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Category: Personal Growth

One Million Dollars in the Bank

One of my goals was to have 1 million dollars in the bank by the time I was 30.

At 34, I can now say…that didn’t exactly happen.

I’ve created goals in my life, in my business and now I’m beginning to realize and re-evaluate the purpose and real meaning behind these goals.

My real journey with what I’m doing now, didn’t even start until I was 28. Leading up to that point I was working my tail off for somebody else and wasn’t exactly enjoying what I was doing.  At that point it was more about survival than anything else.  But when I started my business, my game plan had just been put in place and I was just beginning to enjoy the direction my life was taking.  

Then when I turned 30 and came face to face with the fact that I didn’t hit that goal – I really beat myself up about it.  Even though this was simply an arbitrary goal I had set, I was incredibly hard on myself for not achieving it.  The reality was since I started working on my own business at 28, that only gave me a two year window to reach this goal and that simply wasn’t going to happen.

[Want to hear more? > Listen to Project Life Episode 016: One Million Dollars in the Bank]

Then I came to the realization – why does it even matter that I didn’t hit that one million dollar goal? So I didn’t have one million dollars by the time I was 30, so what?  Why does it even matter, what difference does it really make? My problem was I treating it as a sprint, when it’s actually a marathon.  The business I run now is a marathon, to the full extent of the word. I have been running our business for 7 years now and we make a profit every year. With the goal being to continue to scale the business, reach more people and generally, grow. Now I know the income will grow and the bank account will grow but the question is – what if I never hit one million dollars in the bank? What then?

Gaining this new and different perspective about the reality of life and business, has created a beneficial mindset shift.  I get to see my daughter and wife every day, choose my own hours, and live life on my own terms. Of course I have other goals that require extra capital but it’s honestly not the end of the world if those never happen either.

Have you had a dream that you’ve beat yourself up about not achieving? Let me know in the comments!

The Significance of Self Care

How often do you push off time for yourself?

There will always be something else to do, something more important to take care of, somebody else to put our energy into.  The to-do lists will always be never ending – but what is the cost?

One thing you need to remember is – Self care is not selfish.

We often feel guilty if we take a few moments for ourselves, when you could easily think of 100 other things you could be spending your time doing.  I know for myself, being a parent, being a husband, running a few businesses – it can get a bit overwhelming.   But when I don’t take care of myself, I’m honestly no good at taking care of anything or anybody else around me.  

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean you should go have an hour long massage every day and skip picking your kids up from school or ditch an important meeting. Self care can mean taking 10 mins to meditate, taking a quick walk around the block or simply walking away for a few minutes.  Essentially, self care is anything that allows you to maintain your emotional, physical and mental well-being. It’s purpose is to help you feel aligned, balanced, healthy and ready to take on your life.  Whatever your lifestyle allows on a daily basis, learn to prioritize taking a few moments in the day for yourself.  Once you see the difference in your energy and mindset, this shift should allow you to create space each day for your needs.

[Interested in my experience prioritizing self care? Listen to Project Life’s Episode 009: Filling Up Our Own Bucket]

Learning to prioritize time spent on myself has not been easy, but it’s something I’m working towards. One thing I have noticed is when I spend the time caring for myself and showing up for myself, I do a much better job of showing up for others.  Once I began taking those moments, there was a shift in my energy and I felt so much more fulfilled – ready to take on whatever else the day was going to throw at me.  

Now how do we begin to prioritize self care? Focus on how you feel afterwards, what you’re able to bring to the table when you feel fulfilled and how this shift within yourself affects others around you.  And always remember – Self care is not selfish.

What works for you? Comment below and share your tips for filling up your own bucket.

3 Steps to Manifest Your Dreams Into Reality

Out of all the goals I’ve achieved in my life so far, I believe more than a few were due to manifestation.  It has been a bit of a journey to get to where I am today and become the person I am today – and I’m still working towards my vision for the person I ultimately want to be.

Sometimes we can achieve a simple goal, other times it takes a bit more power – and manifesting.  I’ve been reflecting recently on who I have to become to reach a certain goal.  What does that guy look like? And what do I have to do to become him?  

[Want to hear about my manifestation experience? > Listen to Episode 8 of Project Life ]

Sometimes to accomplish something you never have before, you need to become something you’ve never been before.  This could be a new habit or new mindset, it’s up to you to find out what will help you to achieve your goal.

