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Insider Secrets: 7 Habits Successful People Do Before Breakfast

March 14, 2017 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn

Are you looking to squeeze more hours out of your day so you can get more done? It may be time to quit hitting the snooze button and change up some of your daily habits. If you ever read about a few successful people out in the world, you will quickly learn that they take a unique approach to every day that the average person does not.

Rise and Shine Early Bird

Although the thought of sleeping in is appealing, you can get a head start on your day if you get up early. You have probably heard the saying that “the early bird catches the worm”. Many successful people have committed and disciplined themselves to get up between four and six o’clock in the morning. They say they gain 2 hours of productivity. You can gain a jump start on your day and get more done than most people do by 8 am. When you get up early, you have an opportunity to get so much more done because your time is your time is focused and free of distractions. You can start your day with a clean slate and a clear head. Use this time to your advantage. Imagine how much more you would get done if you got into the habit of getting up early. It may take some willpower initially but as you continue to do it you may surprise yourself.

Get Your Body Moving

By exercising in the morning, you are not leaving your gym time to chance. Meetings, emails, and phone calls can take up a lot of your time and by the end of the day, you may convince yourself that you are exhausted and all you need is a night crashed on the couch. Get your exercise in early. If you cannot get to a gym, go for a walk, do body weight exercises, or follow along on a yoga app. I use an app called Kettlebells. It even sends me alerts if I haven’t used the app in a few days, “Are your abs getting soft?” Now, that’s motivating! Richard Branson, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg have been known for getting their exercise routines done in the early morning. They have demanding roles that require them to be at the top of their performance.

Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Contrary to what you might think, a cup of coffee or tea with a piece of toast is not breakfast. Choose to prepare and eat a healthy breakfast to get you fueled for the day. Better yet, get your family involved in preparing the meal so they learn about this important habit. If you are stuck for time, consider making a smoothie or preparing a few items to grab and go.

Scan Your Emails for Urgent Items

Many of the emails you get from people are often about requesting something from you. Learn to quickly scan your emails for items you need from other people to propel your work further. You may even choose to quickly check social media and respond to a few comments before you start doing what needs to get done.

Map Out the Plan for the Day

Don’t look at the to-do list unless you are putting those items in your calendar to plan when you are going to get items on the list done. Whenever possible, attempt to work on the heaviest or biggest items on the list in the first part of your day when you are energized and ready to take on the day. When you plan your day with intention, you will get more done than the average person. Look at who you need to contact and follow up with to move your plans forward. What actions do you need to take to get closer to the outcomes you are looking for?

Visualize Your Outcomes

Some people use the morning quiet time to reflect, pray, or meditate. Closing your eyes and visualizing achieving your desired results is a powerful way to start your day. When you are emotionally connected to what you want to do, you are less likely to procrastinate at going after your goals.

Spend Quality Time with Family and Friends

Successful entrepreneurs and executives know when the day is done there is nothing sweeter than connecting with the people who keep you grounded. I have read articles online about how television host Kelly Ripa uses special time in the mornings to make breakfast and connect with her family, Gwyneth Paltrow chose to only take on one movie a year so she could raise her family. Start your day by setting out the door or retreating to your home office on a high note by creating a positive atmosphere to start the day.

A simple shift in the way you approach these habits could be the one change that accelerates your results. How many of these habits are you already doing? Which one would you like to adopt? Why not challenge yourself to get up early and focus on what you need to get done for the next 21 days?

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

EPISODE 22: Focus on What You Want

August 30, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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Episode 22: Focus on What You Want

“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
― Roy Bennett

There are so many things going on in our daily lives that we’re distracted from being focused and being in the present moment. Look around you there are some people who are super focused; they know exactly what they want and are driven to succeed. Then there are others who don’t know what they want to appear to be stumbling through life. Which person are you?

Do not be dismayed if you find yourself being the person with lack of focus. By listening to this podcast you’ll find ways to zoom in on your focus.

Knowing what you want gives you clarity. Everything around you becomes clearer. You know what goals you want and decision-making becomes easy. When you’re unclear, it kind of feels like walking around in the dark where you don’t know exactly where you’re going and can stub your toe. You can get clear by just sitting down and writing out what it is you want. Don’t judge or critique your and writing. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Keep writing!

