How to Make Every Day in 2012 Count

Every year when we reach this day, the LAST day of the year, we tend to reflect on all of our accomplishments, failures, friendships made, relationships lost, milestones achieved, changes made and the fun we had along the way.  Some of us successfully logged these moments on our iPhones or digital cameras and have already started putting together photo books on Shutterfly so that we can laugh and reminisce about all the good times we had.  Others remain in paralyzing thought about the past, what could have, should have or would have been done differently.  

Well, you're in luck - 2011 has come and gone, the past is in the past, and 2012 is rapidly approaching us - in 10 hours and 22 minutes to be exact.  What will you do this year to help create a photobook of memories?  Do you want to keep taking pictures of the SAME events and faces in 2012?  How will you create new memories and new opportunities for yourself?  If you are like a lot of other people, just thinking about an entire year of action and change is overwhelming - so I've broken it down into a few simple steps.

1.  Reflect and Move On:  I am a firm believer in knowing where you came from in order to get to where you want to go.  As a teacher and coach I engage in quite a bit of reflective practice as a way to evaluate what worked, what didn't work so well, whether I met my goals, where I was reactive and where I was proactive.  Reflection is an opportunity to tweak specific behaviors and action steps so that the same mistakes are not repeated twice.  It creates an opportunity to move in a forward direction in the future.

2.   Create a Purpose:  Life is all about growing, learning and creating a unique you both on the inside and the outside.  You see, we've all been given the ability to be whomever we want to be, but it's up to us to go out there and discover our true selves.  It's up to us to visualize and remain focused on our life purpose and our career purpose.  Having a purpose creates focus and direction and lays down the yellow brick road that leads us on the journey of life.  Your life can be what you want it to be, what you are willing to go out and get!  I'd like to share my life purpose with you as it is what drives me everyday:  To serve my husband, my daughter, my family and all others in the most compassionate, uplifting, inspirational, kind manner possible and leave the world and the lives of others in a better place.

3. Develop a Plan:  Once you've engaged in a bit of reflective practice and you've thought about and made your life purpose REAL, it's time to create a PLAN for the future.  Sadly, the majority of people I meet don't know if they're coming or if they're going and they are very fixated on what everyone else is doing.  Reality tv has us so caught up in the lives of others that we rarely take the necessary time, effort, and energy to create our own plan.  Yeah, sure, people are good at planning a family vacation or a night out on the town with friends, but do people really know what they want from their life, when they want to achieve their goals and how they're going to make it all happen?  Get out a piece of paper and a pencil, your laptop, your iPad or your device of choice and start THINKING and WRITING it out.  Be amazed at the clarity, focus, balance, and peace of mind it will give you as you move forward into 2012.

4.  Create a Support Team: We were all created with varying abilities and expertise - we all have different likes and we all have a unique way of doing things.  As we reach 2012, whatever we think of has more than likely already been done by someone else.  The key is to do it better, to do it differently, to put our own spin on it and to GET SUPPORT in doing so.  When I decided to start my own business I had no clue where to start.  My initial thought was "What resources do I have and what resources do I need to make this happen?"  And that's exactly what I did.  I met with a financial advisor, I hired a business coach, I called a PR genius in Chicago, I talked to other business owners, I visited the Small Business Center in my town, I scoured the Internet for anything I could find that might allow me to work on my own personal development, I listed to free coaching calls from some of the top coaches in the world and I told my friends about my ideas and asked for their feedback.  You see, I knew what I wanted and I was also aware of the importance of a support team.  I was able to put my business plan together and whip myself into shape in just a few short weeks. 

5.  Stay Positive: What we speak comes from what we think, how we act comes directly from what we speak.  You see, it's all connected.  77% of what we hear starting from a young school age is negative.  Our teachers, our parents, our friends, the television, the radio, books, movies, boyfriends, girlfriends all say words like "can't", "don't", "but", "if only", "hope", "never", "always", "try", "however", "might", "would", "should", "could", "won't".  Have you ever heard of the Law of Attraction - that what we think we attract?  How we think about ourselves is what we become - how we think of others is what we will attract.  Our minds have the ability to talk us into or out of anything.  One way to create a habit of staying positive is to write out and say positive affirmations daily.  Positive affirmations change the way we think and feel about things which results in easily and naturally created positive change.


