February 26, 2013

What If You’re Bored?

Filed under: Reconnection — Deb @ 11:51 am

Okay, I’ll admit it…I’m not really interested in my 100 Day Challenge right now.  Truthfully, I’m kind of bored.  It seemed like a really good idea at the time – when I first put it together but now…it’s more of a chore than a challenge. 

When I noticed my lack of interest in my chosen challenge, I thought that maybe it was just too hard or there was too much work involved.  Then I examined my feelings more closely and realized that what I am doing is just not that interesting to me.  There’s very little joy (even though I find learning joyful). 

Originally, I wanted to focus on Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  I was excited about the possibilities of being more creative and playful with these three types of media.  There are some really interesting things that can be done especially with video and pictures.  But into the second week of the challenge I changed my mind and switched Facebook for Linked In.  Why?  Because I learned that using Linked In might be more effective for business.  That’s where the challenge started to go off the rails for me.  I started to do something that I “should” do, according to the opinions of others.  Oops…I disconnected from myself …again! 

So it’s time for a readjustment.  Giving myself permission to change course slightly and add the joy and playfulness back into the challenge.  Getting back into alignment with me and what I want will keep me centered and give life to my challenge again. 

Keep this in mind for your own challenge – whether it’s the 100 Day Challenge or anything else you are up to in your life.  Can you feel the energy of excitement and growth?  Is there a little tingle or secret giggle when you think of what you are creating in your life?  Notice if you get bored, disinterested or wander away from your focus.  These feelings are your indicator lights, so to speak, that tell you that there is something out of alignment.  The sooner you notice the feeling, the sooner you can get back to feeling your joy again! 

Feel free to share your feelings about any challenge that you are facing right now.  What are you doing to come back to your center?

Joyfully,

Deb

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February 17, 2013

Change of Plans…

Filed under: Reconnection — Deb @ 1:20 pm

Sometimes the best laid plans can go astray!  I started my 100 Day Challenge with a clear plan of focusing on Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  But…things are about to change!  I had the chance to take a workshop on social media for business this past week and as I worked through the information and the steps to creating a marketing plan, I realized that I needed to adjust my plans for the 100 Day Challenge.  So, my focus is now shifting to learning about Linked In, Pinterest and You Tube!  Just a slight change but I wanted to share this with you because you may have hit a similar place in your challenge. 

The first couple of weeks of any new plan, in my opinion, are always the testing phase.  If you are at all like me, you have great ideas about what you want to accomplish with any plan – whether it’s for your day, for an event or for something like the 100 Day Challenge.  As a Life Coach, I am quite good at coaching my clients to adjust their plan greatly, especially at the beginning, when they have set a new goal for themselves.  There are so many factors that can affect your plan that you can’t anticipate – the biggest one being that you ALWAYS underestimate how long it will take to complete a task!  Another factor that often plays into having to adjust is that you get new information which may require a change in approach. 

So, take a look at where you are at with your challenge.  Has it been too hard?  Has it been too easy?  Do you need to adjust in some way?  Don’t worry if you need to adjust – that’s part of learning and part of the challenge!  And if you are not sure how to adjust your challenge, let me know in the comments and I’ll give you some ideas to help you along! 

Joyfully,

Deb

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February 12, 2013

You Can Learn So Much in a Week!

Filed under: Reconnection — Deb @ 4:02 pm

One week in and I have already learned so much about the topic of social media!  My 100 Day Challenge is playing with social media – specifically Facebook, You Tube and Pinterest.  I started my challenge by creating a plan to help me stay on track and to keep me out of overwhelm.  By choosing three types of social media I narrowed down the topic and then decided that for each area I wanted to learn at least 5 new things, create something to post and post a minimum of 3 times per week.  By creating this outline, I have been able to stay focused and not waste time surfing around these social media sites and getting sidetracked by all the interesting items that people post!  I always recommend that you take a few minutes and outline your 100 Day Challenge plan – that way you will be able to stay with it more easily. 

