Inner Feng Shui: Twenty minutes is my friend!

Inner Feng Shui: Twenty minutes is my friend!

By Vicky White

Do you ever procrastinate?

Procrastination is the habit of not getting started, putting things off till the last minute. It results in missed opportunities. stress, and a head and life full of clutter.

Here are 7 tips for dealing with procrastination that will help you take charge of your life. As you read these, think of something you are procrastinating about right now and see how these tips relate - I know there's something you're procrastinating about.

1. Ask yourself: Does this project or action match my vision or purpose? Is it something really important to you? If not, why are you thinking about doing it?

2. Are you telling yourself you 'have to' do it? A client of mine was telling herself she had to create a quilt. Funny thing though, she told me she did actually really want to make it.

When you're telling yourself you 'have to' do something, that puts a heavy energy onto it and who wants to do something they're being told they have to do?

Here's the thing: You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You are always free to choose. There may be consequences for not doing it, but you DO have a choice.

If you are telling yourself you have to do something ask yourself....do I really choose to do this? If so, reframe it as something you're choosing rather than having to do. Words matter. It will make a huge difference. And if it's not something you choose to do, either find a way you can make a choice to do it, or don't do it.

After all, think of all the things you do not procrastinate about - watching your favorite TV program, reading a book you're excited about, eating your dinner. You don't need to force yourself to do things you choose to do.

3. Break projects down into tasks. A project might be to do your taxes. A task might be to collect your Credit Card receipts or create a spreadsheet. See the difference?

A task is something you can do in 20-30 minutes.

Make a big list of tasks associated with a project you've been putting off. Then schedule your tasks - perhaps 20 minutes a day. When you don't know the steps involved in tackling a project it will seem really overwhelming.

Along with creating tasks, see this as beginning something rather than finishing it.

Imagine this: one of my clients had a huge pile of soil delivered. It was dumped in the front of her driveway but needed to be around the back of her home. For quite a few weeks it sat there stopping her from driving into her garage. Finally in one of my Change your Life programs, she decided to spend 20 minutes a day filling wheelbarrows and carting the soil around to her garden. By the end of the program she was done. And she could use her garage again.

Remember this: '20 minutes is my friend' (this is the mantra another client came up with recently). What you'll probably find is that once you start you spend more than 20 minutes as you'll build momentum. And even if it's just 20 minutes, that will add up into something big.

4. Let go of perfectionism. These tasks do not need to be completed perfectly first time you do them. For anyone with a writing project that's the biggest energy killer. Just start. Getting those words down on paper will get the energy flowing and when you come to edit you'll have something to work with. Same with anything else.

5. Schedule fun times: Schedule self care, meditation, time for you, time with your family - those things that give you the energy and resources to handle the more challenging things - so you don't feel deprived. And schedule your 20-30 minute time spots to do your tasks that will lead to completion of your project. Everything else will fit in.

6. Reward yourself: Spend 20 minutes - anyone can do anything for 20 minutes - and then reward yourself. For me writing this article - this task right now is fleshing out the outline I wrote - then I get to take a break and phone a friend. And yes, I've already been going for more than 20 minutes. Funny that!

7. Staying motivated. Find an accountability buddy or tell a close friend what you're doing do they'll ask how it's going. The more people you tell, the more likely it is you'll do it. It's a bit like the Integrity Days I offer in my programs. Having told us what you're going to do in the coming hour, you're unlikely to call back and say you just sat around eating bon-bons!

Procrastination is caused by turning a project into something unpleasant. The way to reduce procrastination is reframe your experience. These tips will help you - if you use them.

Remember 20 minutes is your friend.

Now, what will you do today?

©2007 Vicky White - All Rights Reserved www.lifedesignstrategies.com

Do you think I manifested this?

Tonight I experienced the pleasure of connecting with like-minded people focused on writing. This informal writers club was the brainstorm that came from another gathering of like-minded people, a Toastmasters meeting.

The Toastmasters club I belong to decided to have a meeting in the park since it was early fall and the weather would support it. Besides the special location, the meeting was special for another reason, my club "Igniters" was meeting with the "Miracles" club. It was a chance to hear thoughts, ideas, and speeches from another club, plus we got to meet some new faces and network.

At the end of the meeting, an outgoing woman approached me and informally suggested getting together over coffee in the near future to share our interests in writing. Another Miracles club member overheard our conversation and expressed interest in joining us. Wow, this support seemed to manifest itself out of thin air, so we exchanged contact details to schedule a future meeting.

This evenings meeting was a direct result of the efforts of the first networking in the park. What we especially cool about this particular meeting is that "by chance" one of the ladies invited a fellow coach to the meeting, and this was a coach I have heard a lot from a different source but hadn't had the pleasure to meet yet.

