I don’t know about you, but the feeling of checking things off a to-do list is almost as good as a brownie a ‘la mode!
On the flip side, a to-do list with not a lot of checks can leave you feeling overwhelmed and under accomplished.
What if I told you that how you choose to view “good” days (productive) vs. “bad’ days (unproductive) is the key to creating more fulfilling and efficient days.
In just 2 minutes and 52 seconds, you will learn a secret about handling this productivity dilemma….enjoy!
There is one thing I know is 100% certain.
We all make things up.
Whether you think that you are going to have a good day or a bad day. – it is made up. You may be thinking you can easily reach your goals, or that you cannot. It is made up. You could make up that if you don’t work hard you are lazy and if you do work hard you are stressed out. The list is endless.
Many years ago, I learned this concept of how we make things up. Since then, I have been exercising my ability to use my MSU to make a positive impact in this world.
You now have an MSU…yes…who knew you would be getting an honorary degree today.
Now the fun begins, you can make up some really good stuff to concoct the delicious life you have been craving. Or , your days can be ordinary and bland.
This is how it works, when you think something, that’s right… you choose your thoughts, no one chooses them for you.
Specific situations can impact those thoughts…ultimately, you have the power to think what you want to think.
So, what do you want to make up?
Your purposeful life begins when positivity permeates your being.
Not a light statement, I know. Yet, when you begin to script the story of your life with intentional thoughts, confidence and hopefulness infuse your days.
When your actions are based on this kind of sureness, your days become a bit more enjoyable and easy…or is it easy and enjoyable? Either way, you love your life a whole lot more.
That is why we are here you know.
Our brain knows that and our cells know that.
The science of positive thinking speaks directly to increased possibilities when you are positive. Being flexible and nimble when it comes to navigating life’s choices is essential.
Barb Frederickson, positive psychologist, states this in her theory of Broaden and Build. When you broaden your sense of possibility and open your mind, you will build new skills and resources that will add value to all areas of your life.
Soooo…what will you make up today? You get to choose.
If you are feeling good most of your day, you are making up the good stuff.
If not, then time to reap the benefit of having an MSU and making up something different.
From there, new results and boom, you are experiencing a taste of the joy of peak performance.
Try it on and see how it feels.
In 1979, you could find me at the Gold Coast Roller Rink. The brush in my back pocket was used to come with my feathered hair. When the one of our favorite songs blasted out of the speakers, we would all skate as fast as could to do “The Hustle.
Well, here it is 2017 and I am still doing the Hustle.
As a service based business owner, there are always activities to keep the proverbial pipeline full.
Attending networking events, reaching out to potential gate openers, following up with clients – past and potential, speaking at events, writing newsletters, posting on social media…lions and tiger and bears…oh my.
Most of the time, the hustle is fun. Thanks to many mentors and coaches, I know what to do, and am pretty good at it…it is just a matter of staying in consistent action.
What happens when you don’t feel like doing the hustle?
This past month, the excitement of participating in these activities have waned.
So as a coach, I naturally became curious with myself.
Hustle Burnout is real and an integral part of building a business. It is not the burnout itself that is the problem, it is how you treat yourself when it appears.
Monday is the best day to plan productive activities. Follow-up Friday’s to wrap up my week. Tuesday-Thursday are coaching days, and speaking engagements are sprinkled in throughout the week
Something very different happened in February. The month was filled with a lot of… downtime, that I was effective in turning around to productive days.
This presented a choice – beat myself up or learn from the experience You know what I did – I chose to learn…okay, maybe I beat myself up a little, yet realized very quickly that that was not helping the situation.
Here is the thing, if you are experiencing Hustle Burnout, the best thing to do is-
1. Accept that this is where you are – laying expectations on yourself that you should be someplace other than where you
are, is crazy-making. When you can approach the situation with more curiosity, than judgement, you’ll begin to uncover answers to
help you move forward. For now, be where you are, and be as easy on yourself as you would on your best friend or child.
2. Practice extreme self-care, while doing what it is necessary in your business – often burnout happens when your fountain
is empty. What is one thing you can do to fill your fountain so you can feel good again? Take a walk, bath or vacation? Read a
poem, book or magazine? Call a friend, your mother or a coach? Taking the time to do something for you, will give you the renewed
energy to perform the next right thing to do to move you towards your goals and intentions.
3. Figure out if there is something specific triggering the burnout – when you are curious with yourself, without
judgement, you can clearly see what may be causing this burnout. Take an inventory of your activities over the last week to
discover which are satisfying and which are not. At this time, spend more of your energy on what feels good and either delegate or
put aside the draining activities.