Catch your thoughts and shift. In Episode 13 The Power Of Positive Thinking we talked about how we have 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day and that 80% of those thoughts were negative. When you realize you are having negative thoughts and you are self-aware of them, you have the ability to change thought. You can shift gears or flip the light switch in your thought process. As you notice the negative thoughts, you can either accept it or you can reject it. Reframe the thoughts into something more positive. It really comes down to focusing on what you want and not what you don’t want

What do you think happens when you focus on what you don’t want? Worries, fears, anxiety, self-doubt, and your internal critic pops its head and that’s all we see. As you focus on what you don’t want, your action star reflecting your thoughts and you self-sabotage yourself from getting what you really want. There is so much power in the way you think. I cannot stress enough how much you need to be paying attention to how your thinking. It impacts everything you do. You end up joining the ancient awful club and feel awful. Your mind thinks that’s what you want. Worrying just attracts problems and notice you don’t worry about what outcomes you want. You only end up worrying about what you lack which ends up bringing you more lack.

When you experience resistance, there is often a misalignment with your values and who you want to be. This internal conflict is alerting you to the fact that you’re focusing on the wrong things. You need to start focusing on what you can control versus what you cannot.

Energy flows where your attention goes. What are you paying attention to? The reticular activating system (RAS) is our brain’s attention center. It is the place where our thoughts and feelings interact with their outside world and how we interpret it. If you focus on your past and see your past with regret, your actions will not move you forward toward renewed future.

Esther Hicks said, “A belief is a thought you keep thinking and things actualize around it to confirm that thought.” When you put a spotlight on something, you will find evidence and rationale to make that thought your truth. It becomes your reality. focus perspective However, if you change your focus by looking at other perspectives and choose a reality that you truly want, you will find evidence and rationale that supports that truth. Whatever you believe becomes your reality. You need to lock into the thoughts that you want and get really focused on where you want to go with your thoughts and the actions you will be taking.

You may be telling yourself right now that I don’t like my reality. Your reality may be your present or remember no moment is permanent. You can either accept your reality as it is or choose different thoughts to feel differently and you will start taking actions to match your new belief. You need to believe in your reality and that you can always improve. No matter if it is a positive or negative moment is temporary. Whatever you believe your reality to be will be the story that you share and tell yourself.

The trouble is and that people get caught up in comparing themselves to others through social media and real life. For professionals, many individuals saw social media as a form of showcasing their skills, talents, and abilities and making them stand out from the crowd. Some individuals have used social media to compare their lives to the lives of others. Have you noticed that people post all the great things about what’s going on in their lives? You are comparing yourself to a moment in time and not their whole life timeline. You may see exotic travels, celebrations with friends, and other things that you may long for. This comparison can make people feel depressed if they choose to and they will not take actions that support what they want. When you compare yourself to others you are focusing on another person’s reality and what they believe to be true.

I want to ask you some questions to help you get clear and focus on what you want.

What action will give you your greatest return on investment of your time money and other resources? These are the needle-movers or the game-changers. Are you taking the right actions?

What are the things that are distracting you?

What thoughts are you having? Are you experiencing worry fear and self-doubt? It just means that you’re focusing on what you don’t want. Shift the thought and change your actions.

Here are some things to help you get laser focused and get what you want:

Get super clear on what it is that you want. Write it down.

Accept what is and create the reality that you wish to see. Don’t worry about what everyone else’s thinking or doing. Their opinion applies to them and not to you. People’s advice comes from their own experiences and fears. Choose what you want to accept and what you choose to reject as truth.

Visualize the results that you want.

Prioritize tasks and things you need to get done.

Prepare for what you want and need by gathering resources, accumulating knowledge, and developing your skills and abilities.

Eliminate your distractions and interruptions. Don’t check your e-mail in the morning until you have done some focused work. No e-mail or texting and tell the task is done.

Remove any clutter on your desk or in your space. You may develop the urge to start cleaning it or start working on another project.

Learn to say “no”. You cannot be all things to all people and accomplish what you want to get done for yourself. By focusing on pleasing others, you may lose focus on who you are and what you wanted to accomplish. I’m not saying you shouldn’t help people. There is a difference between helping others and living a life doing what others want for you. By living a life of pleasing others you please no one because other people have different expectations than what you do.

