

Spent the first part of the day in my yard doing my calls and my typing. It was so great. I remember thinking, “Man, I’m so grateful I live in a place where I can do this!” I took pictures of ordinary things with my iPhone and I wore a sarong and my bikini top in the sun.

At night I went to dinner at Taleo Grill in Irvine with a vegan MeetUp group. We met on the patio. At night. It was cold. And I had totally forgotten my jacket.

Well, that’s not actually true.

As soon as I’d driven out of the neighborhood I realized I hadn’t brought my jacket…

But I told myself, “That’s okay. There’ll be heaters on the patio.”

And there were – which was awesome. But I wasn’t totally sitting under them.

There was a lot of laughter. And I paid way too much for a sorry looking spinach salad with no imagination. That really irks me.

Loved being around new people and sharing food together, so I came home and made a MeetUp group of my own where all I do is invite people over for Raw Food Potlucks.

I’m stoked about this!

I scheduled the first one for May 22. It’s a Saturday and we’ll meet from like 3-7 to eat and hang out.

Also on Friday – had a conversation with someone involving misunderstanding and disconnection. I know that can happen sometimes as part of relationships, but it still usually catches me by surprise.

I’ve started getting used to conversations going smoothly and easily. So when there’s a hiccup in one, it really stands out and surprises me now. It catches me off guard and then leads me to react, which can then contribute more to the misundersatnding. The cycle is really getting some momentum at this point.

Saturday:

At like 9:30 a.m. I was on my patio in sweats and a giant hoodie wondering, “Where is the sun!?”

Like really – I was almost taking it personally that the sun wasn’t shining brightly.

Friday I’d been outside in a sarong and my bikini…today, it was Look-Like-The-Michelin-Man weather.

I started feeling sad and frustrated that my day was being ruined by the sun not shining down on me.

(Interesting that I never get mad at the clouds – even though they’re the ones preventing the lack of sunlight in the first place.)

I think it’s safe to say I kind of moped around the house. Wasn’t really talking with my Scooby Friend much. Didn’t open all the windows and blinds like I usually do.

It was just kind of blah…

Then I saw on Chef Ito’s Facebook page that Ani Phyo was giving raw food talk 40 minutes from when I was reading it.

I used that as my reason to get out of the mopey dragging mood and energy I had. I got dressed, grabbed my stuff, and scurried along the highway to get there.

It was JUST what I needed. Like pushing a reset button.

Ani was inspiring and friendly and really knew what she was talking about.

I got my picture taken with her as part of my Good Memory Making focus. Love it!

And I got her to sign a copy of her book about raw food desserts for my sister. (Rose if you’re reading this, pretend you didn’t just read about my surprise for you!)

Fell in love with an amazing Sea Salad from Au Lac that I was so excited to see that I loved.

Some types of seaweed used to give me the heebie jeebies when I ate them.

But today I was saying yum to *all* of the different types of seaweed in my dish. Felt like a moment of growing up.

Plus this was a super creative, huge portion, of delicious nutritious salad and it was only $9.

So take that Taleo Grill! You and your $12 tiny arrangement of spinach, mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper can hang out in someone else’s belly from now on. Not mine. Grr.

(Ummm yes. The price of their salad really bugged me and continues to bug me. Gonna need to tend to this so I can see what’s causing it and give myself some ease and freedom around it. Yes please! Holding onto resentment about a salad is not how I choose to live my life. Doh!)

Sunday:

To say it more accurately this time, there are a lot of clouds in the sky this morning. It’s getting closer toward what they call June Gloom here in Newport. Where the mornings are kind of gray and gloomy because of whatever has been happening at the beach. Like fog and clouds and things like that.

Good opportunity for me to find something else to do in the mornings so that I’m not just sitting around looking at the clouds and feeling like my day can’t begin until the sun comes out. Addicted to sunlight. That’s me. I’d make a terrible bat.

Oh!

Instead of looking out the window at the clouds, I will do my Sun Salutations. My Dance of Shiva. And my Muscle-Making Movements that will get my heart rate up and make my body feel fit and toned.

So, I’ve been on this special kind of trip the last week and a half (thanks to Metaphor Mouse…)

And I’ve had a great time so far.

One of my commitments was to Make Good Memories – and I realized that if I took pictures, that’d be a total win.

Here are some that I’ve taken…

This was the view while laying on my back in my Garden Lounge...

I told my Scooby Friend a joke and he really liked it.

