Top 5 Tips for Eating, Drinking and Being Merry!

December 11, 2013 By

cookiesThe number one habit to “go south” this time of year is health.  Suddenly there is no time to do your exercise program yet plenty of time to eat, drink and be merry.  While eating, drinking and being merry are fun and exciting, it often reverses all of the hard work that has taken place over the course of the year.  Whether you celebrate or not this holiday season, use my five tips below to keep all the success you have had so far from going down the drain.

  1. Make a Plan.  Planning is the number one secret to staying on your fitness plan, not gaining weight and not having to start over come January.  Plan your workouts.  Put your workouts in your calendar.  Even though you have a standing class or training session, when you see it in your calendar you will be more likely to keep them.  Plan your eating.  If you have ever have said “I shouldn’t have eaten all of that” you know it has the potential to happen again. So before you hit any party (or sweet tray), plan to do it differently and it will be different.
  2. Write down and share with a trusted friend (or even your fitness instructor) what your plan or goal is for the holiday season.  Whether it’s deciding to eat festive foods in moderation or not at all, or cutting your exercise routine down by half instead of discarding it entirely, when you commit to something and share it with others, you are more likely to follow through.
  3. Know your serving sizes.  You know what you like to eat—and therefore might overindulge upon.  Instead, plan to eat a healthy serving size.  When at a party or even at home, before you fill your snack, dinner and dessert plates, look at the choices first and then choose wisely.  Use http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate to look up what a healthy serving size is if you are not sure.  Being aware of what and how much you eat is key to staying on target.
  4. Drink non-alcoholic beverages.  When you overindulge in alcohol, all bets are off as you almost always will eat more.  Drink a healthy non-alcoholic beverage while you enjoy your favorite food.  If you wish for an alcoholic beverage, have it after you have eaten and drink it slowly and mindfully.  This keeps your mind aware of your actions and easier for you to ‘be good’.
  5. Prepare ahead of time.  Before heading out to a function, party or even the grocery store, have a small healthy meal first.  This can make sure that you are not starving when you arrive and therefore you will not dive into the bowl of chips, eat a tray of cookies or buy junk food.

This time of year there are extra temptations to lure you away from your regular healthy diet and fitness routine.  Do not be one of the millions of people who every year say “I need to lose the weight I gained from the holidays” or “Next year will be different”.  This is your year to do things differently!

Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below… you know I love hearing from you!

Filed Under: Self Worth, Weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Want to be productive? Understand your work style!

December 5, 2013 By

ClockAs an entrepreneur or small business owner it is important that you understand your work style.  If you work from home it is especially important to understand this as your day can easily be filled up with things that aren’t directly related to your business, but things that you want to get done.  Like the dishes, the laundry, sweeping the floor, reading the newspaper, making that one quick phone call, etc.

When I first started my business I fell prey to all of those things I felt I just had to do before I went into my office.  I admit, I still do many of those things but it’s because I realize that I need a neat environment in order to feel productive.   I know how important it is for me to get the dishes done and neaten up the house before beginning work…I just put a time limit on it now.

That being said, my work style today is far different from what it was when I started my business because in the beginning I didn’t have a style.  Now my style is to get up early, have my coffee and plan out my day.  I then like to get ready slow; I eat and get dressed at a leisurely pace and then I pick up my house before heading into my office.  No longer do I have the hour long commute to stress me out so I enjoy getting into my office calm and ready to be productive.

And just like my morning routine, I like to start my work day at a slow pace and then gear up to full production levels.  What I mean is that I have more energy at the end of my day than at the beginning.  I know I don’t have to be in my office at the crack of dawn and I can work until later in the day because that is when I am most productive (just ask my assistant when, at the end of the day her inbox is full and mine in empty).  This was a learning experience in my work style too!  I wanted to get in and get out, but it didn’t work for me and left me feeling frustrated.  Knowing my style makes it easier.

So you see, when you understand your work style—when and how you like to work—you become happier and more productive.  Just like your life style supports your life, your work style supports your work.

