Life

Great Things Take Time

July 4, 2017 by Camilla

“Great things take time” ~Unknown

I saw this great card in a bookstore and thought – what a great topic for a blog post!

We live in what I call “a microwave society” where we want everything now, not tomorrow, but right now. We want instant success. Instant wealth. Instant perfect body. Instant this and that. And of course we preferably want it without putting too much work in.

I believe this is much thanks to the internet and social media where it looks as if everyone’s life is perfect and where none of the reality is shared. We only see the end-result or what appears on the outside.

Sadly, too many, especially in the online world, is trying to sell us only the end-result and that you too can succeed overnight if you just buy their course, their book or their material. I don’t know about you but it drives me crazy!

Are there those that succeed building a 6-figure business in 6 months? Yes. But quite often it’s because they either worked a 100 hours a week and hit it so hard they didn’t know what was up and what was down, or because they had prior knowledge that took years to accumulate.

Let’s take a look at the game Angry Bird. Instant success. Well, the backstory to that is over 60 failed games over 8 years. It was an 8 year in the making ‘overnight’ success.

Let’s take a look at one of the most popular podcasts out there, Entrepreneur on Fire, that today makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a month. That was not the case from the get-go. It took time to build that up, with no to little revenue for well over a year. Plus John Lee Dumas hired a $1,000 per hour business coach to help him get to where he wanted to go faster.

Zappos? If you haven’t read the story behind that please do. Zappos was on the brink of shutting down so many times for years due to lack of funds, even after Tony Hsieh sold pretty much everything he owned to fund the company and secure other funding.

Tesla? At one point Elon Musk sold everything he owned to save the company and had to borrow money to pay rent.

We all know the story behind Harry Potter, Amazon and other now big names and how long they had to deal with rejection and not being profitable, taking years and even a decade to become the success we saw.

Pretty much anyone you see having succeeded doing what you want to do have a not so pretty story behind that. A story of hard work, frustrations, defeat, wins, failure, another win, more hard work, crap how will I pay the bills this month to let’s have real sushi tonight.

Can you speed up your path to success? Absolutely. Hire awesome coaches, mentor, join masterminds and surround yourself with people smarter than you. Ask others how they did it. Read books, take a course in marketing, influence, and sales.

That said, don’t let anyone ever tell you it’s easy or that what they have can make you a millionaire overnight or that their program is the only program that works. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Success takes time, hard work, knowledge, grit and determination to make it happen. It’s not a straight arrow. It’s a roller-coaster of so many ups and downs.

Plus remember, your situation may be completely different that someone else’s. It’s easier for a single person with few responsibilities to hustle pretty much non-stop than someone with a family and kids. It’s easier for someone who has the cash flow to hire the kind of help they need to go places faster than for someone who doesn’t. It’s easier for someone who has years of prior knowledge to package their knowledge into an online course to succeed faster than someone who is just starting out trying to figure out what they want to teach.

Put one foot in front of the other, seek out and hire the best to your ability, surround yourself with people smarter than you and that have done what you want to do, and believe in yourself.

Most of all, remember as you’re working on your dreams and goals that all great things take time.

If you felt this post was of value to you please share with others so they too can learn how to stop spinning and start living. I create these free trainings and blog posts for you. I appreciate you!

Got Renewal Time Planned In?

June 6, 2017 by Camilla

Guilty of thinking you can do it all? Join the club. We’re supposed to always be going, going, doing, doing, right? If we’re not we have this strange idea we’re being lazy.

The other day I crashed. I was so tired I didn’t care if the to-do list doubled while I took the evening off.

The next day my brain still felt fuzzy. I was just about to force myself to attack the to-do list when I said: No, it can wait. I turned off phone, computer and plopped on the couch to read and take a nap. Obviously I felt a lot better afterwards and somehow the world didn’t end! I know!

It’s so easy to think the world will end if we take a break. I mean, we’re that important right? We actually are. Just ask your family. But we are no good exhausted. Our creativity goes down. It affects our health. Our mood. When we are tired and exhausted it affects everything in a negative way.

Still, we have these expectations of ourselves that we can just push through that fatigue, cram everything in and keep going. It’s always…do more, be more, get more done. In addition to that we are always supposed to be available, even on vacations!

It’s expected to answer emails, texts and notifications right away. We’ve been fooled into thinking multi-tasking is the way to do it all. It’s insane!

As I was laying on the couch I realized the only one to blame for my busy time was me (don’t you hate when that happens?)

After all, who is creating your schedule?
Who decides what to put on your schedule?
Who is forcing us to add extra curricular things to our already busy work-life schedule?
Who is forcing us to say yes to everything?
Who is forcing us to believe we can build Rome in one day?
Who is forcing us to be available 24/7/365?

We are. Which also means we can fix it by eliminating things from our schedule, decide not to be available 24/7 by turning the phone off, learning how to say no, tune out and incorporate quiet times.

Leave the office, go for a walk and let your brain reset. Delete things that are not urgent off your to-do list. Ask yourself what the essentials are. Put yourself first and practice self-care. Plan in daily, weekly and monthly renewal time when you give your brain a real break away from the busyness.

