Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient 'Delegation'

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Delegation’

It’s that time of week again, time for another Success Ingredient …this week we are continuing our weekly series on the biggest areas to focus on when it comes to leadership.   

There are 6 key areas to becoming a great leader which include: Building Trust, Accountability, Prioritize, Delegate, Empower, have a Vision. 

This week we’ll be talking about delegation.

By Definition: “Delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person  to carry out specific activities. However the person who delegated the work remains accountable for the outcome of the delegated work.”

NOTHING GREAT was ever achieved alone..so delegation is nothing more than using the power of other people's help. 

This success ingredient also has its roots in another one we talked a bit about not too long ago when which was asking for help and support from others. 

Asking for help isn’t a sign of a weakness. It’s a sign of strength! 

So what are some of the reasons people DON'T delegate?

People avoid delegating  because they don’t trust others to complete the task, it takes too much time to sit and teach it, they won’t be able to complete the task as well as you may be able too.

But it really is best to delegate what you can delegate.. push aside your pride and put your confidence in others strengths and talents which in turn…it will create a win-win!

So Why is Delegation so Important?

-Delegation allows you to make the best use of your time and skills

-Helps other people in the team grow and develop to reach their full potential in the organization

-It reduces stress

-People intrinsically want to feel useful, so it helps them feel good

-It frees you up to focus on other aspects to grow your business, possibly develop new strategies for your company

-It develops the people skills and abilities of others.  So next time another project comes along you can delegate with a greater confidence.

-For your children ..it will teach your children responsibility so they can develop good habits as adults.

-#1 reason to delegate….it creates MORE TIME!

Homework & Tips this week...

Begin to delegate what you can delegate!

1.    Assign an individual & choose a task that they are capable of doing..don’t set them up to fail.

2.    Clearly articulate what your looking for.  Explain the big picture with the end in mind.

3.    Match tasks to the strength in the individual

4.    Be sure to clearly articulate the boundaries or authority they need to complete the task

5.    Set a timeline on when the task should be complete. Especially for children.  

Of course when you delegate, be sure to be accessable for them should they need help.

And if you aren’t much of a delegator..the very act may seem a bit daunting but if you are serious about becoming successful..as a leader and in life. This success ingredient is a MUST!

Well that does it for this weeks success ingredient. I hope this has been helpful in shedding some light as to how important it is to delegate especially if you are working towards becoming a good leader.

Until next week! I’m Dani Lynn, reminding you all to sprinkle your life with a little success!

Take care!

Success Ingredient 'Accountability'

 

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Accountability’

This marks the 2^nd week of our leadership mini series, which breaks down the 6 key eliments toward being a good leader(Building Trust, Accountability, Prioritize, Delegate, Empower, have a Vision). 

We all know that leadership of yourself and others is KEY to becoming successful. SO last week we started the series with ways to build trust with others.  Building trust is the foundation for any relationship to exist.  One of THE BEST ways of building trust is for you to incorporate and be really good at this weeks success ingredient…’Accountability’.

WHAT:

Accountability is one of those ingredients that to me….I just don’t get all that excited for.  Just the word itself feels like has so much  weight to it.  But no matter how much I like or dislike it…the word itself it is an essential success ingredient towards becoming a good leader.

So what exactly is accountability?  One definition I came across is the ‘responsibility to someone or for some activity.’

 Now if you think about it….to some degree…we are all accountable to someone or something both at work or home life.  And we have been that way pretty much since we were born. 

In the beginning we were accountable to our parents, then it was school, maybe a part time job..or a sports team.  As we become adults, we become accountable for more things, our financial wellbeing, a spouse, a career, and a family.  Maybe that is why adults begin to loose their imaginations and wipe out FUN in their lives..to much accountability on their plates.  But as you can see, as life moves on, clearly we become more and more accountable to multiple layers of things.