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: , ,

Three Steps to Chill Out and Be Present

November 27, 2013 By

spilled coffeeThere are so many things we have to… and need to do… and want to do… that it is easy to jam pack our to-do list, our schedule and our life with busy-work.  BUT it is necessary to do so?  You may be saying “Yes, of course it is.  How else am I going to get things done?”  Well, that depends on what you have to get done.

If you are a do-er and an action-taker—and dare I say ‘perfectionist’—it is very easy to get caught up in the doing of it all.  But where does living your life like you want it fit in?  It really doesn’t because you are so busy being in the future about what you have to get done and feel you should be doing that you forget to live in the here and now.

My dad had a saying, well he actually had two that are relevant to share with you: “One day at a time” and “One thing at a time”.  He was good at saying “I’ll be with you in a moment, right now I’m finishing this.”  Meanwhile my mother and I are racing around doing (and not finishing) ten things to his finished one.  I know for sure, by my own experience and those of my friends and clients, that when your attention is not in one place, neither are you.   You simply cannot give whatever you are doing justice if you are not fully present.

Have you ever spilled a beverage, dropped something, banged into the corner of your desk, or stubbed your toe while you were trying to do something else?  That’s being in the future (or the past).  And oh yes, the spilled beverage on your carpet, the shattered screen on your dropped smart phone or the stubbed toe absolutely brings you into the present in a very fast way!  It’s a rude reminder that you need to slow down, take a breath and maybe take a break.

I had a client who woke up one morning, got out her cereal bowl and her juice glass, and before she realized what she was doing the bowl was full of cider.  She was upset and beating herself up over this.  It actually threw off her entire day and when I asked her what was going on the moment before she poured the cider, she said she was thinking about her day and all that she had to do and what she wasn’t going to finish.  And so there you have it:  when we are not present, we can’t fully be mindful of what we are doing.

Would you like to experience fewer mishaps and mistakes throughout your day?  Do you want to accomplish things and have them done right the first time?  Be with yourself and not 10 steps ahead.

Here are three quick and easy ways for you to check in with how you feel and be more mindful and present in the moment:

  • Take a breath.  Do you feel frazzled?  Simply stop moving.  Sit or stand still and breathe in to the count of 5 (slowly), then hold for a count of 2 and let your breath out for a count of 5, pausing for another count of 2.  Try it right now – don’t you feel better?
  • Look around you.  Are you jumpy and anxious?  Look at where you are and what’s near you.  Name what comes into your vision and give it a moment’s thought.  The dog, “Oh, he’s actually snoring in his sleep”; the knickknack you picked up on vacation and what a fun time you had; the clouds in the sky and the shape they appear to you.  Small distractions will settle your thoughts.
  • Change your view.  Do you need to get out of your office?  Do you need to go outside?  Sometimes stopping what you are doing and taking a break is essential to help you be more mindful.  Whatever it is, do it.  Just five minutes can do wonders for your focus.

Follow the above tips and you’ll be mindful and in the present moment in no time (without stubbing your toe).  You’ll be happier, more productive and relaxed too.  And the next time you feel on the edge…go ahead and try one or all of them all and let me know how it works out for you.  Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , , ,

3 Steps to Reach Your Outcomes

November 21, 2013 By

footsteps in sand

In my Be Clear on Your Outcomes blog post, I talked about having a specific outcome so that you can begin implementing a plan.  Hopefully you did that.  But did you create a plan including all of the steps that you need to follow in that plan?  If you did… great!  Congratulations!  I’m happy you took the initiative.  However, if you didn’t, no worries, because that’s what we’ll talk about here.

Let’s say you have your outcome: Make more money.  Now you need to lay out your step-by-step action plan of what you will do and when you will do it.  While this part could seem really tedious, it can also be fun and exhilarating and leave you with eager anticipation of what is to come.  Ahhh, doesn’t that feel better than “Ugh, this is going to be crummy”?  I think so!

Your goal of make more money is valid, so let’s just break it down just a bit.

How much money do you want to make and by when?  This is called being specific and time oriented.  Do that first. 

