Choose to live the life that you design

The original topic of this post was going to be a continuation of the last post but when I sat down at my computer this morning to begin working I received an email from a friend that changed my mind. The email was a story about a man facing a great tragedy, he had fallen 10 stories off the top of a building. As he lay on the ground he realized he had to make a simple choice – to live or to die. He chose to live. When he arrived at the hospital he was in terrible shape and he could tell from the way the Doctors where looking at him that they had also made a choice and that choice was that he could not survive the surgery that they were about to perform. As they were preparing to begin the operation they asked him if he was allergic to anything and he responded with one word: Gravity! Despite the severity of the situation the doctors and nurses began to laugh and the energy in the room changed drastically. The man survived the surgery and was able to return home to his family.

Now most of us do not fall off buildings but we do make choices, hundreds of them everyday many of them without thinking about the effects they will have on us or the people around us. Each choice we make; every response we have to a challenge, a difficult client, bad weather, spilt coffee, or anything else has a ripple effect that determines what direction our lives take. We choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood, we choose to be grateful for what we have or to regret what we do not have, we choose to watch a movie that will make us laugh or a movie that will make us feel frightened or unhappy, we choose how we face challenges, and we choose how we treat the people we connect with.

Unfortunately life sometimes throws challenges at us that we don’t have control over - things happen in life, in business, and in relationships. But it’s not the challenge that defines us it’s what happens next and that we can control! By recognizing that passive reaction will not get you where you want to go you can begin to make real conscious choices with each step you take and each hurdle you face. Embrace every challenge as an opportunity to make a choice that will positively affect your life and the lives of everyone around you.

Today I choose to be happy, I choose to be grateful for the people in my life, I choose to take action and grow my business, I choose to live the life that I design.

In gratitude,
Leslie

The most powerful component of success is you!

Whether you are an executive, a consultant, an entrepreneur, home business owner, or an employee the most powerful component of your success in business is you. You are your primary product, best sales person, and marketing message – you are the creator of your success. As a result of that everything you do, think, feel, or say has a direct impact on your business and how quickly you will be able to achieve your goals.

Lets break that down…

Number 1: DO
For many people the ever-growing “to-do” list can start to take over. We get overwhelmed by the little and seemingly never-ending things that need to be done on a daily basis. So how do we break this cycle? Take ownership of your “to-do” list! Start by creating sections instead of one long list, break your tasks into categories like: Business Building, Administrative, and Success. Set realistic goals around your list, commit to doing at least one thing from each area each day. Set boundaries “I will spend 60% of each day focused on Business Building activities”, “I will spend 25% of each day on Administration” and I will spend 15% of each day manifesting my success”. Finally and most importantly: commit to yourself that you will embrace and enjoy every aspect of your list as each item brings you one step closer to your goals.

Business Building activities include things like; sales, product development, meeting clients, networking, business development, and marketing.

Administrative activities include invoicing, filing, accounting, and paperwork.

Success activities include reading your goal statement, listening to a piece of music that fills you with joy, visualizing your goals, reading a book on personal or business development, and taking a gratitude break.

As you complete each item on your list check it off. At the end of the day commit 10 minutes to review your list and celebrate all the things you accomplished. Do NOT focus on the things you may not have finished just accept the feeling of joy for the things you did get done. Put your energy into positive momentum by thinking about all the successes you had in the day (and yes getting your filling done counts as a great success!) concentrate on gratitude – be grateful for the clients you connected with and the sales you achieved or the steps towards sales you took. Recognize the value that your hard work has and celebrate that tomorrow you get to move even closer to your goals and dreams and that you are living everyday manifesting the life you want!

Whatever you do, do it with joy and purpose – life is too long to only enjoy the destination.

Thank you for your continued readership and support, I look forward to your comments and feedback as always! Our next topic on creating success will be Step Number 2: Think and Feel.

In gratitude,
Leslie