WHY:

Holding yourself and others accountable is important because in a sense..without it WE DON’T GET THINGS DONE! That’s right…accountability is about drawing a line in the sand, saying your going to do X or accomplish X by XY..and doing it!

SO without accountability..not much of anything would get done….at least not to its full potential.

Accountability creates the motivation to do tasks we don’t really want or know how to do.  Its in those moments that stretch us, that really end up helping us with our personal and professional development.  It's about geting out of your comfort zone. 

If we did the same thing we’ve done since high school..life would be pretty boring.

So the more you hold yourself and others accountable..the MORE YOU ACCOMPLISH!  

It's as simple as that! 

Tips this week-

So this week…I want you to focus on how accountability plays a part in your life.  

As for tips..keep in mind that for the most part..being accountable is a fairly black and white ingredient..meaning you either DIDN’T do something or you DID. 

Layers of LIFE will always interfere.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that often we set out to accomplish something and we have some kind of mini crisis.  A headache, an accident, friend stops by…basically any kind of distraction that prevents us from being accountable to what we set out to do.

So the best tip to remember about accountability is to do those things in the beginning of the day (or right away before the deadline, aka avoid procrastination) especially those that you dread, that way you have room for putting out fires. 

Another best practice is to attach more guilt to the feeling of NOT doing it..and more pleasure on how GOOD you’ll feel when the task is accomplished.  This is the principal I learned through Tony Robbins.  I use it all the time and it works great!

Well that’s about it for  this week’s Life Recipe for Success, I hope you have a fantastic week and you hold yourself accountable to accomplish as much as you can!

I’m Dani Lynn, resident life coach at 95.9 WATD, reminding you to ‘Sprinkle your Life with a Little Success’

Much luv n light!

Dani

Success Ingredient 'Building Trust'

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Building Trust’

Building Trust

 

Last time we chatted about the success ingredient leadership and how it affects everything in our lives. There are 6 key steps to begin working towards becoming a great leader.  Building Trust, Be Accountable, Prioritize, Delegate, Empower & Have a Vision. 

Through the course of the next few weeks, I'd like to drill down each and every one of these ingredients...this week, its Building Trust.

Who- This ingredient is essential for leadership and/or any other kind of relationship that you have.  Because without trust, you really don't have anything.

What-Trust to me is a special bond between you and another person, team or organization.  It is incorporating a sense of reliability, you feel the person or organization has your best interest at heart, full support..feeling like your have your back covered.

Why-Trust is similar to a foundation of a house. The greater the trust, the greater the relationship and bond.

Building trust is a lot like playing a game of cards...typically when you sit down to play a game, you are automatically given some cards to play...similar to meeting a new person.  You have as small amount of cards in your 'Trust Tank'.  As time goes on, you either prove your authenticity and build trust gaining more good cards in your hand...or you can also begin to loose your cards.  Trust can easily be lost ..by numerous ways over promising under delivering, finger pointing, trash talking, not following our word etc...

Tips to build trust:

Remember it is FAR EASIER to maintain and build trust then loosing trust entirely and trying to rebuild it.

Communicate-Listen intently, ask questions, be present & un-judgmental in your approach

Actions-Pro-actively do things for others, maybe forward an article that might interest them, call them.

Genuine/Authentic-Be yourself, don't try to be someone you aren't people can see right through it.

Follow up/Follow through consistently- with what is going on to show you care.

Set Clear Expectations-Be careful when articulating these, you have to be ready to deliver. 

 

I hope this article helps you develop an action plan to continue to build trust with others...

Until next week, I'm Dani Lynn reminding you to sprinkle your life with a little success!!

Take care!

 

 

 

 

 

Success Ingredient "Leadership"

 

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Leadership’

 

Download Leadership LRFS

Everything rises and falls with leadership.

I've always known this...but this week, I've really been able to see it in action. As of late, I've had a TON of change in my life, personally and professionally.  Within a very short period of time I was no longer simply leading myself, but leading far more individuals... with several-to-possibly hundreds of eyes watching my every move both at work and at home. 

