Michelle Cederberg - Live Out Loud

Summer Accountability Experiment… continued

 

“Nobody can do it for you.”

~Ralph Cordiner

…though sometimes I wish that they would.  We all have tasks we’d rather not do, it’s true.  If you’re like me you’ll procrastinate the doing in hopes of gaining more energy or enthusiasm for the task, but in the end that just amounts to wasted time.  Let’s face it; unless you’ve got unlimited resources and have servants and staff at your beck and call, you’ve always got something that needs doing in your business or life.  Eventually delay leads to necessary action so why not get to it before the eleventh hour?   Nobody can do it for you.  Do it for you.

 

If Your Life Sucks It’s Your Fault.  Oooo that’s not nice of me to say, and yet if you meet me in person you’ll observe I’m anything but nasty, and in your face.

 

As a motivational speaker, personal trainer, life coach, and everyday optimist I genuinely care about helping people push past barriers and reach new heights in their health, happiness, and success.  I’ll admit I have been feeling frustrated lately though.  We’re a nation in a lifestyle crisis battling poor health, low energy, and lack of fitness.  We’re out of control with diseases of lifestyle, living with high levels of stress, and resigning ourselves to low levels of happiness.  You tell me you want more energy, better health, and less stress but in the fallout from long hours and busy schedules action is replaced by complaints of no time, energy, or motivation to create the change so desperately desired.  Smart enough to care, but too busy to do anything about it.  If any part of this description sounds like you I have one question for you.  What are you going to do about it?

 

Sometimes the barriers seem too big to get past but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.  Over the years I’ve posed the question to myself time and again over challenges I’m having in my business and life.   “What are you going to do about it?”  I rarely like the answer.  “You can sit there and feel sorry for yourself or you can do something.  Anything.”  I write this blog entry then, not as an all-knowing, super-expert, brilliant perfectionist who has it all together but from personal (sometimes painful) experience gleaned through a high and low “life sucking” journey that began for me as an early adult and culminated in clarity and higher levels of happiness the year I turned 40.  At many points between then and now my life SUCKED … or at least I thought it did.

 

I’ve battled low self-esteem, weight gain, cigarettes, failed relationships, so many failed relationships, discontent with my work, discontent with my health, disbelief at my low bank account, and disbelief in myself. 

 

I’ve struggled through trying friendships, crippling co-dependency, people pleasing, fear of failure, and fear of success.

 

I’ve almost quit, never started, and sat down and cried more times than I can count.

 

Through it all I wondered “When is it all going to stop being so. much. work?“

 

I probably hit my low point in the fall of 2001.  I was 32 years old, single, working at a job that didn’t pay me what I was worth, I was a personal trainer who had gained weight, I was stressed out, type A, hard to be around.  I was probably depressed and I was most certainly unhappy.  When my latest relationship with another mediocre mismatch came to a crashing halt I wrote myself a big old reality check.  “This can’t keep happening.”  I had to get to the root of my discontent and low self-esteem.  On the outside I ‘had it all together’ but on the inside I was questioning everything.  In my mind I was a huge fraud.  I was an unmotivated motivational speaker.  I was an unhealthy health expert.  I was a life balance strategist who had no life balance.  I couldn’t do anything right.  No wonder my life sucked!  I figured I could keep repeating the same patterns and continue suffering or I could get help.  I started to see a counselor.

 

Through several sessions I spilled my guts to her.  “Why does this keep happening to me?  I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m fit and attractive, I’m fun loving, easy going, financially stable, I’m hard working … blah, blah, blah …”

 

In my mind, if I was all those things then the world around me was at fault for not recognizing my worth and making me successful and happy.  In truth, I had been qualifying myself with these descriptors for years but deep down I didn’t believe any of it was true.  I had to get to the core of why I didn’t value myself at a high enough level to push through the fog and chase the silver lining, and until I did my life would continue to suck. 

 

Change began for me in small steps and was preceded by the very humble realization that I am, was, and will always be the common denominator in every aspect of my life that sucks.  That was hard for me to admit.  If something was wrong with my life I needed to take control and create change.  If I hated my job I needed to fix it or walk away.  If I was dissatisfied with my health I needed to quick drinking so much beer, stop eating chicken wings, and get back to working out.  If I was striking out with relationships I needed to learn to love myself better first.  Nobody could do it for me.  I could avoid personal responsibility and keep blaming other people, tough circumstances, or the environment, for my misery but that wasn’t getting me anywhere.    If I didn’t have the time, energy, or motivation to do any of that work my only choice was to stop complaining about how much my life sucked and suffer in silence.  I didn’t like that alternative. 

