Showstopper alert: Kicking your booty back into gear

I interrupt my “Taming the monkeys” blog series with a showstopper: What happens when we’ve planned our routines, morning (and p.m.—more on that later) and, well… life? Many of my past ramblings talk about going with the flow, practicing flexibility, yada yada. But sometimes. It. Doesn’t. Work. Out. And that’s okay. The other morning, smack dab in the middle of my a.m. ritual, my husband dropped a bombshell. Uhm, now? Although the unplanned convo ate into my schedule, I opted to stick to my free writing session and forgo the bed making, albeit a little less in-your-face confident. Although I felt knocked down a peg, I refused to allow the temporary derailment to define my day. Incidentally, all got resolved, and that evening’s 60-minute hot Pilates practice followed by 45 minutes of hot barre kicked the “token old lady’s” booty—which kicked me right back, or close to, that higher vibrational frequency I’ve been operating from for the past several weeks.

How do you handle the showstoppers?

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Taming the monkeys: Part III and the definition of ‘planning’ according to me

 

My recent post, “Taming the monkeys with practical tips…,” came to fruition when my new friend, KM, asked me: What would it take for you to feel unstuck? My response: “I really don’t know.” It turns out the process of planning offered half the solution [see “Taming the monkeys: Part II…”]. First, what is planning and what does it constitute? To me, it’s a way to organize my thoughts into action. In other words, putting the monkey mind to good use. But where to begin? KM threw out a name: Benjamin Hardy—a time-management guru already on my radar—and an expert on planning for success by incorporating X tasks into our morning routines before 8 a.m. Check out his website at  http://benjaminhardy.com for inspiration and strategies for rapid life improvement, including a.m. habits of the [rich and] successful. But beware: I learned the hard way what not to do. That’s up next (plus more planning sites to check out).

Describe your a.m. routine with one word.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Taming the monkeys: Part II and tip #1

 

As promised, the following several posts will cover two practical tips to incorporate into your daily routine to tame your monkeys and “unstick” yourself. The caveat: change requires action. It’s as simple—and as hard—as that. If you don’t feel “stuck” in your journey, then you may want to scroll to the next item in your feed. But for those readers who describe themselves as hamsters on a wheel, then I would bet you are the student ready for the “teacher” to appear. Because when presented with these two tips more than a month ago, I was that student. Tip #1: Each morning, for the next [pick a number—mine was 45] days, spend 10 minutes “planning.” What do I mean by planning? Bookmark this page to receive the next post where I’ll begin outlining the nitty gritties; i.e., what it means to me, how I’ve incorporated this practice into my days and links to help with your own planning.

Are you ready to change your life?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Taming the monkeys with practical tips: how to ‘unstick’ yourself

 

Thirty-seven days ago I felt stuck. Questions like: What am I doing with my life? Where do I even begin? wrestled each other in a mind full of monkeys. And then a new friend I met during a recent writers’ retreat—I’ll call her KM—“checked in” with me online. I dumped. She listened. And then she “counseled” me with sage guidance and a personal challenge—with contract—if I chose to accept. Although only eight days remain in my challenge, I’ll continue practicing the advice KM shared. I’m not only more grounded and less anxious overall, but the gains have spilled over into my daily habits and interactions. I knew the retreat was life-changing. But with my limited experience and expectations, I never could have guessed to what extent. Stay tuned as I share, over the next several posts, how to get unstuck by incorporating two practical tips into your daily routine… and change your life. If you accept the challenge.

Do you need to get unstuck?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.