So I felt compelled to discuss the importance of leadership because some of us may not fully realize the impact we have on other individuals. 

Becoming a leader can be something we proactively seek out and choose to be in OR indirectly inherit by default from say an unexpected pregnancy or another other such example.

Regardless of how you became a leader...the question is..will you make the effort to rise up to this new standard of living to become a great leader to others or will you simply become a mediocre individual co-existing with no grand plan or care?

WHY IS LEADERSHIP IMPORTANT?

Leadership is vital for any group of individuals to cohesively work together.  Without it, chaos can develop..and nothing will be accomplished. 

A leader creates harmony and balance among fellow family members or co-workers.  A leader helps create meaning and purpose,creating a shared vision & assigning tasks or roles to individuals to meet that vision. A leader is a people developer & unlocks the hidden talent of any individual willing to make the effort. 

The marks of a poor leader are evident...and if things aren't going so well within your family or organization in which you are the leader..the first place you should look at is the mirror. 

As a leader you have to take the time to understand people...understand what motivates them.. understand how they want to be communicated with, how they want to be rewarded, how they want to be acknowledged.  Everyone is different..if you take the time to speak the laguage of those you lead both individually and as a group..you'll be way ahead of the game...   

TIPS TO BECOME A GOOD LEADER

This week I want you to pay attention to the interactions you have in your life. If you are a parent or manager especially.

Being a good leader is something that can take years to develop..but some very critical steps to begin incorporating into your life now are the following:

1. Develop Trust-leadership is nothing more than influencing others, you have to build a bridge of trust before others will follow you.

2. Be Accountable-to yourself first and foremost.  Honor your word, because if you can't follow you..how will anyone else?

3. Prioritize-the mark of a good leader realizes that tough decisions have to be made at times.  Without knowing what's most important in your life, you might be apt to make some poor decisions.

4. Delegate-whatever you CAN delegate, you SHOULD delegate..as a leader in your organization.  As for your family, begin the process of delegating tasks which you feel others are capable of to teach the importance of helping. 

5. Empower-uplifting others when they are down or opening the doorway of possibilities for others when they can't see it themselves is truly the most incredible thing you can do to help another.

5. Have a Vision-having a win-win vision and articulating it to others in a way that resonates with them..will increase the buy in factor and cooperation of the group.  Having a similar purpose and meaning harmonizes the group so there is greater synergies. 

These tips may seem a bit daunting ..and with good reason...best selling author on the art of leadership John Maxwell believes that to become a great leader takes practice and dedication of about 20 or so years!!! But the reality is we need good leaders because everything is connected & good leaders impact the world around us in more ways that we can count.

So ..what kind of leader will you be?....will you rise up..and become someone that helps shape those around you?

If you are reading this article right now..I believe you are an incredible leader because you have the desire to learn more..now just be sure to apply it!!!

Happy Leading Peeps!

Until next week....

Dani Lynn

 

 

 

Success Ingredient "Transitional Time"

 
Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Transitional Time’

Transitional Time 7-12<<<<<CLICK 4 AUDIO VERSION<<<<<

******VIDEO BELOW*******

This week I’d like to talk a bit about the importance of creating some ‘transitional time’ beginning, throughout and ending your day…..

WHAT IS TRANSITIONAL TIME?

Transitional time is the time spent ‘alone’ before switching from task to task or from one day to the next.. in other words..its allotting time to some personal space devoted just to YOU. 

Transitional time should be a moment or an hour just to yourself so you can collect your thoughts to either celebrate (or release) what you have done prior, and then set new intentions for what lies ahead.

WHO DOES THIS SERVE?

This ingredient is especially for those that feel like life is beginning to feel like one big rat race, or gerbil on a wheel.   It can begin to create a feeling like nothing EVER is accomplished or complete.  Which leads to annoyance, aggravation then just plain unhappiness.