“Focusing is about saying No.”
― Steve Jobs

Take a break every hour for about 5 to 10 min. In order for your focus to be sustainable, you must take a break to recharge and rejuvenate. Your mind does need some time to wander and generate new ideas. You often get a fresh perspective when you come back and look at what you’re focused on.

Take actions that support what you are working toward achieving. You will notice that you will be more productive and efficient with your time, talent and efforts.

Change your focus to what you want and not on what you don’t want – for it will become your reality.

Don’t forget to grab your free DOWNLOAD to help you

get focused on what you want.

I would love to hear about how focusing on what you want has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating! Sign up for our Newsletter www.debrakasowski.com

Time 12:15 mins

Why Optimism Beats Pessimism

July 20, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

You are faced with a variety of life events and circumstances every day. Each event or situation can be viewed in a positive or negative way. Your perspective is your outlook on the world around you. According to psychologists, you are either an optimist viewing the world from the viewpoint of a glass “half-full” or a pessimist viewing the world as a glass “half-empty”. For the most part, you are not happy or sad 100% of the time but you will lean more to one or the other disposition predominantly. Which one are you?

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.”
― Noam Chomsky

The Optimist

Optimism is defined as taking on a favorable view of events or circumstances and to expect positive outcomes. Optimistic character symbols are the fish Dory from the Disney Film Finding Nemo with her positive attitude and phrase, “Just Keep Swimming” demonstrating persistence. The Donkey from the movie Shrek does not seem to let anything bother him – everything just rolls off his back. The Disney character Goofy seems to do things without doubting of things with work out; he just does. You may see these characters as overly optimistic but it helps them face any adversity that comes their way.

Optimistic people look for the good in situations and believe that most people’s actions are filled with good intentions. They have a “can-do” attitude and see negative events as a temporary setback and see these hardships as learning opportunities for growth. They persist when faced with adversity. An optimistic person practices gratitude and acknowledges what is going well. They are positive and are confident in their abilities. When optimistic people share the events of their day, they tend to focus on sharing good events over negative ones. Uncertainty does not throw optimists off track; they see unscheduled or unplanned events as an opportunity and adventure to be seized.

The Pessimist

Pessimists are in the state of mind of expecting only the worst outcomes. These people have similar characteristics to the characters of Chicken Little who created a widespread panic that the sky was falling when it was only an acorn that fell, Charlie Brown was full of dread, negativity and worry, and Eeyore who was full of doom and gloom. People with these pessimistic characteristics can wear on the patience of others and suck the energy out of a room.

Pessimistic people believe that negative events were caused by them. What power they have! They believe that one mistake leads to a Domino Effect of mistakes. If something positive was to occur to them like a promotion or winning a prize, they would attribute these successes to luck, chance, or a fluke accident and the likelihood of it ever happening again was nearly impossible.

A pessimist can cause habit in the marketplace, business, or organization. They can negatively influence their employees, colleagues, and co-workers. I have watched this happen and it can move like wildfire. They start demonstrating poor work habits, carelessness, and lack of motivation. They become distracted and disengaged with the people who they are serving. Stress increase as these individuals gossip and complain. Others start to dread coming to work. They see setbacks as permanent and they are less flexible in challenging their perspective. There is increased fear, worry, and anxiety about the future which in turn impacts productivity and performance and thus the bottom line – profits.

Ultimately, optimism beats pessimism. Optimists live longer healthier lives. They have lower stress levels because they do not allow situations and life circumstances to dictate their happiness. They tend to be more successful and have increased productivity. Optimism impacts your overall well-being – it “feels good” to be positive and uplifting.

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Way to Beat the Doom and Gloom of Pessimism

Challenging assumptions by questioning your thoughts (Is your thought true?)
Reframe negative thoughts into positive thoughts
Learn from mistakes and adjust your course by doing it again until you get it
“Act as if”; be who you need to be now to achieve what you are trying to succeed at. Do not wait to be in the leadership role to become a leader.
Look for the good and what you have to be grateful for. The more you are grateful for, the more that will show up in your life to be grateful for.

