Secret #5, Design Action Strategies that Work!
You are the author of your life story and in charge of bringing forth the kind of prosperity that you want in your life.
Your prosperity vision is not simply about money, but can include your heath, peace of mind, well-being, fulfilling work, a sense of community, great relationships, safety and security, healthy life styles, harmony with the Earth, personal growth, creative expression, being of service, and whatever else you choose to include. You may want a simple life or a complex one –you choose.
A goal is simply a statement of intention that needs to be written down. In my book, there is a Personal Success Contract to help you to look at barriers to having what you want and what kinds of supports you need. Marilyn Tam, who I interviewed for this book, has 4 Principles that are the key to success: “Tell the truth all the time, Make me your partner, Make big mistakes, and Die by your own sword.”
One pitfall for women, including myself at times, in working our action plan is a tendency to not keep our promises to ourselves. We let other people’s needs distract us, we get stuck or scared and our commitment waivers, or we get caught up in feeling uncomfortable trying to elevate our self-esteem in order to create what we want.
As women, we need to unlearn our self-esteem issues around earning and enjoying money and the responsibility that comes from being empowered.
Each of us need to develop a strict schedule for how we work. Do we get up at 6 AM to write or is noon a better time for us? We want to use our best energy time for our creative endeavors and our priorities. Schedules, as much as many of us independants may squirm at the concept, work. Artist Jeanne Carbonetti, my favorite water color painter, who runs the Crow Hill gallery in Chester, VT, keeps a strict schedule, and tells us that Monday is about my books that I write and bills, Tuesday is art studio chores like matting and framing, Wednesday through Friday is painting, with no office work, and Saturday is what needs me the most and Sunday is none on the above. Jeanne also stops teaching and traveling between January and April so that she can focus on writing and painting exclusively. This kind of a schedule with blocks of time to focus allows us to stay connected to our big picture and get results. There are so many distractions with massive amounts of email and the pull of social media and other Internet seductions, that we need to be vigilant each day. I have a sign on my laptop that says, “Write first, do email later”, to keep me on track!
If you work for yourself, set deadlines on your priorities, and you will see faster results. As a coach, I keep people accountable and inspired. We all need people who care about us to both cheer us on and pull us forward.
