To be successful........a few tips to help you stand out from 'the ordinary'!

So you are sick of feeling as if you can't quite reach that goal you are working towards? Feel like you want to be in a place that seems just out of reach; be it a career goal, a fitness goal or just general 'life success' over a range of things?

What  are some things that successful people do that sets them apart from the 'ordinary' person? Here are a few noteworthy changes you could make to your lives that will make a world of difference!

                 

1. They make a difference

If you have an idea, that idea has to change peoples life’s. As long as you’re not helping other people, it’s useless. Don’t start with an activity or business primarily to make money, it won’t work. When you create fans by offering your expertise, they are willing to pay for it. The problem with today’s entrepreneurial mindset is that’s all about “quick” money and not necessarily about making a difference.

2. They focus on productivity instead of on being busy

Do you know those people who always say they can’t meet up with you or help with a certain thing because they’re always busy? I do, and to be honest I was one of them.

When I look back, I don’t actually know with what I was being busy. I thought I was being busy, but now I realize I could have done many things in a much more productive way.

Is 8 hours of work actually 8 hours when you’re checking your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram updates every 30 minutes? It’s necessary to take a rest once a while, but don’t get lost in hundreds of status updates that make you forget about your priorities.

3. They keep setting S.M.A.R.T. goals

You can never reach the success you want if you’re not setting goals. The trick is to set up a couple small, achievable goals and a couple of bigger ones. If you only set up huge, unachievable goals, you’ll get unmotivated and fall back into your old mindset. The small goals keep you motivated and give you the feeling you’re being productive once you achieve them.

Try setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, which is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. These goals are concrete and well-defined measures of your progress.

4. They take action

There is a big difference between talking or actually taking action. I’m pretty sure you have people around you who’ve said, “This year, I’m going to lose weight, become fit, and look like I’ve never looked before!” Or, “I’ve got such a good idea, I’m planning to start a new business, but first I’m going to do some research,” which probably results in never taking any action.

Many of those people do take action, but the majority do not. It could be many things that keep them from taking action, like fear, no money, or no motivation. The trick is to make a plan and take action right from the start—choose to put in the effort to overcome those obstacles.

5. They exercise and eat right

The better you treat your body, the better you will feel, which results in better results. Successful people take time to prepare healthy meals and work out for at least 30 minutes a day.

Not having time to work out or prepare a healthy meal is nonsense. If you have time to watch TV or check your social media profile, you also have time to care about your body.

You don’t necessarily need to lose weight or gain muscle, but try to stay in shape and watch your junk food intake.

6. They always step out of their comfort-zone

Successful people are willing to do everything they have to succeed. If they fail, they try it again and learn from it. The vast majority of people think differently and want to stay in their comfort zone.

You can’t expect magic is going to happen when you always do the same things over and over again. You need to step up and start doing new things. The fear of failure is usually the reason that keeps people from acting.

Think about something you’ve done in the past. Something that was so scary that it made you sweat, feel nauseous, or become overly nervous. That could be giving a speech in front of a big crowd or asking someone on a date. In the end, it wasn’t as scary and difficult as you thought, right? And you’ve learned from it.

Approach everything in your life this way. If you really want to become successful, you need to step out of your comfort zone.

*Lifehack  

Good luck!!

When life gets overwhelming.....

This past week has felt like a freight train in many ways.

A busy  time at work; applying for my position for another one year contract (the joys of the teaching world!), sitting on panels for others to apply for various leadership positions in the school (little bit ironic when I don't necessarily have a concrete position that I am assisting select who leads the school next year!!), beginning to write student reports (I'll admit, the temptation to copy and paste is very real!), signing up and commencing a new one year course through the Integrative Institute of Nutrition (IIN), completing the final two days of my Personal Training workshops over the weekend (after an early morning run or swim both days), and then coming home to several family dinners (still sharing in the celebrations of our recent engagement), school visits to provide information to perspective students for next  year, squeezing in a bit of time to write a blog or two and study for my upcoming Pilates exam, thinking about where to even begin in our wedding planning, babysitting and then....there is  life to fit in somewhere!!!

It's safe to say that come Monday  morning (today), I am exhausted!!! 