EXAMPLES OF TRANSITIONAL TIME

Getting up a half hour early for coffee/breakfast time before anyone else gets up, sitting in car finishing up the song prior to getting out the car…or taking a moment to simply ask yourself, what/how is the best way to handle this task prior to beginning it. 

BENEFITS OF TRANSITIONAL TIME

1.    Make better decisions- Decisions made in haste or in a state of mind where your thoughts are on other things…. typically end up being decisions that you end up regretting.  

2.    Increase your Positive Attitude-When you carry the weight of work to home and visa versa…it can affect your attitude towards the aspects that are currently in front of you. 

3.    Greater Present Moment Awareness- Living in the present moment is really where pure happiness lies. 

4.    Increases your Energy- Alone time and being intentional is necessary for replenishing your energy. 

TO DO-

1.    Take time in between tasks or days that involve completely different approaches to how you want to be.

2.    Be grateful and appreciative of those aspects that were good and simply release the negative aspects those that don’t serve you.  You can do this by simply taking a deep breath in and stating those words above..."Thank you for a wonderful day...or I release all negativity from the day or from xxx"

5.    Set/Create new intentions for the next day or project/task- This is where you think about and declare how you want the rest of your day to go, or project.  " I would like my drive to work be stress free and safe"

Transitional time may be a relative new concept…however when used on a consistent basis may help make you a far happier & productive individual….

Your homework is to try it for a week… and pay attention to how you feel…and to how others respond…

That does it for this weeks Life Recipes for Success...I hope you find this weeks ingredient helpful..I'm Dani Lynn, reminding you to "Sprinkle your Life with a Little Success"

 

 

Success Ingredient-'Freedom'

 

   Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Freedom’

Freedom 5-17-10<<<Click for Audio

This weeks success ingredient is inspired by my interview with the infamous author and motivational speaker Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul Series).  When we chatted about what success means to him, he spoke the ingredient ‘Freedom’. 

 When we talk about freedom, we are talking about freedom in literally all aspects of our lives, financial, relationship, spiritual, career, maybe even freedom to create within our career, etc…freedom can apply to any aspect in our lives.  So what’s really interesting about this ingredient is I think every single one of us can relate to it

To me, freedom is all about doing what you want to do, when you want to do it.  It is about making yourself a priority to carve out lucid down time to do the things you enjoy doing without the constraint of responsibility—easier said than done—of course!

The reason why freedom is so important is because it is the root of where all of our authentic creativity, joy, present moment awareness and ability to truly be ourselves lies.  If we live our lives, filled with constraint we limit ourselves, our abilities and limit life’s magical moments.  

But don’t just take my word for it…stop right here and ask yourself where would YOU like more freedom in YOUR life? What does that look & feel like?

Go ahead…take a quick second to think about it….

Doesn’t it feel pretty good?  Yes, when freedom is present in our lives it feels like a very light, energetic flow type feeling…AND it is also one of those ingredients where you don’t know what you have until its gone.  So lets take some time to GET IT BACK!

 Homework to incorporate this week-

Creating a life of ‘Freedom’ is no small task.  In fact, lets just be completely honest--it can take someone a lifetime to achieve it. So we have to respect that it might take some time. 

However, that doesn’t mean you should completely scrap it…. one must stop and at least take the time to ponder what a life with a certain amount of freedom would look like before one can actually achieve it!

I’d like you to spend some time this week to explore this ingredient a bit, since everything in life is first created in the imagination I’d like you to choose a specific area in your life that you would like a little more freedom in and imagine what that would look like. 

Write down a paragraph or two or three about it, be as specific as possible and place this in a visible space to view everyday.

Then simply write down ONE action step you can do that week and every week that would bring you one step closer to freedom and DO IT!

Remeber, success is achieved by the consistent daily steps we make..so go for it!  Don’t wait…life keeps ticking by…

Well that’s about it for  this week’s Life Recipe for Success, I hope you will be taking steps to carve out a bit more 'FREEDOM' into your life!  I’m Dani Lynn, resident life coach at 95.9 WATD, reminding you to ‘Sprinkle your Life with a Little Success’

Much luv n light!