Okay, next ask yourself what do you want to do in order to reach that goal?  Notice I did not say what will you do – that’s because it must be something that you want to do.  Otherwise, and trust me on this one, you won’t do it.  Do you want to do one-on-one networking?  Join a weekly networking group?  Speak and make an offer from the stage?  Do you want to cut down on some expenses (that’s a fast way to make more money) or even raise your rates?

Once you know what it is you want to do, then think about how you will do that.  Where will you go to do your networking or speaking?  What expenses will you cut back?  By how much will you raise your rates?  Will you raise your rates with your current clients or only new clients?

This is not an exclusive list of what to do, obviously, just a small insight on how creating a step-by-step action plan will help you reach your outcomes and goals faster and with less frustration.

If you are finding you can’t seem to figure it out on your own and nail this step, I’m happy to help!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , ,

Handling What Life Throws Your Way

November 13, 2013 By

Change ahead stampChange is inevitable – after all, nothing really stays the same.  But in today’s challenging times, it seems like we’re on “uncertainty” overload, never knowing what will happen from one moment to the next. Here today, gone tomorrow – or, at the least, very different tomorrow.

Uncertainty brings stress and confusion, and while most of us would be quick to say that we want less stress and more certainty in our lives, what we really want is less of a stress reaction to what life is throwing our way.

We can’t choose what happens to us – but we can choose our responses to the situations we encounter.  Let’s take a look at five different responses that people have to stressful situations. As you read through these five responses, you may want to think of a recent stressful event or news that you may have received, and see what your reaction to that event can teach you about how you habitually respond.  You may have one type of response at work, and another at home, or you may react differently depending on who else is involved.

  • The first, and unfortunately all too common response to stressful events is to suffer and be a victim to it. People who respond this way don’t take action. Things happen TO them – and though they may complain and be generally miserable about it, they don’t take any steps to do anything. They allow life to control them, instead of the other way around. This way of responding is certainly not recommended, and eventually, it will take its toll on one’s physical and mental health.
  • The second type of response is to accept the situation, and to get some perspective on it.  Someone with this response may say “so what,” or perhaps get some perspective on the situation by asking if it will it matter in a year – or a week – or even in a day.
  • The third way to respond is to actually take steps to change the situation – taking action to bring it to resolution (or at least move toward resolution). This is a very powerful response, and one that many effective leaders employ.
  • The fourth way to respond is to avoid the situation. People responding this way make a decision not to get involved in a situation that they don’t see as concerning them, or upon which they can’t make an impact. For example, someone may choose not to get involved in a dispute going on within their office if it doesn’t directly involve them.
  • The fifth and final way that people generally respond to stress is to alter the experience of the situation. When we look at a situation differently, the experience itself changes. Changing perceptions is probably the most challenging of the responses, because we tend to be stuck in our own interpretations and assumptions about what’s happening, but it is also perhaps the most powerful of all.

It’s your world, and you can create it as you wish. Remember, what one person sees as stressful, another person barely notices, or sees as exciting and full of opportunity. How are you going to choose today?

I’d love to hear how you respond to change or how you are going to now choose to respond.  Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , ,

Be Clear on Your Outcomes

November 7, 2013 By

Car on mapDo you know what your desired outcome is?

There is a saying, “If you don’t know what road to take, any road will take you there.”  And it’s true.  I’ve experienced it.  Sometimes I just jump in and start something… and then I start again and again when it isn’t working right because I haven’t spent time to do any planning.

Determining what you are doing and why you are doing it—in advance—goes a long way to getting your desired outcome.  Most of my business clients want to make more money.  OK, great, that’s a fabulous outcome.  But when I ask them what they are doing to get more money, they often can’t answer me right away!  They just know on a vague level they want and need to make more money.

So the good news is they know their outcome.  Next they need to break that down to specifics.  Once they are specific it’s easy for them to plan out how they will go about making more money.  Do they need to raise their rates?  Do they need a better way to collect on their invoices?  Do they need to do some inner work on themselves so they stop sabotaging their own efforts?  Do they need money systems and a solid foundation in order to reach their goals (a topic I’ve talked about before)?