4. Make a few small shifts in your routine – This new awareness will let you to begin to make small adjustments in your
schedule and activities. Making change is essential to receive different results. Begin the new habits and practice them for at
least two weeks. Then move to the final step….
5. PDSA- Plan Do Study Act – this is the Deming approach to continuous improvement. As a business owner and as a person,
this part of the plan is essential. Imagine if Julia Child did not taste her Beef Bourguignon before publishing the recipe. You
know she did. She created the recipe, tasted it, adjusted it, tasted again and again before putting it on her show and in her
book. The same is true for each of you. Experiencing new habits allow you to experience new results.
Moving from burnout to contentment to excitement needs a new plan. Just like I have a new hair style – no more feathers for me, I had to do things a bit differently to get the new results I wanted.
By hustling to a new song, joy, fulfillment and excitement are now my moves. This is the best kind of rink to roll on – this is where the magic happens.
Everyone sing along… “Do the hustle…”
One of my favorite things about Sunday, is going to “church”. I am not a particularly religious, I live life aligned with many spiritual principles.
Those principles include:
What we put our attention on expands,
Treat others as you would like to be treated and
Take time each day to connect with spirit.
These simple practices help you stay connected to what is important, balanced, and often sane.
This past Sunday the opportunity to attend my church of choice presented itself.
I put on my denim shorts, t-shirt, hat and shoes. I found my gloves and basket and opened the door to my favorite place to connect with spirit – my garden
We have been traveling a lot this summer, so my yard was not only abundant with zinnias, sunflowers, basil and tomatoes; there were also at least two bushel of weeds – woo hoo!
Believe it or not, I enjoy weeding. Even though they are green, lush and invasive, there is something cathartic in pulling them out of the ground. Whether it is clothes, books, relationships or weeds, I feel space opening up for more of what I desire, when I remove what no longer serves me.
As I was yanking and grabbing, the familiar thought of how weeds are like thoughts appeared.
When you put attention on what you are reading, watching and thus thinking about daily, it is easy to remove the weeds, aka“negative thoughts.”
However, when you begin to live by default and no attention is put on ridding yourself of internal or external negative influences, you feel the results of the weeds growing immediately.
That may show up as low energy, frustration, fear, disappointment and/or sadness and depression.
This is a place of contraction.
The crazy thing – we do it to ourselves.
All of a sudden the weeds are out of control and it feels overwhelming to deal with them. In the garden, you can hire someone to pull them for you.
In our mind, the equivalent to this would be asking for help. Sure, you could hire a coach or maybe a therapist, which can be seen as a Gardner for your mind.
The trick is to not allow those weeds to get out of control.
So what is Roundup for your spirit?
What I share with my coaching clients are the following practices. Yes, practice is the key word here. Creating a more positive and optimistic mindset, weed free, is something that has to happen everyday.
I am not saying you need to monitor every thought, that would make you crazy.
The three most important things you can do to keep your mind weed free is:
Begin each day with thinking something positive. I wake up each day and say, “something great is going to happen today!”
Spend a few minutes before important activities, visualizing things working out even better than you expected. Clarify your vision of what you desire for that day and see it in your minds eyes.
At the completion of your day, spend a few minutes thinking about what went well for you. This is the complete opposite of what you did not accomplish. Remember, it is very rare that everything will be off of your “to-do” list. Put your attention on what you want more of and you will feel good and thus attract it.
When you begin to implement these simple strategies for positivity, you will notice that you have more energy to accomplish what is important to you, your relationships will get better and as Stuart Smally once said, you are good enough, smart enough and gosh darn it, people like you.
Yes, these are simple strategies, but sometimes not always easy to begin. Use the one day at a time system, beginning with making a commitment to not let your weeds get to of control. They are always going, your job is to be the Gardner of your soul, so you can enjoy the beauty of living a life you love every day.
I say yes! I am a realistic optimist and believe that anything you desire is possible.
If you believe that it is holiday time and business is going to be slow, it probably will be. Your thoughts create a feeling and that feeling moves you into action…..or not.
If you choose for it to be busy, then most likely will you are correct and your actions will compliment that.
Here are 3 tips to support you in navigating the holidays and keeping your business growing and thriving.
Depending on the nature of your business, you may be right, people may not be looking for your services in December. With that said, it is a great time to begin planting seeds for what you want to attract in January and February. If you think about it, the business you received this month is most likely a result of marketing activities you performed in September or October.
What are you going to offer your clients in the first quarter? Create it now, plan it well and you will be ready to roll it out next year and reap the benefits of your pro-active planning.