 

Perspective Switch

I’m not sure why it took me so long to flip the switch, but I guess when you’ve run into enough obstacles you quit stumbling around in the dark and begin fumbling for the light switch.  Mine was a simple perspective switch.  If I was the common denominator in every aspect of my life that sucked couldn’t I re-frame and instead be the common denominator in the development of a happy, abundant, successful life?  Sounds good to me…

 

Yeah so you’re …

 

Single and unhappy

Married and unhappy

Too skinny

Too fat

Broke

Hate your job

Out of shape

No time to exercise

No time for anything

Stressed out

Husband is lazy

Hate your wife

Hate your life

Stuck in a rut

Have no education

Boyfriend is a jerk

Girlfriend is crazy

Choices are limited

 What are you going to do about it?

If you want change, start by changing your attitude.  Nobody can do it for you.

 

It sure is simple but it’s certainly not easy.  Let’s work on that together.

 

Free coaching

This week I want you hear from you.  Send me an email telling me what you want to improve in your life.  Tell me why that goal is so important to you, what’s getting in the way, and what it might take to kick into action.  I’ll email you back. 

 

Reduced rate coaching

Want some more help?

Ask me about one-on-one Skype or phone coaching to set your plan and get it in motion.

 

Summer Support Crew

Strength in numbers!

Success increases with accountability, and who better to keep you on task than your own friends.  This summer I’m challenging you to create your own ‘to do’ support crew with people around you who have the similar goals.  I’ll help you on your way by hosting a private webinar for you and your friends on the topic of your choosing, and follow up with each of you for a one-on-one half hour coaching session.  The more people you round up, the lower the per person fee.  Email me to find out more!  

Michelle Cederberg, Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author

 

“When it comes to eating right and exercising, there is no “I’ll start tomorrow.”  Tomorrow is disease.”

~Terri Guillemets

 

 

I had a lightning bolt moment the other day that I want to share with you.  It revolves around why we have difficulty getting to some tasks in our day-to-day, and not others.  Forget house cleaning, laundry, and yard work.  I’m talking about the necessary tasks in our lives connected to health, career, and personal growth.  Tasks that if we chose to engage in them more regularly would bring us higher levels of success personally and professionally.

 

I admit to being a fair weather writer.  It’s one of those tasks I want to be better at, that I actually enjoy once I get to it, but it always seems to end up on the bottom of my ‘to-do’ list.  Heck, sometimes it doesn’t even make the list.  I want to write a book.  In fact I’ve been talking about it for years, but I’ve discovered that talking produces minimal results and I’m getting tired of listening to my own excuses as to why I’m not getting to it.  Yes it’s true; writing doesn’t come naturally to me.  I work hard every time I sit down to create.  It could be why I don’t leap at the chance as much as I could.  Even still, I’m dedicated to getting better at it.  And just like the golf swing I’m committed to finding amidst the hooks, slices, and straight-out botched shots, if I want to improve my writing it will require practice.  Lots of it.

 

In order to find a way to habituate my writing practice I thought about the things in my life that come easily to me.  Maybe I could apply some of that success logic to my suffering script?  Exercise immediately came to mind.  Through more than 20 years of immersion in health and fitness, teaching and training others, and practicing what I preach, exercise is just something that I fit in no matter what.    But it hasn’t always been this way.  BINGO!  When I thought back to when I was first habituating exercise in my life I was reminded that in the beginning it was all about structure, scheduling in my activity sessions and creating an accountability system that would add to my success.  Structure, scheduling, accountability – why should my writing experience be afforded any less? 

 

Here’s the sad irony of my awareness.  I speak regularly to audiences about habituating health practices through small steps and every-day accountability.  It makes perfect sense to me why people aren’t fitting in fitness and if they’d simply change their approach then success would be forthcoming.  When they do, it does.  Okay, why then would I not apply my own logic to the things in my life that I need to habituate?  DUH!?  I guess when the student is ready the teacher appears, and in this case we’re both slow learners.