Now tell me. Do you feel guilty when you take some time off doing nothing? Share in the comment section below.

This is a repost of a post I wrote in 2014 before I learned the proper way of energy management and how to avoid such things as crashing, exhaustion and burnout. For more information on how to learn how to work smarter instead of harder so you can avoid feeling as if you’re spinning in circles check out my Accountability Get Stuff Done program.

Quotes to inspire you…feel free to share! You can find more quotes on my Instagram and Facebook page.

Are You Proactive or Reactive?

May 23, 2017 by Camilla

Have you ever said: “If I only had more money I could x, y and z” or “If I only had more time I could x, y, and z.” And of course the “I hate my job. I wish I could work on things I love to do.”

No worries, I’ve said those things too. We all blur that out at times even if we know it won’t do us any good. But if you are saying those things on a regular basis you are wasting your time wishing for a future that won’t happen unless you do something about it!

No one, no matter how much you may feel you deserve it, will come and roll out the red carpet for you. Only way for you to have the kind of life you want is to roll it out yourself.

Proactive People Are Doers

The difference between those that are proactive and those that are not is how they approach their situation. Proactive people want a different future so instead of wishing it will happen they start working towards making it happen. They make a plan, take that first step, which leads to the next step and so on. Step by step they work their way towards achieving what they want. They stay focused on what they want to achieve and prioritize working on the essentials instead of the small stuff that doesn’t help them. They understand the importance of single tasking and creating a schedule.

The “wishers” want to change things but they don’t take planned action towards it. Instead of having a plan and prioritizing what’s important in order to get them to the next step, they react to every little thing coming their way and they work on the non-essentials, the things not moving them forward. Their days disappear to non-essentials. They can often be characterized by their frantic look and bouncing from thing to thing. Also called multi-tasking. They also blame circumstances a lot for not being where they want to be.

You can either happen to life or allow life to happen to you.

Definition for proactive:
prōˈaktiv/
adjective
(of a person, policy, or action) creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.
“be proactive in identifying and preventing potential problems”
synonyms: enterprising, take-charge, energetic, driven, bold, dynamic, motivated, go-ahead “you need to be more proactive about the causes you care about”

Definition for reactive:
rēˈaktiv/
adjective
showing a response to a stimulus.
“pupils are reactive to light”
acting in response to a situation rather than creating or controlling it.
“a proactive rather than a reactive approach”

What Can You Do If You’re A Wisher?

1. Change your mindset. As soon as you default to the “If only…” say STOP and change that to: “I am in charge of my own destiny. What steps can I take right now to get closer to where I want to be?” Create a plan. Make a schedule. Hire a coach and mentor. Find support. Write down goals you want accomplish and then make subgoals on how to get there. Take some time figuring out what is important to you.

2. Realize you have enough time. American’s on average watch 4 hours of TV a day. That’s adds up to about 13 years of 24/7 TV-watching over a lifespan. Yikes! Imagine what you could do with 13 years of 24/7 time?! Even if you’re not a TV-watcher pay attention to how much time you lose being down the rabbit hole of email, social media, internet and reacting without intention to other things that eat up your time 10-20 minutes here and there. That all adds up to time you could be working on you and your life and the important stuff. It’s all about how you prioritize. Say NO more often. Use a schedule.

3. Find a role model. Surround yourself with people you wish to be. No, this is not about becoming a copycat. It’s about learning from those that are doing what you want to do. Find a couple of role models that are where you would like to be and learn from them. Ask them how they did it if you can. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in one day. Those people didn’t just go from nothing to where they are today. They got there by making a decision to be a doer and work their way to where they are.

I’m challenging you today. It’s time to stop spinning and start living. Ask yourself: Are you proactive in your approach or falling to living a life of reaction?

If you felt this post was of value to you please share with others so they too can learn how to stop spinning and start living. I create these free trainings and blog posts for you. I appreciate you! Also, if you haven’t already join my free Excel Your Life Facebook group. It’s awesome! Plus make sure you have liked my Facebook page.

Quotes to inspire you…feel free to share! You can find more quotes on my Instagram:

The ONE Thing Successful People Have

April 11, 2017 by Camilla

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to succeed at whatever they set out to do and some don’t? I did too. In my studies of highly successful people I found a common denominator, one we can all implement.

Sadly only about 5% of people succeed at achieving their goals. The rest, don’t. The remaining 95% are capable, smart and talented people but they never seem to get there. Years pass by and they are still talking about that thing they want to do.

Maybe you have some friends like that or maybe as you’re reading this you recognize this is you.

Personal Development is Hard

Let’s just first acknowledge that this journey of personal development and going after our dreams and goals is no walk in the park.

It’s challenging.

It’s hard work.

It’s grit.

It’s relentless commitment.

It takes a lot of time and effort.

It’s means doing things you don’t feel like doing.

It means being dedicated at all times.

It means being laughed at.

It means losing friends that don’t understand.

It means having the guts to ignore the naysayers.

It means giving things up.

Besides all those things, which quickly weeds out the winners from the losers, is one basic component most overlook.