Start today and get right with yourself, get right with 2012 and what you will manifest for yourself in the next 12 months and beyond!

Megan

Contact Megan today for a free introductory coaching session if you are ready to make a change and succeed in 2012.

919-906-0753

megan@structuredwellness.com 

Which is Better? To be a Leader or the First Follower?

Step Up to the Plate in 2012

Remember what it felt like on game days when you were a youngster playing little league baseball, recreational softball, competing on the tennis court, or taking the 3-pointer to win the game at the buzzer?  For most of us, we were stepping out of our comfort zones and into a game that demanded  focus, determination, confidence, skill, talent, consistency, perseverance, the ability to communicate, killer instinct, a positive attitude, a purpose, a plan, drive, and the willingness to practice in order to get better.  And we did all of this in front of a crowded set of gym bleachers, chairs lining the fence full of onlookers, and our parents whose hearts were beating faster than ours, fingers tightly crossed that we'd score, slide, or hit a winning shot.  No matter the outcome of game day, our coaches always called us winners, patted our heads, and sent us home to eat a wholesome dinner.  They greeted us with motivation, an inspirational pep talk, and new skills to teach at the next practice.  We kept coming back with a renewed sense of self and of the game - looked up to our coaches who made us believe in ourselves and encouraged us to expand our comfort zones and Step Up to the Plate - to keep our eyes on the ball - to swing at our pitch - to run with speed and conviction - to round the bases just so - to stretch a hit into a double - to brush ourselves off after the slide into second - to stand tall and proud when we faced the crowd.

I remember the days when I played softball as a kid and competitive tennis for many years - I was a nervous wreck.  This feeling in the pit of my stomach sat lurking, just waiting for a chance to attack- waiting for me to wave the white flag and surrender.  No matter the outcome of the previous game or match, I still practiced every single day, I still wanted to improve my swing, I remained focused on my purpose, I set new goals for myself, I kept a positive attitude, I built a support team, I studied the game, and I continued to step out of my comfort zone.  You see, I didn't let the losses or the bad games or the missed opportunities prevent me from developing myself as a true contender.

What is it about adulthood that causes us to give up so easily, to rely on someone else to make us successful, to watch Keeping Up With the Kardashians rather than reading an inspirational book, to lose our focus, to only think about our goals, to live someone else's dream, to lose our confidence, to lose all control, to become addicted to sin, to become so overwhelmed with negativity, to lose sight of our dreams, to let life pass us by without a fight.  Maybe we should reconsider the sweet innocence of a child - maybe as children we had it all figured out until we allowed everyone and everything to stand in our way.

Are you ready to Step Back Up to the Plate in 2012?  Are you ready to regain your direction, your focus, your drive, your confidence, your consistency, your perseverance, your positive attitude, your purpose, your passion, your plan, your skill set, your talent, and rebuild your support team?  Or are you too afraid that the crowd will shout, "BOO!" when you fail or that you'll get so much praise that you won't know how to handle it?  What is holding you back from reaching your dreams, from living your life to the fullest?  What will it take for you to step out of your comfort zone and manifest that inner child that still lives inside of you?

Megan
Ready to make this year your year?  Contact me at megan@structuredwellness.com or 919-906-0753 to book a free opening session!

Welcome!

Welcome, everyone, to the all new Structured Wellness business coaching blog.  This blog is dedicated to men and women across the world who have taken, or are thinking about taking, a leap of faith to venture out into the world of becoming a business owner.  The Structured Wellness blog will be full of weekly inspiration, motivation, topics with meaning, and simple lessons. It will include business tips, my personal stories, as well as guest bloggers -- who are also small business owners.  I will speak from my heart and will be true to who I am along the way.

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Again, welcome and THANK YOU for tuning in and showing your support!  Cheers to experiencing this journey together.

Megan