Hello Beautiful Souls!

Despite any differences we may have, one thing we all have in common is that we are on a journey to accomplish our goals. The journey may be unfamiliar and challenging, but it is uniquely yours and completely worthwhile. One of the keys to reaching your goals is to eliminate any escape routes. It is tempting to retreat to safety and comfort when challenges and difficulties arise. To avoid turning around and abandoning your goals, you must make going forward more compelling than going back.

When striving towards a goal, you must focus on what you want to obtain and avoid the impulse to go back to what you know and to what is comfortable. You’ve got to be so committed to your missions that it becomes the option and not just an option. When Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez landed in Mexico, one of his first orders to his men was to burn the ships. Cortez was committed to his mission and did not want to allow himself or his men the option of going back to Spain. By removing this option, Cortez and his men were forced to focus on how they could make the mission successful.

Eliminating an escape route creates a compelling reason to focus on the goal and to keep moving forward. However, it is important to keep in mind that although Cortez had his men burn the ships, he did not have them burn the food and supplies. Cutting off an escape route to increase motivation and create the desire to press on where you might otherwise give up is totally different from throwing caution to the wind and taking undue risks. Reaching your goals still requires prudent planning and managing. All goals contain a certain degree of risk, but it isn’t necessary to create undue risk and stress by not properly planning and thus lacking the necessary tools and supplies to achieve your goal. Take risks, but don’t be careless or foolish and simply hope that everything will be okay.

Before you decide to burn your ships, make sure you have the supplies and tools necessary to achieve the goal. Something like quitting your job might sound like a good way to close the escape route, but it might also be a fast way to bankruptcy if you don’t have resources to carry you through. Creating a savings account or having a journey job (a job that is a steppingstone to what you really want) allows you to take the risk of leaving your current job without creating undue risk.

Close off the escape routes and make sure that you have a compelling reason to move forward. However, at the same time, make sure that you plan for the risk and have the tools, supplies, and resources you need to achieve your goals. You can’t eliminate risk, but you can plan for it. Don’t just jump in without thinking through the process and having a solid plan for moving forward.

So burn the ships! But do so responsibly.

Until Next Time Beautiful Souls, Keep Glowing…

Blast Through Barriers to your Goals

Hello Beautiful Souls!

Sometimes we set goals in life that we do not accomplish. For one reason or another, we encounter some sort of barrier that deters or interferes with our desired outcome. When we don’t accomplish goals, especially important/big ones, we tend to be less excited and even less confident moving forward. This decline in confidence causes some to give up on their goals altogether.

One of the reasons we do not face our goals is because when we are faced with an unexpected barrier that we’re unsure how to deal with, we shut down. We become discouraged, we start making excuses, and we allow ourselves to back off of our original plan. While this is a human and natural tendency, it’s not conducive to success.

An important step that you can take to avoid this barrier blunder is that of carefully planning your goal to include backup plans for all those little “what ifs.”

“What if I don’t pass the prerequisite course?”

“What if I don’t get the loan?”

“What if I run out of time?”

“What if the marketing doesn’t work?”

“What if I just don’t feel like it?”

These are all very real barriers that keep us from realizing our life dreams. By planning for them, we greatly improve our chances of succeeding and experience the power of being unstoppable.

What kind of barriers can you preplan?

1. Internal Barriers

Internal barriers include the thoughts you have about your goal, success, and yourself that keep you from being successful. They include your personal fears, motivation, self-esteem, and paradigms.

“What if I just don’t feel like doing my assignment?”

Solution – commit to working on it for at least 15 minutes. Then take a break and come back to it later.

“What if my fear of the phone keeps me from following through on my marketing campaign?”

Solution – have a friend help me make phone calls. It might not be so bad if I’m not alone.

“What if I find myself procrastinating?”

Solution – ask a friend to call me every day to remind me to spend a little time on my goal. Work on my goal first thing in the morning to get it done and over with. Having an accountability partner is a practice that a lot of successful employ.

2. External Barriers

External barriers include barriers such as money, time, other people’s reactions, resources, and results. We are not in direct control of them, but we can affect how they work and we can still plan around them.

“What if the client turns down my proposal?”

Solution – ask questions to find out why and resubmit it.

“What if I forget the worksheets?”

Solution – fax a copy to the hotel and get new copies made.

“What if the landscaping blocks don’t come in on time?”

Solution – pad the timeline and notify the client of this possibility in advance. Realign timeline to work on other projects until the blocks come in.

Practice this technique with even your small, short-term goals. It feels great to know that when a brick wall appears in your path, you have the perfect solution for getting around it and getting back on the road to achievement!

Until Next Time, Beautiful Souls

Keep Glowing…

Hello Beautiful Souls!

I want to share an experience with you because I found it to be extremely impactful in my life and I hope that it can be impactful for you too.

Some time back, I met a very special individual while networking on Tiktok. I believe that he is one of my tribe because of the way we were drawn to each other. During our first encounter he asked me, “what’s your story?” And I’m not going to lie to you, for some reason, that question had me shook.

I stammered. I saw that he was a life coach as well, and then my insecurities started to rise up on the inside of me. I had been battling a pretty tough case of imposter syndrome during that time. * Is he trying to Coach me? I wondered. But no, that wasn’t it.

Then, my unhealed mistrust for men popped into the forefront of my mind. I asked myself, What’s his angle? What does he want? **

Turns out, he wanted exactly what he asked- to know what my story was.

So, What is my story?

I had a hard time answering that question because for a while I didn’t even know that I had an actual story. I was so focused on the opinions of others, that I had adopted their writings into my story. I was behaving like a victim of circumstance rather than taking ownership of my own life! I had experienced so many painful things and I was embarrassed. I didn’t know how to tell my story without feeling hurt, anger, or shame.

