I hope you’re enjoying some of these lazy, hazy days of summer…I know I am!

Many of you ask me how to choose from all your many ideas -which one should I work on NOW?

I also hear from many of you that you’re challenged by the “F” word (and I mean Focus!)

Here’s a powerful, easy 8 step system to choose your ideas, get them into action and completed.

1. Write down all your ideas.  You don’t have to DO all of them but if you don’t write them down, you’ll lose a lot of your truly genius, creative gems.

2. Let is percolate for a few days.  Come back to your list in a couple of days -some of those ideas you wrote down will seem downright wacky while others will take your breath away -I thought THAT? you’ll say to yourself.

3. Then ask yourself, what is the purpose for doing this?  Hint -it’s not always money. It’s probably one of these – list building, lead generation, cash generation, product creation (this can be information products too), or building credibility.

4. Rank your list of ideas from 1-5 on how much this idea will get you to your current purpose (or whatever scale you like) with 1 being this won’t get me to my desired objective at all, to eureka! this is a 5 -I’m going to lock the door, turn off the phone and email and not come out till I’ve got this baby cooking!

5.  Make a 2nd column with an estimate of what you think can happen if you focus on this for 40 days.  Why do I pick 40 days?  I like that there is a great significance to the number 40 in many spiritual traditions. And, I know how tempted I am to lose focus -in many spiritual stories, 40 days signifies temptation or a passage through something.

Next quantify your idea.  How many people could you add to your list if you focused for 40 days?  How many leads could you generate?  How much cash will that information product bring in?

6. Right about now, the buts should be kicking in -small buts and those dreaded big buts. Write down 3 of them.  Now write down 3 benefits of doing this focused project.

7. Now write down solutions to your obstacles or ways to prevent them.  Then write down, very specifically, about what you’ll get from the benefits.  Set dates for when you’ll experience these great things you’ll be, do or have from these benefits.

8. OK.  Now it’s time to get into ACTION! Write down 5 actions you need to take to achieve this objective. For example, I’m working on a book right now -some of my next actions are to write an hour a day, interview some folks for stories for the book, decide on a hot title…see?

Some of your steps will be done by you, others like graphic design of a book cover, transcribing interviews etc. will be done by someone else.

So what idea will you focus on for the next forty days (some of you will complete your project even sooner!) Post a comment at www.authenticlifeinstitute.com/blog and let us know -then you’re making a commitment which will make it much more likely that you’ll keep moving forward -don’t you want to come back in 40 days and post about your great success?  I’d love to hear them!

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When you read that word “goal” did you tense up.  Or did you feel discouraged thinking -yeah, yeah, I set goals and never achieve them?  If so, you’re probably not setting goals that are related to what you really want in YOUR life.  Goals worth going for are the ones that make you feel excited with the kind of anticipation you felt as a kid waiting for Christmas.

There are many tasks that we disguise as goals.  Cleaning out the clutter, eliminating debt, losing 10 lbs. Those are all great things to do because they free up energy to go after your real goals…but they are not goals -they are things to do.  One way to figure out whether your goal is a task is to ask yourself how you will feel once it’s done.  I pulled together all the paperwork I needed this week to meet with my accountant to get my taxes done. What did I feel when I had completed this? Relief.  Not excitement.  Certainly not joy!  When you accomplish an authentic goal you will feel joy -and don’t forget to celebrate it thoroughly!  Here are 5 secrets to creating goals that excite the heck out of you.

1.  Make a list. Take about 20 minutes.  Relax for a few minutes getting out of your head and connecting with your body.  Then quickly jot down all the goals you would like to be do or have.  Don’t worry if your lizard brain starts shouting that “you can’t possibly have that.”  Just thank it and say “I’m only making a list for heaven’s sake!”   Now ask yourself the following questions about each of the items on your list.

2.  Is it clear? Saying you want to write a book someday isn’t clear enough.  I will write a book about (put your subject here) and have it completed and to an editor by October 13, 2010 is a clear goal.

3. Does it fit your values? If you highly value flexibility and freedom, a goal that requires you to do all your actions towards it in one location at very specific times just won’t fit.  If you value financial freedom and your goal will get you closer to that -then you’re right on.

4.  Does it fit with what you love? If you love to travel, and your goal allows you to travel to achieve it, hooray!  If you love being outdoors and physically active, and your goal requires long periods of time indoors, well, you might lose steam.