So, one week in on Facebook and I have already learned how to search for information on someone’s page, remove people from my newsfeed without removing them as friends (because while I still want them as friends, I don’t need to see what they are posting all the time – I just take a quick visit to their page when I want to catch up on their news), I’ve learned how to create documents and how to create a vanity URL!  The vanity url comes in handy when you want to put your Facebook contact information on your marketing material.  You can create a name that is easy to remember instead of trying to tell someone your Facebook address with a ton of numbers, letters and slash marks!  My new url for my Facebook business page is www.facebook.com/GetItDunnJoyfully – feel free to check it out and comment on my posts! 

I hope you have enjoyed your first week of the challenge.  Be sure to let me know how you are doing.  Leave your comments here and others can also benefit and be inspired by what you are doing! 

Joyfully,

Deb

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February 4, 2013

It’s Time for a Love Affair!

Filed under: Reconnection — Deb @ 1:52 pm

Do you know how wonderful you are?  Utterly and completely beautiful, talented and incredible inside and out!  Yes, I’m talking to you! At your very core you are love, light and joy and you were created to be sharing your love, light and joy with the world.  I know this can be difficult and confusing to do and if you are met with resistance and rejection often enough you begin to lose your connection to your inner love and light.

This loss of connection is, in my opinion, the main contributor to the increasing exhaustion, depression and snarkiness that I see in our society.  Working so hard to give your love and light to others – care-giving, volunteering, being responsible for everyone and everything – can give you a feeling of value and worthiness but somehow, this feeling never seems to last and so you are compelled to work harder, do more and give in greater amounts.  Can you see how this becomes unsustainable?  I’d like to suggest another way.

Have a love affair!

With yourself!

Working harder, doing more and giving in greater amounts can’t happen if you are operating on an empty energy tank.  Love is the fuel that fills your energy tank and looking to others to fill your tank can be hit and miss. If you want to be able to do your meaningful work in the world, you need a consistent and plentiful source of energy. Love is that energy and you can keep your tank filled by loving yourself.

I’m not talking about a narcissistic, egotist, “it’s all about me all the time” kind of love affair.  I’m talking about treating yourself gently, speaking kindly to yourself, giving yourself breaks and small, heart nourishing treats.  Care for yourself like a most precious object, like you would a tender new baby or the smallest of animals.  Treat yourself with love and the world will become a much better place without you having to exhaust yours elf with working to change it!  This month use all the Valentine’s Day promotions and marketing to remind you to love yourself and by the end of the month, you will have more energy, love and light to share with the rest of us!
Love,
Deb

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February 2, 2013

A Challenge is Issued!

Filed under: Reconnection — Deb @ 9:16 pm

On February 1st, I had the pleasure of being a guest on Stephanie Staples’ radio show – Your Life Unlimited (www.yourlifeunlimited.ca).  I shared the guest spot with fellow coach Laurel Kidder (www.laurelkidder.ca) and together, all three of us discussed ways to set and reach goals that will help you live a more meaningful and joyful life.  The three of us have formed a mastermind group which has helped us to stay focused on our own goals and navigate the world of self-employment. On the show, we talked about how mastermind groups can be used by anyone, how to be more effective and efficient with your time and how challenges can add to your life.

Because I am a coach, through and through, I couldn’t resist seizing the moment when Stephanie mentioned that she would never be able to limit checking her emails to four times a day.  I suggested that she limit it to twice a day and make it into a 100 Day Challenge!  So, after some resistance and with great reluctance, she agreed to take on the challenge. 

This is why I love the 100 Day Challenge so much.  It has the power to make you uncomfortable, test you, stretch you and ultimately give you a confidence and freedom that you may never have experienced before.  When you challenge yourself to do something that you don’t think you can do, your self esteem immediately goes up.  Working your way through the challenge, one day at a time teaches you about perseverance, flexibility and commitment. 

You can listen to our radio show by visiting Stephanie’s blog at: http://yourlifeunlimited.ca/mastermindthis/#

I hope you’ll consider joining us for the 100 Day Challenge!  It’s worth it!

Joyfully,

Deb

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