Are You Stuck?

We all get stuck sometimes.  Not a problem… but what do you do to get ‘unstuck’?

Getting un-stuck isn’t always comfortable or easy.  But what if the hard way: structure, discipline, less distraction, and more accountability was the easy way?

Your life is much smoother and easier when you are calm on the inside and have solid daily habits or “a winning routine” (as I like to call it) to keep you grounded.  The benefits of a winning, daily routine are huge! Besides getting more done in less time, you will gain clarity, you will make the right daily pivotal shifts and gain immense momentum and satisfaction from your day… which leads to more profit! (Who would not want that, right?)

Once you have tasted the benefits of a good daily routine, you will never want to go back.  We all know this… but… the question is: DO YOU DO IT? Whether you get up earlier to work out or take a break in the middle of the day or get more fresh air; look at what actions ground you the most. The actions that take you from feeling Good to feeling Great!

I know that for myself, I need to start the day with “Me Time”. I usually go to a 6:45am Power Yoga class, followed by a hard earned shower and a healthy breakfast. Then, I take a few minutes to get centered and get clear about what I need to accomplish today and I review my Non-Negotiable of the day. (What’s a non-negotiable? Find out here!)

The kicker? I make sure that I am clear on all my “deliverables” for the day and that my Non-Negotiable is done BEFORE I open my emails… ’cause once you let the world in… there’s no turning back!

Leap of The Week: How will you create space for what you care about today?

What is LeapTV™?

Launching in September 2010, LeapTV™ is a short (5-12 minute), edgy, unconventional, practical, and FREE weekly online TV Show that helps solopreneurs and small business owners get clear, make small but powerful pivotal shifts, and gain momentum by taking action while keeping it simple. It’s the show that shows you that small, intentional and consistent actions lead to massive results.

LeapTV’s™ edge is about TELLING IT LIKE IT IS. This no BS show divulges simple and powerful principles that revolutionize the way you do business. It helps you and your business deliver like a well-engineered, well-oiled machine and makes you think, act and perform like never before. It is the spark plug that small business owners need to kick some serious ass by learning simple, unconventional tools, tips and tricks to win the game of business. LeapTV™ is also about building a great success community by leveraging viewers’ expertise and getting them involved by sharing their experiences, ideas, gems, concepts, insights and results.

By watching the show you can expect to:
1.    Have fun learning simple and powerful principles.
2.    Increase your level of clarity and efficiency.
3.    Gain momentum by learning simple tools and strategies to allow you to grow more effortlessly.
4.    Learn what branding truly is and what role it plays in becoming extraordinary to avoid elimination.
5.    Increase your overall level of customer delight and loyalty.
6.    Learn how to accomplish more in less time (and more effortlessly).
7.    Learn methodologies to help you keep it simple and more profitable.

Want to leverage LeapTV’s exposure for your business?
Get involved!
LeapTV™ has amazing sponsorship and cross promotion opportunities for great companies like yours. Are you offering outstanding products and/or services that will not only improve our viewers’ performance and overall quality of life, but will also be in-line with LeapZone’s core brand foundation?.  Contact Mavreen David at leaptv@leapzonestrategies.com to find out more.

P.S. Make sure to check out our new teaser video coming soon to www.leaptv.com in August 2010. In the meantime, you can view some of our beta-test podcasts…and try not to laugh!

See you online!

We Regret The Actions We Don’t Take More Than The Ones We Do.

I was very fortunate to have recently spent an amazing “Live Your Best Life” weekend in New York City with Oprah, Dr. Oz, Elizabeth Gilbert, Nate Berkus, Suzy Orman, Martha Beck and many more inspiring and empowering great souls… The whole thing was very exciting, inspiring, exhausting and I must admit, a little surreal. In the next few months, I will definitely share some of the realizations and gems that stuck with me as I metabolize them.

Here are a few key points from Dr. Oz’s “What I Know For Sure”

1. The latest thing isn’t always the greatest thing. I work at a cutting-edge hospital, but I also put stock in ancient remedies like treating burns with silver (long known as an antibiotic) or healing surgical wounds using leeches (yes, hospitals continue to do this). If it’s still used today, the practice likely has some merit or it would have died off long ago.