5.  Do you really want it? On a scale of 1-10 with 1 is like being trapped on a plane next to the dullest person on earth who talks non-stop and 10 is absolute bliss -how would you score your goal?  If it’s less than 8, toss it -it’s not worth your precious energy and time.

Pick one or two goals that you would love to accomplish within a year.  Then get support to make it happen!

Want to do something courageous?  Post a goal that you absolutely intend to reach within the next year on my blog.

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One of my coaches gave the term “mind junk” to that negative, very active voice in your head. It’s chattering away constantly telling you why you can’t reach your goal, live your dreams or even something as simple as writing an article!

I watch people let this mind junk waste tremendous amounts of their energy. Instead, I’d like to invite you to accept that this voice will always be with you AND you can relax and accept it rather than wasting energy trying to change it. You can wallow around in your mind junk or you can shift your attention from it to your goals.

Let’s identify what your mind junk looks like so you can quickly figure out when it’s happening and you can stop paying attention to it. One other interesting thing…the way you handle mind junk in one area of life -say money -you’ll find that the same mind junk runs your relationships, your creativity, your physical vitality, your time and how much you enjoy life. Here are some ways mind junk shows up:

Keeping it vague. I’ll create that blog soon. Right now I don’t have the time. Falling into the either/or trap. Either I can write a book or I can keep making money in my job -I don’t have the energy for both. Comparing yourself to others. Why does it seem that no one struggles with public speaking as much as I do? Making excuses. I was late in meeting my deadline because I had too many interruptions.

Monkey mind has a lot of tenacity. It loves to keep us in the same behaviors even when it’s not working for us. Here’s what you might find yourself saying: It will work if I just try harder, I don’t have time to do it another way. This is just how I am and there’s nothing I can do about it.

So what to do with this craziness? Know that you are not your mind junk. You have amazing ability to observe it. It is only one part of your mind and who you really are is much more magnificent than any curve ball your mind junk throws at you. When you become aware of it and see how it works, you minimize the odds of getting off track as you move towards your goals.

Here’s an action for you. Over the next 2 days, write down at least 3 times your mind junk was shouting load and clear. Did you say it aloud -like “I can’t afford that and never will” or was it an internal dialogue? Note what kind of form it took -was it being vague, comparing yourself to others or some other form?

See if you can catch the mind junk and not get into a full blown attack of it. Observing your mind junk, you may be amazed to discover that 90% or more of the thoughts that your mind junk pops into your head are irrelevant to anything that’s of real value to you!

Would love to hear any tips you have for living in peace with your mind junk. Post yours here.

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What are you convinced of? What do you hold as true for you right now? Are you convinced that work is hard? Are you convinced that you’ll never be able to work from home? Are you convinced that, on some level, it’s wrong to be prosperous? Or are you convinced that you are always at choice and the past has no precedence…you can start right where you are. How unalterably convinced are you? This is your faith.

Think about this. When you think about one of your convictions, does it make you smile inside or shrive? Do you feel bolder, stronger, or do feel small, diminished.

I’m living proof that what you are convinced of is often a lie. I was convinced for a long time that work had to be hard -look at my parents’ life! That was powerful proof to me. I was convinced for years that I was “not smart enough” to be successful in creating my own work in the world…I should of looked around a bit -there are plenty of “not so smart” people who make plenty of money in their own business! Here are three ways to alter those big convictions you have that are keeping you from waking up to your unique gifts, to honoring the human treasure that you truly are and to living a prosperous life, in which you are experiencing peace, health and plenty in your world.

1. Ask yourself if your conviction is really true. Is it true for everyone? Do you know someone who doesn’t hold this conviction and is thriving in an area of life that you are not? If one person can do it, you can too! Play with the idea of “what if this weren’t true about me?”

2. Allow yourself to move forward even if you can’t see the entire “how”. Your inner compass lets you know when you’re on the right track. You’re scared AND excited at the same time. You feel good. What you’re working on will be a positive thing for others. Martin Luther King said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” So do some planning. Planning leads to action. Action gets you “into the game”. And once you’re in the game, all kinds of unexpected things happen that absolutely couldn’t have happened if you hadn’t jumped in! And then, you might find yourself facing…

3. Doing the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you must do the thing you think you cannot do.” If you’re afraid of a certain action that is moving you towards your dream, do it anyway. This will bust through your limiting convictions, maybe causing your family and friends to think you’re nuts, and you might even be rocked by the fact that you are shaking your very identify (albeit limited!) to the core. That’s ok. Do it anyway!