 

My Summer Accountability Experiment

This summer I’m going to switch things up a bit with my weekly ‘Get to It Guideline’.  I’m still going to find and send a quote and my thoughts to my regular mailing list, but then I’m going to link to this blog and invite you to read more here.  Each week I’ll be working on parts of my book, and I’ll be posting what I write.  This will be as hard for me as exercise or eating right can be for others and I need your help to hold me accountable to this summer writing experiment. I’ll invite your thoughts and comments, ask questions I want answers to, and even ask you to try new things and step to higher levels of accountability with the things in your life you’ve been putting off.  Structure, scheduling, accountability … I think it will help.

 

Whatever it Takes

At the end of every blog post I will issue a task or challenge for you to take action on – to do whatever it takes to get to it.  If there are parts of your life you want to improve then why not do whatever it takes to make it happen? 

 

This week I want you to ask yourself “What have I been putting off that I really want to start doing more regularly?”  Make a list and then decide on one or two key items you can start on now.

 

On July 7^th I’ll provide you with information and opportunities that will help you take action on those things in a bigger way, so stay tuned and get ready for your best summer yet.

 

Michelle Cederberg, Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author

  Share your thoughts, subscribe to the blog, check in regularly. 

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Demystifying Stress.  Visit www.gottoit.ca for more information and registration.

Free webinar April 27th.  Visit www.gottoit.ca to reserve your spot.

________________________________________________________

In my last post I opened up a can of worms by boldly stating “If your life sucks it’s YOUR fault!”  I went on to share specific examples where we regularly make excuses for ourselves to shirk personal responsibility …

If you’re overweight it’s because you eat too much and you don’t exercise enough.

If you’re tired all the time it’s because you don’t take care of your body through proper sleep, hydration, and nutrition.

If you have no luck with relationships it’s because you haven’t figured out the part you have been playing in all the failures.

If you’ve got no money it’s because you spend more than you make or you’re lousy at saving.

If you’re not experiencing success in your career it’s because you haven’t worked hard enough.

If you’re unhappy … if your life sucks … it’s nobody’s fault but your own.  Ouch!

Some of you whole-heartedly agreed with my directness and others of you disagreed vehemently.  I want to speak to one of the disagreements this week as it was a thought-provoking discussion.

 

My high school friend Liz sent me this note on Facebook:

 

“I work in HealthCare. Not a day goes by where I don’t see bad things happening to good people (who do the right things and lead a healthy lifestyle). I don’t doubt that your point is correct…..to a degree. My stance is that it’s not as cut and dried as presented. There is always an exception.”

 

She went on to share with me a story about Eva, a young woman of 25 who lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis – a disease she didn’t ask for, that probably made many aspects of her life suck.  The disease wasn’t her fault.  I absolutely agree with Liz on this point.  It’s not fair that some people have to suffer through chronic disease or terminal illness.  It sucks that children get abused, spouses get beaten, or people have to suffer on any level through circumstances they didn’t ask for. 

 

So, what’s the answer then?

 

Yes, it’s true that certain life circumstances suck BIG TIME, but our attitude toward them is what we must then turn to in order to un-suck a situation even a little bit.  In our discussion Liz mentioned that Eva’s life sucked in essence because of her disease, but she also mentioned that Eva turned her disease into something wonderful for all to benefit from … creating the best possible outcome for a challenging situation.    

 

So there you go.  We can’t control that diseases happen, that people we love die, that mother nature can be vicious, or that violence happens … because that really does suck but that doesn’t mean our lives should suck and that is the point I’m trying to make with my bold statement.  I’m trying to help people see that ‘playing the victim’ has no good life outcome except for personal suffering.  I’ll bet Liz’s CF patient had a better attitude than many able-bodied, healthy people who complain they have no time, energy or motivation to do what they need to do to ‘really’ be happy. 

 

When it comes to chronic or terminal diseases I’m reminded of the Rick and Dick Hoyt video where the father and son (who is severely physically disabled) run the Iron Man together.   It moves me every time I see it.  View a version of it here. I can only imagine …

 

When I see something like this I am reminded that each of us can improve any difficult circumstance if we want it badly enough.  I want to help people past the excuses and into the realization that if you want something in your life to change, the best person to bring it about is you.  I chose to rattle a few chains in order to get people to pay attention.  So ….