I felt Mega Awesome after playing Beach Hokey Pokey and boogie boarding in the chilly water...

My Scooby Friend and I took a smiling nap together.

I drew on my food and made Mr. Maui. He makes the whole kitchen smile.

Oooo! Such good memories. (I so love having an iPhone. The camera part is super easy to use.)

New Choices On My Trip

My trip is scheduled to end on May 19th. 6 days away. But I’m having such a good time that I’m thinking about extending it.

In the upcoming days, there are some new choices I’m making so that things can continue to be fun and easy…

Finishing my Road Map would help.

A lot.

Umm. Yeah. That's my car off to the bottom left in Nowhere Land.

About this map…

Before I tell you about how it’s unfinished and how I have a plan for helping it help me get where I want to go…

Can I just say…

This thing was FUN to make! Really fun.

I cut black file folders to make the road and taped it to my closet door with rolled up scotch tape on the back. Then I cut little strips of yellow construction paper and glue-sticked them to the road.

I listened (and sung loudly) to They Might Be Giants’ album Flood while I created it…

I wanted a blue convertible to represent me along the path, but what I found in one of my magazines was a Silver Porche convertible. So I took that one. Zippy zip zip!

Why I Love My Big Road Map

I really needed this visual of a Road, Journey, Path, Trip to help bring it all together.

Instead of pretending I don’t know that I learn and integrate things best when my eyeballs and brain are working together…I’m embracing it now and I give myself all the visual queues I require.

Feels good to be advocating for myself in that way.

Giving me what supports me in having my life be easier and more fun.

But this Road Map needs finishing so it can be more interactive. So that’s where my new choices are coming in.

I want to be able to move my car along the path and move it off at different detours and pit stops – like at the Beach. (That’s one of the only Pit Stops I have so far.)

Moving the car on and off the road is important because it’ll remind me:

The only time I will be working at the computer doing typing things…is when my Silver Porche is on the road and knows where it’s headed next. If I’m not ready to do typing computer things, then the car is not On The Road. That means my car and I have pulled off to an exit to do something else: Either resting hard. Or playing hard. But no working will be had.

What’s Next

- Remind myself that I’m on this Trip.
Reread my original blog post about my trip…as well as the second post I made about it after I set off on the trip.

- Do daily journal postings here on my blog about my trip.
Even if I just check in to say “Yay! I made some good memories! I like being on my trip!” Or…”Ugh, today on the trip was hard. Nothing went the way I wanted it to…” that will be enough. Telling myself now it’s okay to make journal entries that are Twitter-sized. Like snack-sized Halloween candy bars.

- Build my Road Map town with Pit Stops.
Where else do I frequent during my trip? I already have the beach. I need something to represent that I’m out to eat. Or that I’m in bed sleeping. Or with my Scooby Friend. Shopping. At a friend’s house. Things like this. So those are the Pit Stops and Tourist Attraction Fun things that I do when I’m not working *Driving*.

- Build my Road Map w/important things on The Road.
In addition to the fun pit stops that take me off the road, there are some stops that I require making ON the road. Things that I used to call work, but are now just things I do when I’m typing and making noises on the keyboard. I need a list of those things so that I can put them along the black road path I made on my closet door. That way, my Silver Porche and I can stop along the road and get some awesome stuff taken care of.

See ya on the road!

Day 1 on my trip was awesome! I’m so glad I’m on the road…

I followed my Trip Itinerary and everything was fun and easy…loved that!

I’m totally getting into my new metaphor about taking trips. It’s really really working for me. Changing my whole perspective about everything.

One of the things it helped me realize is that my new job is to make good memories. That’s it! If I have good memories, everything will be wonderful. I’ve been so influenced by my past – and can easily get stuck on the bad, anxious, yucky things from the past. It’s just how my mind references things…

So the more good I can put in my past, the better I’m going to feel and the better the perspective I’ll have on life. It’s all about Stacking The Cool, as my friend Shawn the Blender Chef would say.

Good Memories I Made Today (aka Things that happened…)

• I saw an adorable almost-two-year-old making friends with everyone on the beach.
• I ate some delicious food. Including homemade Jelly of blueberries and plums.
• I laughed. And it felt so good.
• I made a huge Road Map on my closet door! (Pictures to come…)
• I wore a sarong. A pink one w/white hibiscus flowers on it.
• I hung white twinkly lights outside on the patio.
• I talked to my favorite friend on the phone.
• I typed (which is to say I *worked*.) I’m not so good at working, but I’m really good at typing.)
• I talked to a new friend.
• I talked to the police. Bravely, courageously, & without a racing heart.
• I planned more of my Trip.
• I worked drove. (Which means that I moved forward on the project continuity program stuff!)