Dani

Success Ingredient-'Positive Affirmations'

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Positive Affirmations <<<Click for Audio Version

Success Ingredient-‘Positive Affirmations’

Last week I signed up for a dear friend Drew Yacu’s new inspirational text message program called ‘Success Notes’, from www.reflectmylife.com where for 2.95 a month, every day I will receive a unique positive affirmation for that which I desire.  I LOVED the program so much that we decided to have Drew on our morning radio show on 95.9 WATD.  Which was a blast! (If you are interested in trying it FREE for 30 days put promo code DANI in! )

So this week I felt compelled to talk a bit more about Positive Affirmations because we  have been talking a lot about using affirmations to help with other aspects of our success ingredients. 

So what exactly is a Positive Affirmation?

An affirmation is a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something, it is everything you think, say, believe and feel.  Whenever we say a statement, positively or negatively it effects us. An example a negative affirmation could be missing an appointment and you say to yourself “I’m such a moron’.   A positive affirmation is a present tense statement of something that you desire…such as ’I attract amazing people’.   Affirmations can be used in any area of your life to attract more of what youw ant..IE. Love, Wealth, Health, Life etc. 

Why are Positive Affirmations so Important? 

Declaring what you want is the first step towards getting what you want…so affirmations are simply a declaration of that what you desire as if you have already obtained it.  The affirmations you incorporate into your daily life begin to change the way you think. Which then begins to change your perspective about the circumstances surrounding yourself and your current state of life.  Positive affirmations also counteract your limiting beliefs or those voices in your head that don’t serve you.

Incorporating positive affirmations can help change your life, help you be more clear & focused, speed up the progress of your goals, help with personal breakthroughs, change bad habits and create new habits…and basically they can help you create the life you want.

Homework Tips to incorporate this week: How you incorporate affirmations is just as important as stating them.

1.    You can choose a specific area to focus on Life, Love, Health, Wealth  or not.  When I first started out I would simply state a few generic overall quality of life affirmations..then I expanded to positive affirmations that would directly counteract my limiting beliefs.

2.   Create a couple short, present tense statements that reflect what you want

3.   Repeat Daily, preferably Morning & Evening, anywhere in your car, while you are getting ready for work, in the shower etc but they REALLY work well when you say them in front of a mirror.

4.   Incorporate feelings behind the affirmation, the more you are able to feel the kind of feeling if you did have what you desire the greater the intensity or vibration of the affirmation.  Therefore it will make the affirmation come true faster.

5.   Try for 30 days, there is a bit of a time delay when it comes to getting what you want.  I can pretty much guarantee that if you say affirmations daily in the mirror to yourself that you WILL have something INCREDIBLE happen to you during that time.  The opportunity may not be DIRECTLY coordinated but some pathway will open up to you!!! You have NOTHING to loose and everything to GAIN!

Example Affirmations that I used when I first started back in 3/2009

I create my reality

I live my life passion

I change lives

I attract amazing people

I am so grateful for what I have

I can do anything I put my mind too

I am a creative genius

My body is in perfect balance

Money comes to me easily and effortlessly

I hope that helps for example but be sure to incorporate affirmations that resonate with you. 

Well that does it for this week’s Life Recipe for Success, I am WATD’s Resident Life coach reminding you to Sprinkle Your Life with a Little Success!

Happy Affirming!

Reminder!!!! Join the Life Recipe for Success Club to receive your expanded versions of our weekly success ingredients delivered to you right in the mail. 

Visit www.liferecipesforsuccess.com and click ‘Inspire Me’ to subscribe.

Also check out Dani Lynn’s upcoming events.  The next event is 'Discover YOUR PERSONAL Recipe for Success'  scheduled for 5/19 6pm at Ember www.sicocktailsandconversations.com .  Space is limited so please RSVP .

