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Good News For The New Year

Were you ever given the task of erasing the chalkboards at school?  I loved it when my teacher asked me to do this…erasing away the day’s work in order to set the stage for a fresh start the next day.

The New Year often symbolizes a new beginning…a fresh start…a clean slate.

Confession: I’m not a big fan of January 1.  I don’t like the weight that one-single-day in our calendar holds.  So many people put all their hope of making life-altering changes beginning that day, and if/when they “fail” – which the majority that make New Year’s resolutions do – it feels EPIC.

Imagine if our teachers told us on the first day of school that what we put on the chalkboard the first day was it.  If you did a math problem, did your best to work it out on the board, but got it wrong–that was it.  Fail!  No more chances.

I think March 17th, June 3, August 29, and October 11th all hold just as much possibility and hope as January 1.  The reality is…there are 365 perfect days of opportunity…for ALL of us.

Whether you’ve made New Year’s resolutions this year, or not, I want you to remember that your life is like one big chalkboard.  There’s plenty of room for creating, learning, growing, failing, succeeding, pivoting, and making choices.

There’s one thing for certain, we’ll all experience success and failure.  It’s not only what we learn from these successes and failures, it’s what we do with them.

It takes momentum and perseverance, and in this big, busy, complicated world, there are lots of distractions and hurdles that pop up and threaten to throw us off course.

In an effort to help you handle the distractions and clear the hurdles, I’m going to be taking the first Saturday of each month in 2016 to address a common problem or roadblock many people struggle with.  Each post will identify the problem and present solutions to overcome.

Here’s the list of topics/areas of focus I’m thinking of covering.  As you read through the list, think about which you’d best like to see featured  on my blog.

Forgiveness.
Stress.
The importance of self love.
Humility.
Getting out of your own way.
Dealing with strained relationships.
Fear.
Time management.
Addiction.
Jealousy.
Learning to trust and/or to be trusted again.
Shame.
Emotional overwhelm.
Depression.
Worry.
Control issues.
Why you deserve to be happy.
Handling failure and mistakes.
Perspective.
Healthy communication techniques.

Here’s your part:  Please, please, please share your thoughts and ideas with me.  Which of these topics would serve you best?  Is there something you’d like to add?

Leave your comments below, on Facebook, via Twitter, DM me, or send me a private email (jillgottenstrater@gmail.com).

I really appreciate your feedback, as it helps me to write about what will benefit you most.

Thank you, friends!  Here’s to an awesome New Year (all 365 days of it)!

Jill xx

 

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The Importance of Proper Maintenance

 

I was raised by a single mom who didn’t choose to highlight the importance of maintaining cars.  As a teen, and a pretty sizable portion of my adult life, I thought nothing of driving around with the oil light on my dash lit up like a Christmas tree or with freakishly bald tires.  And when I say bald, I’m talkin’ slick bald with little wires coming out of the treads!

No, it didn’t occur to me that that little light on my dash was trying to alert me to add oil so my engine wouldn’t seize.  I seriously thought the light was an optional warning!  Nor, did I understand that when driving with bald tires, I was in danger of sliding off the road while taking a corner a little too fast (yes, this happened) or worse, slamming into another car.

Thanks to my husband, I am a now a recovering car-maintenance neglect-er.  I’m now a regular at Jiffy Lube and the tire shop!

You’ve probably guessed that today, the last installment of this five-part series on Creating and Sustaining Momentum, is about the importance of Maintenance.

Yes, car maintenance is important, but we’re talking about “all-things-life” maintenance.

BIG FLASHING WARNING: Neglecting maintenance, in any area of your life, is a surefire way to throw off the momentum that you’ve worked so hard to build.

It’s not rocket-science, it just takes some intentionality, scheduling, and record-keeping.

Pretty much anything you do in life could have some sort of maintenance plan associated with it and provide benefit to you and even the world at large (dramatic sounding, isn’t it!).