 

What will you do today to change you attitude toward a sucky situation you’re living with? What small step can you take to un-suck that circumstance in the process?

 

 

Michelle Cederberg, Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author, Truth Teller  

 

 Share your thoughts, subscribe to the blog, check in regularly. 

 

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Get to the Good Things Even with a Busy Schedule Visit www.gottoit.ca to reserve your spot.

 

 

 

 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

This week I have been thinking more about when to blog and what to blog.  I’ve also been using my business down-time to reach out to the universe with other tentacles of myself and my message.  I’m learning how to use You Tube  and will be creating a series of short videos that will hopefully educate and inspire you on your way to personal and professional growth!  I’m investigating blog talk radio as another way to talk more when I’m not presenting.  I’ll be able to create short messages, interviews, and mini-sessions that will then become pod casts that you’ll be able to download and listen to while you’re exercising, driving, or just hanging out.  I’m also learning how to host my own WEBINAR and will have a FREE introductory session to offer you in April.  Wait for the announcement and save the date.

So, why am I sharing all of this with you?  Well, last week, by simply telling you I would blog at least once a week, I thought about it more and brought it to fruition even sooner than I had intended.  I wasn’t planning on writing again until next week but the intention was set and I wanted to share my thoughts, and WHAM-O … mission accomplished.

I rationalized, therefore, that if I tell you my intentions for You Tube. blog talk radio, and my webinars, I will work harder to bring those elements of my business into being sooner rather than later.

I’m thinking of my blog posts as another element of my accountability plan.  Hey, thanks for your help.

 

Next week stay tuned for some exciting news about GOT TO IT!

 

Cheers!

Michelle Cederberg, Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author, Truth Teller 

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 A great tool to get you on track in 2010, my GOT TO IT Accountability Journal BUY NOW

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Michelle Cederberg - “Your ‘Getting to It’ Guru”

Michelle Cederberg leads the industry for life balance, health, and stress management programs, resources, and tools that actually conquer procrastination, fatigue, and loss of motivation.  Her expansive education and experience combined with her unique products, platform skills and messaging will ensure individuals and corporations understand that “It’s not the doing that’s tough, it’s GETTING TO IT!” and she helps you figure out how. With a Masters in Kinesiology, a BA in Psychology, and a specialization in Health and Exercise Psychology, Michelle combines mind, body, and practicality to inspire change! She has built her career since 1990, as a college educator, personal trainer, fitness coordinator, author, and business owner.  As a professional speaker, she shares her experiences in a humorous and realistic way with delighted audiences across North America.  Michelle knows her energy has fueled her business success!  Today, through her products and presentations she motivates you to take small steps toward BIG changes, so you can actually GET TO the good things - even with a busy schedule!

 

To book Michelle to speak at your organization please fill out a booking request at

 

Corporate/Group Keynotes and Seminars, Fitness Coaching, Workplace Wellness Consulting

 

I spent the day procrastinating writing this blog. It’s now 7pm and I’m finally getting to it. The last blog I wrote was in January and I recall delaying that one too. It got me thinking. Why do I suffer so when it comes to writing my blog, when I can sit down every week and happily write my ‘Get To It Guideline’? I’ve decided it’s partly because I have a short attention span. When I began writing my weekly email ‘e-spirations’ nearly 7 years ago I intentionally made it short and sweet - not only to keep it easy for my readers to prioritize in their busy schedule, but so I would commit to writing it each week in mine. That premise has worked for me through over 325 weekly messages so I decided to apply it to my blog writing along with a goal of making it more fun for me. Since I began my blog I have been inconsistent and uninspired (hard truth). The only blog I really enjoyed writing in the last year and a half was my October 2009 blog ‘Humility and my Own Accountability‘. Why, you ask? Well, that month I blogged from my heart, allowed myself to be myself, and told the truth about some of the things I was having trouble with … an accountability expert struggling to get to it? That’s rich, but that was the truth and it felt good to come clean. I’m not perfect. Yup, I’m a motivational speaker, fitness expert, coach, teacher, and generally upbeat kind of gal, but I’m far from having it all figured out. I sure do try hard though … and I pay attention to what works and what doesn’t in my own ‘work in progress life’ that’s for sure. I bet you can relate.