Planning is often thought of as boring and so many people skip it.  Yet, planning is an essential part of any success both in business and in personal life.  Planning can be fun, it can be energizing and it can be easy.  Sure it takes time but anything worthwhile does!  Changing a bad habit to a good one, obedience training your dog, and preparing Thanksgiving dinner all take time, but would you not do them simply because you have to put forth some effort?  Of course not!  Not if you want results and success, that is.

Take the time to plan and you will achieve your desired outcome.  There is another saying, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather plan to succeed!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , ,

Just What ARE Systems, Anyway?

October 31, 2013 By

Woman holding a skeleton key over white backgroundI’m sure you’ve heard other entrepreneurs talk about “systems”… but just what are systems anyway and how will they fit into your life and business?  To begin with, I love to use the Thesaurus and here are some alternative words:  organization, arrangement, structure, method, procedure, practice, usage, and approach.

My favorite words out of that bunch are procedure and approach.  Systems are a way for you to approach your business so that your procedures help you reach your goals.  With systems in place, you will build and lead a successful and profitable business.

Key systems for your life and business are time and money management.  They are crucial because if they are out of whack, it is really hard to be successful.   

What do I mean by a time management system?  Using a calendar to schedule appointments and tasks so that you know exactly when you need to do something.  A step up from that is time blocking.  Take a look at your schedule and block out several hours for important tasks.  Nothing else happens during this time.

Now on to money systems.  Remember, you want to manage it, not damage it… and in order to do that you must pay attention to it.  So often people bury their heads in the sand and ignore what is going on around them when it comes to money.  Look, in order to make it you must know where it comes from and where it goes.  Finding a great money system that works for your work style is essential to your personal and professional success.

There are many other systems you can (and should) put into place, but when you put time and money management in place up front, you are setting a solid foundation for leading a successful business.

Of course, if you want to know more… we should schedule a chat!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , ,

Whose Life Is It, Anyway?

October 23, 2013 By

stamp guaranteed authenticAre you living your life the way you want to?  Before you switch to autopilot and say yes… pause and think about that question.  Are you living your life the way you really want to?  If you can honestly say yes, I congratulate you!  Yet, if you are one of many who hang their head and say “No, I’m not” then I am happy to tell you that can change.

You’re not alone.  I have worked with women who went to school for a degree they weren’t even interested in just because their parents insisted.  I have worked with women who got married to a man they didn’t love just because it was expected of them by their families.  I have worked with women who had no idea what it was they wanted, but knew they are tremendously unhappy with who they became and where they were in their lives.

This is common because most women like to please.  And if you are anything like I used to be, not pleasing someone else is so painful that you just don’t let it happen.  Yet, who suffers when you are not even trying to please yourself?  You are!

First, you need to understand you are entitled to have the life you want; a life which is agreeable to you and supports you and your desires.  You just have to take the action to get it.

The first step is a matter of knowing who you are.  And that might be really hard especially if you have been pretending to be someone else because you don’t even know who you are or what you want.

So, get to know who you are.  Who are you when you are being your true, authentic self?  Seems easy on the surface, right?  Not necessarily.  In order to work toward getting to know you—to really know yourself—spend quiet time alone with paper and pen to answer the following questions (schedule this on your calendar if you have to):

  • What makes me smile?
  • What excites me?
  • When do I feel the most joy?
  • What makes me feel good?
  • What are my favorite hobbies or past-times?
  • What am I really good at doing?

Don’t hold back your answers.  Let them flow.  This is for you!   However, if you feel that you are holding back, it is a telltale sign you are possibly afraid you will be judged by others.  Stop!  This is what got you in this position in the first place; it only leads to you behaving like someone else.

So now you have your true answers to the questions above.  Think about how it would feel if you pursued them and didn’t have any fear of being judged or questioned.  (Yes, you can do this. You must do this in order to have the life you really want!)

You would feel great, happy, free, liberated, justified, excited about life and maybe many other feelings, too!  And ultimately…you would now know the real you, right?

Remember, the first step to being yourself is to know yourself.  And just like when you meet someone new whose company you enjoy and want to know more about them… getting to know yourself is like gaining a new best friend. 

Let me know how you make out, and also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below or post to my Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KimRavidaCoaching page if you are willing to share with my community.