Now, don’t let that last statement overwhelm you.  A maintenance plan doesn’t have to be a long, drawn out process.  For example, it only takes 10 minutes per week to water (maintain) the plants in my house and another 10 minutes per year to give them a dose of plant vitamins (I don’t really do this step, but I should, and now that I wrote it, I think I will); whereas, it takes 50 minutes, three or four times per week, to get my exercise (maintaining my physical health) by walking the dogs.  Whether you’re maintaining a plant or your body, both are important for you overall well-being.

Let’s look at a few examples of areas in our lives that could benefit from some maintenance:

MIND/BODY/SOUL 

  • Prayer/Meditation/Exercise:  Although you may have a prayer/meditation and exercise practice set up, you should check in from time to time to see how you might switch it up to provide more meaning and benefit.  Consider joining a new class or group, or attending a retreat.
  • Meal-Planning:Planning and preparing healthy meals is an excellent way to maintain a healthy mind and body.  Try to avoid getting stuck in meal ruts where you eat the same thing all the time.  Listen to your body, it has a tendency to speak pretty clearly about what it needs.  Buying local fruits and vegetables seasonally is not only good for your health, but good for your community as well.
  • Doctor appointments/checkups:Keep up with your annual appointments to maintain good health.  Yes, going to the doctor can be a hassle, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not really that big of a deal and the benefits can be huge.
  • Mental Health:Seek help from a counselor, when needed, to maintain a healthy mind, body and soul.  Don’t be shy or embarrassed in this area.  Everyone can benefit from a good counseling session!
  • Continuing Education: Never stop learning and growing.  Sign up for a class, go to a conference, join a knitting group, and read books.  Feeding your brain and your curiosity is an important step in maintaining you overall health.

RELATIONSHIPS:  

  • Relationships take maintenance to grow and stay strong.  When you neglect an important relationship, everything else around you has a tendency to fall apart.  Spend quality time with those you love and limit your engagement with those you don’t.

PHYSICAL ASSETS, EQUIPMENT & FINANCES:

  • Proper maintenance of vehicles, your house, equipment (computer, workshop, kitchen, lawn, etc.) is crucial in order to avoid unnecessary and costly repairs and purchases.
  • Financial advisers will suggest you visit with them at least once per year.  There’s good reason for this: Maintaining a budget, a savings plan, and an emergency fund will protect you in the short and long term.

If you don’t already have a stellar maintenance, scheduling and/or logging system, following are a few suggestions:

NOTE:  While there are lots of ways to organize your maintenance schedule/log, the important part is to find one that works for you and that you’ll actually utilize.  You may find that one method works for a while and then you find something that you like better later.  That’s OK, just pick a system and get started now.  

Paper or Electronic Calendar.  Sit down at the beginning of the year and schedule your reminders/appointments.  This may seem daunting, but it’s really not.  As long as you have a clear idea of what needs to be scheduled, you can probably get this task done in less than 30 minutes.  Of course, unless you already have an appointment scheduled with doctors, vets, and counselors, you’ll have to be flexible.  The key is to get it laid out in your calendar with the “give or take a few days” mindset.  The further out you schedule your appointments, the easier it is to get the day/time you want.

Excel spreadsheet.  You can create a very simple (or complex, depending on your skill level) custom spreadsheet to track and log all your life-maintenance items, but if you have a newer version of Excel, I recommend you check out their awesome pre-made templates.  In Excel, click NEW, and in the search box, type “maintenance” and/or “log” and you will find several great options.  I love playing around in Excel, but why reinvent the wheel?  Just take one of Excel’s templates and customize it for yourself or use it exactly as they’ve created it.

App:  “There’s an app for that!”  Seems like this is the phrase that comes up in most “How do I _____?” conversations.  Yes, there are apps to keep up with all your maintenance needs.  I’ve heard good things about both these apps: Bright Nest, a free app for home maintenance, and Car Minder Plus, a car maintenance app that is $2.99, and from the reviews looks like it could be money well spent.  For financial tracking, I trust my financial rockstar friend, Scott Alan Turner‘s top three suggestions: Mint, Every Dollar, You Need a Budget.  Because the app world is ever-changing, do some browsing in the app store for your device and see what would work best for you.

