How does it feel to be fully Alive at the moment, at the present time. Not how it felt yesterday or how it will feel tomorrow. Nope. Now. How does it feel now?

Close you eyes, feel the moment now. Breath. Breath again. Lower your shoulders and just Relaaaaaax.

It feels good doesn’t it? I forget too, so don’t worry. You’re not alone. If we do this before reacting to negative or stressful situations, I can almost guarantee you will feel good.

Let’s relax, enjoy, and, bask in the moment….

There really is only Now.

We are still in the midst of exploring who we are on the inside. By doing so, sometimes fear and his friend ego will go hand-in-hand and tell you to “slow down, think about what you are about to do,  do not  do anything ‘irrational’, or, you will regret this later and so on and so forth.”

Why does fear do this? On the one hand, it keeps you in your comfort zone. On the other hand, fear tells us that what we’re about to do is ‘futile, not worth it, or, that this change will not serve you in the long run therefore, why make any waves?’

Ooookay you say. Is this true? Then, you begin to wonder. Your logical left brain says ‘go ahead and take his advice, it’s probably for the best.’ Your creative right brain says to you however, ‘how will you know it’s not good for you if you haven’t even tried!’ So, you’re in a dilemma. What do you do? You’re at the crossroads now. Do you follow the left brain, the right brain, go straight and let the chips fall as they may, or, go backwards and retreat to where you came from?

As I say with everything I write about, always follow the path of your heart. How to know this? I close my eyes, say a little prayer, and, wait. Yup, wait. This is especially true if you ‘think’ you need to do something right away and/or your ‘life’ depended on it. That’s an illusion my friends. What’s meant to happen will happen. The difference is which direction to go.

Fear is a mask that we allow to wear when we are confused, disillusioned or unenlightened.  Take the mask off, and, we see clearly what we are meant to do. We then follow our heart.  We feel lighter, joyful and clear. Sure, the fear may still be there but follow what your heart tells you anyway.  Don’t allow this fear dictate where you are meant to go or do.

We have many ‘guidance counselors’ in our lives to help us combat our fears. All we need do is look around, see who’s there, and Feel who is right to help you with your situation. You are your biggest guidance counselor and friend. However, sometimes, it’s nice to know that we can rely on those we trust to give us input – especially if coming from “unadulterated” perspective. My two biggest supporters and guides on Earth are my children. They are 9 and 6 years old.

Having the Courage to combat your fears is Easy. Yes, You can do this. Say this over and over UNTIL… Don’t give up. The ‘Only thing we have to fear is fear itself’ – Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is true. Fear = Illusion. The only true thing is Love. And when we Love ourselves enough, we will, and can, combat our fears. Find it in you to have the Courage to Go for it!

Oh, as for my gym days? I’m happy to report that I went back to the gym, rehired my trainer, lost 10 pounds, started eating more greens, eliminated junk food (I know!), And, signed up to participate at a 10k run at the end of this month. Wohooooo!!!!

Face the fear…Eliminate it…then, have the Courage to better your Life.

You Can Do This!

I learned about this principle after graduating from college in the mid-1990’s. I worked as a sales analyst for a major insurance company in the United States. My sales team and I took a leadership seminar with business leader and motivational speaker, Brian Tracy. He explained the 80/20 Pareto rule this way: “this rule says that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results. 20% of your customers will account for 80% of your sales. 20% of your products or services will account for 80% of your profits. 20% of your tasks will account for 80% of the value of what you do, and so on. This means that if you have a list of ten items to do, two of those items will turn out to be worth as much or more than the other eight items put together.”

This concept stuck with me for a long time but, surprisingly, I didn’t apply this rule to my life until the early 2000 while I was an up and coming sales consultant. At that time, my job was to educate and consult the top 50 brokers in Northern California my company’s insurance products and services.  Working with the top 50 brokers was not easy. My time was limited, and, applying time management in all areas of my life was crucial. It’s like juggling 10 balls up in the air, 12-14 hours a day, every day. Eventually, you get burned out, which is exactly what happened to me.

I had to make a crucial decision. Do I maintain status quo and continue doing my job the way I was expected to? Or, do I let go of some of the clients and risk losing my commissions and sales? After agonizing my dilemma for a few days, it was at that time that I remembered the 80/20 rule.

It was a decision whether or not I should continue to have poor health and unhappy work life. I realized it was worth the risk of not knowing what my financial future would look like than maintain the path I was on. Therefore, I decided that drastic changes had to be made with my career and my life.

I scheduled to meet with my manager to ask if I could keep the top 10 brokers in my area (within a 20 mile radius) and reassign the other 40 brokers to other consultants thinking that doing so would risk losing my job, loss of income, etc… He was reluctant at first but my persistence and plea for help eventually won him over. I remembered the fear and financial risks I was taking were overwhelming but I knew deep down, things needed to change.

To my surprise, the change was immediate. I felt free, unencumbered, happy, and, my relationships with my loved ones blossomed. I was taking vacations (after not taking a break for 3 years), had a child, and, my salary doubled compared to the year before. Yes, doubled. I was able to concentrate on my client’s needs than before and so, more sales came my way. I was happy, my clients and boss were happy – life was good. Fast forward 9 years later, and I am glad to say that I continue to apply this rule in all areas of my life. It’s not always perfect and I know that bumps in the road are imminent, but, life would be boring without it, wouldn’t it?

The 80/20 rule is not about Time Management, it is Self-Management. You can apply this rule to all areas of your life. Cut back on the mundane, time-consuming duties and tasks that are draining you and concentrate on the 20% of the things in your life worth doing. The first step is not always easy but, the courage to start Is worthwhile.