2. Change is possible—but only if you believe it. The more we learn about genetics and disease, the more we realize that DNA isn’t nearly as important as lifestyle. People think that if their parents had heart disease or were overweight, they’re doomed to the same fate. But you can change your health—if you commit yourself to making good choices.

3. We regret the actions we don’t take more than the ones we do. A few years ago, I appeared on Oprah with Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor dying of pancreatic cancer. He told me that he had recently taken his family on a trip to Discovery Cove to swim with dolphins. It was something that he’d always wanted to do, but it wasn’t until he was dying that he made it happen. The next day, I booked the same trip with my family. If there’s something on your wish list for life, make plans today to do it.

4. Hosting a TV show is not that different from doing open-heart surgery. In both the TV studio and the operating room, you depend on highly skilled professionals doing their jobs correctly so you can excel at yours. As a team leader, I recognize that each player—from the anesthesiologist to the camera operator—is better at what they do than I would ever be, and I appreciate their ability to make me look better.

5. To achieve your goals, make the right thing to do the easy thing to do. I recently replaced the couch in front of my TV with a stationary bike. Now I can pedal while viewing my favorite shows (like House). Since the average American watches more than 30 hours of TV per week, it could mean a lot of activity for your body, with little inconvenience.

Thanks Dr. Oz for reminding me and all of us that “We Regret The Actions We Don’t Take More Than The Ones We Do.”

Life happens. Are you ready?

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”
- Marie Curie

Life happens. Whether you want it to or not. So why not make the most of it? We all have this one chance to “live our best life” as Oprah likes to say. And it is so true. No one else is going to do it for us, so we can choose to indifferently coast through life, or worse still to be miserable…..or we can choose to be passionate about living.

Over the last few months I have been diligently reconnecting with the things that make me the happiest. It’s not an easy task, let me tell you. Some of the stuff I have pulled out recently was buried, deep. I realize now that if I don’t tune-in to my instincts and check-in with what I really want on a regular basis (right now, for me, this means daily), it is SO EASY to fall off-track. Seriously.

So, to help you stay tuned-in to yourself, here are 3 things that I feel are essential:

1. Let go of the idea that you’re in control of your life and become aware of yourself instead. Controlling your life is like putting blinders on. You miss the biggest opportunities because you focus on your life as a separate entity. Being aware of yourself provides an instant connection to your needs and desires. Once you are clear on those, the opportunities will present themselves and you will be in a space to see and seize them.
2. Connect with yourself daily if possible. Right now, I do this through journaling. Some prefer to meditate, practice yoga, jog….whatever your choice of “me time” is, do it because this is your chance to have your undivided attention to ponder ideas, check-in with your wants, and re-align your choices.
3. Surround yourself with a bulletproof support group. Include people that will provide unconditional love; uncensored, credible feedback; and help you push your limits to go after what you really want.

This coming May LeapZone Strategies is launching a new group coaching program called The Spark™. This program has been created to foster the idea of “support groups” for entrepreneurs, based on a Mastermind concept, and open up the world of shared learnings, insights, experiences and opportunities.

Lose the Good to Get the Great.

“…to make an end is to make a beginning.”
— T.S. Eliot

As we face a new year, a new decade in fact, could there be anything more true? This quote from T.S. Eliot brings it home for me on two levels:

1. It is so important to really take the time to appreciate our past accomplishments and be grateful for where we have been and what we have done. This allows us to more effortlessly let go of the past to move forward.

2. It is equally important not to fear endings because ultimately they make room for new beginnings, which most often are even better.

I entered 2010 with the intention of exploring what I REALLY have to offer, to myself, and therefore to this world. I believe that by truly serving your inner being first, you will then automatically offer the best of you to others. Now this may not be news to you, but let me tell you that for me, it isn’t as easy as it sounds. I have this innate mechanism that is set to serving others first, which is only a problem when you forget yourself in the mix. A dear friend of mine calls it my “Virgo thing”. And maybe that’s true.

Exploring this intention means I have to let go of a lot of my everyday tasks and responsibilities to make room for this exploration to flourish. Some I have been more than overjoyed to let go of, others….not so easy. Really not, but I am persevering. And what I have to tell you, with not even the first month of 2010 over with, is that I am already beginning to feel the greatness that lies ahead. And the biggest lesson so far is once you open yourself up to the unknown, it instantly begins to become familiar.

Fully live. Appreciate the moment. Let go. Begin again. Experience the shift.