Here’s the truth then. As I enjoy the last few weeks of being 40 I realize that with age has come certain wisdom. I don’t have to be anyone but me. I can be an imperfect expert. I can show and share what I know of course … but the learning that comes through sharing the challenges and questions and screw-ups is so much more interesting don’t you think? It’s how I learn and grow, it becomes fodder for stories when I speak, and it’s A LOT more fun to blog about. So there you go. I’m springing ahead with a new blog writing plan that will mean a more authentic blog reading experience, more frequent blogs, and more fun for me!

Here’s what you can do to help. My goal is one short blog a week … some time before Thursday each week. Sign up for my RSS feed that will tell you when my blogs get posted. When you get them, read and report back with your thoughts. I’ll keep them short, I’ll be honest about the week I’ve had, share a bit more about my life beyond my business, and I’ll plan to end with a question I want your thoughts on.

This week I want to hear your thoughts on whether this is a good idea. Is it stupid for me to be so open about my shortcomings when some people may view me as the ‘go to gal’ on doing it right?

Next week stay tuned for some exciting news about GOT TO IT!

Cheers!

Michelle Cederberg, Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author, Truth Teller 

---

 A great tool to get you on track in 2010, my GOT TO IT Accountability Journal BUY NOW

---

Michelle Cederberg - “Your ‘Getting to It’ Guru”

Michelle Cederberg leads the industry for life balance, health, and stress management programs, resources, and tools that actually conquer procrastination, fatigue, and loss of motivation.  Her expansive education and experience combined with her unique products, platform skills and messaging will ensure individuals and corporations understand that “It’s not the doing that’s tough, it’s GETTING TO IT!” and she helps you figure out how. With a Masters in Kinesiology, a BA in Psychology, and a specialization in Health and Exercise Psychology, Michelle combines mind, body, and practicality to inspire change! She has built her career since 1990, as a college educator, personal trainer, fitness coordinator, author, and business owner.  As a professional speaker, she shares her experiences in a humorous and realistic way with delighted audiences across North America.  Michelle knows her energy has fueled her business success!  Today, through her products and presentations she motivates you to take small steps toward BIG changes, so you can actually GET TO the good things - even with a busy schedule!

 

To book Michelle to speak at your organization please fill out a booking request at www.michellecederberg.com

Corporate/Group Keynotes and Seminars, Fitness Coaching, Workplace Wellness Consulting

Recently I was lamenting an accountability agreement I had made with a friend. As I was reluctantly working at the task I’d told him I would complete I realized that I don’t like being under the gun to get work done.  I’m a hard worker for certain, but on my own terms.    Ironically, I always feel great when I complete a long procrastinated task, or do something I’ve always told myself I’d get to, but the slothful person that dwells within me much prefers to get to it in my own time.  The problem with that line of thinking for me and I expect a good deal of the population is that without a little well positioned accountability, life goes by with less tasks accomplished and less success achieved.  Believe it!

Process versus Outcome:  Most of the items we have on our ‘to do’ lists are interesting and important, more for the outcome they will achieve rather than the process of doing them.  We don’t always love getting to our ‘to do’s’, we love striking them off the list.   For instance, it’s good for my business, and I love how it feels to be up to date on my book keeping and accounting, but on most days I’d rather stick bamboo shoots under my fingernails than sort through receipts and reconcile expense claims.  Many of my past personal training clients would tell you they dreaded coming to their exercise sessions but always felt great when they were done.  And as my mother said to me so many times as I was growing up, “I don’t care if you don’t like your vegetables.  They’re good for you!”