Service Provider Reminders:  My vehicle maintenance reminder for my oil change is the mileage sticker they place on my windshield.  If you go to the same shop for car maintenance, they’ll remind you of other things that should be done to your vehicle when you pay them a visit.  When you go to your doctor and dentist visits, make sure to schedule your next appointment before you leave the office and ask them for an email or text reminder.  Even if I’m not positive I can make that appointment, I will at least schedule it and then make a call to change the appointment if necessary.  Same goes for the vet!        

Notebook.  Last, but not least, use the good old pencil and paper method.  My husband is a dynamo with keeping up with most everything in his work and personal life, our home maintenance, and our financial stuff via this method, and he is one of the most organized people I know.

Do you have a system that you’d add to this list?  Share in the comments area.

When you put organizational systems in place like these, you’re making your life less stressful by not allowing things to fall behind or to be missed entirely.  You’re also clearing brain space up for your day-to-day life.

Here’s to finding a system that works for you and maintaining the momentum you’ve worked so hard to build!

As always, I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

Jill xx

Momentum Series Archive: 

Click here for week 1.

Click here for week 2.

Click here for week 3.

Click here for week 4.

You’re reading week 5, which is the last post in this series on Creating and Sustaining Momentum.  I hope you’ve enjoyed and found value in this series.  Please share with your family, friends, and co-workers.

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Don’t Make The Mistake of Skipping This Step

You know what I love about hard work, which also happens to be a major benefit of keeping a steady momentum?  The time you get to coast.  Using the analogy from our first week in this series, this is the time when you finally get your bike to the top of the hill and then you get to coast down the other side.  Feeling the breeze on your face, you slip your feet off the pedals and extend your legs out to the sides.  Closing your eyes, you rest for a moment–deep breath in and out.  Enjoy the fruits of your labor, you’ve earned it.

Friends, hard work pays off, but we have to allow it to.  Sometimes we have our heads down working so hard, we pass the precious coasting opportunities right by.  Don’t let this happen.  If you choose to skip over these “downtime” opportunities, you’re going to miss out on a part of life that is meant to nourish and rejuvenate you.

Following are the five areas that make up the COASTING phase of momentum:

Rest:  Resting your mind and your body is critical in your overall momentum strategy.  Think about resting as your time to refuel.  What happens when you don’t refuel?  You begin to run on fumes, and ultimately run out of gas altogether.

Recalibrate:  I think of recalibrating as regrouping or pushing the reset button.  Sometimes, just allowing time for rest will do the trick.  Other times, you may want to start a new exercise routine, do a body-cleanse, spend quality time with friends and family, take a vacation, or seek help from a counselor to deal with a specific issue.  Do what rejuvenates and/or heals you.

Reflect:  Reflection will provide illumination to areas that may normally be blind-spots or that haven’t been explored yet.  Use your coasting time to reflect on what has worked, what hasn’t, what was fulfilling, and what was draining.

Journaling:  Writing your thoughts, ideas, and reflections in a journal is an excellent way to, not only work things out in a stream of consciousness-type way, but to create a repository of content which you can access for future use.  For journaling ideas and inspiration, click here to read an article I wrote.

Plan:  The “coasting” phase is the perfect time to work on a plan for what’s next.  Use your clear, rested head, and your reflections to formulate your plan of action.

It’s important to use your “coasting” time wisely.  Don’t skip it because it sounds fun or frivolous.  It may be fun, but it’s far from frivolous.

Some questions for you to ponder:

Are you in a time of rest now?  How can you make the most of this time?  Is there one of the five areas you need to lean into a bit more?

Are you at a time when you might need to force yourself into a time of rest?  Don’t wait for the doctor to order it.

As always, I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

Here’s to coasting!  Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Jill xx

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Momentum Series Archive:

Click here for week 1.

Click here for week 2.

Click here for week 3.

You’re reading week 4.

Click here for week 5.

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4 Ways to Build Momentum Today

Welcome back! We’re moving right along through our blog series on How to Create and Sustain Momentum.  Last week we discussed the importance of, and how to create, the movement (think baby steps) necessary to either keep pushing through or get started moving in a positive direction, in relation to the things you’d like to accomplish in your life.

Today, we’ll discuss STRENGTH BUILDING, as it relates to creating and sustaining momentum.