Hope to see you there.

Much Love and Light!

Dani Lynn

Success Ingredient-'Self-Esteem'

Self-esteem <<Click for Audio

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Self-Esteem’

This week marks the official launch of my Life Recipes for Success Audio Series & while I’m reeling with excitement &  anticipation of all the hard work, visualization, planning, and action up until this point—there is still that little voice in your head that questions your ability at times to succeed.  What did I do? I asked myself a series of positive reflect type questions, did a bit of journaling, reached out to a couple colleagues that I can trust for support and BANG! My positive self-esteem is back in action. 

It’s perfectly normal to 2^nd guess any new event where you aren’t sure what the outcome will be.  That is our fear talking.  What feeds our enjoyment of any new task, project,or future event  is our self-esteem. 

I believe Self-Esteem is such an important success ‘ingredient’, in fact, it’s so big and foundational that I am going to create a continued segment on building self-esteem in the near future to focus on the different tips that will really assist individuals in their journey to overcome their insecurities and negative self talk.

So what exactly is Self-Esteem? 

The dictionary describes it as “a feeling of pride within yourself, overall appraisal of one’s worth, personal feelings or opinions of oneself, a feeling of self-worth, self-confidence, self-respect, a feeling of being pleased or proud or confident in oneself.” 

Self-esteem is also what our unconscious believes to be true about how worthy, lovable, valuable and capable we are. 

Broken down

Self-means ‘one’

Esteem means-to be ‘honored, respected, admired & accepted’

So in simple terms, self esteem is your opinion of yourself. High self esteem is a good opinion of yourself and low self esteem is a bad opinion of yourself.

Where do the origins of Self-Esteem come from?

They consist of a combination of society at large, your parents, school, your peers, & mass media all play a part in the development of how we see ourselves.  As young children we knew what we wanted and we went for it but through the years we have been conditioned at times to do the opposite. Which over time affects our overall perspective on trying something new or going against the grain or advice of others especially family.

Why is Self-Esteem so Important?  It is the basis for all happiness, success, and fulfillment.  I also believe it is foundational to greater undertakings.   

Your potential to achieve what you most desire is directly related to your self esteem.

Tips this week-If you want more self-value, then take steps to nurture yourself.  Remember when you want more of something in your life, begin giving it to yourself first.

1.    Don’t compare yourself to other people, become your own judge of yourself

2.   Find a role model, do what they do

3.   Daily positive affirmations

4.   Prepare thoroughly for tasks

5.   Acceptance for where you are in life

6.   Address and become at peace with your past

7.   Don’t take life so seriously

8. Love yourself unconditionally, strengths-weaknesses and everything in between

9.   Celebrate your wins-be grateful

10.  Take action, on your specific goals. Take baby steps daily

11.   Surround yourself with people who believe in you

Building your self-esteem definitely does not develop over night but if you are committed to making yourself the best person you can…then begin taking small steps today with the above list in mind. You’ll be amazed at what you discover!!!

This is Dani Lynn, your resident life coach on 95.9 WATD. 

Be sure to sign up for the Life Recipes for Success Club…receive a 20min motivational CD or MP3 Weekly….click ‘Inspire Me’ at www.liferecipesforsuccess.com Packages start at 9.99 a month!

 

So what exactly is this Life Recipes for Success Audio Series?

 

Life Recipes for Success is a weekly inspirational audio series that makes up the foundation of success.

It is dynamic, innovative & energizing. LRFS is here to serve as a fresh perspective and gentle reminder for the aspects in our daily lives that may need a little attention.

Success happens in gradual baby steps so each week we will unveil a new success ‘ingredient’ that we will explore and discuss.

Never before in the history of society have we been more equipped with the material needs to thrive and live…but we seem to get further and further away from the emotional tools needed to help us survive the ever evolving and changing world.