Over the past 7 months, I've been completing course after course and planning to set up a business of my own, with the hope of one day being able to do this full time. I've loved the excitement that comes with planning, making something out of nothing and having the feeling that you jump out of bed each day knowing that you  are following your passions. The notion of flexibility in working hours, as well as the ability to challenge myself in something that is dear to my heart in working with health and fitness specifically excites me.

The more course work I have completed, the closer I feel that I am getting to my goal and that certainly creates a feeling of butterflies and anticipation of how life might look like when I get to do the things that I have dreamed of for years and get paid for it!! 

It was only 3 days ago that I had a conversation with my Fiancee about feeling on top of things and not too run-down with my 'to-do list'. Although after the weekend, I am actually wetting my pants and starting to do cartwheels with my thoughts! I've felt a headache brewing since Saturday afternoon - as usual I've tried to do everything and I thought it might help to have a few beers or glasses of wine. Nope. 

When I got home on Sunday afternoon with aching muscles from dead lifts, squats, weights and circuit training sessions during the two day P.T course, my Fiancee said 'Oh, we're going to my Brother's place for a couple of hours'. Normally - this is great! We  haven't seen them in ages and the need to  show off my fancy engagement ring was high - but I think this last 'rush' just tipped my anxiety and ability to cope over the edge. I didn't mean to sound grumpy -  but I felt like if I said anything out loud I would either burst into tears or I would get a bit on the snappy side. So, instead I remained quiet, smashed down my packed tuna salad, changed my clothes and jumped in the car. I think by this stage - I'd gasped for air and made 'everything is an effort' sighing noises about 25 times - matched by some funny looks by my Fiancee in the car seat next to me (I must admit, my Mum used to do this to us which would make us feel guilty for breathing or just being around - not a comfortable place to be let me tell you!).

After having a discussion about the 'wedding plans' with my Fiancee's brother and sister in law, we toyed with a few ideas which made me want to get it organised (well - realistically there is  a sense of urgency  to get a date locked in to make sure we get the planning time and venue that we want). When we got back home I felt like my 'to do' list had just grown ten fold and I wanted my Fiancee to start looking with me - at the same time, I didn't want to be too pushy or 'bridezilla-like' because this  wasn't what our relationship was like - it was very loving, warm, caring and laid back. 

When my man left for work - I was onto it like a flash. You know when you look so deep and put so much  attention into something, the more stressful it gets?? It's like the more information and knowledge you gain about something, the less able you are to make a good choice!

There were pros and cons for everything, which made my indecisiveness scream from the anxiety!

At this stage I am feeling a bit nervous - we haven't planned anything and are at the very beginning stages of the big event. Maybe this wedding thing is seriously stressful after all! I was hoping it would be a relaxed and fun experience! 

I take a big breath.

In between the wedding thoughts, I was worrying about how this passion I had developed and knowledge I had gained from the courses I had completed, together with the desire to make my dream of working with young women in health, wellness and fitness would fit into my life. On one hand - I needed to have a solid income to be able to pay for this upcoming wedding, buy a house in the next couple of years and hopefully start a family. 

The butterflies were certainly here and I feel as if my head is about to explode.

When I got home yesterday afternoon, the care ride home had me thinking about how I was going to plan the rest of my afternoon and week to fit the things I needed to get done in. I thought maybe yesterday I would write another blog, I would get a start on finishing the paperwork (assignments) of the P.T course, and I would give the house a bit of a clean (it has developed into a bit of a den that only we hide our mess in - maybe not so much for visitors!!) and try and have a little bit of time to just get my head a little more relaxed. When I got home, I was brought back to the reality that trying to fit in this new 'dream career' may not be so easy. The spare time I had on my days off (if I wasn't doing another course day, completing training hours  at the Pilates studio or studying), should be spent enjoying the beautiful relationship and family I had in front of me. I started to wonder whether this new career was possible, given that my income needs to be comfortable and that sometimes I had to just let my plans fall by the wayside to make sure I get a bit of time with my Fiancee and future step - son (who is only with us on weekends).

In the car-ride home, I was feeling inspired and contemplated getting back into triathlons (I was already  running and getting back into swimming) - but as soon as I returned home, the thought of how to fit EVERYTHING in hit a brick wall. 

