Most people in North America own a car. They also know that these 2 things are true:

Perform regularly scheduled maintenance and your car will run smoothly.

Wait for the engine light to go on, and you likely will find yourself with a bigger mess than you needed to have.

Everything from checking your oil to taking it in for a tune up helps you to assess how things are going with your car. Sure sometimes you need major work but more often than not, a little adjustment is all that’s required.

When was the last time you did a maintenance check on your life?

If you are like most people, it’s been a while, Perhaps never. Making the time for a life inventory is one of those jobs that can be easy to put off. There are probably 101 more pressing things on your to-do list. But just like your car, if you ignore the simple tune ups, you’ll find yourself with a life that’s not working nearly as well as it could.

Saving time, focus & energy

Many things in your life can be easily fine tuned if you pay attention to them soon enough. When life has become overwhelming, it’s more challenging to find balance. When relationships have broken down, it takes more energy to rebuild them. When finances are out of control, it’s harder to rein them back in. When you are overweight and out of shape, it takes more motivation to get off the couch. Of course you can always make the changes you want. It’s just that the earlier you catch things, the more time, focus and energy you will probably save. That’s time, focus and energy you can then put into something else.

Making the time to complete a life inventory helps you to identify what’s working and what’s not working in your life. Done regularly it can point out where simple changes can help get you back on track before you need a major overhaul. Even if it turns out that there are some serious adjustments to be made, the sooner you take stock and begin making changes, the more likely you will avoid your life stopping working all together.

Ask yourself:

Right now what area of my life is working the best?

Knowing what’s working can provide you with good information you can apply to other areas.

Then ask:

Right now what area of my life is not working the way I would like it to?

Become your own mechanic. Decide what needs to be done to get this area running more smoothly. Now take one step that will get going in the right direction.

Treat your car well and you can put a lot of miles on it. Same is true of life.

January is often a time when people reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and look ahead to what’s possible in the new year. People think about the bad habits they have and all the things they really should stop doing. You’ll hear them talking about giving up smoking or being a couch potato or not spending so much money or being disorganized. Depending on your personal goals, giving up any or all of these things could be a great use of your time, energy and focus.

While there are lots of things that you might choose to give up this year, there’s one thing you can let go of that will most definitely create positive changes in your life. It actually would impact on any of the goals that you set for yourself this year.

So what’s the one thing to give up this year?

Mediocrity.

We currently live in a culture that embraces mediocrity. That’s probably because many people are overcommitted, overscheduled and overwhelmed. When that happens, the idea of doing things that are “good enough” is awfully appealing. You slip into a pattern of settling for an “okay” existence because it feels like the path of least resistance. The problem with that approach is you end up cheating yourself out of the best life available to you.

Think about personal best

Instead of choosing mediocrity this year, think instead of your personal best. That’s something completely different from focusing on perfection which is a highly over-rated and unattainable goal. Striving for perfection often leaves you exhausted and unsatisfied. Imagine your daily personal best in fitness or nutrition or relationships or self care. If you set that as the standard for guiding your choices each day, now imagine what changes you would create by the end of the year.

Giving up mediocrity is more about giving your best effort on any given day. What does that mean? You make a conscious effort to give your focus and attention to the task at hand. You recognize that on some days you have more – or less – energy to give to a task. It also means that you stop overloading your plate with so many commitments you can’t possibly do any of them well. By focusing on your personal best you stop settling for so-so and will likely experience a greater degree of satisfaction.

When you think about what you want to give up this year, stop giving up on what’s possible and think seriously about giving up mediocrity.

I’ve said it many times – my clients are sources of great wisdom. Today one of them shared how being tired and out of energy actually created the best holiday gift.

My client – let’s call her “Mary” – recently had the flu and is still feeling tired and out of energy. With Christmas fast approaching she was thinking that there was no way she was going to get all of the usual holiday shopping done. And then it dawned on her. This was actually an opportunity to make some changes. Instead of running around buying gifts Mary decided to:

• call her family and suggest that they draw names and only buy a gift for one person rather than everyone
• ask that each family member contribute $25 to a family charity donation

What a simple solution to Mary’s energy crisis!

Most importantly this decision allows Mary to more closely honor her personal values and align her choices with them. The focus for Christmas is now less on the number of presents and more on one special gift for one person. The family gets to make a difference in the lives of the people who benefit from the charity they choose. Mary has also been working on decluttering her physical space and this reduces the number of new items entering her house. Brilliant!