But I learned from Dean Graviosi’s book that there is a negative story and a positive one. The negative story is the one that you may have been taught from influential people in your life or it may be a belief gathered from an unfavorable experience. *** This negative story prevents us from doing what is the truest to us. For me, the upbringing in lack and poverty along with my low self-esteem served as a perfect accelerant for my negative story of not being good enough.

I have been married twice. And I felt inadequate in both marriages. I took on the more traditional role- as I was raised to. I cooked, cleaned, sewed, supported my spouse, and was the best wife and parent that I knew how to be at that time. But I was unhappy and didn’t feel valued. At some point in both marriages, my spouse at the time so much as informed me of my lack of actual value. My first husband claimed that my contributions were so insignificant that I could ‘stand still like a statue’ and the household would still run perfectly without a hitch.

My second husband, who I met while still recovering from my first marriage, went on to say that I had nothing when I met him and that I would continue to have nothing after our separation. After my second marriage imploded, I was left homeless. I took that as confirmation that what my ex-husbands had said about me was true.

But it was not true then and it isn’t true now! That was the negative story that was embedded in me that kept me from going for what I wanted in life. I was stifled by an idea of inadequacy that I had formed based on the opinions of others.

Today, once and for all, I disown and completely eradicate that negative story and I work each and every day to create my true story. My real story is that I am a Powerful, Strong, Smart, Kind, Caring, Leader, Life Coach, Writer, Motivator, and Business Woman who affects positive change everywhere I go. I speak clearly and with purpose to the hearts of people who are hurting because I know what it’s like to suffer in silence and feel like there’s no way out.

You see, my actual story is nothing like the story my exes told. My story is a fabulous one. And it is still being written.

What’s your Story?

Until Next Time Beautiful Souls,

Keep Glowing…

Hello Beautiful Souls!

There are times in a person’s life when they may feel stuck.  They may be in a situation that is making them unhappy, however they are lacking the motivation or extra push they need to help them create positive change in their life.  Sometimes they are not even sure what it is that they want.

If a person is unclear as to what their goal is, they can look at each area of their life.  Those areas may include Family, friends, health, career, finances, physical location, hobbies, and their love life. They can begin by determining on a scale of one to ten (ten being best) how they feel about each of those areas of their life.  After they determine which area has the lowest number, they can then think about what they can do to make that area a “ten”.

Once a person has determined what their goal (or dream) is, they can then begin to focus on it by determining what steps they need to take to get there. One thing to consider is that even though a person may not be happy with their current situation, it was that situation that launched their dream. It was the point of disappointment or dissatisfaction that they experienced that highlighted a need to make changes. So, it is important to appreciate where a person is in their life because it helps to create a positive mental attitude.  This attitude can help to move a person in the right direction more quickly. 

Also, it is a good idea for a person to surround themselves with other people who have similar goals. This support system can add more motivation and can provide even more ideas which will help them to reach their goal. Determination is very important, because the person who did not reach their goal is usually the one who gave up before they reached the “finish line”.  (It has been said that Thomas Edison tried 700 times before successfully creating a light bulb.)  Sometimes, a person simply needs to keep trying and not give up. 

For someone who could use some extra motivation, a personal life coach can help them to find out what they want and can help inspire them to get there.  Also, some qualified individuals can provide positive visualization, which helps people to reach their goal more quickly by using the power of the subconscious mind.  Combining the two techniques can really help a person to create positive change in their life.

Until Next Time, Beautiful Souls!

Mimi Loves You

Tips for Managing Your Life

Hello Beautiful Souls!

Hopefully, it wasn’t the ‘New Years Bug’ and you’re still focused on self-improvement and maximizing your life. For all my goal getters who are ready to absolutely glow this year, I’ve got some tips to help you stay focused and achieve your goals. In order to improve the condition of our lives, we must first prioritize. So, consider this:

1. What Areas Need the Most Work?

Watching a reality TV show may be more entertaining than cleaning the green film off the shower stall, but it won’t keep your home from becoming a biohazard. Establishing and sticking to priorities will help you spend less time worrying about what needs to be done and more time accomplishing your goals. Consider using Sunday evenings, when you normally mourn the end of the weekend, to go over weekly goals and priorities. This is a great way to stay focused on what you want to accomplish without getting ahead of yourself.

2. Cut Out the Junk

If you’re like most people, you keep possessions well beyond their usefulness. When neighbors begin mistaking your garage for abstract art, you have a problem. (Ever seen the show Hoarders? Yikes!) Consider selling old appliances, clothing and furniture that add clutter to your life. You could try a yard sale, use Web sites such as eBay and Craigslist to sell secondhand goods, or maybe even donate them to non-profit organizations such as salvation army and goodwill. This could help you clear space as well as help someone get some discounted good. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure ya know? And maybe one day you may even be able to park your car in the garage again!

3. Give Someone Else a Spot

Pledging to be more active in your community is an important goal. Not only is it fulfilling to do something positive for someone else, it also instills a sense of togetherness and pride in regards to your community and neighborhood. Plus, the positive energy you put out has a way of finding you again. And at the most perfect times too!

Instead of shying away from volunteer opportunities, make a point to reserve one day a month for charities or functions. Nonprofit organizations are flexible when it comes to working with volunteers.

None of these tips will take effect if you don’t implement them into your daily routine. Be sure to stay consistent! It only takes a couple days of procrastination before you’re smothered by daily tasks and confused about what to do next. You will change your habits only by being proactive and setting constant reminders. Remember, Rome was not built in a day. By being patient with your progress and approaching your goals sooner than later, you may have some great accomplishments to celebrate.

Until Next Time, Beautiful Souls