I guess it was the build up of frustration that was squeezing and tugging at my head and heart - the constant battle between doing the things that made me feel alive and living in reality. 

It was nobody's fault, but mine. Yes - as you have probably gathered, I have taken on quite a bit this year as my perfectionist and 'high achieving' personality drive my thought processes.

I love my life, and everything in it. Perhaps sometimes planning and organisation can only get you so far - sometimes you just  have to let life take it's course. if it's the right course for you, it will happen. 

In the meantime - don't forget to smell the roses. A life full of possibility is at your doorstep, but you will only find it if you stop to have a look at it. For now, I'll just  keep focusing on the things that make me feel alive and happy, and let the rest happen.

That's what i'm trying to keep in mind anyway........XXxx

Busy vs. Productive - How to create more time in the day, regardless of how busy you are!

How amazing would it be if we could just add one or two more hours to each day? As much as many of us would say "well - take off one or two hours of time at work for me PLEASE!!", realistically for most of us this is not an option. I'm sure even if we had more time, we'd still be asking for more!

Whether it’s to spend more time with ourselves, with our loved ones, or to learn a new skill or take up a new hobby. The truth is, most of us are not using the time we already have to its full potential. With a little bit of structure, analysis, and 'optimizing', we can spare at least 3-5 hours of additional time in our schedule to learn a new language, go for a run, start a blog learn an instrument, or even cooking!

Here’s a few tricks that can be really helpful in taking time off your “busy” schedule. (Life hacker).

1. Track your existing schedule

If you don’t know how you spend your day already, it’s going to be very difficult to know what’s working and what’s not. This applies in any habit, result, or goal you want to change. If you’re trying to lose weight, the first thing a nutritionist will tell you is to keep track of everything you’re eating throughout the day.

Start by tracking everything you’re doing during the day on your calendar. Keep it simple by categorizing each task into two colors representing:

1. Work time (blue)
2. Free time (green)

While all of our schedules will be different, you’ll be surprised to know how much “green” (free time) space you have in our day to invest in learning or something else more productive for you. For consistency, it’s recommended to track your schedule for at least three days, since you may have had a bad or good day of productivity.

And NO - social media scrolling is not considered to be work time!!! (Yes - I know, BUT, BUT, BUT!!!).

This information will help you with the next step…

2. Prioritize

Now that we understand how we already spend our days, it’s time to prioritize what matters. Whether you use a to-do list or a calendar to schedule your day, try reverse-engineering your end-goal to the tasks you have set for the day.

Here’s a logical framework to refer to:

• What’s my ultimate goal that I am trying to achieve? (learn Spanish, increase your business revenue, improve fitness etc.)
• Which of these tasks will bring me closer to my goal?
• Which of these tasks can I outsource or eliminate completely?

From there, we’re going to borrow what a productive framework used by Dwight Eisenhower called, “The Eisenhower Box.”

Start by categorizing your current task list and any upcoming ones into these 4 categories:

• Urgent and important (tasks you will do immediately).
• Important, but not urgent (tasks you will schedule to do later).
• Urgent, but not important (tasks you will delegate to someone else).
• Neither urgent nor important (tasks that you will eliminate).

From here, you should focus only on the tasks that are in the “do” and “decide” category. Everything else, you should…

3. Eliminate

Now that you have your biggest tasks categorized, it’s time to eliminate the unnecessary and unimportant tasks that are simply a waste of time. For many of us, this is checking social media, email, watching television, gossiping with friends, etc. After listing all of these tasks, try to experiment over the next five days without any of these, and see how much free time you have shaved off in your schedule.

For tasks that may seem urgent, but not important…

4. Delegate

It’s our nature to handle every single detail of our work (hello - control freak!), but they rarely lead to reaching our end goal faster. This can be potentially dangerous, especially when we’re focused on unimportant tasks that require a lot of our time. As Gary Vaynerchuk often states, “delegating is easy when you realize that 99% of what you do doesn’t matter.”