I had an engaging conversation with all three and felt very happy about the connections that I had made, all by being open to what was in store for me. Do you have a similar story? Drop me a line and let it rip. =)

Are You Positive?

Today I had the good fortune and pleasure of enjoying the company of Phil Minnaar.

If you haven't heard of Phil, he's the genius behind "The Positive Dictionary"

Dr Phil's main inspiration behind the book was that positive words have tremendous power to make us more positive in life, to see a bright side in any negative situation and to inspire us to achieve our goals.

Dr. Minnaar had a few words of wisdom to share with me about being an entrepreneur, here's what he had to say:

1. Start Small

Don't expect to conquer Mount Everest in a day. Break big goals up into smaller more manageable tasks. Do something everyday to move forward towards this, even if its just one step.

2. Work Hard

Refer to the above definition and add consistency equals working hard towards achieving your goals. As elementary as this sounds, some people miss this point altogether and expect results to happen practically overnight.

3. Takes Time

Growing anything in life requires us to start small, feed it lots of love and attention, and allow time to do its magic. As simple as the first two points, this point is probably the most important. Don't give up on your dreams, persist and you will eventually win!

9 Feng Shui Tips to eliminate blocked energy in your home - by Vicky White

9 Feng Shui Tips to eliminate blocked energy in your home

1. Check the plumbing: Water represents prosperity. When you have leaky pipes or taps, it's your prosperity that's going down the drain. Take a look under sinks and watch for any sign of water. Even your shower fitting dripping will be sending your prosperity away.

2. Fix anything broken: When you're tolerating things not working as they should, your energy is drained. Which means the energy you are putting out into the world is not as it should be, and you'll be attracting back less than you desire. Either fix them or get rid of them.

3. Check your stove: The ability to cook food represents abundance so your stove is a symbol of prosperity. Ensure your stove is kept clean and in good working order. A non-working burner represents a loss of money. It's also good to make use of all burners, rather than favoring one or two as this represents taking advantage of all opportunities.

4. Replace burnt out lightbulbs: These represent burnt out energy and a lack of passion. You definitely want to be as 'lit up as possible' - which doesn't mean wasting energy by turning on lots of lights. It means having light bulbs working should you choose to turn them on. And even if you never turn on a particular light - it's important the bulb does actually work.

5. Fix squeaking hinges and floor boards: Squeaky hinges represent arguments and loose floorboards usually reflect feelings of uncertainty or insecurity. They also represent your joints, so get them moving freely and you'll be more supported. Hearing squeaks is a constant drain on your energy.

6. Fix broken or cracked windows in your home: Windows are the eyes of your home and they symbolize your own clear vision. Avoid eye problems and gain clarity by fixing any broken windows. If you feel you are lacking in vision, wash and clean your windows. The same applies to your car.

7. Unstick windows and doors: Stuck windows affect career and relationships by encouraging conflict. And stuck doors stop the energy entering your home or a particular room. This will impact all areas of your life. Same happens if you have clutter behind a door stopping it opening fully. Unstick doors and windows and remove clutter and let energy into your life.

8. Mend broken or cracked steps or pathways: If you have to walk over broken or unstable steps, concrete or tiles, it will make it difficult to attract opportunity to your life. These also represent your own bone structure, which needs to be strong.

9. Clear your clutter: Remember clutter is anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized. And it will all be bogging you down.

In Feng Shui clearing your clutter is the first thing to do. And one thing that will have a big impact on you. All the tips above are examples of clutter and give you somewhere to start. Nothing worse than your life being like a broken record, with nothing changing.

Action Step: What is one thing you can do today to ensure the energy is flowing more freely in your home and you have an environment that's supporting you?

©2007 Vicky White - All Rights Reserved

7 Feng Shui Tips to Create Space for You

7 Feng Shui Tips to Create Space for You

by Vicky White www.LifeDesignStrategies.com

1. Create physical space - the easiest way I know to declutter is to take everything out of a space, whether it's a closet or a room, and put back only what you want. Put everything in boxes or into another room or put all the clothes on your bed, clean the space and be very deliberate
about what goes back in.

This is how I attracted my present career - I had an intention to discover what was next for me, but my office had become the room where all miscellaneous things got put and I started avoiding going in there. I took everything out, painted and cleaned and only put back what I
loved. I can still feel what it was like to sit in my new office with no clutter and an empty desk.

Within 2 weeks I came upon an article about coaching, discovered Thomas Leonard was coming to Vancouver, and started my coaching training.

Are you ready to commit to decluttering a specific area of your home or workspace? When will you do it? Even if it's 20 minutes a day, you'll soon feel the results.

2. Take time every day to do nothing. Start with 15 minutes. If you really have a hard time just being, start with something mindless, perhaps walking in nature. Let your mind go free. I like sitting in my favorite spot in my home and just watching what comes into my mind. I've
learned to have pen and paper handy. It's as if those thoughts just slip in there in the gap I've created and I need to be alert to catch them.

