My Friend Alicia Berberich has graciously shared some of her wisdom with us.
Check out her book Power-Up Your Productivity
I don’t know about you, but lately, I’ve been feeling like a hamster stuck in a wheel—running, running, running, and getting nowhere. At least I’m getting some exercise. What I need is a change of venue. Being stuck inside is beginning to erode my sense of opportunity.
Yes, my sense of opportunity. I used to see opportunities everywhere. Opportunities to help others, opportunities to learn new things, opportunities to better myself. I’ve been doing lots of things these past months while limiting my exposure to things I’m not interested in (like COVID).
But now I’m ready for a change. I want to spread my wings and stretch my legs and blossom. This must be what the caterpillar feels like after she breaks out of her cocoon.
How can I best fertilize my mind and body to become the best possible me while maintaining my health and sanity?
After percolating on this, I have come up with 5 ways to keep my sense of opportunity alive as we head into Fall.
#1: Set a learning goal to achieve by the end of the year
I love learning new things. I’m not talking about what I have to learn for school, but things I want to learn for myself. Like the best way to put on eyeliner that looks fabulous or how to get published online.
What about you? What do you want to learn before Christmas? Pick something that excites you. My niece is learning to knit a scarf. My neighbor is watching cooking videos and learning to cook healthy vegetarian food. My girlfriend is learning to make Facebook Ads. You have so much opportunity because you can learn just about anything on YouTube! Fast, fun, and free!
# 2: Reconnect with people you haven’t seen in awhile… (like 7+ months!!)
I’ve started to reconnect in two different ways. First, I started to Facetime friends I haven’t connected with. They LOVE that I reach just to check-in and connect. I’m not calling for anything other than to say, “Hi!” and find out what’s happening in their lives. This is great because it gives me something new to talk about at the dinner table and boy do we need something new to talk about at the dinner table!
My second method… sit tight for this one…it may blow your mind… I write letters! Yes, actual snail-mail letters! Seriously, who does that any more? Which is EXACTLY why I’m doing it! I wrote to my aunt in Maryland, I wrote to my girlfriend in Alabama, I wrote to my friend in Los Angeles. My goal is to write one letter a day. It doesn’t have to be biblical in length, just a quick note. I even got some fun cards at Trader Joe’s. Have you ever looked at the cards at Trader Joe’s? They’re pretty funny! My niece, who’s 6 years old, offered to make me some cards too. It’s fun. Imagine going to your mailbox and finding a real letter for you! What joy! Someone was thinking about you AND took action and sent you a letter! Love it!
#3: Break up with Social Media
Have you noticed all those people online seem to have everything all together? Hair, makeup, wardrobe? My life is not like that. Especially after not getting a hair cut for months… I decided to cut the umbilical cord to my social media accounts. Now I connect once or twice a week and just for 10 minutes. I have joined the STOP THE SCROLL movement. Now I’m less anxious and I have a lot more time to bake and read juicy dystopian novels. Do I really care what Rhianna and Beyonce ate for breakfast? How is that going to change or impact my life? So let the scroll go and focus instead on making a better you!
#4: Make mornings marvelous
I used to sleep in as late as possible then rush around like the Tasmanian devil to get ready… no wonder I always felt frazzled and unprepared. Then I read a simple little book called Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and that was a game-changer. I get to bed earlier at night so I can wake up and have a morning I designed. I like to drink warm water, stretch, meditate, write in my journal then shower and get ready. I feel more grounded and happy. Life-changing really! Try it!
#5: Know you’re worth it
Mindset is talked about all the time but to incorporate a strong mindset into my life has created a huge shift in my confidence. It began when I met a Worthologist, Dr. Fred Jones. He is AMAZING. He doesn’t let me say anything negative about myself because the more negative things I say, the more my subconscious is going to believe those things are true and they simply aren’t. A strong mindset gives you the strength to be who you are meant to be, not some watered-down version of yourself.
It’s time to put on your big girl pants, take control of your mind, and feed it only positive thoughts. When you hear yourself say something negative, reframe that IMMEDIATELY. Change “I’m not good enough” to “Every day in every way I get better and better.”
Know that you are born in the likeness of God and you are beautiful. To say you are not is to tell God he created something inferior, which he doesn’t do. At all. You are beautiful and your job is to help your light shine brighter every day!
Harness the power of these 5 ideas and see if, by December, your light isn’t radiating brighter every day!
Let me know what you’re going to do in the comments below! Thanks for sharing!
Alicia Berberich is a Communications Strategist and Direct Response Writer. She is the author of the # 1 Amazon Best Seller Power-Up Your Productivity: How to be More Productive From Your Home Office. She coaches people to be the very best they can be helping them determine their path and stay the distance. Her weekly blog, Monday Morning Motivation, provides the kickstart we all need to get going! You can sign up here: Alicia’s Blog, Monday Morning Motivation.
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