Every single day we are having to change and evolve. Life has a tendency to take on a complete world all of its own. Days, Weeks and even years can escape us and when we finally look up we can be completely caught off guard. A loved one passes away, we welcome a child into our lives, we recover from a terrible diagnosis, our child is caught doing drugs, our spouse announces they no longer what to be married, we are laid off from a job we have held for 10 years……the list goes on and on.

Life is and forever will be filled with the unexpected. And the only thing we as human beings can do, is prepare & grow ourselves so we can be strong and confident in the face of adversity both personally and professionally.

The Life Recipes for Success Audio Series is an action oriented approach meaning we only give enough information for you to begin applying it right away into your life. True learning, growing and evolving comes when we are aware, learn new knowledge and apply that which relates the most into our lives.

I ask when listening and applying these ingredients that you try to be open. Not everything may apply to you so take what works for you and let go what doesn’t. But also be aware that we can have a tendency to be resistant when we learn something new or if we know its something we should do but don’t really want to do. That is called the EGO part of us that likes conformity and consistency. The EGO serves to protect us but it also has a tendency to keep us in box for fear of the unknown. In order to break through and grow we have to learn to turn off that negative, sabotaging voice and take action to breakthrough regardless.
Remember, there is no such thing as failure or perfections. Try to find humor in your unique imperfections and learn from every experience that didn’t come out the way you like…for that is the true secret to success.

Have a wonderful week….much love and light!
Dani Lynn

Sign up today!
www.liferecipesforsuccess.com

Success Ingredient-'Staying Focused'

 

Staying Focused <<Click for Audio<<

Dani Lynn’s

Life Recipes for Success

Success Ingredient-‘Staying Focused'

Last week I attended a networking event that involved bowling!! I was a bit nervous, since I haven’t bowled in years..and I’m NOT a big fan of those trendy bowling shoes…who wants to look bad when you are at an event where you are trying to look good? But I was a sport and decided to play…and I was amazed at how much the power of focus really applied!  With a combination of Focus and Positive Thinking..it really did effect the level of how many pins I knocked down. 

That may be a simple metaphor and example of the power of focus but lets face it…with the amount of distractions, over commitments and lack of time we spend more time multi-tasking than ever.  So this week we are going to spend some time talking about the power of focus.

Being Focused

Being focused is about choosing an area and/or direction you want to take your life and not letting distractions or tests covert you away.  Its really about energy..when you spread yourself too thin you don’t accomplish as much.  I used to be proud of my multi tasking abilities. But studies show to be more effective you must be focused.

The power of focus is applying energy efficiently and effectively...from a scientific perspective, our cerebral cortex in our brains is literally programmed to focus on one thing at one time. It is our ‘executive control’ center so to speak.  So if we are multi-tasking, we have to spend a considerable amount of energy re-directing & shifting our focus..which takes up extra mental energy.

Being focused just does not happen. You need a bit of preperation as well as abit of discipline.  When it comes to getting what you want..

So why is being focused so important?

Several reasons…

1.    Being focused allows us to manage our time better…since time is really our only commodity you can’t buy more of, staying focused and on cue is very very important.

2.    It also helps with being more efficient and effective.

3.    Being focused puts less stress on our mental energy

4.    Focus is also important to serve as a precursor to obtaining what you desire…focus can be used as a root to motivation, the drive that a person generates in moving from the present state to a new state of accomplishment

So tips this week to incorporate aspects of being focused:

-Write down what you want & BE CLEAR

-Share with friends/family for accountability

-Break down into small actionable tid bits

-Reset priorities to make room for what you are focusing on

-Remove distractions

-Put up a picture or something to serve as a reminder focal point

-Reward yourself when you accomplish a task

-Get enough sleep, a sleepy head is less focused

That’s does it for this weeks Life Recipes for Success! I hope you will incorporate some of the tips for this week to begin staying a bit more focused in your life!

I’m Dani Lynn, resident life coach at WATD reminding you to sprinkle your life with a little success!

Have a great week!