Set the scene for inspired actions. Take some time in the morning to sit quietly and connect with your intention. Then ask yourself, what action could I take that would have the most impact in moving me towards my intention? And listen to what comes up. Sometimes it takes a bit of
practice, especially if this is new. Be alert for ideas that come to you during the day too. Inspired actions are those that raise your energy and bring the greatest results. And to be inspired needs space.

3. Change your environment. I regularly take myself and my journal to Starbucks and I don't even drink coffee. There is something about sitting in one of their comfy chairs with my journal and my thoughts that brings out my creativity. I have no idea why this works as it's not a quiet place but I've given up trying to figure that out.

Take a Cafe day to just sit and watch and be with whatever comes up. It may not be Starbucks for you, just choose a neutral environment where you can hang out with yourself. And do take something to write your inspirations on.

The other thing I do is go to a friend's cabin by the sea for a few days once a month by myself. No phone, no TV, no internet and none of the things around me I think I 'should' be doing when I'm at home. It's a retreat for me and an opportunity to check in with myself. I usually do
some reading, some writing, some walking, some taking photographs. No 'shoulds'. I always feel inspired there.

4. Enhance the Career area of your home. The Career area is about purpose and authenticity. Enhance this area to: * Find a new job or change your career * Receive a promotion
* Discover your dreams * Reveal your life purpose * Find stimulating volunteer work

Remove anything that represents work you disliked or anything that doesn't represent your career or life intentions. Enhancements for the Career area:

* Healthy plants
* Water fountain or aquarium
* Items in black and midnight blue
* Images of moving water (not crashing waves)
* Symbols of your present or desired career - such as books if you want to be published, a magazine cover you've put your name on if you would like to be interviewed by them
* A mirror behind a water fountain or plant to double its effect
* A wave machine or sound machine with sounds of water

You can place enhancements in the career area of your home and in the career area of various rooms, especially a home office. It doesn't take a lot to make a difference in Feng Shui.

To find out where the Career area is in your home see: Bagua Map
http://www.LifeDesignStrategies.com/resources/baguamap.html

5. Let go of the guilt and know that to be your best and be there for your loved ones (and yourself) you need to give yourself the gift of solitude from time to time.

6. Paint a wall, move the furniture - even a small change will create a shift in energy and support you in making changes in other parts of your life.

7. Take time in nature - take your journal and spend time listening to the sound of nature, one of our greatest teachers.

To connect with yourself, takes some disconnecting. Try it and discover how you enhance your well-being and all aspects of your life.

Action Step:

What is one thing you can do today to take some space for you?

Take some time to get clear about your intention to live your life on purpose and do what you're here to do. And remind yourself real selfishness is living a half baked life where you are not totally there for anyone, including yourself.

(c)2007 Vicky White - All Rights Reserved

Six Behaviors that Increase Self-Esteem

Six Behaviors that Increase Self-Esteem by Denis Waitley
(excerpted from The Psychology of Motivation)

Following are six behaviors that increase self-esteem, enhance your self-confidence, and spur your motivation. You may recognize some of them as things you naturally do in your interactions with other people. But if you don't, I suggest you motivate yourself to take some of these important steps immediately.

First, greet others with a smile and look them directly in the eye. A smile and direct eye contact convey confidence born of self-respect. In the same way, answer the phone pleasantly whether at work or at home, and when placing a call, give your name before asking to speak to the party you want to reach. Leading with your name underscores that a person with self-respect is making the call.

Second, always show real appreciation for a gift or complement. Don't downplay or sidestep expressions of affection or honor from others. The ability to accept or receive is a universal mark of an individual with solid self-esteem.

Third, don't brag. It's almost a paradox that genuine modesty is actually part of the capacity to gracefully receive compliments. People who brag about their own exploits or demand special attention are simply trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others — and that's because they don´t perceive themselves as already worthy of respect.

Fourth, don't make your problems the centerpiece of your conversation. Talk positively about your life and the progress you're trying to make. Be aware of any negative thinking, and take notice of how often you complain. When you hear yourself criticize someone — and this includes self-criticism — find a way to be helpful instead of critical.

Fifth, respond to difficult times or depressing moments by increasing your level of productive activity. When your self-esteem is being challenged, don't sit around and fall victim to "paralysis by analysis." The late Malcolm Forbes said, "Vehicles in motion use their generators to charge
their own batteries. Unless you happen to be a golf cart, you can't recharge your battery when you´re parked in the garage!"

Sixth, choose to see mistakes and rejections as opportunities to learn. View a failure as the conclusion of one performance, not the end of your entire career. Own up to your shortcomings, but refuse to see yourself as a failure. A failure may be something you have done — and it may even be something you'll have to do again on the way to success — but a failure is definitely not something you are.