What comes to mind when you think of Strength Building?  Sweaty workouts in the gym?  Bulging muscles?

Well, yes, that’s certainly one aspect of strength building.  Just like with a gym membership, we must consider what makes a successful strength building workout in other areas of our lives.

Can you imagine walking into a gym and half of the equipment was broken or covered with someone else’s sweat?  What if you arrived to your Zumba class and the instructor showed up 10 minutes late and didn’t have the right music?  Not the most conducive setup for your workout, right?

Creating and sustaining momentum can be tricky.  There are bound to be bumps in the road that you don’t anticipate or you can’t control, so anything you can do to prepare for a smooth ride is in your best interest.

Following are four key areas to focus on in your STRENGTH BUILDING efforts:

Workout Space:  It’s important to keep a clean, organized, and ready to be “worked out” in work space.  Whether your “workout” space is your dining room table, your office desk, your truck bed (landscaper or craftsman), or your kitchen counter, the more organized and clean you keep it, the easier it will be to dive right into your project and keep your momentum rolling along. Haven’t designated a work-space?  I strongly urge you to.  If you’re constantly having to pack up and move from place to place, this, alone, can kill your momentum.  You don’t need anything fancy, even a closet can be set up to be an awesome work-space. The point is, it’s your space.

Workout Tools:  What tools are necessary or helpful for you to perform your tasks well?  The tools I keep in my “tool-belt” for this blog are: my computer, a camera (for still photos and videos), a couple design apps to create graphical images, and a journal and sharp pencil for mapping out my ideas.  Not only do I need these tools to perform my tasks properly, but I need to make sure my tools are in good shape.  For me, this means keeping my computer updated, making sure my camera is in good working order, etc.  Can you imagine a tree trimmer showing up to their job with a bunch of dull blades for cutting the trees?  Not a good plan!

Workout Schedule:  It’s all about discipline and consistency.  Block out time in your schedule to complete your tasks and stick to it.  Why is it that we put things on our calendar, but allow other people’s agenda to interrupt?  Honoring your time is just as – if not more – important as honoring the time of others.  If you have a hard time saying no to others who are looking to infringe on your schedule, then I suggest you practice this response: “I’m sorry, but I have an appointment then, but I am available XX or XX time.”  Yes, you do have an appointment.  Just because it’s an appointment with yourself, doesn’t diminish the importance of it.  One last thing… you don’t owe anyone an explanation.

Workout Partner:  Most Sunday mornings, I walk five miles with a friend.  When we don’t make a plan to walk that day, I usually skip the walk altogether.  You’d think I’d just go anyway–I know that would be best, but the call of my cozy bed convinces me to stay a little longer.  The power of having an accountability partner is HUGE.  Even if you just check in with your partner every week or two and discuss what projects you’ve got going on and what you’d like to accomplish moving forward.

If you implement these four areas, your projects will be more enjoyable and your momentum will soar.

I’d love to hear from you.  I have a 2-part question: 1. Which of these areas needs some work in your life?  2. What will you do today to create a space, get your tools ready, schedule time, or get an accountability partner?  Tell me in the comment area below.

As always, I appreciate you spending time with me here today.

Here’s to the awesome strength-building taking place in your life!

Jill xx

Momentum Series Archive:

Click here for week 1.

Click here for week 2.

You’re reading week 3. : )

Click here for week 4.

Click here for week 5.

Jill xx

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How Small, Intentional Steps Will Get Your Momentum Moving

Friends, I just came out of a major momentum derailment.  I mean, I pretty much lost ALL momentum when it came to my writing and this blog.

It was like I had the motivation/momentum angel on one shoulder and the failure to move/take action devil on the other, and that little devil knocked the angel down, flat on her fanny.

Have you been there?  You get going on a project, full speed ahead, only to be derailed by something that comes along?  Or in my case, your momentum is really cruising for a period of time, but when it’s time to move on to something else, it sputters to a stop.

I’ve found the main culprits in failure to create and/or sustain momentum are: Fear, overwhelm, boredom, physical and/or emotional exhaustion, laziness, unexpected life events, and lack of focus, resources and/or direction.