Each day we have a choice. Which perspective will you choose – the optimist or the pessimist? At the end of the day, optimism beats pessimism. You cannot help wanting to be a part of the positive energy; it contagious. What attitude do you want to spread? How full or empty is your glass?

I believe it is not how full or empty your glass is what determines the quality of your life; it is about the people you meet, the places you travel to, and choices you choose to fill it with. Seize the opportunities live life to its fullest and drink up!

How to Master the Mental Game to Achieve Peak Performance

July 6, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

We take for granted the power of our thinking. I was recently talking with my son about his golf game. He was preparing for a golf tournament. I wanted to know how he mentally prepared for his golf game – what was he thinking with every shot? When I asked him, he mentioned that his mind is a clear state. “I try to think of nothing.” How was this possible?

Last year, when he played I noticed that when he was on tournament tour his score was significantly higher than when he was golfing with family and friends. Even though he did not talk about it, I could sense the performance anxiety and the analyzing of every shot. I would talk with him about the power of positive thought and self- talk. Focus on what you want not what you don’t want. Golf, life, and business are all about the mental game.

Recently, he came home from the driving range and stated, “Mom, guess what? My friend asked me the same question you did. What are you thinking before you take your shot?” He laughed and mentioned that I ask him that question regularly – nothing. His friend went on to tell him about the power of positive thinking and how golf was a mental game. I was grinning, “Son, what does your mother tell you and what does she teach others?” Yeah, I know Mom. He said it would change my game if I thought that every shot I take I thought about hitting a great shot. You know what? It works!”

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”

Buddist Proverb

Maybe I was not the right teacher. I even talked to him about the Power Poses that Amy Cuddy talks about in her TEDTalk. I asked him to do the “Victory Stance” with his arms up in the air. He teased me, “My mom is crazy!” with his arms up the air beaming ear to ear. Teenagers! It definitely created a positive state. Now his friends have even started doing it. Subliminal messaging may work!

How does apply to life and business? Your mindset directly influences how your act and perform. Your self-talk directly impacts your thinking and ultimately your focus.

Personal Mantras

Golf performance coach, David MacKenzie talks about having personal mantras. Keeping a positive focus is a must. Whether you are on the golf course, selling your products, or delivering a business presentation, you need to keep your head in the game.

The most powerful phrase is… “I am…”

Joel Osteen talks about “Whatever follows I am will follow.”

Make it empowering. Say things like…

I am a great presenter.

I am an effective leader.

I am mentally tough.

I am capable of overcoming any challenge.

The way you speak to yourself does matter. You may not think anything of it but it does. You can be sabotaging your own success.

Focus on the present…be mindful

Take a deep breath when you are faced with a challenge. Deep breathing is not only calming but it helps bring you back to the present moment – the opportunity at hand. Your mind can be freed of the mental chatter clouding your judgment. Whatever challenge you are facing, know that you can figure it out. Just Breathe.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

We can be our worst critics pointing out every fault, flaw, or failure. We are harder on ourselves than we are with others. What we say and think about ourselves is not always the realistic. Your thinking can be distorted.

Challenge your assumptions and question your thoughts. Remember you are a work in progress.

Exaggerating. Are you thinking of the situation as the end of the world? This is it – it’s over. If so, you are missing out on the learning and the possibilities that lie in front of you.

Black and White Thinking. There is no room for compromise. If it not a certain way, it is not right. Remember there is more than one way to get to your destination. What else can you do?

Emotional Reasoning. No matter what you are thinking, you can find proof to demonstrate you are right even though it may not be the what is actually going on. “I think and feel it is true. I can find evidence to prove it.”

Mindreading. You are assuming what others are thinking or saying about you without even knowing the truth. If you really want to know ask. Otherwise, remember the saying, “What other people think of you is none of your business.”

Reframe & Replace

Pay attention to your self-talk. What are you saying to yourself? We have 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts in a day and the majority of thought is said to be 80% negative so it is very important to pay attention to what you are thinking and reframe and replace it with positive thinking and words.

If you are saying…

“The presentation (meeting) was awful.” Change it to… “I can do better on the next one.”

“I am a failure.” Change it to… “I am learning and growing.”

