and little tiny steps.

Great big dreams require great big thoughts

and little tiny steps.

    Excerpt from “A Note from the Universe”

I think the thing that  people often forget is that it is the little tiny steps that move us along, even with big dreams.   

People usually have the following struggles when it comes to big dreams:

1) Feeling overwhelmed

2) Not knowing where to start

3) Struggles with breaking it down into those “little tiny steps”

4) Inaction due to all of the above

The problem is often that the big dreams have so many pieces and parts that must be broken down into little tiny steps. This is where my “Turn Your Intentions into Action” tagline comes into play.   As a coach, I help people clearly define their dreams and then create manageable action steps to reach their goals.  Along with that comes the accountability, shifts and new awarenesses, overcoming obstacles along the way and so much more! 

To accomplish our dreams, we have to first know where to start and then we have to take action!   There’s no amount of studying or pondering that can take the place of action.  For something to grow, the first seed has to be planted and then we must keep planting (taking action).  It’s about knowing those “tiny little steps” to take and then acting. It is action that moves us forward. 

Let’s face it, you can think about investing in real estate all day long, you can learn every technique, listen to every speaker (practically get a college degree in it these days), spend thousands of dollars and still have not done a thing.  It’s kind of like learning how to ride a bike.  Imagine looking at the bike, talking about riding it, watching other people ride it, asking how they do it, going to listen to people teach about how to ride it, thinking about riding it and how it will take you where you want to go.  Has any of this gotten you anywhere?  At some point, you just have to throw your leg over the bar, jump on the seat, put your feet on the pedals and start riding.  As I’m sure you can clearly see now -action is a must!

I’d love to help you accomplish your dreams.  If you’re ready to “Turn Your Intentions into Action”  call me now at 770-377-1847.

You may have heard of the movie, “The Secret” or the Law of Attraction.  Well, I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction, positive thinking and all the like.  However, the focus there is too much on just the attraction piece.  It takes attraction AND action to make things happen.  My mastermind group member, “Vinny Verelli”, who is a humorous motivational speaker has a few important things to tell you about the secret in his short video, “I Got Your Secret Right Here”.

Here’s a great tip to figure out where your time is going.  For three to five business days, track your activities each day  by writing down what you are working on every 15-30 minutes throughout each day.  Then analyze this data and look for categories where you can place the tasks (i.e. – bookkeeping, management, marketing, etc.) 

Next, it’s time to check into phase two regarding these tasks.  What’s phase two? Well, it’s a process of elimination… ask yourself if you should, DO IT? DUMP IT? DELEGATE IT? or AUTOMATE IT? Some of your tasks will definitely need to be done by you; however, some tasks are unnecessary time wasters or just simply not important for now and can be dumped.  Many other tasks can be delegated to someone else or automated through technology.  

Keep looking for ways to streamline your valuable time.  Hey, you didn’t become an entreprenuer to work all the time, did you?

I am your constant companion.  I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.  I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.  I am completely at your command.  Half of the things you do, you might as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.  I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.  Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.

 I am the servant of all great men and women and, alas, of all failures as well.  Those who are great, I have made great.  Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a man.  You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin;  it makes no difference to me.  Take me, train me, be firm with me and I will put the world at your feet.  Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.

Who am I?   I am habit.            Author Unknown

 One thing is for certain, habits have a powerful impact on our businesses and our lives.  When we are in the habit of something, whether it is good or bad, it just comes naturally.   Recently, the hot water faucet on my bathroom sink began to steadily drip water and would not stop.  I had to use the turn off valve under the cabinet for it to stop leaking.  Rather than reaching under and using that valve, I just decided that it would be easier to use the shower or kitchen sink for hot water until I had my handyman look at it. He came out in a couple of days to look it; it needed a new stem, which he could not find in stock anywhere that day.   We decided that he’d check somewhere else the following Monday, but when he found it, it was about $45.00 for the part so we  decided that maybe it was time for me to just pick out a new faucet, which I did.  By the time, I finally found my faucet and scheduled him to come back, it had been almost three weeks that I had been without the hot water faucet on the bathroom sink.   He finally installed my pretty, new faucet that worked just great, but the funny thing is that it took me a week or so to get it that I could actually use the hot water on that faucet.  I had gotten in the habit of using the alternate sources for hot water.  See how easy it is to form a habit? 

21 Days to Creating a New Habit

Experts say that it takes 21 days to create a new habit.  All you have to do is consistently practice an activity for 21 days and it becomes a habit!  Is there something you would like to get in the habit of doing in your life or business like scheduling for the next day, returning calls in a timely fashion, delegating tasks?  It’s easy –

·         Choose a new positive habit or two that you want to create.

(Be sure it’s manageable and attainable for you)

·         Write down the specific actions you will take each day to create the new habit(s).

·         Visualize yourself taking that action each day (and succeeding as a result of it).

·         Get an accountability partner to positively encourage you each day in creating your new habit.

·         Practice your new behavior each day for 21 days.

By taking these steps, you can have the new habit that you desire in 21 days.   Be happy with your habits by choosing and implementing the ones you desire.

My favorite little girl, Taylor, baked me a birthday cake and filled it with 40 candles!  Boy, 40 candles sure makes for a bright light.  My wish is that my life can shine more brightly with each candle added!

In December, I arrived at the big “4-0″.  I can remember as a kid thinking that my parent’s friends, who were in their 40’s, were just simply ANCIENT!  I’m sure that if you are anywhere close to this age or older that you can relate.  When I turned 30, I thought it would all be fine but ended up in my office crying that day. 

The thought of 40 arriving made me question how it would be -would it be like turning 30 or worse?  Then I decided…… to forget about it ….40 would be what I make it.  So, a couple of years ago, I began to kid with friends that I would soon be writing a book called, “40-The Best I’ve Ever Been.”   In the back of my mind, I really considered writing the book but then again the more important part was the intention of making “40-The Best I’ve Ever Been.”  So, serious or not about the book, I am and was serious about the intention.  

Setting intentions produces amazing results.   I teach this to my students and practice it myself, but this one was big -a milestone and the results have astonished me.   Setting an intention around anything is like using the Law of Attraction -focusing on the things that you want more of in your life, which attracts those things.   A simple example is going to a networking meeting.  Imagine that you decide to go to a networking meeting and just lolly gag into the meeting to “see what’s going on” versus going to the meeting with the intention of meeting 4 new contacts, finding a new coach, a new contractor and an accountant.   Simply arriving at the meeting with the intentions versus the lack of those intentions makes a huge difference in where you end up when you leave the meeting.  I can’t even begin to tell you all the intentions that I set around “40-The Best I’ve Ever Been” (without writing the book that is); but, I can tell you that there is great power in setting intentions. 

There’s even greater power in turning your intentions into action, which is why I choose “Turn Your Intentions into Action” as the tagline for Transformation Consultants, Inc. www.transformit.net

If you are ready to turn your intentions into action, contact me @ nspivey@transformit.net!