5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Now

        

     For my 1 month Anniversary of launching my blog and The Purpose Pages FB blog page, I think it's only proper to go back to where it all began…in the front passenger seat of my husband’s car during a road trip to Virginia Beach for family vacation.  In between opening juice boxes, grabbing wires to recharge iPads, breaking up disagreements between my 2 year old and 12 year old, and listening to my husband enthusiastically tell me stories ranging from work to deaths in the Grand Canyon to his storm watching skills and of course he wouldn’t be him without adding in a few jokes, I managed to write my very first blog post!

     My Daddy told me years ago, in reference to an old boyfriend, who clearly wasn’t making me a priority, “People make time for what they want to make time for”.  This life lesson has resonated with me for years now and I have applied it to so many areas and situations in my life.   Let’s face it.  He was right! If we are really honest with ourselves we all make time for the things that are important to us, no matter how busy we perceive ourselves to be.

     It all comes back to two words that most of us struggle with…TIME MANAGEMENT.  Here are a few tips that have helped me to improve my time management.

1. BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR GOALS - I live by a Things To Do List.  Writing my goals down for the day helps me to stay focused and on task.  Plus I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I am able to cross something off the list.  

2. PRACTICE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE - Be grateful for the time that you do have.  Each morning you open your eyes to a new day is a new opportunity to get it right.  Stop wasting time complaining about the time you don’t have.  Ironically, you are using up valuable time. Instead, as you move about your day say thank for each thing you get completed on your to do list.  Magically, gratitude increases your productivity because it motivates you to tackle that next thing on the list.

3. SEIZE THE MOMENT - When you are clear about your intentions for the day you are also more readily available to seize the moment when time is unexpectedly freed up.  For example, I set the intention to make it a priority to connect more with friends. Because I was clear about my goal, it was in the forefront of my mind. One day my husband calls out the blue to let me know that he would be bringing home dinner. I was able to seize the moment and use the time I would have been cooking to catch up with a friend on the phone. It was time well spent!

4. UNPLUG - I have finally set boundaries to all of my technology devices.  They are good in so many ways but for me they can also be the ultimate distraction.  I’ve recently put my phone on silent at 9:30pm.  Any text, email, Twitter, or Facebook notification will have to wait until tomorrow.  Allowing myself those few minutes before sleeping without the distraction of technology, gives me the chance to reflect on my day and set the plan for the next day.  Because I set priorities the night before each morning I am ready to tackle the new day first thing in the morning.

5. USE WAIT TIME - Five minutes waiting in the check out line, 30 minutes waiting for a doctors appointment, 1 hour waiting for your kid to finish up their music lesson or 6 hours trapped in a car headed to Virginia - waiting time adds up, so plan accordingly.  Have what you need with you to use that time wisely.

     I am still a work in progress and I am always open to new ways to improve my time management.  Building on the words of my Daddy, I truely believe and understand the quote, 
Time is a created thing. To say, "I don't have time," is like saying, "I don't want to."                               -- Lau-Tzu  
What tips do you have to ensure that you spend your time on the things you want to do?

For a daily dose of inspiration

Connect with me on FB www.facebook.com/thepurposepages 
and Twitter @jamielifecoach

 

Just Do It

     We are all familiar with Nike's famous phrase, “Just Do It", coined in the late 80s during an ad campaign. Well it stuck and has stood the test of time in more ways than one.  The "Just Do It" slogan has transcended beyond athletes, fitness, and exercise and evolved into a personal mantra that has been adopted by many everyday people who aspire to achieve ANY goal.  

    When these three short words are strung together they make a profound statement.  They are great motivators. They make just doing it seem like such a simple concept to implement.  But oftentimes we stand in our own way.  The 3 major reasons that have stood in between me just doing it and accomplishing my goals are:

• Fear of Failure - This is probably the most common blocker that stands in the way of us reaching our goals. It hurts when we set out to do something and it doesn’t work out the way that we think it should.  Frequently, we spend so much time avoiding the dreaded feelings of failure that we don’t even attempt to aim for success. But what if you had the power to change how you think about failure?  The good news is you do! What is failure anyway? You define the meaning of success.   