Filed Under: Self Worth Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What Type of Business Plan Do You Need?

October 17, 2013 By

Businesswoman standing on a ladder looking through binocularsWhen I went to business school, a business plan was a detailed manifesto stating exactly what you were going to do and how.  It was pages and pages (and pages) long.

Do you need one?  Yes, you do.  Do you need one that is pages and pages long?  It depends.  If you are a solopreneur (another word for sole proprietor) you may not need a business plan that’s as detailed as you think.  That’s great news because a lot of time the business plan will be what holds you back from actually starting your business!

What you need, though, is a business plan that makes sense for you.  I have worked with clients drawing up business plans that are long and lay out specifically what they will do and how they will do it.  I have also worked with clients and drawn up one-page business plans that concisely list their objectives.

The important thing to note is that even if you are “just a solopreneur”, in order to reach your goals you need to put your business plan on paper.  No, in your head does not count.  You need to make sure your plans are attainable and know what it is you will do in order to reach them.  It’s about writing down what you plan to do for and in your business.  That is its purpose; it’s really that simple.

I often do a year-long plan and then a quarterly plan and yet again another one monthly.  I like that system because it keeps me up to date and I can make changes without any stress or frustration.  It works for me and I’m all about making things work as easily as possible!

My suggestion for you is to determine exactly what type of business plan you need.  Then, spend an afternoon writing out a plan (or several) that makes sense to you.

Of course, if you’d like a little guidance… I’m here to help!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , ,

Lead Yourself to Mastery in Your Life & Business

October 10, 2013 By

MasteryAs business owners (and especially soloproneurs), it is easy to fall into this trap of “jack of all trades and master of none”.  Yes, it is a trap and no, it doesn’t have to be this way.  True, you don’t have to be a master at everything, but it is important to be a master at a few things that will lead and drive you to a successful and profitable business.

I love the word “mastery”.  It sounds powerful and it makes me feel good.  Mastery as defined in the dictionary means:  1) expert skill/knowledge or outstanding ability and 2) complete control.

Well, I don’t know about you, but early on in my life and business I had absolutely no control and did not feel as if I had any expert skill/knowledge or outstanding ability.  So, had I heard the term ‘mastery’ back then I would not have liked the word as much as I do today.

I was a jack of all trades doing everything by myself and also doing everything that sounded like a great idea.  And guess what?  Doing it all myself and doing everything that sounded like a great idea actually wasn’t!  When I decided to only work on things that I either had mastered (coaching my clients) or was in the process of mastering (networking/connecting), my life and business became joyful, profitable and fun!

I’ve recently titled a program with the word ‘mastery’ in it because it gives my clients a feeling of anticipation.  It’s the anticipation that will help them be motivated so they too can master the skills they need to be in complete control of their lives and businesses and to take action to reach their goals and have what they want for themselves.

Motivation is a key factor in running a successful and profitable business.  What it boils down to, though, is leadership of oneself and perhaps others.  So if we are to reach a place of mastery, what are some things that we might have to master?

I’m really happy to tell you that it is not as painful as you might think and it can be used for business owners as well as anyone wanting to improve their lives.

Here are three ways in which you can lead yourself to mastery in your life and business:

  1. Get a clear focus.  Decide what it is you want to accomplish.  When you know what your outcome is, it is easy to know what you need to do.
  2. Be specific.  Now that you have your focus, the next step is to decide how you will get there.  This is the time to be specific.  Is there something you need to do, have, or find in order to get started?  List out what you need and must do to reach your goals. Until questions are answered, it’s impossible to lead yourself to completion.
  3. Put your specific action steps in your calendar.  Without this last step, all the focus and planning in the world won’t help you, you need to set aside time to get it done.

When we master something we get a sense of satisfaction, we feel proud and we are excited about it.  I know I want to shout “I did it!”  It is such a great feeling.  That is why aiming toward mastery gives you the anticipation that you are working toward controlling your life, your business and ultimately your destiny.  Wouldn’t you want to hold the position of mastery in your life?  I know I sure do!

You know I love to hear from you, so please feel free to email me at kim@kimravida.com or share your thoughts, insights and revelations below.

 

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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