READY… "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” ~ Christopher Columbus
AIM… Have you been distracted from the focus of your life plans or projects? If you don’t think you’ve been distracted, you’re not being honest with yourself. Every day we are faced with multiple opportunities to choose to stay focused on our tasks or to stray from our target. Cell phones, email, Facebook, the internet, video games, food, television, other people – they are ALL distractions we encounter daily. So how can we refocus and detour ourselves from all the distractions?
We need to get honest. Try to determine how much time you are spending checking your email, surfing the web, or creeping on Facebook each day. Look at the minutes you spend vegging in front of the tv or playing apps and games. Once you get an idea of how much time you are truly spending doing things that don’t contribute to the success of your plans, then you are ready for the next step. Plain and simple: Set limits for yourself. We set limits and boundaries for our children, thus we adults need to establish healthy limits for ourselves as well. Choose two times a day when you check your email account. Decide to surf the web or catch up on Facebook statuses once a day. Pick your most favorite television shows and only veg out when you have time to watch just those shows. Will setting limits for yourself be easy? Probably not. Will it help you reclaim your lost time and allow you to have free time to spend making strides toward reaching your goals? You bet. No pain, no gain, right? Let’s do it!
FIRE! Take a baby step this week in eliminating one distraction from your daily routine. If you cannot eliminate it completely, set a limit for yourself and stick to your limit. You’ll discover a new found freedom and wonder why you didn’t make that change sooner.
Be Excellent!
Lori
Showing posts with label financial freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label financial freedom. Show all posts
January 25, 2012
November 2, 2011
Setting Boundaries
READY… “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” ~ John C. Maxwell
AIM… October must have been a weird month. It seemed that nearly everyone I talked to was feeling overwhelmed, stressed or just plain out-of-sorts because their lives were so crazy busy. The strange thing is that people could not even put their fingers on one particular area of stress. It appeared that we were all simply busy with busyness!
If you’ve been feeling like your life is getting out of control, like you are simply overextended or burning the candle at both ends, it’s time to set some boundaries and reevaluate your commitments. Your personal and family time is very important to your well-being. Setting healthy boundaries means sometimes just saying “no.”
Granted, saying “no” is not the easiest thing to do. However, when we respect our own “no” then others will too. God did not call us to be everything to everyone. We place that demand upon ourselves. I think John C. Maxwell says it best when he says, “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” If we are saying “yes” to everyone about everything, then we can’t determine what the best use of our time and talents is and we WILL get burnt out quickly. There is a real freedom and a strong confidence in saying “no.” I can’t wait for you to trust yourself and be free.
FIRE! Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” Create white space on your calendar this week by saying “no” to at least one request. Allow yourself time to feel the freedom and relief of establishing a healthy boundary. Yay, You!
Be Excellent!
Lori
AIM… October must have been a weird month. It seemed that nearly everyone I talked to was feeling overwhelmed, stressed or just plain out-of-sorts because their lives were so crazy busy. The strange thing is that people could not even put their fingers on one particular area of stress. It appeared that we were all simply busy with busyness!
If you’ve been feeling like your life is getting out of control, like you are simply overextended or burning the candle at both ends, it’s time to set some boundaries and reevaluate your commitments. Your personal and family time is very important to your well-being. Setting healthy boundaries means sometimes just saying “no.”
Granted, saying “no” is not the easiest thing to do. However, when we respect our own “no” then others will too. God did not call us to be everything to everyone. We place that demand upon ourselves. I think John C. Maxwell says it best when he says, “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” If we are saying “yes” to everyone about everything, then we can’t determine what the best use of our time and talents is and we WILL get burnt out quickly. There is a real freedom and a strong confidence in saying “no.” I can’t wait for you to trust yourself and be free.
FIRE! Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” Create white space on your calendar this week by saying “no” to at least one request. Allow yourself time to feel the freedom and relief of establishing a healthy boundary. Yay, You!
Be Excellent!
Lori
March 8, 2011
Fat Tuesday Every Day?