“I will never get it right.” Change it to… “I will take a different approach next time.”

Drop words like always, never, and can’t from your vocabulary. Shift your thinking from thinking things are impossible to possible.

Positive thinking impacts your performance. When I work with my clients, your mindset is a key piece that we focus on. Utilize these strategies to develop mental toughness and confidence so you can master your mental game and achieve peak performance. As the saying goes, “What you think about you bring about.”

EPISODE 6: Boost Your Productivity and Performance

July 5, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” – Bruce Lee

Productivity and performance can be a total game changer. We all have the same 24 hours in a day but some people seem to get more accomplished than others and others say, “I don’t get it. How do you get to do all that?” The secret lies in the sauce.

Boost productivity and performance is about blocking time. We cannot make more time. We all have the same amount of time but how do we structure the time that we have. How are we using it more effectively?

I have an awesome downloadable – Infographic for you!

DOWNLOAD HERE

There are many Time Tracking logs or apps out there. I have used time tracking for those people who claim that they are “so busy” and we hear people use the buzz word “busy”. I do make the attempt to track my time anytime I catch myself saying that I am busy. Busy is that buzz word but it is almost like an excuse for people not doing things. It is actually saying, “I do not want to do that” or “That’s not important to me.”

When you start tracking your time, you can start seeing where you are spending your time. You can do the same exercise by tracking the amount of water you drink, the workouts you want to have, or anywhere you want to make a change. If you start tracking it, anything that you track you are able to manage better. Start tracking your time for 3-7 days to see where you are actually spending your time and then you can adjust accordingly.

One of the great things I like to recommend to people is scheduling 30 minutes in the morning to start to plan your day and another 30 minutes at the end of the day to review and plan for the next day. You will be forward thinking, you are making the plan, and have an intended direction of where you want your day to go.

Make a list of all your priorities. What are the A-game changers where you are going to have the greatest return on your investment? This is where you need to be focusing your time. Focus on your priorities first.

Set office hours to eliminate distractions and interruptions. It is so easy for people to pop by and say you are working at home today or you don’t have office hours I can just pop in and have a casual chat. If you are in the middle of working on something important that you have a deadline, these interruptions can really suck some of the time that you have. Consider that when you are working on a big project there may be a time of the day where you just need to close your door.

Turn off notifications and email alerts on your smartphone and computer. BING! Every time you see one of those, it is a bright shiny object! BING! BING! BING! Or SQUIRREL – anything that takes you attention to a different place!

Block out time on your calendar to focus on high priority tasks. Block off dedicated time. Use a timer. You would be surprised how much you can accomplish in 20 minutes when you are trying to beat a clock.

Develop a system for managing information such as paper and emails so you only deal with it once if possible. Consider creating folder or filters to help sort emails. Do not hang on to emails that do not require a reply or that you can get the information somewhere else.

Delegate to others who have the knowledge, skills, and ability to get a task done so you can focus on high priority tasks requiring your expertise. I know sometimes we like to be in control and be the boss. If you want to be a smart boss you need to delegate some of that out. If people have the knowledge, skills, and ability, let them do the work that they love to do. You can focus on the work that is a high priority and you can focus on your expertise. Everybody is using their skills more effectively on a team.

Don’t schedule meetings unless they are necessary and they have a targeted agenda. Sometimes I think people throw up meetings just to have a meeting but then they get there, there is no focus or direction and they feel that people are just wasting their time. When they could be focusing on what is really important to them, what has pressing deadlines, and where they are going to get the greatest return on their investment? Ask yourself whether or not you can do a meeting over the phone versus driving to somewhere or taking up a lot of time. Sometimes it can be addressed in an email. Consider how you can respond so you can get to the meat of the matter very quickly.

FOCUS on ONE activity or task until completed…then REWARD yourself and CELEBRATE! It might be a stretch break or getting a coffee or a cup of tea giving you a small reward so you are focused on one activity. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” When you start doing too many things or multi-tasking, it divides your attention. Put your intention and attention to the place you want to get your results.

Try these 10 things and you will be boosting your productivity and performance and watch what happens to your results.

Be an implementer!

Email me at Debra@debrakasowski.com and let us know what you would like to be featured on the show. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time 9:11 min