I often pick my theme on New Year’s Eve, but this year, the theme emerged early. And I couldn’t be more excited.
My guide to setting a powerful intention for 2018
December 16 by 21 Comments
I want to share with you one of my deepest and most powerful transformational practices. I look forward to it every year. Without exception, huge transformation occurs for me as a result of it.
It’s creating a THEME for the year.
This is about choosing a one or two-word theme, which becomes a powerful intention that acts like an invisible guide for everything that I do in the year. As I put conscious focus and attention on my theme during the year — amazing things happen with very little effort.
I usually pick my theme on New Year’s Eve, but this year, the theme emerged early. And I couldn’t be more excited.
2018 is the “Year of Yes!”
I want to share with you what lead me to this…
As the business has grown and as demands on my time professionally and personally outstripped availability, I have become very guarded and protective of my time and of my energy. My team devised ways of guarding my schedule and only allowing me to see a fraction of all communication. Not only did it seem like the right thing to do, it felt like the only thing that could be done.
After a few years of operating like this, I felt like my whole being became a NO to everything. I felt disconnected. I felt closed off. I began to feel emotionally walled off.
It took me a while to diagnose what was wrong. And as soon as I knew, my theme immediately sprang into action. Thus the “Year of Yes!” was born.
In 2018, I am going to say Yes to life. I am going to bring all of myself to each person I interact from a place of gracious service. I will also surrender to the fullness of my being to each moment, knowing that my complete presence and connection is a true gift to me and everything around me.
My Yes’s will be full. My Maybe’s and No’s will be unapologetic No’s.
I am truly on fire! And my theme ignited the flame.
Now it’s your turn.
Here’s what I suggest you do to create your own THEME for 2018.
#1 – take a couple of hours away from the hustle and bustle of your life and tune into what you really want for yourself and what’s been holding you back. Journal on that for 15-30 minutes. And then ask yourself what yearly theme would give you the breakthrough you are seeking. Trust your gut knowing that you can’t go wrong.
#2 – once you have a theme, please share it with important people in your life as a public declaration of your desire for a breakthrough (also share it here with me in the comments below this post)
#3 – get a brand new journal for the coming year, put your theme at the top of it and create a practice of journaling around your theme at least 3 times per week
Once you do this practice, you will experience a breakthrough. You will live into your theme and your life will never be the same again.
It happens for me every year, and it will happen for you.
Let me know what is your theme for 2018 in the comments below this post (or please share any ideas you are playing with)
Intentionally yours,
~Bill
P.S. 2018 is going to be an amazing year. Can you feel it?
How To Overcome Business Burnout
May 18 by 8 Comments
When I am working so hard on chasing and building my dreams, it’s really easy to get tunnel vision and leave ME out of the success equation. It’s easy to put the energy into my business, into my clients, into the next video and into the latest and greatest technique of helping people.
It’s not always easy to truly prioritize me. To take a break when I need to take a break. To turn off all electronics in the evenings and weekends so I can listen to me, to what I want and to what will make me happy. To do what lights me up rather than continue doing what I have always done.
The good news is that when I hit a low, I always learn something of profound importance to me. This time…
My biggest realization has been to look at everything in terms of energy.
When I go through my day…every activity…every thought…every action I engage in either depletes me or adds energy into my system.
When my negative energy activities outweigh the net positive ones, I am completely spent at the end of the day. The more depleting days I string together, the more tired I feel. And the longer this goes on, the more true fatigue sets in. And when I am fatigued, even the activities that used to give me positive energy are no longer serving me the same way they once did.
So the secret to avoiding burn out, or recovering when you’re already there, is to…
Be absolutely conscious of engaging in significantly more positive energy activities, thoughts and interactions than negative ones.
To help me with this, I have been doing a time log of all my activities and rating them from -5 to +5 (with -5 being very depleting and +5 being rejuvenating/energizing).
I have also been on a decluttering spree – letting go or minimizing my depleting activities and replacing them with my most rejuvenating ones. This has been a gratifying experience but not an easy one. Letting go and restructuring can be a difficult process.
Another important lesson in all of this for me is to…
Be aware of the INTENSITY in my activities
For example, I used to play a lot of poker. Playing poker was an intense hobby…it actually took away a lot of my energy because of how intensely I competed. Just because I love something does not mean it’s good for me.
I became more aware of the tension I build up during intense activities. Even watching a movie can be intense if it’s a thriller or horror movie.
As an example, I’ve been watching a lot of mindless sitcom comedies. These aren’t the kind of shows I’d ever normally watch, but I feel my body relaxing when I view them and it’s super important I keep my mind and body in a peaceful, low-intensity state.
This is the kind of self-care habit I want you to practice daily.
Another practice that has been incredibly rejuvenating is…
Keeping a gratitude journal.
I write down the things I’m grateful for everyday – everything from the people in my life, to lessons and realizations, to the little things in my life like the sun on my face, the trees in my backyard…
Gratitude is one of the most healing energies and I do everything possible to bask in its glow daily.
I’d love to share more of my daily self-care habits with you in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, please share your own ideas for self-care in the comments below.
This will be a great opportunity to learn from each other how to better take care of ourselves as we continue reaching for greatness!
Impactpreneur Manifesto
July 5 by 14 Comments
I am an Impactpreneur.
I believe that entrepreneurship is an incredible force of good on this planet.
I believe that the only reason to be in business is to help people… really help people.
I believe that my business is a true reflection of my values.
I believe that there is no greater feeling than knowing I have touched someone’s life in a deep profound way.
I believe that I don’t have to sacrifice doing well by doing good.
I believe in integrity, creativity, and growth.
I believe that I can help lots of people with my education-based marketing.
I believe that I am an unstoppable force for good.
I believe that my business is one of the greatest teachers for my own personal growth.
I am an Impactpreneur. I am proud to be part of a rapidly growing movement.
Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
~ Steve Jobs
How to Turn Your Biggest Disappointment into a Huge Success
April 8 by 13 Comments
People are often surprised to hear how many failures I’ve had to deal with in my life and in my business.
It’s easy to see my successes and all of my accomplishments and completely skip over my heartaches and disappointments. It’s easy to think that “he has it all together, he doesn’t have to deal with the devastating letdowns that I have to deal with on a regular basis.”
Nothing can be further from the truth.
I fail more often than I succeed.
I get discouraged all the time.
I have doubts and fears in me and all around me.
And running my business isn’t somehow easier for me than for anyone else.
I want to give you an example of this with one of my most vivid disappointments.
The most important business choice
February 23 by 12 Comments
The most important time to do something is precisely when you don’t feel like doing it.
- You know that going to the gym this morning is what you need, but you don’t feel like it.
- You know that keeping your mouth shut right now because you’re mad will help the situation, but you just can’t help yourself.
- You know that taking 15 minutes this moment to meditate is what will help you get centered, but you just can’t get yourself to sit down.
- You know you need to do that thing you’ve putting off in your business, but somehow you continue putting it off for just one more day.
What we truly need is often the hardest thing to do.
