Groundhog Day

When you think of Groundhog Day, do you think of Punxsutawney Phil or the movie where Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again?

The legend of the groundhog is that if it is sunny when it emerges, and it sees its shadow it will return to the burrow and remain for six more weeks signaling six more weeks of winter.  But if it is a cloudy day, it will leave the burrow, indicating the end to wintery weather very soon.

Sometimes winter can be a time of hibernation, but if you are burrowing in for too long, consider the reasons behind it.

It’s a bit hard to imagine the darkness of winter as I sit here in sunny California.  But I have lived places where it is dark and damp and cold.  And facing those dark winter days you might feel a bit like Bill Murray and begin to think it will never end.  Some people suffer from SAD – Seasonal Effective Disorder.  Get out for a walk in the daylight as often as you can.

Be sure you have something to look forward to.  Start planning a weekend away in the Spring or your Summer vacation.  Create a Vision Board or a mini-collage in your journal.

Are you ready to leave your burrow?  Or are you burrowing in for six more weeks?

Leave your comments or questions below.

Judy Peebles, International Speaker, Trainer & Business Strategist

Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/from-misery-to-motivation/

http://judypeebles.com/creating-a-collage/

Making It Work

At the beginning of a New Year a lot of people make resolutions or goals.  Goal setting is very important and can really be done at any time.

Working with my clients, once they have identified a goal, we work on the “How”.

In order to achieve a goal you have to be taking action and have strategies in place that will compel you towards that goal.

For instance, losing weight or getting fitter.  Last year I decided I wanted to lose weight.  As a busy business owner, the question was – How?

Obviously, I needed to spend more time moving my body.  I decided to walk five to six times per week.  Often I am asked to meet with new contacts for coffee or a meal.  Instead I would suggest a walk.  I also enlisted friends to be regular walking buddies.

Of course, I had to eat less, too.  But the walking strategy really worked.  Having someone else to hold you accountable is a VERY effective strategy regardless of the goal.  There were certainly times when I did not want to go for a walk – it was cold or I was tired.  But knowing that I had made a commitment to someone else got me up and out the door more often than I would have on my own.

Oh, and I lost 37 pounds last year!!  Wooo Hooo!!

What do you want to achieve this year?  What are your strategies to do that? Who will hold you accountable?

Leave your comments and suggestions below.

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/managing-time/

http://judypeebles.com/top-speaker-top-form-part-2/

http://judypeebles.com/topspeaker/

Making Connections

One of my New Year’s Resolutions / Goals that I actually started late last year was to re-connect with people.  Yes, part of it is an effort to grow my business, but also it feels good.

I know a lot of people / business owners who shy away from calling people, especially if you haven’t talked to them in a while.  But why let the passage of time get in the way of making a connection, renewing a friendship, or possibly generating some business or a referral?

How long is too long?  Personally, I say never.

Recently I called two people on my “list”.

One had come to a workshop about two years ago and for some reason, I had not talked to her since.  We had a nice conversation, catching up and it wasn’t the least bit awkward.

Another I had not spoken to in over four years, but I could still remember the essence of a great conversation we had outside of an event we were both attending in Los Angeles.   We played phone tag and then finally connected.  We had a lovely chat and it felt so good to reconnect and we both vowed to stay in touch.

I intend to continue re-connecting with old contacts.  I highly recommend it.

Who are you going to call today?

Leave your comments and suggestions below.

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/appreciation/

http://judypeebles.com/who-is-in-your-life

http://judypeebles.com/support-system

From Misery to Motivation

You know those moments when you feel so overwhelmed you just don’t even know where to begin, don’t feel like doing anything or don’t even know what your are feeling.

What to do:-

• Grab your journal – You can begin by just free writing what is going on for you, just letting the words flow onto the page.  Or create a mindmap or list of what’s on your mind.  (See links below for detailed prompts for these)
• Take a shower or a bubblebath – There is something about being in water that clears the mind and frees up the creative juices to generate solutions.
• Go for a walk – Getting your body moving is always a good thing, but taking a break is sometimes the best thing.  You can come back to the tasks at hand refreshed and you also get the added bonus of burning some calories.
• Phone a friend – I know we often don’t feel like bothering our friends with our troubles (that’s were a journal can come in very handy), but sometimes just a chat with a close friend can create a huge shift.

What do you do to move from misery to motivation?

Leave your comments and suggestions below.

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/breathe-and-listen/

http://judypeebles.com/when-a-to-do-list-isnt-enough-mindmap-you-way-out-of-overwhelm/

http://judypeebles.com/ask-for-help

Visit TheKnowledgeSeries.com to check out the great workshops and membership plans!

S.T.O.P.

Before the end of the year be sure to S.T.O.P.

Take out your journal and write:-

Successes – Make a list of all your successes and achievements this year.  From major accomplishments to small silly things.  Celebrate everything you’ve done that you are proud of.  If it makes it easier, imagine you are your best friend and he or she is reminding you of what an amazing year you’ve had.  What have you learned this year?  How have you impacted others?

Thanks – What are you thankful for today?  Expressing gratitude for the blessings you received this year.  This is something that you can write every day.  Even keep a separate journal for your blessings or gratitudes.