4. Get unstuck. Katie Byron has a masterful technique for getting past your yeah buts. It feels weird at first, but it’s powerful.

First, say what it is you want to do and your “but”. I want to travel to (put your favorite location here), but I can’t afford to.

Now say it as if you are choosing. “I’m choosing not to take a trip to paradise because of the belief that I have to spend a lot of money on this trip. The trip isn’t the problem, my perception that I can’t afford it is.”

Finally, “my true self can find a way to take the trip without going into debt because it knows that not having a lot of money isn’t the problem -my belief about not having enough money is.”

It’s also powerful to take your desire and your obstacle to some supportive people. Tell them what you’ve done up till now, what you want next and what obstacle is in the way. You’ll be amazed at the creative options you haven’t thought of. But look at your convictions first and get clear that they are alterable, otherwise, you’ll drive your friends crazy with yeah buts at every turn!

Would love to hear about a conviction you have that is not supporting you and you are ready to give up. Post  yours here.  It’s a powerful to put your commitment out to the world.

I want to give you a tip that will make it much easier to reach your goals.

At some point, in going after your goal, you are going to be stopped by a lack of information.

Now I honestly don’t like doing a lot of research.  But here are some of the techniques I enjoy using to get information when I’m stuck:

1. Tell people what your wish is and the obstacle you face.  You won’t believe how quickly people (even strangers!) will jump right into problem-solving mode and you’ll be given information or contacts who can give you the solution…try it…really…you’ll be amazed!

2. Go to the library (online).

I love libraries. When I was six years old, a friend took me on my first trip to a library. I was astounded and absolutely delighted to learn that I could take 5 books home and it was free!

Today, I can access mountains of popular magazines, scholarly journals, and databases on everything from history to science to health right from my computer.  All you need is a library card number.  Go to your local public libraries website and find their online databases. You will find information here that will get you unstuck. The only downside (if you want to call it that!) to this method is that you can spend hours happily sifting for gold in this treasure trove!

3. Got to conferences, association meetings and trade shows.

There’s nothing like hanging out with a bunch of people who share your interest.  The Encyclopedia of Associations lists every group and association that meets regularly in the U.S. and even worldwide. 

So, what’s a goal you’d love to achieve? Are you stopped by lack of information?  Try one of my favorite techniques this week and find out how great it is to get just the information you need to keep moving forward.

Drop a line on my blog and let me know how it goes!

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Do you find yourself caught up in a lot of “stinking thinking?”  When you wishfully think of something, do you immediately stop yourself with a “I can’t have, do or be that!”

How about when someone presents an idea to you – a dream they have -and it totally seems off the wall.  Do you say, “well, it won’t be easy.”  Or, “you’ve got a long road ahead.”   Instead, why not say “great!  what would have to happen to make that come true?”

See the difference.  Once you start thinking about what the outcome would be, your brain will start getting creative and will begin to draft out steps you’ll take.  You probably won’t know every step needed to reach your dream.  But if you start in the direction your wise inner self guides you to, you’ll be led to the next step, the next person.

This is the power of planning.  To me making plans is like playing.  And to be honest, many of my plans go out the window.  The secret is, that while you’re following your initial plan, all kinds of unexpected and wonderful things occur. 

You meet just the right person who can help you with the next step towards your dream.  You stumble upon a book that has just the key you need to unlock some blocked area you had.  You stop into the “wrong” office and run into an old friend who can help you.

Planning in this way, loosely attached to the exact outcome, is the only way your dreams become real.  Action rocks.  You don’t have to create your entire dream alone…matter of fact, you can’t.  When you get in the game, and take action in the world, the world will meet you and give you more than you can imagine.

Would love to see your comments here.  Post a dream you have!  You never know who might have a missing link you need.