More updates “from the road” to come…including pictures!

So I’m going on a trip!

I’m leaving on Wednesday, May 5th, and I’ll get to my destination on May 19.

Oh there are so many places I want to go along the way…

And so many things that I’d like to do to get ready…

But this isn’t the kind of trip that’ll leave a carbon footprint from gas or plane travels…

This one of my NEW trips that Metpahor Mouse helped me figure out yesterday…

I’m going on a Trip To Continuity Land!

You know the Land where your website offers several months of support to people who gladly give you money in exchange for the goody of the month?

Yep – I’m going there!

Why?

Because there are families who need the support from Continuity Land. They need a goody of the month to help them get along with their kids better.

And it’s so great because I’ve wanted to go there for a long time, but things kept coming up that I used as excuses for why I shouldn’t make the trip.

Namely – it’s too hard and takes too much work. (Oh, and “I don’t wanna go there.”)

But then I realized HEY!

If i really want to go to Continuity Land, (which I’m clear now that I do) then I’m going to have to put in the love, attention, thought, and effort into it that it takes.

In Trip Language, that means I’m going to have DRIVE there!

I’m going to have to get behind the wheel, have gas in the car, and push the pedal consistently (and slow down when necessary) so I get there and have lots of feel good energy.

In the past I thought about going to Continuity Land. I started to go there, I put in lots of “time on the road,” but then I never made it.

Eventually I just pulled over and abandoned the trip.

Instead of going all the way there, I started some other trips (more than one at a time which I don’t recommend) and I got lost and didn’t know where I was headed anymore.

This time I’m going to make it happen…

I’m going to pick up where I left off and I’m going to make it all the way to Continuity Land.

And not only is the driving going to be fun and easy, but I’m going to enjoy all the pit stops I make along the way.

I’m going to savor each leg of the trip. They’re all fun and good.

I’ll have my snacks, mix tapes, games to play, friends to join me along the way, and I’ll be building a scrapbook here on my blog at the same time so I look back at this Trip To Continuity Land and can remember how fun it was. Maybe it’ll inspire others to go to Continuity Land too.

Preparing For My Trip To Continuity Land

- List all the Landmarks I want to see along the way. (I am really good at this!)

- Prioritize the most important Landmarks I’ll see along the way. Remembering that this trip is all about being Easy, Lucrative, and Fun. (I can do it!)

- Create & print my Trip Itinerary…with plenty of space for The Unexpected to happen scheduled in. (This feels good!)

- Create the Map for my trip. Will require markers, big paper, stickers, magazines, glue, fresh juice. Maybe Death Cab For Cutie. (I love seeing where I’m going!)

- Collect my Trip Guides and resources from other adventurers who have been to Continuity Land. I can learn a lot from people who have made the trip and come back to tell the tale. (I am supported!)

- Make a list of questions to ask Kathy when I talk to her on Monday. (I collect them as I go!)

Answers to some of the questions I’ve already asked myself.

How to celebrate before, during, and after? Honk the horn! When I was a kid and took road trips, my mom would always honk the horn at the state line as we drove past the sign welcoming us to the new state. I still do this and it’s totally fun. So I’m going to honk a horn as I get to the different Important Landmarks along the way. I’ll do that before and after.  During the trip, I’ll take screen shots of things to make my scrapbook.

Things I need to do more of on this trip: Exercise, keep my eye on the prize, celebrate, remember my Trip metaphor, trust, enjoy, be present and notice it all.

Things I need to do less of on this trip: Worrying, controlling, talking myself out of things, abandoning my Trip Itinerary, saying mean things to myself (and ignoring my Monster Coloring book.)

How to make the Trip easier: Follow the plan. Visualize my trip daily. Do my morning self-care rituals.

How do I make the Trip fast and efficient? Drive only when I’m in a good mood and I’m available. Working Driving when I’m in a bad mood doesn’t get me ahead, it makes me fall further behind.

How to prevent road rage on the trip: Schedule pit stops. Rest hard. Play hard. Listen to fun music. Laugh at anything that seems like a mistake. Pull over if I need to calm down.