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison

• Overthinking - When attempting to do something new, I am all about consulting the “experts”.  I tend to research way too much.  I spend tons of energy and time in trying to become as close to an “expert” as possible before moving forward. Lately, I have adopted a more "learn as I go" approach to help balance things out. I’ve realized I actually enjoy the experience much better that way. For example, I recently decided to join Twitter.  Do I know all the hashtag rules and shortcuts of Twitter? No! Have I mastered how to get my point across in 140 characters or less? No! But I have managed to say enough to attract a whopping 215 followers and enjoy the journey while I’m learning.

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do" - John Wooden"

• Stuck in First Gear - It’s great to know exactly what it is that you are trying to accomplish but completely focusing on the end goal at times can be a overwhelming.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of the goal seeming so large you spin your wheels just trying to figure out how to start.  Last year, I decided I was going to run my first 5k.  This goal seemed almost impossible when thinking of running 3 miles when I couldn’t even run to the end of the block.  C25K (Couch to 5k) is a mobile app that does a great job breaking the goal down into smaller steps. Each day you do a series of walk/run intervals that increase over time.  So everyday I didn’t let completing a 5K consume me.  I just needed to focus on completing my workout for that day and rest in that it was getting me one step closer to running 3 miles. By the end of my 9 weeks…SURPRISE…I was able to run a 5k!  

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu

      So you know that thing that you have been waiting to do…get out of first gear, stop overthinking, and don't let fear or any other blocker stand in your way.  In other words..act like a tennis shoe and JUST DO IT!

For a daily dose of inspiration

Connect with me on FB www.facebook.com/thepurposepages 
and Twitter @jamielifecoach

 

Share Your Authentic Self

Be yourself. If you water yourself down to please people, or to fit in or to not offend anyone, you lose the power, the passion, the freedom, and the joy of being uniquely You. It’s much easier to love yourself when you are being yourself.      - Author Unknown 

     I was up late one night finishing up some last minute touches on my last blog post, "Roadblocks? Get Over It!”, when I had another “aha moment”.  I was looking for the “right” picture to accompany my post (Based on my last post...we all know how I feel about being "right").  I didn’t find the picture that I was initially looking for but once I expanded my search...BINGO! I found the “right" picture of a road sign with multiple arrows with the "right way" labels for each arrow.  It was the glue that pulled the whole piece together and brought the focus to - There’s no wrong way when you stand with God.

      Ironically, it brought to focus, exactly what I have been shying away from - openly and explicitly talking about God.  I was thinking, yes all my friends and family know I am a Christian but I am sharing myself to the masses in this space.  Will people not be able to receive the message if I talk about God too much? Not everyone believes in God, so I don’t want to offend anyone. Will people feel like I am being to “holy rolly”? Will people judge me (Who is she to tell me about God? She doesn’t have it altogether herself). But with all of these negative thoughts floating in my mind…that night at that precise moment that I found that picture…the positive thought of "There’s no wrong way when you stand with God," boomed in my head so loud that it silenced all the negative thoughts.

     In that moment, I asked myself, “How can I be my authentic self without revealing the God in me whom I love so much?”  God is a huge part of what makes me - ME. He gives me life! He gives me strength! He gives me guidance! It’s not possible to share ME without sharing GOD. 

      My ultimate goal is to inspire others by sharing the twists, turns, ups, and downs of my life journey.  I want to speak my truth and let my authentic self shine. Yes, being authentic requires you to be vulnerable.  And being vulnerable is SCARY. But God does not give us a spirit of fear.  So...here I am world…Hi my name is Jamie and that Light you see is the God in me!


Sharing your authentic self is a key component to living on purpose.  Revealing your truth is beneficial to you and others.  What have you been holding back from others?  

As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 
                                                                                                                            - Marianne Williamson

For a daily dose of inspiration

Connect with me on FB www.facebook.com/thepurposepages 
and Twitter @jamielifecoach