“Breakthrough to the Best You in 2010: Create Your Powerful Yet Simple Goal Setting and Time Management System That Works!” Free Tele-Conference Open to Public

Many believe that 2009 was the worst year they ever experienced.   What can we do about this? Plan ahead to make 2010 a year where you turn things around, make smart choices and build the future you want in all areas, including finances, relationships, physical and emotional health.. Hosted by Authentic Life Institute, this free tele-seminar demystifies the goal setting process and provides concrete steps for taking control of your precious time and ensuring success.

San Juan Capistrano, CA AddPR.com, December 22, 2009

The economy has battered and bruised many people.  They often feel that life is spinning out of control.  They react out of fear and maybe aren’t making the best choices.

What can be done? The best remedy is to take charge of your life.  There is nothing that dispels fear like a well thought out goal and taking actions to achieve it.

Fact –Less than 15% of people write their goals down in specific, measurable, detail. (Source- www.ThinkTQ.com)

Fact- Only 12% have at least one clearly defined goal for every major interest in their life. (Source- www.ThinkTQ.com)

Fact- Only 22% share your goals with others for mutual accomplishment. (Source- www.ThinkTQ.com)

Who wouldn’t want to be create their vision, have a clear plan to achieve it, know what actions are most important to take each day to live a life filled with  peace of mind, financial freedom, a healthier body and joyful relationships?

Honestly? Not everyone. Most people aren’t willing to take the quiet, inner time to think through goals and actions; however, now, more than ever, people are questioning the direction of their lives, seeking more meaning and purpose along with material security and success.

To address the problem of financial adversity and lack of clear direction and to promote the benefits of goal setting and time management, Authentic Life Institute, a virtual learning center reaching more than 17,000 people monthly, is hosting a free tele-teleseminar (via telephone) on January 6, 2010, open to the public on “Breakthrough to the Best You in 2010: Create Your

Powerful Yet Simple Goal Setting and Time Management System That Works!”

Topics covered include-

- Why set your goals?

- A simple but powerful goal setting system

- Action planning to accomplish your goals with ease and success

- Time Integrity -It’s Your Time, How Will You Use It?

Ann Ronan, Ph.D., founder of Authentic Life Institute states “Starting with a vision for your life and then creating a definite plan to achieve it with planned out action steps and support is the absolute key to success in life.  It is my mission to help others live their authentic life – a life of purpose and meaning with all the money needed to live a truly rich life.”

For more information visit http://authenticlifeinstitute.com/classes/january-6-2010/

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I’ve been following the relatively new field of Positive Psychology for the last few years –imagine studying people who are healthy and thriving and not just those with disorders and diagnosis –about time!

There are powerful research results coming out about the idea of gratitude.  Findings say that gratitude helps maintain close connections with others.  Gratitude is linked to more helping behaviors, high positive emotions, life satisfaction, increased hope and lower feelings of anxiety and envy.  Who doesn’t want that!

In a research study on happiness, people in one group were asked to write a letter of gratitude to someone, a 2nd group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for each day for one week, and a 3rd group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for on a single day.

There appeared to be more benefit to listing your blessings 1 day a week rather than everyday (I wonder if it was because it was easier to remember to do it once!).  All three interventions worked, providing people with increased happiness and hope.  And even more impressive –the benefits lasted up to 6 months.

Of all the happiness interventions to date– gratitude gives the strongest effects.

The affirmative prayer method that I practice daily has a gratitude component to it. Being grateful for what is right now and feeling what it’s like to already have what you have asked for.  When I practice affirmative prayer and get to the gratitude part, my heart always fills up so full…no matter what circumstances are appearing in my outside world…it is a wonderful feeling and always transforms me to a higher place.

Enjoy this season of gratitude, and post a comment on our blog about your experiences with gratitude…I’d love to hear them!

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I highly recommend a book called “The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles” by Steven Pressfield.  In it he examines internal obstacles to success and how to unlock your creativity.  Today’s tips are adapted from his book.

I am often asked how I get so much done…running multiple profit centers while still having plenty of time for exercise, reading, learning and play.  One thing I can attribute to my productivity is the attitude I took the very first day of my being self employed – I gave my home based business the same respect I had given my previous jobs. Here’s what I did, and continue to do:

1.  I show up every day.  When I first started my home based business, I decided I would work Monday through Friday –no weekends. I also decided I would make my commute down the hallway to my desk in real clothes.  Now, one of the joys of working from home is that I can wear comfortable clothes…however, I don’t show up at work in my pj’s. 