There are so many  virtual personal assistants at your fingertips on the internet, to help you accomplish the same tasks (without having to deal with extra grey hairs and stress headaches!). These tasks may include: travel research, flight booking, blog post updates, podcast editing, social media managing, contacting clients and more.

5. Optimize

Last, but not least, it’s time to optimize and refine your schedule to meet its full potential.

Here are the 3 ways to accomplish this:

i. Shorten your deadline for individual tasks

As stated by Parkinson’s Law, most of us take more time than necessary to complete a task. If we give ourselves three hours to complete a small task, we’ll do our very best to use up all those three hours to complete it. However, if we only gave ourselves 15 minutes, we’ll find a way to get it done. Ask yourself: how many of the tasks on your schedule actually take up the time you allocated to it? Can you do it sooner?

ii. Cut out your least important free time

While we need breaks during our day, some breaks such as spending time with family is more important than watching Game of Thrones on Netflix (i know - parting with regular re-runs of the bachelor pains me deeply!). Find one free time space in your schedule that is the least important, and cut it out from your schedule.

iii. Bundle your free times together

Or you can use my personal favorite option: bundling free time together. This means instead of having 2 slots of 30 minutes to check email or social media, you can simply use that first 30-minute slot to do both. Chances are, we already multi-task nearly everything we do anyways, so why not multi-task during our free times, rather than during our important tasks?

6. Become a morning person.

I get it - not everyone loves getting up at 5 or 6am to get some exercise, work, meditation, food prep or study in. But believe me - it takes two weeks to form a habit and pushing through that 'I can't get out of bed' mindset is a habit you will learn to love. It leaves you feeling a sense of accomplishment as you've ticked off a box before many people wake, it  means you have just added an extra hour to two to the day that you once 'really wanted one or two more hours in my day!', you get the see those amazing sunrises and feel a sense of clarity before the day begins - soon you'll be hanging for the hour you have by yourself to plan, clear your head and like me come up with your best ideas!

7. Make use of the times you feel most energized.

The times where you feel like you have the most energy will be different in each of us. Make a note of the times in the day where you feel most productive (for me, anything after 6pm is a struggle, but throw anything at me early in the morning!), and try to plan for the big, important tasks you have noted that need to be accomplished to be done during these times.

Obviously some of these aim towards the business minded reader, but give them a go and work them in to suit your life!

Love the run - Pushing through the pain is addictive, and exhilarating!

Lethargic, heavy legged, flat, unmotivated, over-motivated (yes - I believe this is actually possible; my definition stands as having so much motivation to do EVERYTHING that you lose the ability to be motivated and burn your tired little brain out from riding the roller coaster of 'grand plans'!) and just plain nervous about how the events and goals I have laying ahead of me will pan out.

Over the past week I've been trying to rev myself up for the Melbourne marathon festival half marathon. You'd think doing this particular race along the same course as last  year, and a being a fast, flat course would make going into this year's event feel more comfortable. Let me tell you - it most definitely wasn't. All things considered, I hadn't put in the kilometers of training I should have this year due to commitments with my Pilates and Personal Trainer courses, as well as making time to work on my Wellness Coaching, working full time as a Teacher and of course still being able to give myself a 'break' (I say this in commas, as this was a little sporadic at the best of times) and spend some quality time with family and friends. But - knowing that you have done a decent job at finishing in a solid time last year just adds the pressure that little bit more.

Last week I was writing my ten page application to teach on another one year contract at my school, sitting in an interview to be a level coordinator (and waiting patiently to find out whether this turned out to have a positive - thank goodness it did!!!) and fitting in any spare moment to study for my upcoming Pilates exam. I won't lie - it got busy, especially coming off the back of a big Sunday of drinking some very delicious bottles of Moet and Chandon to celebrate our engagement with my fiancee's family. Doing all of this in style - comes with being a perfectionist. While over-committing yourself is difficult for most - my natural introverted, but competitive spirit does this quite regularly and aims to do the best it possibly can in each of the 'to do list' jobs.

