Guide Posts

Lists, Lists, Lists

So much to do and what seems like so little time to do it in. How on Earth does anyone have time to eat, sleep, study, find their socks (and if they are actually clean, even better) and make the best use of all the anytime minutes on their cell phone in a 24 hour day?

You don't have to buy a big and fancy day planner or a shiny new pocket PC (although those ARE pretty fun) in order to get organized. A simple system of prioritizing can begin with a simple sheet of paper and a pen. According to Pamela Espeland's Life Tips for Teens, there are a number of ways lists can come in handy:

1. Lists organize your thinking. Instead of wondering, "How can I do this?" or "Where do I start?" you can try steps on a list or make up your own.

2. Lists focus your energy. When you have a step-by-step process for reaching a goal or solving a problem, you're more likely to get it done.

3. Lists free up space in your brain. You don't have to remember what's on a list. You just have to remember where you put it.

4. Lists free up time in your day. When you have a list of things to do or strategies to try, you're less likely to procrastinate.

5. Lists are satisfying. Ask anyone who uses a list: There is nothing like making a BIG, bold "X" next to something you've finished doing.

6. Lists give you confidence. It's great to know there's no problem so big, no challenge so daunting, that you can't break it down into steps and tackle them one-by-one.

So what's on your list?

Finding Your Soul Purpose

The discussion of trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up has really got me thinking. Does what I grow up to be have to necessarily be about WORK? I'd like to think life is about more than the typical 9 to 5 (or more like 7 to 6 considering banker's hours are a thing of the past and the daily commute has us all thankful that our iPods hold 15,000 hours of music).

Wouldn't it be nice to figure out what our soul purpose is supposed to be early in our lives and then the rest could just be gravy?

I came across an interesting tool that may shed some light on this topic for you (or at the very least, you get to picture yourself in a nice flowery garden, on the snowy slopes of the Alps or any destination you deem your favorite, such as the local pizzeria).

Discover Your Soul Purpose is an hour CD of meditations and a workbook to help you figure this mystery of life out. Other great resources you might find helpful on this journey are:

Soul Purpose
Wishcraft

I finally figured out that my soul purpose was about more than the grades I got in school or the money I made in any job. Although that money thing isn't a bad perk!

So tell me, what is your soul purpose?

When I grow up...

I was working with a coaching client today about her latest detour...deciding what she wants to be when she grows up.

Ah, the question that plagues us all for a lifetime. Even my 73-year-old Grams still wonders about that. Should she be a professional bingo shark and feel her adrenaline rush with every ball that jumps in the hot popper or should she go for something safer like handing out tasty samples of sugary cakes and cookies at the local bakery? She could go back to college and get a degree or she could attend culinary school? (Although, if you ask me, my Grams could show them a thing or two when it comes to good cookin'.) Decisions, decisions, decisions.

So, when do we really figure out what it is that we want to be when we grow up? Shoot, when is it that we even figure out when we have actually "grown up"? Do they send an official certified letter explaining that? I sure hope so because otherwise adulthood may just pass me by entirely...

Do you know what you wanna be when you grow up?

Letting Go...

Detours can come in many different forms and for each of us, they are distinct and different. Some can be brief, some can be new and exciting, others can make us just want to do nothing more than binge on pizza and watch endless reruns of Friends and The Simpsons.

My latest detour on my personal journey is about letting go. You know, letting go of big stuff like fear of trying new things and also little stuff like getting rid of old stuffed animals that hold no resemblence to what they may have looked like when they were new. Teddy bear or kitty cat? Your guess is as good as mine.

I've been on this road for some time and I'm finally at a crossroads and the road signs that meet up with it. One says "Keep Holding On to Baggage and Pointless Worry" while the other simply says "Let Go". I finally know which way I'm going to turn.

Here is to letting go of clutter, perfectionism, worry, fear, holey socks and that awful vanilla toothpaste I bought last week.

What is it that you need to let go?