Making the Most of Your Holidays!

Hello Brilliant Babes!

I know I have quite a few followers who work in the retail industry and I know this info will enhance your Holiday Season.  However, even if you work in a more sane environment, what I'm sharing with you will help you as well.

After working in retail for most of my life, I can tell you that it is easy if you're not careful, to wake up on January second or third to find that the Holidays are over and you missed it.  Few things in life are as frustrating as feeling as though you've been working like a dog and have nothing to talk about or show for it after its all over.  

There have been days when I have left my house in the morning in the dark and come home at night in the dark.  Then it's a quick shower and I would collapse into bed with the alarm set to do it all over tomorrow.  

So how can we be sure we enjoy our holidays?  What do we do to be sure we don't miss the whole thing?   What can we do to fit it all in and really enjoy the Season?

TIME TO START PLANNING, my Darling.

Think about the upcoming week.  Of course your schedule is written in your 365 Planner.  You need to choose a few things that you want to do this week besides work and sleep.  

Things like:

-Go to a specific store to shop.

-Meet your best friend for a drink.

-Meet someone important to you for dinner. 

-Sit in front of a fireplace and enjoy your Christmas tree.

-Wrap presents.

-Bake cookies.

This list could go on and on, right?  It's a little overwhelming just thinking about getting these things done.  But trust me!  You can do it, and here's how!

Open your book, make sure your daily schedule is written in and get your phone.  You're going to do this really quickly.  Call the friend you want to meet for a drink and schedule it.  Don't go home from work first.  Try to meet him or her right after work.  Get the date on the books.

What else do you want to do?  Call your friend and schedule it.  Want to go shopping?  Choose the day.  Day off?  After work?  Schedule it.  Look at next week, too.  Get things scheduled.  Consider meeting a friend you want to see for breakfast before work rather than dinner.

You will be able to fit in the things that are most important to you.  Just schedule everything.  Try to limit how late you stay out.  Remember that getting enough sleep is super important this time of year.

How about wrapping those presents.  There's a project most people don't look forward to, but I do, and you can be happy about it too.  Here's how:

1.  Get your supplies all together.  Scissors, tape, boxes, wrapping paper, bows, labels, etc.  Make sure you have enough so you don't have to stop until you want to stop.  

2.  Put on your favorite music or TV show.

3.  Get your beverage of choice.

4.  Start wrapping.  

Since you have all of your supplies organized and available, you can keep going and going and not feel the inconvenience of having to stop because you've run out of things.

The bottom line is, you can fit everything into these busy days that you need to fit in.  But keep in mind that now may not be the time for spontaneity.  Now is the time for careful planning and you can have one of your best, most productive and enjoyable Holiday seasons yet!

Feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions or would like to discuss any of this!

With Love and a Brilliant Holiday,

Donna

Clarity is Power!

I didn't come up with that saying but I really love it.  I find it empowering and enlightening.

I will tell you with all of the passion I have in my body:  you need to understand this, internalize it, and live it.

Let's start off by thinking about a vacation.  Let's pretend we are taking a weekend trip to Paris!  Sound good?  "Paris is always a good idea." Said the incomparable Audrey Hepburn.

We get our airline tickets and off we go!  We land at Charles De Gualle Airport.  And we realize that we are in the middle of nowhere, France.

After we spend a great deal of time trying to arrange transportation into Paris, we find that the Westin is booked.  We try to find a hotel nearby and after a couple hours of trying to find a place to stay, we get there, check in, and pass out.  Day 1. Shot.  

The next morning, we find a little cafe and have breakfast.  Then we head off to the Eiffel Tower.  It's Saturday.  We have to stand in line for endless hours and finally go up into the tower.  Beautiful.   But all we can think about is food!  We are starving, having missed lunch while standing in line!

We get a taxi and try to find a restaurant. Because we did no planning, we don't know where to tell the driver to take us, so back to the hotel we go!  Baguette and cheese for dinner!  Yum, but what about the great restaurants in Paris?  Where are they?  We certainly don't know.  So off to bed and back to the airport in the morning.  

Wow!  A whirlwind trip to Paris and we didn't see much, eat much, do much!  

If we had done the necessary planning, we could have seen the Louvre, walked along the Seine, who knows what else!!!

Clarity is power my friend.  When you get clear on what you want you you can accomplish it so much more effectively. Why go to Paris without a plan?  Why start a project without a plan?  

Remember, a goal without a plan is just a weak wish.

If you have something you want to accomplish and you just randomly run around starting and stopping at various times and points, you will accomplish nothing.

So what must we do about this?  We must

get clear.  Know exactly what you want to do before starting.

What is it that you want to do?

What is the final outcome that you want?

What do you need to learn before you start?

What are the steps that will get you to that final outcome?

What amount of time will it take?

Write down your goal!

Write the steps into your 365 Planner!

Get clear on what you need to do before you start.

Don't waste time running around in circles because you didn't do the necessary planning!  Make that goal - or that trip to Paris count!

CLARITY IS POWER!

So what does it feel like???

Wow.  Amazing.  More exciting every day!  THAT is what it feels like to see my book in print!  To hold it in my hands and turn the pages and realize that I did this!!!!!   I almost feel like I gave birth!  

Ok no more bragging!  I just wanted to share that with you because I want you to know how excited I am about this project and how AMAZOIS it feels to have set a goal, done some research, set a deadline and made it happen!

It makes me ask, "What's next for this girl?"  The momentum is quite the energy revver!  I think I made up a word, but who cares!!  I wrote a book!!

What does this have to do with you, you ask?  WELL my GORGEOUS creature, here is the simple truth:

If I can do this, YOU can do it.  There is no magic here.  I just took my own advice and did it.

Honestly, this has been a dream of mine for years!  Many years!  I've written two unpublished books in the past.  I hated them when they were done.  Then false start after false start after false start, I tried to start a work of fiction.  Only to get bored with my story after several weeks and pitch the idea.

Then after some inspiration from Cara Alwill Leyba, I found my subject.  Once that happened everything fell into place.

Now, I'm asking you to let me inspire you!  So tell me this:  What is your lifelong dream?  Do you want to write?  Teach?  Learn?  What would you do if you weren't doing what you're doing now?  Do you have your dream job?  What do you love?  People?  Animals?  Children?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU KNEW YOU COULD NOT FAIL??

Make a list.....

There's MUCH more to come....