Where to apply the 80/20? Creative work for me, admin work for the team. Give plenty of creative attention to the page telling them all about the goodies I brought back from Continuity Land. (The sales page.)

Qualities that will be helpful for me during this trip: Fun, Excitement, Commitment, Belief In Myself, Courage, Strength, Sovereignty.

Purpose of this trip to Continuity Land? To party it up when I get there with confetti and root beer floats. To have fun. To show myself that I was able to get there. Because I am able to go! Because I can bring stuff back from Continuity Land that my subscribers have been wanting and I can help them.  Yes!

Okay…

Now I’m off to get those action steps going. Planning this trip to Continuity Land is fun.

Stay tuned for more adventures along the way…

I used to like projects because they were fun and creative…

(This was especially true when I was teaching 3rd grade.)

But in 2006, I stopped liking them because they got stressful.

Which wouldn’t be a problem…

Except that my whole life and business revolves around projects.

So much of it is about planning on doing things and (hopefully) getting them done.

Since I’ve been noticing some stress when I think about my current projects, I knew I needed some help…

So I called in Metaphor Mouse to help me reframe this whole thing about Projects.

What Metaphor Mouse And I Realized While Chatting Outside In The Sun…

Projects = stressful. But also necessary.

How I’d like projects to be is fun, exciting, easy, and full good experiences.

I want them to feel good. I want them to be something I look back on with good memories.

Lots of happiness and good times (not regret and stress and drama.)

Kinda like…

Going on a trip. Oh yeah. Awesome.

A trip that I’ve been looking forward to and I want to do as much as I can to experience things and enjoy myself. Like the road trip my Sweet Bee planned all those moons ago when we drove up the PCH from Newport Beach to San Fransisco.

We did all sorts of fun things and stopped in all the best spots along the way to make good memories.

He mapped it all out ahead of time and thought about how long it’d take to enjoy each thing. That way we could Stack The Cool and get lots of fun stuff in a short amount of time.

We considered the amount of time we had available for the trip, and thought about all the most important stuff we wanted to get done during that time.

It was a total blast and it was largely because of the planning that happened ahead of time and the whole energy and attitude we had toward taking the trip.

That’s way more fun than the way I’ve been doing projects lately…and the trip itself was totally a project. Go figure!

So instead of doing projects… (Starting on them, working on them, and finishing them…)

I’m going to be Taking Trips! (Planning then, enjoying them, and making good memories.)

This feels super good…and brings me to this question:

How Do I Determine Which Project Trip To Take?

After talking with the Sweetest Bee, this is my criteria:

• Is this trip in alignment with why I’m on the planet? Will this trip take me closer to fulfilling my bigger purpose and outcome?
• Will this trip use mostly my strengths? Or is it going to require me to rely on my weaknesses?
• Is this trip aligned with my Wealthy Dynamics profile? (I’m a Lord profile.)
• Is this trip going to be Easy, Lucrative, and Fun? (In other words, is it worth my time, energy, and attention? Will I look back on it and feel good about it?)

Answering those questions is going to help me focus on taking…

One Trip At A Time.

This part is huge.

Because let’s face it, I can’t be in New York and Florida at the same time in real life, so if I wanna go to both places, I have to go one place first. Then the other.

No more mult-projects going because it’s not actually possible in the realm of Taking Trips…

My trips are going to have finite parameters. Start date, end date. One trip at a time….

Questions I’ll want to ask myself about each Trip I take:

• How will I celebrate before, during, and after?
• What will I need to do more of on this trip?
• What will I need to do less of on this trip?
• How can I make this trip easier?
• How can I make this trip faster while still totally enjoying it all?
• How do I prevent getting road rage during my trip?
• Where can I apply the 80/20 principle?
• What Qualities are going to be important for me during this trip?
• Which resources or learning materials will help me during this trip?
• What kind of stuff might come up along the way that slows the trip down?
• What will I do in those situations? What’s my back-up plan?
• Which friends would I like to have be a part of this trip?
• What’s the purpose of this trip?
• ??? (Have some others to add?)

Will I need any props?

Yes!

Havi told me that the more we can live in our new metaphor and practice it, the better.

Props help like crazy.