2.  I show up no matter what.  In my previous employment, I rarely stayed home –I’ve got great health and hardly get sick, I didn’t want to let my colleagues down, and I took pride in meeting my project deadlines.  I have the same philosophy in my home based business.  If I’m truly sick, I rest but other than that I show up.

3.  I stay on the job all day.  I decided my hours would be Monday-Thursday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Fridays from 9:00-2:00 pm.  And for the most part, I am at home working during those hours.  I gradually adjusted the tasks I would do at different times.  For example, I used to take client calls every day –now I don’t take them on Mondays or Fridays.  Mondays is a day when I work on projects and writing, and Friday is a project day and also a time for planning the upcoming week.  I now quit at 1:00 most Fridays.  Most days my husband joins me at home for lunch – so I have a midday break.

While working from home gives me the freedom to rearrange my hours if needed, I find that my regular daytime schedule works for me…I have plenty of time in the early mornings, evenings and weekends for relaxation and play.  Your ideal schedule might look very different.  The point is to have a schedule and stick to it.

4.  I accept pay for my work.  You accepted your paycheck when you were employed by someone else right?  You didn’t feel guilty for taking it did you?  Yes, I’m enjoying my work and yes it provides service that I feel compelled to give to the world and YES, I’m here to make money!   You’ll need to get over any discomfort you have about quoting your fees and asking to be paid if you are going to have a successful business and not just a hobby.

I’ve seen these 4 factors make or break home based businesses.  Commit to these things for 3 months and let me know what “magic” happens for you!

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It’s not my imagination. And it’s not just anecdotal evidence from my own coaching business. I’ve recently read several research articles that find women exhibit a lack of self-confidence in their own abilities as entrepreneurs compared to men; many women do not feel comfortable calling themselves entrepreneurs; and, fear of failure is higher for women compared to their male counterparts. Now the good news is that for some women in the research studies, entrepreneurial self-confidence grew over time in business.

It breaks my heart when I work with women who hold back and don’t fully share their gifts with the world –even when I can see that they are shining stars. And I can relate! I’ve been there. I had very little self confidence in my younger days (middle age has its blessings). Here are five tips to build your entrepreneurial confidence.

1. Act now. Procrastination feeds fear. With each success you have, you lay another brick in your confidence foundation. Choose an action that you feel you can accomplish -even if it’s a little scary –and get it done.

2. Keep an accomplishment log. Women often discount what they’ve accomplished, attributing their success to luck or other people. Keep a log of your accomplishments –read them when you start to feel self doubt. This is also a great tool to keep your resume or portfolio updated.

3. Save testimonials. I have a “testimonial” folder in my outlook email box. When someone sends me a thank you or a compliment of any kind, I save it in that folder. This serves two purposes: one, testimonials are a powerful marketing tool –people love to buy from someone who shows them testimonials that talk about specific outcomes, and two, reading them reminds me of why I get out of bed every day and do what I do.

4. Faith it till you make it. I know…you’ve heard “fake it till you make it”…since this is Authentic Life Institute … we say “faith.” I have said “yes” to requests that are in alignment with my business and values even though, at the time, I wasn’t confident I could meet the request. I knew I’d figure out the “how” if I made a commitment. An example was the first time I was asked to give a radio interview…my first internal reaction was a big gulp and a “I’ve never done that and don’t have a clue what to expect” fear.
My external reaction was a confident “yes, thank you for the opportunity and what date are you looking at.” In this case, the interviewer was experienced and sent me questions ahead of time…yes, I was nervous and no, I don’t think listeners knew it. With experience, I’ve learned to have a few “talking points” I want to be sure to work into the interview, regardless of what questions the interviewer asks…I didn’t do this the very first time and it was just fine.

5. Don’t Dwell on Mistakes. Do you ruminate over your mistakes…playing the scenario out in your mind over and over again? That’s a habit to drop. Instead, learn to become a gentle, reflective, observer of yourself. For example, after I give a workshop or presentation, I reflect on the experience. I consider what I might do differently next time and then I spend more time reflecting on all the things that went well. Most of all, I congratulate myself, for “getting out of the way” and remembering that the purpose of the presentation was to inspire others. Yes, learn from your experiences, but keep the big picture perspective.

Walk tall today. Know you have unique gifts to share with the world. Confidence is attractive…let yours shine!