You may have heard- Plan your work and work your plan. What does that really look like? Begin with an annual plan, broken into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily intentions. I have recently heard a lot about the power of time blocking. This is when you mark your calendar with appointments to complete the tasks that will help you reach your goals. I put a Wendy twist on this – I know what I am committed to accomplishing each week. I like using a paper calendar for my tasks and I use my phone for my appointments (love those reminders!) I take time on Friday afternoons or Monday morning to lay that out in my paper calendar. Once you have that laid out for the week, then each day you choose the 3 most important things to accomplish that day. For bonus points – complete those tasks before lunch – that sure does make lunch even tastier.
I used the C word in the last tip – that is commitment. As business owners, especially soloprenuers, it is imperative that you commit and recommit to your goals, dreams and plan on a regular basis. When you have a coach or accountability partner it is much easier to stay focused on what is most important. What are you committed to accomplishing this month?
What you put your attention on expands, so in review, set up a plan to attract clients with great marketing activities, try a new way of planning and working your plan to increase your productivity and last but not least, stay committed and focused on your goals-they are what will lead you to the best holiday celebration ever.
If there is one thing I am certain about is entrepreneurs are the busiest people I know. As most of you know, busy does not always equate to producing results. Whether you are an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, results are king, cha ching.
As a business coach, and a bit of a fanatic when it comes to getting stuff done (one of my favorite motivator songs is A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action by Elvis), I find it important to let you know 3 good hacks to increasing your productivity.
Don’t be a Doug.
Doug was the dog in the movie UP that constantly was distracted by “squirrels”. When you have a project to complete, making sales calls, writing your blog or creating a new program, it is imperative to reduce the amount of distractions on your path. Turn the ringer off on your phone, close down your email and tell your coworkers, family and friends that for the next hour or two, you will be working on a project and do not want to be disturbed. If you are a doctor, this may be a problem. For the rest of you, you will be amazing how much you can accomplish with focused time.
2.Speaking of Interruptions….
Guess what, you will be interrupted (less when you set boundaries), so why not plan for it. The average worker in an 8 hour day should only plan on 6 hours of work getting done per day. Leave a little gap in your daily scheduling to allow for life to happen. When you do, you will feel less stressed and more apt to deal with the disruption with more ease and grace.
3.Pay Attention to What you Put on your Plate.
It is human nature to think you can accomplish more in a day than you really can (even when you stay on purpose.) Try planning this way – at the beginning of the week, use a paper calendar to write down everything you want to finish that week. At the end of each day, determine the three things, yes only three items, that are imperative you accomplish the next day. Stay firm on your decision to complete those three tasks first – before noon is best. The rest of your day you can deal with interuptions and your daily routine, knowing your most important tasks are done.
The best way to achieve to boost your productivity, is to engage in new activities. Pick one of these tips and weave them into your week. Email me with your successes – I cannot wait to learn about how productive you have been!
Many of you know of my Merging Mission – I am committed to helping more people flourish so they will let me, and you, merge into traffic on a regular basis. Think about it, when you are having a great day, you’ll let anyone ease in front of you. When you are having a less than good day, no one is getting in there.
One of the ways I help others flourish besides coaching is speaking. A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my first one-day signature event.
We laughed, we learned, we ate cupcakes.
There were so many ahas shared with me from the event, I thought it would be good to share a few of them with you.
Here are the top three takeaways:
When you put only three things on your to-do list per day and focus on those three projects/tasks, you accomplish a lot more.
If you have 10 items on your to-do list each day, it leaves you feeling less than accomplished. Cut that list in half today and notice the sense of achievement you experience.
Failure is not trying. Even when you attempt something and it does not work the way you thought it would, the lessons you learn increase the chances of success the next time attempt.
Changing your perspective around failure will allow you to try new things without the fear of “getting things wrong” paralyzing you. Notice what did not go well and get curious about how you can shift the activity the next time around.
Big change comes from practicing small shifts consistently.
If you want instant gratification, vacuum your house. Otherwise, gain clarity on your goal and move forward with baby steps and you will achieve it – probably faster than you think.
If one of these resonate with you, try it on for size to help you create more time in your business for a rich and successful life.
Have you ever pondered a decision for a long time and then, when the time was right, you acted on that decision?
I have been a speaker for many years and have pondered joining the National Speakers Association for a long time. Last month, I submitted my application and paid my dues! The act of saying yes to something I’d been thinking about for a long time was quite energizing.
I am looking forward to learning and growing with the amazing keynote speakers, facilitators and thought leaders in our city and the NSA.