So some things that would help me realize that I’m Taking A Trip (yay!)  instead of doing a project are…

• Old folding maps that I can hang on the wall or fold out like an explorer to plot my steps places I want to visit.
• Maybe a bulletin board for sticking pins in. Some yarn to connect the dots.
• Some kind of a suitcase that I keep everything related to this trip in. (I’ve seen the perfect thing for this at TJ Maxx Home & Garden, actually!)
• Pit stops for good food. Maybe even plan out some of the places I know I’ll eat along the way b/c they’re my faves.
• Snacks for eating while traveling.
• A camera and scrapbook for remembering what I did and being able to look back with fond memories. (These might also take the shape of templates that would remind me how to do things the next time I Take A Trip.)
• A passport! Yes – with stamps indicating the different trips I’ve taken. Love this!
• Postcards. Yes again! With updates and news that I send to my friends back home (my subscribers) to let them know how things are going! This is so cool…
• Souvenirs. Hmm. What might these be?
• Mix-Tapes for singing along with the windows down. (They Might Be Giants’ album Flood for sure.) Music compilations that are fun to work drive to.

Ah-ha!!

What if I get rid of WORK all together…and anything that used to be work is now Driving…on my awesome road TRIP!?

This is getting better by the second.

Instead of getting back to work, I’d be getting back on the road. Getting back behind the wheel. Time to drive to my next awesome pre-planned destination. This is so good…

And I’ll be driving my Projects Trips to completion. Just like Jim Collins says in his book Good To Great: Get the right people off the bus, the right people on the bus, and then Drive.

*Jumping up and down to celebrate I’m going on a Trip!!*

Anything else you can think of that would help me stop working on projects and start Taking Awesome Road Trips?

Last night after talking with my roommate for hours and sending her this hilarious SomeeCard, I knew I would be revisiting one of my favorite programs: Wake Up Productive.

It’s from my mentor Eben Pagan and it’s full of all the good stuff to help me focus on the Important Things in my life.

So I’m at the point in the training (the Introduction!) where he’s sharing his 11 Productivity Principles.

He suggested taking notes, so I figured I’d take my notes here, and then share what each of the tips brings up for me.

Because hey – if I’m not making sense of what he’s saying in a way that’s useful to me, listening to his program would be no better than watching Gray’s Anatomy. It’d just become mindless “TV” which I’m so not into watching. And I’m totally into getting the most of this program – because it rocks and so do I.

So – let’s strut out the Productivity Principles!

1. Everyone Can Be Productive (And Creative)

Notes: It depends on whether we’re in the optimal conditions: do we require structure or a blank canvas? What is the context?

When do I feel most creative and productive? What are the conditions? What’s the environment? Who is around? What kind of structure (or lack of structure) was there? Look at the last 3 times you felt creative and productive. What commonalities were there?

Talent implies something that is inate. Inborn. You can take this and develop it into a skill, you can turn it into a Strength. Then you can become a master. You need to identify your Inner Talents. And develop them into Strengths.

What This Brings Up For Me…

I love knowing that everyone can be productive and creative. I totally agree. It just depends on whether or not that conditions have been set up for that particular person to flourish in those ways. It requires being honest with ourselves about how we work best – and not wishing that we would perform as someone else does.

I am a productive and creative type person within certain structures and frameworks. If I have a blank canvas in front of me, I wouldn’t know what to paint or where to start. But if someone said, here’s a blank canvas, paint a picture of a house with some trees and a little garden in the backyard. Make a daytime scene and put some animals in it too…

Well, THEN I would have some context for painting and I could be productive and creative on that canvas.

So it’s important for me to know about myself that I require some structure in order to be my best Productive and Creative self.

2. Managing Time Is Actually About Managing Yourself.

Notes:  “Time management is a misnomer. The challenge is to manage ourselves.” – Steven Covey:

You can’t really manage time. It just flows. We all get the same amount of it.

Managing time is actually impossible. But if you say you want to learn how to manage yourself better, that’s a whole new level of insight. We’ll discover, we’re not as in control of ourselves as we think. We’re more like robots – waking up and doing the same things everyday, thinking the same things, worrying about the same things…and we’re just laying the same pavement down over and over.

What This Brings Up For Me…

Oh how I’ve been a pavement putter-downer. Thick sturdy roads I’ve been building. Very robotic in the things I’m thinking and feeling on a regular basis. Things I worry about. Things I avoid. Things I do. Auto-pilot, default. And I haven’t even been wearing a cool orange construction worker vest. Boo.

Even though I sometimes think I’m making intentional choices about things during my day (which sometimes I am) the large part of my day is highly unintentional and I’m really just going through the motions without much awareness. (Sorry to bust your little Ego Bubble of “I’m in charge of my day, Mona.”)