Opportunities – What are the opportunities you can imagine ahead of you next year and beyond?  What are your dreams?  What will you keep doing?  What do you need to do differently?  Create the vision in your future.  Write down all the things you would like to do – skydiving, singing lessons; places you would like to visit; and people you would like to meet.

Plan – Now that you have your vision – How will you begin to achieve your goals next year and beyond?  Start now to plan your year ahead.  You don’t have to know all the details.  Start at the end and work backwards.  Or at least begin with one small step in the direction of your dreams.

May 2012 bring you all the joy, prosperity and wishes you dream of.

Judy Peebles

Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series

Last time you wrote about a clear vision of your goal by a future date.  How you wanted to feel, look, etc. on that date.

Hopefully, you have already started moving towards that vision.

Here’s another journaling technique to help you out.

List making.  Everyone makes lists – to-do lists, shopping lists, honey-do lists, wish lists, etc.

Today make a list of ways you can make healthier choices to move towards your goal.

Getting results are all about taking action, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it easy on yourself.

One question I often ask myself is – “How can I have fun doing this?”

For instance, your list might contain some of the following:-

Walk with friends

Walk the dog (or borrow one if you need to)

Try a new sport or hobby that involves physical activity

Play in a bounce house

Jump rope, Play hopscotch, or skip (these are great, especially if you can borrow a kid!)

Take a biking or hiking vacation

Create a competition with friends – weight loss % or plan to do an event together – 5K, 10K, Marathon

You get the idea.  What’s on your list?  I’m always looking for new ideas.

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/topspeaker

http://judypeebles.com/small-changes-big-results/

http://judypeebles.com/permission-to-play/

Writing exercises for business and personal development.  Five to choose from – the Original Journaling Jems™ (the pink ones), Pursue a Life of Passion & Purpose, Master Your Money Matters, For the Business Professional, and Create Your Corporate Compass.

“If you’re serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured and unique individual, keep a journal. Don’t trust your memory. When you listen to omething valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down.”

~ Jim Rohn

For more information go to:-

Get access to all five of the Journaling Jems™ ebooks

http://thejournalingjenius.com/store/ebooks/

Regularly $27, during the month of November 2011,

Downloads are just $11.11

Use coupon code – NOV2011

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Do you give yourself permission to play?  This is one of my biggest challenges.  I love what I do and can easily get so caught up in it that I work all the time.

But we need play time, too.  So consider this your “Permission to Play Pass”.

We are all so busy these days, now that you have permission, you might actually have to put in on your schedule to make sure it happens.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

 ~ Plato

It doesn’t have to cost anything and it doesn’t have to be an all day thing either. The other day I sat down and colored with a friend’s 5-year old granddaughter.

If you do have a whole day – have a Pajama Day!  Rent movies and/or read a great novel, eat yummy snacks and just stay in your pajamas all day and relax.

Personally, I love the swings!!  Go to the park and play on the swings.  Just remember to play nicely with the other “kids”.

What did you enjoy doing as a child?  Hopscotch?  Jacks?  Jumping rope?  Board games?  Card games?  Get into your kid energy and just play.

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”

 ~ Plato

What will you do today?  This week?

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™, Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series – 5 Keys to Accelerate Your Success

Further Reading

http://judypeebles.com/if-i-were-an-animal/

http://judypeebles.com/if-i-were-a-flower/

http://judypeebles.com/when-i-grow-up/

In the movie Last Holiday Queen Latifah’s character creates a book labeled – “POSSIBILITIES” – that is filled with images of places she wants to visit and the life she dreams of – one day.

In The Secret John Assaraf tells his story of finding that he has moved into the house that he put on his vision board five years earlier.  Not a house like the one on the vision board, but the actual house.

“Making a vision board helps you attract into your life things that you

want to have, to experience, to achieve, or to become..”

~ John Assaraf

Part of the process of creating a vision board is getting clear on what you want and then finding images and/or words that represent that vision.

But you can also take some time to just flip through magazines and see what jumps out at you.

For instance, one attendee at a recent workshop was attracted to pictures representing brides and marriage.  Prior to the workshop, she really hadn’t been thinking that she wanted to get married, but through the process we went through that day, she discovered that she did want to find that special someone and get married.

Making a vision board by yourself is fun and effective, getting together with others and having a fun day (or two) is lots of fun.  You can even help each other find images.

You can also make a virtual vision board, although this doesn’t allow for surprises to pop in.  But you can gather online images and paste them into a document.  One of my clients did this in her birthday month and has already seen many of visions come to fruition, including her dream car in her driveway.

Getting clarity on your dreams and creating a physical representation of them, is a very powerful process.  I highly encourage everyone to create a vision board.  I do one at least once a year.

The possibilities are endless.

Have you created a vision board?  What did you put on it?  What results have you had?

Judy Peebles, Creator of The Journaling Jenius™,  Journaling Jems™ and The Knowledge Series.

If you would like to attend Magnify Your Vision in December 2011

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Further Reading

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Entrepreneur-Visual-Guidebook-Business/dp/1592534597?&linkCode=waf&tag=thejou0bb-20

http://judypeebles.com/the-creative-entrepreneur/

http://www.thevisionboardkit.com/about.php#story