What Line Are You Feeding Yourself?

As the year winds down to a close, I want to ask you to reflect on a question that will make you squirm, but like all good medicine, will help you and your business out.

Here’s why: Whatever you don’t have in life is the result of the story you are telling yourself about why you can’t have it. (I wish I could take credit for that line, but that’s a Tony Robbins quote.)

In other words, the story you tell yourself allows you to rationalize not taking the tough, real-life action you need to overcome that time management obstacle that’s been messing with you and your business.

And rationalization is deadly to your goals because it allows you to shrug your soulders and enjoy comfortable inaction rather than saying “So I’m going to work on changing this situation by …”

So here’s your question: What story have you been telling yourelf to justify letting that time management obstacle continue to exist? What line have you been feeding yourself? What excuse have you been giving yourself to justify things staying that way?

Ok, I know that’s three questions, and I told you I’d only ask you one, so let me make it up to you. Answer the question for me by posting a comment, and I’ll give you some free guidance to help you out.

Till then, live like you mean it -

Dave Navarro

Where Would 15 Minutes Get You?

So often my coaching clients say “If only I had the time …” or “If I can free up enough time I’ll finally start …” … and they’ve been saying that for months (or even years!).

Sound familiar? Of course it does. We all do it.

But what if you didn’t?
What if, instead, you asked the question, “What would 15 minutes get me?” Think about it … what if you really did commit 15 minutes per day to just working on one thing, how far would it get you in a week? A month? A year?

Hmm … You’re not thinking “15 minutes really isn’t worth the time,” are you?
Think about one thing you wish you had spent time working on over the last 12 months. Now imagine - what if you’d put 15 focused minutes a day into working on it, for 365 days straight … that’s almost two and a half full-time work weeks.

That’s a lot of time. Be honest with yourself … how much farther would you be right now if you had committed those 15 minutes a day 12 months ago?

Now consider what it’s going to take for you to take 15 minutes today, and to start on the next 12 months of massive results.

Don’t just read this - do this. You’ll thank yourself for it.

Live like you mean it,

Dave Navarro

How Would You Have Done 2006 Differently?

Can you change the past?
Unfortunately, you can’t (well, at least as far as I know). All the mistakes you made in 2006 regarding how you handled your time, what kinds of things dominated your schedule … they’re all said and done. You don’t get a do-over, no matter how nice that would be. Then you might be able to wash any aftertastes of regret out of your mouth.

Can you change the future?
Now that question has a more appealing answer. As we roll towards the edge of 2006, it can be a powerful exercise to ask yourself what you wish you would have done differently in managing your time, your focus and your motivation if you had the chance. If you take a few moments to focus on those answers, you can leverage the emotion behind them to help make a shift in your behaivior in 2007 by using a technique called “the do-over.”

How to Get a Do-Over (Kind Of)

1. Grab a piece of paper and close your eyes. Imagine it’s January 1, 2006. Remember where you were and what you were doing. Remember the hope you had for all of the things you were going to do differently.
2. Carefully roll through the year in your mind and think about the behaviors that held you back (related to how you handled your time, your focus and your motivation). As they come to you write them down.
3. Focus on all of the opportunities that you missed out on because of those behaviors. Feel the pain associated with them. Write these down, too. Bring youself all the way u to the present day and look at all the things you missed out on.
4. Now, before you get all down about it, imagine that you are back January 1, except this time you have beaten all of those behaviors. Think of how awesome you feel having those limiting behaviors kicked to the curb. Awesome, I say.
5. Now, roll through 2006, except this time get a taste for all the oportunities you would have taken advantage of, had you nailed your time management/focus/motivation skills beforehand. Count the money you would have made. Consider the additional projects you would have finished. Write down this stuff to, because it’s good. Hang out here as long as you’d like.

Now, It’s “Time In.”
Ok, enough dreaming. Consider this - This is what 2007 could look like for you if you start taking care of your time management issues now. If you don’t take action, you’ll end up leaving these opportunities on the table for another year. Don’t let that happen - don’t blow it. Start getting some traction right now. Read How to Get Serious About Time Management In One Hour to get started.

So do it now. In about a year, you’ll be thhanking yourself like crazy for it.