I am clearly not in charge of my day – and have had blocks preventing me from being in charge – because truly if I were in charge, I would have had some Big Projects DONE so that I could feel good about them and move on with things. But they aren’t done. Because I’m not in control and have not been able to “make myself” do them. In that sense, I’ve been a victim to my robotic default patterns.

So I’m very excited to become more aware of myself and intentional about how my day goes.

3. We Have 3 Brains – Not Just One

Notes: Lizard. Mammalian. Conscious.

We tend to think that we are in our Conscious, Thinking, Human brain all the time.

The reality is that we’re not. We’re deeply affected by our Lizard (the old Limbic system physical brain) and the Mammalian (Emotional, feeling brain).

These brains all work well individually, but they’re not very connected. We tend to feel pulled in different directions because our brains are not in good rapport with each other.  Conflict comes from the 3 brains not working together.

What This Brings Up For Me…

I’ve studied a lot about the 3 brains and what their functions are. And I’ve gotten tons of benefit from it because it helped me take all the stuff going on in my head Less Personally. That was huge for me.

It was huge because it helped me realize that I am not all that stuff swirling around in my mind…feeling like a crazy person with schizophrenia because at one moment I’m loving and kind (mammalian brain in high gear) and the next I’m wanting to bite someone’s head off (primal lizard brain getting triggered.)

Knowing that that’s part of how my brain is set up – and that that’s how it’s evolved over time – give me the courage to say,

“Oh, okay brain. I get it. This is what you’re doing right now. You’re doing your job perfectly. I totally understand why you’re creating thoughts and feeling like this.”

It’s like me finally understanding that the heart’s job is to pump blood through my body. My 3 brains’ job is to be lizard-like, mammal-like, and rational-like at different times. And what I can do, the I that witnesses the 3 brains, what I can do is help them understand each other. I get to help them be in relationship with each other. And I get to stop taking them all so personally and blaming them for ruining my life. Awesome.

#4 Habit Is Destiny

“First you shape your habits, then they shape you.”

We have what you could almost think of as Freeways in our 3 brains.

- Physical roadways

- Emotional roadways

- Logical roadways

Actual thing: Mylenation (sp?) Happens in the brain. It lays down Myelin so that the thought becomes easier and easier to think.

Globules of emotion in our cells…when the system sends a signal to release it, it goes all over body.

Emotions are the most powerful and addictive chemicals in existence. – Jerry Ballinger.

The more we spend time in those emotions, the stronger the pavement on that path gets and we do that more naturally (even if it doesn’t feel good.)

If you sit with poor posture, you pave the road to that physically. And at some point you can’t HELP that you’re sitting with bad posture. Because the road has been so paved. So you have to consciously make new choices to start paving a different physical habit.

Suggestion: Start to notice that most of the stuff you do Physically, Emotionally, and Logically are the same things you do all the time because of the way you’ve paved them.

We’re going to work on changing things at the Habit Level.

What This Brings Up For Me

I used to be SO resistant to this idea of having record grooves in my brain, or pathways that I created.

I resisted it because I was so entrenched in the stories, so deep down in the groove/ditch that I could not even see up to the top where the sky was. Because I couldn’t see anything else, I really couldn’t believe that anything else was possible. I couldn’t even conceive that there could be another pathway that I could create or that I could get out of the hellish one I was in. It seemed hopeless…and really, really, really hard.

From where I sit now, I have a higher vantage point.

I totally get that there are grooves that I’ve created in my life. Just like the paths in the yard where the dog walks regularly and the dirt is showing more. I have those same kinds of grooves in my mind for things I do physically (like getting out of the shower and toweling off my face first then my left arm. I do it ALL the time this way.) And emotionally when I hear news I wasn’t expecting and I feel disappointed. I’ve established that pathway. It goes from News I Wasn’t Expecting straight to Disappointment Land. Well-worn path.

So…it’s time to lay some new Yellow Brick Roads that I can follow. Ones that feel better. That support me in having everything I desire. I’m ready to lay some new pavement. And carve my initials in it and put my hand print in it forever too.

Productivity Principles 5-11 will be coming in later posts. Stay tuned…

In the meantime…

• Which of these principles resonates most with you?
• Which one could you make use of right away?
• Which ones rub you the wrong way and make you want to kick them to the curb?