Welcome to 2011!
Are you one of those folks who made a solemn New Year’s Resolution that this is the year that you will lose 10 pounds, start working out or learn French?
How long has this been on your list? And what’s your pattern?
If you are like many people, you devote yourself to this new activity for the month of January and then, a month later, that life-changing resolution has fallen by the wayside. Often, these new goal are “shoulds” or are motivated by fear rather than things that you genuinely want. Another reason is that you may not have cleaned up your house enough to let in new habits. Think about all the things that are sucking the energy out of you and do not leave you with enough time or energy to devote to your authentic self. You may not even have the energy to contemplate your authentic self. So instead of making a lofty New Year’s Resolution, maybe what you need to do is to declutter and get rid of that negative energy.
The first step is to take inventory of all the things in your life that are sapping your energy.
Start with your career. What is going on at work that drains your energy? A messy desk? An impossible co-worker? Projects that are going nowhere? A sense that you are in the wrong job? Any of these can weigh you down and make it hard for you to move forward with your life.
Same thing with your home: the chair that needs to be recovered? A broken stove? A broken home life?
Relationships? Who are the crazy-makers in your life?
Health, personal habits, finances, lifestyle? Write them all down.
Use the following chart to take stock:
The following things are draining my energy:
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At work: |
At home |
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My relationships: |
My health and personal habits: |
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My finances: |
My lifestyle: |
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1. |
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Take a look at your list. Circle the top three things that are draining your energy the most: the three things that if you could clean up would have the greatest positive impact on your well-being and your ability to move forward. Notice your feelings about each one of these items. These are likely to be the things that you have been procrastinating about. Understandably, you have been avoiding them because they are often hard to overcome. Think about why you have been avoiding them. And consider the impact that they are having on your life.
Once you see how much of a negative impact they are having on you, chances are that you will be more motivated to get rid of them!
What can you delegate? Routine boring tasks that take you away from the best of yourself? How about the things that you simply are not good at? Isn’t it worth hiring someone to do those things or even bartering with someone who has a skill set that you do not have and that is causing you endless stress?
What are you afraid of taking on? Often, simply by articulating your fears, you can often see what is possible to be done.
What can you not change? Sometimes, accepting a situation that is out of your control is enough to give you peace of mind to move on and take on the challenge of something that you can change.
Now set some realistic goals around those areas that you have decided to take on. Break them down into manageable action steps. And start taking weekly actions.
Congratulations! You are now on the road to removing your blocks to success. Keep up your decluttering project. Chances are that you will now be much more likely to get to the gym or sign up for that class!
© Astrid Baumgardner 2011
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I would be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of this article in your newsletters, blogs, websites, and message boards. Please include the following attribution:
Astrid Baumgardner, JD, PCC is a professional life coach and lawyer, Coordinator of Career Strategies and Lecturer at the Yale School of Music and the founder and President of Astrid Baumgardner Coaching + Training, which is dedicated to helping musicians, lawyers and creative professionals take charge of their lives and experience authentic success. In addition to her work at YSM and her individual coaching practice, Astrid presents workshops at leading conservatories and law firms on topics including Career Planning, Goal-Setting, Time Management, Dynamic Communication, Conflict Management and Personal Branding and Networking. She is the author of numerous articles on the various aspects of how to achieve and live authentic success.
