Can you believe that June is almost over? Summer is here, kids are home and our schedules are whacky.
I don’t know about you, but I find it harder to be productive in the summer when it’s beautiful outside and the kids want to go to the beach, Disney or anywhere but home. It’s easy to get off track.
In my experience, it seems that we go through cycles of being on and off track. There are a few lucky ones that have extreme self-discipline, but for the most part, we all ebb and flow.
We put on a little weight, procrastinate, & throw our schedules out the window. We say we will do something, then we don’t do it. We get into a routine, then something happens, and we stop.
Here are a few tips to help you get your rhythm back, create a plan and start fresh…..no matter what obstacles you have faced.
1. Don’t beat yourself up
So you screwed up. You feel like you took 2, 3 or 10 steps back. So what! Make a new commitment and start again. You never go backwards because you are constantly changing and growing. You will start again with a new attitude and smarter than you were before.
2. Shake it up
If you are stuck in a rut, change something. Get up earlier, exercise at a different time, change what you eat or get a new hairstyle. Ruts can be caused by heavy routines that put us on autopilot and make us lose our excitement for life. We all need variety in our lives to be happy. Spice up your life!
Make a new plan that fits your lifestyle. You may have a schedule that worked for you before, but it doesn’t work for you now. Create days that make you feel fulfilled and happy. Just like when you were a child, get your chores done so you can play.
Evaluate your goals. Create daily consistent actions that will get you there.
3. The “A” word
I love accountability. This is the best way to get anything done, make a change in your life and get what you want. Enroll a friend to be your accountability partner. Check in with each other daily or weekly. Hold yourself accountable by playing a game. Give yourself a reward for finishing a project, losing the extra pounds or completing your list at the end of the week. Put yourself out there. Announce your goal to your friends and family, post it on Facebook, post it on Twitter. Once you declare it, you will discover an immediate motivation to follow through!
4. Did you face a major obstacle?
Problems are a part of life. We experience challenges every day, some are tiny and some knock us off our feet. Sometimes life just seems to come to a standstill and all our attention is focused on overcoming, finding a solution or simply surviving.
It is important to be still. Stop doing, running, thinking and working…. Just get to a place of stillness and listen. When you are quiet, answers come. Clarity comes.
Find your truth. Focus on what you DO have, not on what you don’t. Remember that you have all that you need to rebuild and restart. Take inventory of your resources. Make a list of 10 things you are grateful for every day.
Reclaim your purpose. Sometimes we forget who we are. When difficulty comes upon us, we get scared and operate out of fear and scarcity. You have the power to dig yourself out of any hole and begin again. You can come back stronger than ever. In fact if you look back over your life, that power is evident. You have not lost it. You only need to begin to use it again.
Remember that this too shall pass and later, you will see that this experience was a vital part of your growth and development. Let your purpose guide you…. Deep inside, you know what it is and you been given all you need to fulfill it.