Back to the run - all week I'd been trying to psych myself up to be able to run the distance. In a spur of the moment, 'I'm feeling good' afternoon about a month ago, and knowing that 6 other workmates had entered the race, I signed up, paid the $110 entry fee and planted the seed for the anxious butterflies to grow for today's half marathon. In my mind (at the time) - even if I crossed the line and took it easy, it'd be fun. As I was saying before, 'taking it easy' and just doing it to cross the line isn't always as easy as it should be.
I had a couple of good runs pre-Bali, and felt more confident with the thought that the race was still 3 weeks away. A few 8.5km beach runs and weights sessions over the ten day holiday period would surely be enough to hold the body in good stead until we returned. The second day back in the 'homeland', I laced up the runners and head out the door with plans to run 15km minimum. One hour later - I returned gasping for air, and virtually lifting each leg with my hands throughout the motions of the final stretch home.
Ok - so first run back, the legs will start to get better with a couple of runs behind them.
Oh - how I was wrong!!

My panic alarm started to sound. I went out and purchased a new, lighter pair of shoes in an effort to try and trick my legs into thinking the run was getting easier. Murphy's law - after one run in those, I was back at the running shop buying a second pair as they felt much bigger running than when I had a quick 'trot' on the treadmill in the shop.
I brought myself a new pair of fancy, bright pink running socks, a new fluro purple visor, ate like I'd never nutritiously eaten before, self massaged and foam rolled until the cows came home to try and soften up the tight spots in my glutes and meditated for 15minutes each night with the thought that 'I feel strong, relaxed and confident'.
A week later - I felt exactly the same; slow, lethargic and very uneasy about the race!

This morning the day arrived. Two restless nights of sleep was 'great' preparation and meant that I rolled out of bed with a double bagged green tea on hand. On went the outfit and out the door I head to meet my gorgeous and supportive parents who always help out on race day being the support crew (a.k.a. big smiles and warm hugs at the start and finish - my saviors after any kind of run!).

"10 minutes until start time for the half marathoners" - the announcement that made my belly lift up to the back of my throat.
Into the pack of thousands I slink, watch ready, I-pod on and shivering in anxious preparation.
And we were off!

The first 9km I was flying. I was cruising, running a pace that would see me come close to a PB and runners were dissapearing behind me (well - some anyway!!).
Then came the pain. The point where the lack of training would catch up on me. And the point where my 'great idea' new runners started to feel tight across my entire forefoot - making each step feel like I was leaping onto a rocky, gravel driveway with no shoes on.

The energy drinks station finally came up. Agh - thank god I screamed, hopeful that this might just be able to give my achy legs and feet the lift they need!!
I gulped down three quarters of the plastic cup, while the last quarter dribbled down my front leaving me feeling sticky for the next 5km.

I saw a few friendly faces along the way, both spectating and running the race - I made sure I looked 'comfortable' as I waved and yelled out to them but little did they know, I was screaming on the insides and slowed as I passed their view.

The last 6 or 7 km was a battle with my brain. I so desperately wanted to just stop, happy that I'd ran a solid distance and would walk back to the finish where a strong soy latte would be in reach. The heart of me wouldn't let my legs stop ticking over - and ticking over, step by step was what they did until oh my - we were finally completing the last lap of the MCG where the crowds cheered, the announcer was flashing the camera to all the finishers and the 'safe' place to collapse into the ground was near.
With Steve Monaghetti (am Australian distance running icon, and race ambassador) looking over towards the finish line from the stands - I found a second wind to sprint the last two hundred meteres, until finally the big red arches were there.
Relief was the first word that came to mind. Frustration at the knowledge that I should've trained a bit harder and was five minutes slower than last year. But all in all - there is always next year.
I couldn't walk, I couldn't lift my arms and took a while to make a clear look around into the crowd to make sense of where to get a thirst quenching drink - but it was done.

As I walk out of the grounds, an older man catches up to me; "Great run - did you crack the 1.40?", and we start making plans together (him being a complete stranger) of our next run. This time it will be longer, faster and maybe even off-road! Despite the limp of blistered feet and achy shoulders, we remained addicted to the atmosphere, the running spirit and the camaraderie of each person who runs.

For now - I'll rest up for a few days, enjoy my well deserved brunch, sit in the sunshine with an ice cold beer or two and ponder my next distance goal - could the marathon be possible next time around?

Ha - 'gotta love the run addiction'!!!