READY8 “My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.” ~ Errol Flynn
AIM8 Today is Fat Tuesday, the momentous day when people indulge because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Lenten season when Catholics, and other religious folks practice fasting and the act of confession and typically give up something in respect for the forty days prior to Easter.
Most people look forward to Fat Tuesday as a day of partying, feasting and merriment in excess of their normal routines. However, if you take a hard look at our culture, it would seem that we were celebrating Fat Tuesday every day of the year. Most Americans overeat, drink a little too much and definitely spend beyond their means. Some forget that what we do today has consequences on our tomorrows. We give in to all our heart’s desires simply because we can. The availability of credit cards, loans and paycheck advances make it all too easy to give in and lack self-control and discipline with our spending habits.
I am the first one to say I am guilty of being undisciplined in various areas of my life. However, as we complain and get irritated about the rising gas prices, cost of groceries and additional expenses in our lives, we should honestly be thankful for the opportunity to re-evaluate. What? I know, you probably think I’m crazy for even saying that! Friends, it’s really time for everyone to stop living as if every day is Fat Tuesday. Living every day in excess only leaves us waking up each morning with a horrible reality hangover plagued with debts, poor decisions and eventual destruction. Right now, with the economical changes, we are being forced to wake up and rethink our financial disciplines and lifestyle choices. Let’s make a pact to start tomorrow by exercising self-restraint, responsible spending and mature actions and choices. None of us need to go through life feeling eternally punished because of all of our frivolous Fat Tuesday choices. We can enjoy a life of freedom and joy when we are no longer slaves to our debt, exhausted from stress and poor eating or too much partying.
All things in moderation, right? Why be fat and miserable any longer? Let’s be free together!
FIRE!8 Let’s commit together, for the next 40 days to make ONE financial change in our lives. Maybe you will agree to give up your gourmet coffee, your fast food cheeseburger or the automatic car wash. In return, put that money in a jar, a box or an envelope for each time you would have spent it. At the end of the 40 days, rejoice and celebrate your extra savings and then pay off a bill or do something fun for yourself or your family!
Be Excellent!
Lori
AIM8 Today is Fat Tuesday, the momentous day when people indulge because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Lenten season when Catholics, and other religious folks practice fasting and the act of confession and typically give up something in respect for the forty days prior to Easter.
Most people look forward to Fat Tuesday as a day of partying, feasting and merriment in excess of their normal routines. However, if you take a hard look at our culture, it would seem that we were celebrating Fat Tuesday every day of the year. Most Americans overeat, drink a little too much and definitely spend beyond their means. Some forget that what we do today has consequences on our tomorrows. We give in to all our heart’s desires simply because we can. The availability of credit cards, loans and paycheck advances make it all too easy to give in and lack self-control and discipline with our spending habits.
I am the first one to say I am guilty of being undisciplined in various areas of my life. However, as we complain and get irritated about the rising gas prices, cost of groceries and additional expenses in our lives, we should honestly be thankful for the opportunity to re-evaluate. What? I know, you probably think I’m crazy for even saying that! Friends, it’s really time for everyone to stop living as if every day is Fat Tuesday. Living every day in excess only leaves us waking up each morning with a horrible reality hangover plagued with debts, poor decisions and eventual destruction. Right now, with the economical changes, we are being forced to wake up and rethink our financial disciplines and lifestyle choices. Let’s make a pact to start tomorrow by exercising self-restraint, responsible spending and mature actions and choices. None of us need to go through life feeling eternally punished because of all of our frivolous Fat Tuesday choices. We can enjoy a life of freedom and joy when we are no longer slaves to our debt, exhausted from stress and poor eating or too much partying.
All things in moderation, right? Why be fat and miserable any longer? Let’s be free together!
FIRE!8 Let’s commit together, for the next 40 days to make ONE financial change in our lives. Maybe you will agree to give up your gourmet coffee, your fast food cheeseburger or the automatic car wash. In return, put that money in a jar, a box or an envelope for each time you would have spent it. At the end of the 40 days, rejoice and celebrate your extra savings and then pay off a bill or do something fun for yourself or your family!
Be Excellent!
Lori
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