Back in August I was forced to take a closer look at my own accountability practices.  Maybe I wasn’t as committed to them as I should be for my own good, and for someone so wholly connected to motivating others? While meeting with my accountability partner (I use that term loosely given the outcome of the meeting) I discovered – through a brainstorming process – that I have been exceptional at holding myself accountable in all matters connected to my health, be it exercise, nutrition, or even stress management, but in certain of my business practices I have been the queen of procrastination and rationalization: “I’ll get to it later.  It’s only a small task.”  If you’ve seen me speak you know that one of the core messages I repeat again and again is the concept of ‘small steps toward big changes’ … anything worth doing is worth getting to today even with a small step, rather than waiting for more time and the hope of a bigger step down the road.  I believe this to the core of my being and yet when I looked closely at my own efforts as they related to my business I realized I had adopted the do as I say, not as I do mentality of a dispassionate, disconnected authoritarian – albeit by accident, but that didn’t ease my mind.  I wasn’t walking my talk!  <humble admission #1>

 

My next kick in the proverbial behind came in a meeting with my Mastermind group in September.  When our group first met last April, I proudly presented them all with a copy of my GOT IT IT! Accountability Journal honestly expecting that they would take their copy and put it on a shelf at home, never to be seen or heard from again.  I told myself most people are too busy for extra-curricular reading.  I didn’t think they would actually use it.  The problem with aligning yourself with ‘do-ers’, however, is they’ll go for it in situations small and large, and they did.  God Bless my Mastermind group.

 

My Humble Turning Point

At a future meeting one member of the group sung my praises and told me the journal had changed her life.  “Wow.  I’m good.”  I thought.  At our September meeting another of the group piped up with the same glowing testimonial and I had to ask myself “I wonder what all the fuss is about?”  <Brace yourself for humble admission #2>  Up until this point – 6 months after the publication of my own accountability journal, I had yet to put it to use myself.  When the books first came back from the publisher I opened a box, proudly surveyed my flashy new journal, and promptly placed it aside telling myself, “I’ll get to it soon.  No rush.  I wrote it.  I know what it’s all about.”  When I made this admission to my group they were kind and gentle in their scolding and promptly issued the challenge: USE YOUR OWN JOURNAL.  

             

ac·count·abil·i·ty n: the quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions

Accept responsibility for my own actions, indeed.  So I got to it, and that’s when I humbly learned the brilliance of accountability.

My journal is simple and only takes a few minutes to complete each morning.  Each day you’re prompted to write down small goals in key areas like physical activity, nutrition, work, and even fun!  The idea is that if you can set and consistently complete these goals each day imagine your progress over the course of 365 days?  It made perfect sense to me in theory.  In practice I learned exactly why.

As I began the process of writing my small daily goals in a nice journal versus random pieces of scrap paper I immediately placed more value on getting them completed.  Interestingly, in those first couple of weeks of use, I was surprised at how few of my goals I actually accomplished.  I’ve always been a list maker, but until I started using my own journal I didn’t realize how often I would transfer small tasks from one day to the next, telling myself “They’re just small tasks.  I’ll get to them tomorrow.”  Philosopher Lao Tzu once stated that the journey of a million miles begins with a single step.  As I looked back on my own micro procrastinations I couldn’t help but think of the miles and miles I might have journeyed through years and years of daily single steps if I’d only placed more importance on the simple act of completion.

 

After this revelation I switched my thinking to “They’re just small tasks.  I’ll get to them RIGHT NOW.”  I know this will sound amusing and even self-congratulatory, but my own journal changed my life!  It truly did, and it’s not because it holds a brilliant secret tool that will unlock your greatest potentials – or maybe it does?  Through the process of marking and tracking my daily efforts I started doing more and was manufacturing fewer excuses.  I began embracing small steps as big accomplishments.  I came to understand the brilliance of ‘Just Do It!’

 

Get to It Yourself!

I’m not suggesting for an instant that personal accountability can only be found in the pages of my journal.  It’s a good tool for adding value to the process (as it turns out) but the message I really want to get across here is the humble awareness I gained by simply paying attention to my habits around accountability – and this information is free and available to anyone who chooses to accept the challenge.  Journal or not, here are 4 tips to consider in creating an environment of accountability in your life:

 

 

1.  Prioritize your growth.  Take a close look at all the areas you wish to improve in your life, and then decide which are most important.  My journal includes 7 areas for growth, including physical activity, nutrition, work, fun, and relaxation.  You may choose to include a daily financial goal or do one small thing everyday to nurture your relationship.  Remember the steps will be small, so 5 to 7 goals shouldn’t be unmanageable.

 

2.  Everyday, plan your day.  Check in with each category every morning, and choose a goal for each of your chosen areas of growth.  Write them down and then set out to complete them by days end.