CLARITY

Without clarity on WHY you want to achieve something it’s hard to deal with all the challenges, find motivation and energy to do what must be done in order to succeed.

I mean, why should you exercise, eat healthy, save for the future, start that business, pursue that career you really want, pursue your goals and dreams, grow your business, make a greater impact, write that book, become a better parent, leader, spouse or partner if you don’t know why those truly matters to you, where those will lead you and what the payoff will be?

Why should you plow through the messy stuff, spend time doing things that are difficult and that you don’t want to do in order to get to the other side?

Lack of clarity and vision is why most never succeed reaching that next level. But we’ve all had moments when we had a clear vision of what we wanted and went after it.

Just think of it. Did you have any trouble with motivation when you went after something you REALLY wanted?

I don’t know you and your personal story but I’m betting my money on that you went all out and didn’t let anything stop you. You found the time. You found the money. You figured out how to get what you wanted and you got it! You were relentless and you didn’t give up. You were focused. You stayed on track. Challenges became a game to overcome. You didn’t take no for an answer.

Clarity becomes your GPS and your fuel for staying the course. Highly successful people are VERY clear on what they want to achieve and why. They have a strong vision and go after it with all their heart and soul. They don’t let anything stop them. Neither should you.

Quotes to inspire you…feel free to share! You can find more quote on my Instagram:

The 6 Foundational Habits for Productivity – No. 6 Breaks

October 3, 2016 by Camilla

Do you feel defeated because no matter how hard you work, you can never keep up? And after a long day at work you come home exhausted with no energy to spare, leaving you to wonder why you’re so tired all the time. I hear you! I lived in that state too until I learned that the way society wants us to work is extremely inefficient and holds no basis in human physiology.

We live in a society where we have been conditioned to be “on” 24/7/365. You’re expected to answer emails, texts, phone calls and more immediately while also working for 8-10 hours straight and get everything done. That’s insanity and needs to stop. We are not robots!

Time has come to wrap up this 6 Foundational Habits for Productivity series with our habit no. 6 – Take Breaks. If you missed the first 5 habits, click HERE.

Your Brain Need Breaks To Function

If you start paying attention your level of focus and concentration goes down after about 60-90 minutes depending on the task you’re doing. That’s because your brain gets tired and needs to regenerate.

Your brain goes through something called an ultradian rhythm, think of it as a wave with peaks of highs followed by lows about every 90 minutes. When your brain is on a high peak you are able to focus well. When it’s coming down you start losing focus, and that is when your brain needs you to take a 10-20 minute break.

If you are not allowing the brain to take a break, you’re messing with your body’s natural oscillation of hormone exchanges. Not only does your focus and energy go down but if you are continually ‘pushing through’ operating as if you’re a robot, you’re flirting with the path to burnout.

In other words, if you want to work smarter not harder, keep a high level of energy both physically and mentally you must take breaks at least every 90 minutes.

A great tool to help you work in focused blocks of time followed by a break is the Pomodoro Technique. You can for example work in 45 minute focused blocks of time followed by a 15 minute break, or adjust the timer based on what works best for you.

But I Don’t Have Time to Take Breaks

If the thought of taking a longer break when you step away from work for 10-20 minutes every hour freaks you out because you think it’s not productive and you have so much to do, then start with taking 5 minute breaks every hour. That will make you realize how beneficial taking breaks are and you will make the time for longer breaks.

Those 5 minute breaks will provide you with a small boost of energy and help you throughout the day. You can do a quick meditation, close your eyes, maybe a walk around the building, do some jumping jacks, dance to music or just sit on a park bench watching the birds.

Then work your way up to 20 minute breaks. And no, those are not ‘let’s surf social media for 20 minute breaks’ – these are supposed to be real breaks when you step away from work! Move your body during those breaks too! We’re not built to sit all day.

And take a lunch break, will ya! Seriously! Taking breaks, including a lunch break, will help you stay energized, which will help you stay focused, which will help you get work done and will help you feel amazing at the end of the day so you can have a life too!

Breaks Are Energy and Productivity Boosters

You must manage your energy in order to stay productive! Like mentioned the way you do that is by taking breaks throughout the day, fueling your body, getting your sleep, getting your exercise and reducing input, but wait, there’s more!

You also need to schedule in longer breaks like weekend trips, vacation and days away from social media, computers and that non-stop beeping cell-phone. When was the last time you had a day off from something as simple as your smartphone or computer? Or even a half a day? Schedule in digital free days too.

If you don’t believe me on the importance of giving your brain a break, at least read the NY Times article mentioned in this post. Print that article out and remind everyone around you that it’s productive taking breaks.

Action Step: Get serious about these habits that you have now learned. Take sleep, exercise, nutrition, morning routine, reduced input and breaks serious. You may not realize that you are living in a mediocre state of energy. I want you to live an amazing life! To experience the kind of energy you have within you, if you get your 6 Foundational Habits in shape. You CAN feel amazing and have the energy to do the things you want to do. But it all starts with you and self-care.

If you felt this blog post was of value to you please share with others so they can learn how to stop spinning and start living too. I appreciate you!