We all have different versions of the same story – we lose momentum, and in many cases, lose sight of where we were going or why we were headed there in the first place.

My recent momentum derailment was caused by complete overwhelm and exhaustion.  Yes, the stuff I write about overcoming on this blog!

What happened?  Well, I’d worked really hard on a specific project and when completed and it was time to begin work on other things, I was completely out of steam.  I thought a day or two of rest would have me ready to get back on the momentum train.  Boy, was I wrong.  It felt like my mind and body went on strike against me.

As you can see, you’re reading part-two of a five-part series on Momentum.  Creating this series was my attempt to get back on track.  I know it sounds a little crazy, but approaching it in this way, forced me to announce a plan of action (me announcing this series to you last week) and to have something scheduled with deadlines to help keep me focused and on track.  I began building back the momentum I had lost.

I’ve experienced and overcome loss of momentum in the past, but actually being in the middle of it, really helped me to understand the pain in a fresh way and to be able to articulate the steps that work to get back on track.

So, let’s get to it!  Here’s the first three steps of my time-tested and proven method to crack the “loss of momentum” code.

As I mentioned in the first part of this series we’re going to break it down into the four components of momentum: Movement, Strength Building, Coasting, and Maintenance.

Today, we’ll cover MOVEMENT.  As you know, without movement, there will be no momentum.  The beauty of this process is that baby steps are fully encouraged!

Here are three simple steps to get your momentum movin’ and groovin’ again:

NOTE: When working on these steps, focus on one project or goal at a time.

  1. Break It Down. When we take large, complex, or overwhelming projects and break them down into “bite-sized” pieces, they become small, manageable, and doable tasks.  I promise, this works!
    Put it in practice:  Grab a sheet of paper.  Write your project/goal at the top of the sheet.  Now, write down all the tasks you can imagine that would need to be done to make that goal happen.  Don’t lump tasks together just because you think they’re inconsequential.  Break that goal down into minuscule tasks.  At the bottom of the paper or on another sheet, write out the tasks in the order they will need to take place in order to make that goal happen.  Now, take the first task that needs to be done and work on it.  Don’t even think about the other tasks on the list.  Focus on that one, small task and get it done.  When done, move to the next small task and repeat the process.
    What you’ll see:  Huge looming projects/goals that are broken down into a bunch of small tasks become manageable, doable, and even fun!  You’ll begin to gain momentum as you complete each task on your list.
  2. Schedule & Set Deadlines. What gets written down, gets done (especially when you take the time to work on Step 1).  First, schedule structured time to work on your tasks.  Don’t be willy-nilly about this.  Set time aside in your day and honor your commitment.  Second, assign time-bound deadlines to your tasks.  When you set deadlines, you drastically increase the likelihood that you’ll accomplish what you set out to do and you’ll also be far more efficient with these time-bound parameters in place.
    Put it in practice:  Now that you’ve broken down your project/goal into small tasks (Step 1), write out deadlines/due dates next to each task.  If you keep a calendar, include your deadlines there too.
    What you’ll see:  Progress–that’s what you’ll see.  Check off or cross out each task as you move through your list.  Visual reminders, like this, are big time motivation boosters, which will keep you moving forward.
  3. Remove Distractions. Your momentum will easily get derailed when you stop midstream while working on your tasks to check emails, Facebook, take a call, talk to someone in person, etc.  This is called context switching.  Professor Gloria Mark, found that “82 percent of all interrupted work takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.”  In an effort to limit context switching, I suggest you silence your phone and computer notifications, close your door, or find a quiet place to work and get to work with clear focus.

It doesn’t matter what type of project you have in front of you: a work project, planning a vacation, working on a meal-plan schedule, renovating a house, writing a book, working up a budget, college research, etc.  All projects, when broken down, will be less daunting and clearer when you apply these three steps.  Where can you apply the steps in your life today?

Side note:  In case you were wondering… Slightly embarrassing to admit, but the project that completely derailed me recently was the creation of my 7-Day Life Balance Challenge.  Is that not hilarious?!  My course on life balance threw me completely out of balance!  I poured my heart into the project and have received lots of great feedback from those who have completed it, so if you’ve not signed up for it, now is your chance.  Click here to get started…it’s free.