Here’s my 3 step guide on manifesting your dreams into reality

  1. Start With A Vision

    You can call it a vision, a goal, a dream – whatever it is to you.  Choose something you know will improve your life, bring you happiness and a sense of contentment.  Think about your desire to make this vision a reality, get into that mindset and put that out into the universe.

  2. Believe In It

    Truly believe in what you’re putting out there and what you’re trying to attract into your life. Envision yourself in that situation, holding what you are trying to attract, being what you’re trying to attract. Put yourself in that place, notice how it makes you feel and set the intention that this will be in your life. Re-structure your mindset or habits to encompass the feeling behind this vision. Create reminders of this goal – simple, subtle reminders that will give you that feeling on a daily basis.

  3. Let The Universe Do Its Thing

    Trust the universe and believe in your vision.  Obsessing over it is sometimes not the best way to manifest – don’t be too demanding, pushy or set deadlines. Be open to the way this vision may manifest itself and openly invite whatever may come your way.

Have you ever manifested a goal into reality? Let’s hear it below!

How to Deal with Change

Change is inevitable.  We all know this, you simply can’t avoid it.  I believe one of the personal trials we face in the prospect of change, is how we react to it.  A lot of the power in our own lives, lies within our reactions.  And change is something we will all have to deal with at some point – shifts in our personal life, a new challenge at work or even adapting to a transformation within ourselves.

[If you’d like to hear about my struggle with changes in my life listen to Episode 6 of Project Life with Mike Watts  ]

More often than not this adjustment is a blessing in disguise.  If you struggle with the prospect of switching up your daily routine or getting out of your comfort zone – look at it from the angle of personal growth.  Being pushed out and away from the familiar is an excellent learning experience and can absolutely help you grow within yourself.

How can we learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable?  How should we react?  

Here’s my quick how to guide on approaching a change (big or small) in your life:

  1. Acknowledge the shift.
  2. Accept the fact that you’re going to be uncomfortable.
  3. Reflect on how this change can positively impact your life.  
  4. Consider and curate your reaction.
  5. Balance.  Figure out what you can do for yourself and others around you to make the transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
  6. Embrace the change – sometimes when there’s nothing left to do and it’s out of your control. Let go and let it be.

Did you find this helpful? Let me know in the comments!

The Importance of Communication in Life and Business

It’s no secret that communication is an essential factor in most, if not all areas of life.

Recently, I experienced a massive communication fail.  It spanned all the way from our business, to Kate, to myself.  And it could have been easily avoided.  

[Want to hear more about that experience? Check out Episode 3 of my podcast > Project Life Ep. 3]

Have you actually taken the time to reflect on your own communication and clarity? In your relationships? At work? With yourself?  Well that’s what we’re about to do.

I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on how this small misstep had such a large impact on everything surrounding it, completely set us back and caused way more problems than it should have.  

Communication works pretty much the same way in each of the above categories.  Take a look at what communication can do for you and how you can improve your skills, then take a moment or two and reflect on your current relationship with communication.

Here’s what communication can do for you:

  • Improve your relationship with others
  • Improve your relationship with yourself

Practicing effective communication will make the sailing as smooth as it is able to be.  It will keep you from feeling dissatisfied, unappreciated and not heard…and in general, will result in a less sloppy life and business.

Here’s how you can improve your communication:

  • Write things down and stay organized.  This will help keep you put together and everything else around you less scattered.
  • Set deadlines and make them clear.  In both business & life, with a team or by yourself – this will only help you.
  • Designate time to communicate with others and speak to everyone who needs to hear it!  Otherwise the result may be a multiple communication failure, alike my unfortunate experience.
  • Think before you speak. Take a moment to mentally prepare on how you mean to come across and how your words may be received. Be as clear and concise as possible.
  • Don’t bottle things up and save them for later.  Holding back a thought, whether it was positive or negative, is good for no one.  In order to keep any relationship in your life, with another person or with yourself, in positive working order remember:  Honesty and communication go hand in hand.  
  • Prioritize and live intentionally.  Prioritize your communication and intentionally create time for it.

Have you ever experienced communication failure? Have awesome tips for keeping that clarity in your life? Let me know in the comments!

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