 

3.  Keep track.  Don’t toss away your daily lists like I used to.  By having all of my lists in one location in my GOT TO IT journal I started to identify my procrastination habits and work to correct them.  Purchase a journal or an empty notebook and carry it with you through the day.  It’s a truly eye-opening experience.

 

4.  Adopt a ‘Just DID IT’ mindset.  It feels so great to check off completed ‘to do’ tasks, so make that endorphin release part of your daily reward.  Stay focused on growth in small steps.  

If there was a fifth tip to add I’d say find an accountability partner or two to help keep you on track.  I believe your dreams will come true in leaps and bounds if you share them with others.  I meet with a colleague regularly (if not reluctantly) to talk business and we hold each other accountable for getting to necessary tasks that will grow our respective businesses.  In the fitness realm that might be an exercise buddy or a personal trainer.  In the business realm it can include a Mastermind group or mentor.  The simple act of sharing your plans and asking for follow-up will ensure you’ll step up your game.

I wish we could all wander spontaneously through life and experience health, wealth, and happiness at the highest levels without effort, but the truth is, change – and the success connected to it – requires structure, discipline, and consistency from you.  It took me awhile, but I finally, humbly GOT TO IT!  Don’t be like me.  Begin your own accountability plan today, experience growth without delay.

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If you want to experience FIRST HAND the eye-opening process I went through I really encourage you to check out my new GOT TO IT! 365 Day Journal for Getting to the Good Things.  Now that I have actually used it I know it works, and I’m convinced it can make a difference for you! 

It’s every day accountability to help you switch “I’ll get to it” to “GOT TO IT!”  Have better work-life balance, finally fit in fitness, increase your energy, and love your life - one day at a time.  This journal shows you how!  www.gottoit.ca  

Are you READY to GET TO IT?

An article with this headline appeared in today’s Calgary Herald and it really got me thinking.  It reported that the oldest baby boomers showed little interest in leaving the workforce even before the economic downturn descimated their savings.  Financial necessity has made retirement even less attractive. Still, experts believe deferred retirement is more about baby boomers wanting to stay engaged.

 

Whatever the motivation for staying employed, gone are the golden years of retirement, when one would adopt a life of leisure and enjoy the fruits of years in the labour force.  These days we’re literally working ourselves to death.

 

While an older ‘willing to work’ force will stave off an anticipated shortage of skilled workers as boomers age, it could also mean more health problems and higher benefit costs, and employers may be compelled to confront the “very delicate” issue of dementia on the job - especially if health and wellness continues to take the back seat among working Canadians. 

 

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m all for having a choice ‘to work, or not to work’.  The problem lies in the choices we then make as busy, working Canadians ‘to exercise or not to exercise’.  Health Canada statistics suggest that it’s during our prime working years (between the ages of 18-59) that lack of time, energy and motivation sap efforts at getting and staying healthy.  If boomers are in fact delaying retirement in favour of work, I expect the above age range will expand to include 60+ and we’ll see a further increase in sedentary rates and diseases of lifestyle across the country.

 

Work is a necessary part of life, but if it impacts our overall health and enjoyment of life we have to ask ourselves if the long hours and extended working years are worth compromised health? 

 

I regularly present life balance and stress management seminars to busy individuals in big organizations, and since work is non-negotiable, your health should be too.  I encourage workers of all ages to re-prioritize health practices like exercise, eating healthfully, and getting enough rest amidst the busy schedules demanded by today’s employers. 

 

GET TO IT

No matter how busy you are, you have the responsibility to grab hold of a portion of each day where you put yourself first.  Get over “I’ll get to it when…” by simply making a commitment to begin.  The clincher is you needn’t go big to experience success.  Remember these two truths:

 

1)       It’s not the doing that’s tough, it’s getting to it!  

2)       Doing on any level is better than thinking about going BIG.

 

Once you commit to spending even small amounts of time on daily health practices, you’ll find more time to build the possibilities.  Create the habits that align with energy and vitality, and be ready when the momentum of your actions starts to pull you toward new levels of health, self-esteem, and productivity.  It will happen, and I promise you, it is wonderful.

 

My new accountability journal will help you have better work-life balance, finally fit in fitness, increase your energy, and love your life!  Email me here to learn more, or click here or on the image below to purchase.