I attended the August meeting and learned so much from Dr. John Molidor about how our brain processes information. He used this very fun activity in his talk called “Fact or Crap.” I am going to use this format today in my article about my coaching business – play along and see how you do.
Fact or crap:
People with a fixed mindset are smart and coachable.
Crap – They may be smart, but people with a fixed mindset, vs. a growth mindset think they are about as smart as they will ever be. Because they feel like they know what they know and cannot learn anything else, this quality deems them uncoachable at the moment.
They can change to a growth mindset with a strong intention and a plan to achieve that.
Fact or crap:
Stinking thinking smells like roses.
Crap – there is not aroma to negative thinking, just an unhelpful outcome to this activity. Negative and fear based thinking typically keeps people where they are. Shifting to supportive thinking helps people to feel good and perform better.
Fact or Crap:
What is perfect for you is perfect for your perfect client.
Fact! When business owners are clear on their values and set clear boundaries in alignment with those values they will attract ideal clients. When you train your clients on what those boundaries are you will attract more ideal clients and have less “imperfect” clients.
Fact or Crap:
Productivity increases when you work hard.
Crap – Studies show that regular breaks of 1.5 minutes increased worker productivity 6.45% and taking 2 minute breaks increased productivity by 11.15%.
2 minutes is good to stand and stretch.
Take a 20 second break to gaze 20 feet to relieve eye strain symptoms.
Fact or Crap:
Having a strategic business plan and not working it is better than not having a plan at all.
Crap – Either way, you are not setting themselves up for success. Without looking at your plan on a regular(monthly/weekly/daily) basis, you’ll experience increased mentally fatigue, have less money in your bank account than those who work a plan and will feel like you are not accomplishing much at all
Fact or Crap:
I offer complimentary Flourishing Strategy Sessions.
Fact – If you are interested in working with a coach, actually being coached by them is the best way to see if they are the right coach for you. I offer these to potential clients. Email Melanie@WendyWatkins.com to see if this conversation would be beneficial for you and your company.
Fact or Crap:
The Big Shift is going to help business owners learn how to make time in their business for a rich life.
Fact! This is a great opportunity to learn practical strategies and rituals to help you shift from busyness to productivity.
There are 9 spots left as of today. Click here to reserve your seat for my signature event.
These athletes are a gorgeous example of having a big vision and going for it. They train for a lifetime, for their moment in the games.
The mental game is as important as the physical training. Seeing themselves cross the finish line first, before they even arrive to Rio, is essential to getting gold.
Yes, they have to be able to swim really fast, or jump really high. And, using the power of visualization assists them in reaching that lofty goal.
Harnessing the power of a positive mindset is what I’ll be teaching at The Big Shift event on September 10. This skill is as important for business owners, as it is for athletes.
I heard this quote during the games –
“We all have gold in us, only some choose to dig for it.”
It made me wonder what differentiates those that choose to be top in their field vs those that do not.
Here are some differences I see:
Where do you see yourself?
If you are like most business people, you have a combination of qualities. Some of them are helping you to be successful and reach your business goals.
Success is not just about reaching your business goals.
Success also means having a rich life overall, which is why The Big Shift is perfect to learn how to experience this type of inclusive success.
One where you are:
Working during the day and having time on the weekends to spend with your family and friends
Enjoying activities on a regular basis that help you to flourish, like time with colleagues that support your vision.
Confident and positive that you are on the right path, and know how to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of being a successful business owner.
This, to me, is achieving gold medal status on a regular basis.
This takes practice.
Being great in your field does not happen overnight – even though we all love instant gratification.
At this event, you’ll be surrounded by other successful business owners who are intentionally creating a rich life…
…the kind of life you began your company for.
One where you are enjoying balance and big bank deposits. Time with your friends and family and fabulous clients and employees. Feeling good and going good – this is the life of a flourishing business owner.
The Big Shift event is your next level of training to live this kind of rich life.
Ticket prices are only $67 right now.
And, if you enroll today, you will be invited to a special webinar with me to help you clarify what your big shift is, so you have a running start before the day of the event.
It is your time, accept my invitation and join us on September 10 for The Big Shift event in Decatur
FEATURED ON
"Wendy’s unique perspective of how to increase optimism to boost success made for an entertaining and educational experience. The blend of her storytelling and concrete tools provided our members with valuable information that will enhance their life, as well as their business. If you want speaker who can connect with your audience and inspire them to be their best, Wendy is your woman."
- Leigh Layton
Director of Programs & Education,
2012-Georgia Coach Association
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