See you next week, where we’ll be discussing how STRENGTH BUILDING will propel your momentum.

Have a great day and keep your momentum going!

Jill xx

Click here to read Part 1 of this series on Momentum.
You’re reading Part 2 now. : )
Click here to read Part 3
Click here to read Part 4.
Click here to read Part 5.

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Creating and Sustaining Life Changing Momentum – A Series

Do you remember, as a kid, riding your bike down a hill with the wind blowing through your hair?  Not a care in the world–feeling freedom and total invincibility.

Looking ahead you see “the hill” — the dreaded hill that’s necessary to climb in order to arrive at your desired destination.

You know what you need to do next…PEDAL! FASTER and HARDER!

With each revolution, you build on the momentum that will help you get up that hill.  Your primary focus for the next few minutes is to get up the hill without having to stop and get off your bike and push.

The momentum you’ve built gets you halfway up the hill.  Now, it’s time to stand up, and with all the strength your legs can muster, push to get to the top.  Your face is beet red and your burning lungs feel like they’re going to explode, but you PUSH!

PUSH!  PUSH!  PUSH!

Sometimes you succeed and make it to the top without getting off the bike, and other times, despite your valiant efforts, you’re forced to get off and push your bike to the top.

Isn’t this just like life?

If we could look down on our lives like a topographical map, we would see the ups and downs, the plateaus, the forked roads, the winding roads, the lush green meadows and the harsh dry deserts.  The landscape of our lives is not always predictable from our earthly vantage point, so it’s wise to prepare for a variety of experiences in order to weather the journey.

The key is to understand how to create and sustain momentum in our lives.

Over the next four weeks, I’ll break down each of the four components of momentum:  movement, strength building, coasting, and maintenance.  We’ll drill down to specifics and give actionable steps to create and sustain life changing momentum in your life.

Following is a preview of what you can expect in this series:

Movement:  In order to create momentum, you must move.  We all go through stagnant periods in our lives, but just like with water, when stagnancy sets in, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.  No one wants a bacteria filled life!  The good news is that creating momentum does not require big, huge, bold steps.  Any step, in the right direction, can create momentum.  In next week’s post, we’ll talk about taking intentional and focused steps, in the key areas of your life, needed to achieve momentum.

Strength Building:  If you want to build up your biceps, what do you do?  You do strength training exercises–you pump iron!  Dictionary.com defines momentum as driving power or strength.  Not only is it important to practice strength training in order to make our bodies strong, but it’s also important to build strength in other areas of our lives, such as building and developing specific life or business skills.  The key to success at the gym and in life is repetition and consistency.  In this post, we’ll discuss “workout” tools, discipline, training exercises, and accountability.

Coasting: This is the easy part for most of us.  When you enter a coasting phase, you get to sit back and enjoy the ride.  Some people actually struggle with this part, but regardless of what camp you fall into, this post will help you to gain perspective and discover the importance of rest, recalibration, reflection, and planning.

Maintenance:  I don’t know about you, but I don’t get super excited when I have to take my car to get an oil change.  Maintaining our vehicles is necessary, and although not always obvious to us, the benefits are worth the effort.  Maintenance is also a critical part in the momentum process, but often neglected.  In the last post of this series, we’ll discuss the four key areas of momentum maintenance.

As with most of my posts, I like you to take a small action immediately after reading.  Today, in preparation for the coming weeks, I’d like you to jot down in your journal or a notebook ONE specific project, task, or goal that you’re either currently working on, but are having a difficult time building momentum, or that you plan on working on, but the thought of starting it overwhelms you.

That’s it.  Just write that down and set aside until you read next week’s post.

If you’ve not already subscribed to my blog, do so now, so you don’t miss any part of this series.

I’m looking forward to building momentum through this series and I hope you are too!

Have an awesome day!

Jill xx

Click here to read Week 2 in this series.
Click here to read Week 3 in the series.
Click here to read Week 4 in the series.
Click here to read Week 5 in the series.

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