As we approach the end of 2017, it’s natural to look back on the year and review our personal progress. We ask ourselves: did we achieve the goals and resolutions we committed to at the beginning of 2017?
I’ll be the first to admit that I did not for a number of reasons. Those reasons range from personal struggle (feeling sick/immobile in my pregnancy, giving birth to my second child, mourning the death of my grandfather, etc.) to shifting and changing my mind on some of the ideas and goals I had. The latter is okay, by the way. As I have mentioned in previous posts, it’s important to take action. It’s better to take action and “course correct” along the way than to be completely idle and do nothing. On the other hand, it’s also okay to rest and “sharpen the saw” (as Stephen Covey has said) for a period of time, if needed. In full transparency: I actually had a mixture of action in some instances, and rest other times, depending on what was specifically going on in my life at different times over the past year.
(And let’s not forget that a newborn gets up multiple times a night, and she still wakes up at least once per night now!)
While some of my lack of progress was due to “course correction” or personal struggle, I must acknowledge that a portion of it was also due to lack of discipline at times. I didn’t have the self-discipline to take action in some cases due to “analysis paralysis” and in other cases I got off-course in my personal habits. Admittedly, I got away from my own Design Your Success system after the birth of my daughter. And I paid a small price for it (i.e. I didn’t achieve as much as I would have liked; but, to keep perspective—it’s not the end of the world!).
What I experienced is natural for everyone, especially when you’re dealing with major life changes. The important thing to do now going forward, however, is to acknowledge where you are and then to move forward. And this can be done very easily and in small, easy steps.
To address my own situation, I started doing the following:
- I committed to using the Design Your Success System again. I reminded myself of the visual diagram and how I can live intentionally each day (mentioned in Success Blueprint and Design Your Success Academy)
- I started Using a “Morning Journal” to solidify my morning routine, to help optimize my mindset and my day (more about that below).
- I resumed writing in my aforementioned “Daily Journal” (mentioned in Success Blueprint and Design Your Success Academy) at the end the day. This helps me stay accountable to the Design Your Success system.
- I am working on my mind and brain again by listening to audiobooks, reading or taking in visual content that is aligned with who I want to be in my free time (mentioned in this interesting video presented by Impact Theory featuring Tom Bilyeu and neuroscientist Moran Cerf, Ph.D.):
Warning: do not listen around small children; sometimes Impact Theory’s videos use adult language.
The Morning Journal is a new addition for me, but powerful. More and more anecdotal evidence (and perhaps even scientific – I need to do more research) is coming out in articles and books about “millionaire morning” routines.
I set up my morning journal to address the following:
- I am: This gets me in the right mindset in terms of the kind of person I want to be for the day (i.e. “I am focused. I am disciplined. etc.)
- I will: I physically write out my most important goal or project: “I, Lisa Kardos, will…” (right now my goal is around a new course I’m creating!)
- Gratitude: it’s important to optimize my mind and realize the blessings in my life, so that I can start my day from a place of thankfulness instead of bitterness.
- Morning reflection: This gives me a chance to flesh out my thoughts or get them “out of my system,” so-to-speak.
Some people may balk (or like) the I will section because they resemble affirmations. In all honesty, I do not care how they are labeled. Some people will call them affirmations, others will call them goals, and some people will question the number or the wording. I look at them as a tool, because it’s the same way I learned math or other concepts in grade school: writing something down a number of times forced me to focus; the repetitive nature helped drill those concepts into my subconscious.
Some would argue it may not be the best way to get focused or disagree with the approach, but right now I’m looking for results and it’s working for me. Interestingly, Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) looks at it the same way. Again, this is just a tool to get focused by working with our reticular activating system in the brain.
So if you are interested in increasing your focus and setting up your day for success, you are welcome to download the Morning Journal here (free; no opt-in required). I will probably write more about the morning routine in the future, but this is a start!
Also note that the “Daily Journal” (used in the evening) is still available for download here. And as always, feel free to check out additional resources below.
(Note that there is special holiday pricing for my books on Amazon and Kobo; Amazon should update the price to $0.99 later today!)
I leave you with the peaceful view I woke up to today (it snowed here in New Jersey!)
Additional Resources:
Books:
Optimize for Victory: A Simple Approach to Overcome Challenges and Achieve Your Dreams
Optimize Your Productivity: The Counterintuitive Approach to Get More Done in Less Time (Today)
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Course: Design Your Success Academy
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Check out my #AmazonInfluencer Gift Guide page!