It’s easy to get into habits with holiday gift giving that don’t truly reflect what you believe is important. You end up running around doing 101 jobs that create stress and deplete the holiday spirit. Take Mary’s example and consider how you might approach shopping this year. What habits have you gotten into that might need to be re-invented or replaced?

The other great lesson here is being able to find the opportunity in whatever circumstances are presenting themselves. Mary could have let her illness and recouperation been a source of stress. Instead she turned it around into something that served her – and all of us who can learn from it. Now that’s a good gift.

I don’t know too many people who don’t have at least one thing they want to do but they never seem to get around to doing it. 

Like starting a fitness program.

Or losing a few pounds.

Or tackling the clutter in your house.

Or creating a little me-time.

Or whipping your finances into shape.

Or maybe it’s something else.

What I do know is that putting things off brings you temporary relief at best.

And no matter how creative you get, there’s a little corner of your brain that knows an excuse when it hears one.

So why do you put so much time into avoiding the things that you say you want to do?

It’s usually that you are missing one or more of the key elements to quit procrastinating and as my mother used to say, Get cracking!

Maybe you need a stronger reason for doing it. 

Maybe you need a little encouragement – or a kick in the butt.

Maybe you need some new strategies cause the old ones aren’t working.

Maybe you need some more accountability.

The other thing I know is when you finally take the leap and stop procrastinating, it doesn’t take nearly as much energy to be successful as it did to keep making excuses.

What have you been putting off?

If you’re looking for a stronger reason, or a little encouragement, or some new strategies or more accountability, check out this program.

It’s about now that people’s commitment to their New Year’s resolutions begins to wane. Before you know it that bounce in your step has been traded for one more hit of the snooze button. Sometimes that happens because you have taken on way too much like planning to go from couch potato to marathon runner in 8 weeks or less.

Small changes done consistently day in and day out lead to big success.

If your resolve to make a change this year is starting to slip, now’s the time to refocus.

Ask yourself some powerful questions about what you want to achieve in 2009. These are great questions to consider in quiet reflection or in conversation with your partner, friends or family.

Get clear about what you want to happen this year and then start with something simple.

What word best captures your focus for 2009?

If I had a nickel for every person who set out to achieve a goal and abandoned it along the way I’d be a very wealth woman. Getting started or sticking with a plan for change is often a challenge. The Ultimate Guide to Motivation is jam packed with great ideas about how to achieve your goal.

Setting yourself up for failure

Typically people jump into an action plan without having spent enough time thinking about “why am I doing this?” Because “I should” or someone else thinks “you should” are rarely good enough reasons to propel you toward your goal. Or doing it for some vague reason like “better health” or “my family” often won’t sustain you through the inevitable tough patches you will encounter. And superficial reasons like “looking super hot at my high school reunion” might get you so far but they likely won’t help you maintain your goal once the reunion has come and gone.

Find a meaningful motive

One key to success is to find a meaningful motive – one that resonates with you at a heart level.  You have to have a reason for doing something and when it comes to change, especially big change, you want that reason to be closely linked to the things that are most important to you. Doing that will help you get through any roadblocks with greater ease.

Listening to your heart

Sometimes it takes a little work to plug into your meaningful motive. You have to look past the first couple of superficial layers to get to what really matters.  What does your heart want? Do you want to get in shape to be able to participate fully in your children’s lives?  Do you want to get your life back in balance to have more and richer time with your partner?  Do you want to de-clutter your house so you have a sacred space to honor yourself?

Taking time for personal reflection helps to connect to your meaningful motive. You’ll know you are getting close when you get a little lump in your throat or are a bit teary eyed. That’s a good sign that you’ve plugged into your heart. Motivation from this place is powerful.

Re-connect daily

Create a vivid picture in your mind or design a vision board so you can see clearly why this change is meaningful – why you are willing to stick with it until you’re successful.

Then as you implement your action plan, revisit that motive daily. In the midst of things, it’s easy to lose sight of why you are doing something. Plugging back in each day helps you keep both your goal and your motive top of mind.

You can have your heart’s desire. Just let your heart help guide the way.

What’s your meaningful motive for change?

Tales from my Italian adventure

Paolo Fanciulli is not a guy who lets a few obstacles get in his way. A fisherman who lives in Talamone next to the Parco Naturale della Maremma in Tuscany, Paolo is a shining example of the impact one person can have. We got to spend the day with him learning about his passion for the sea.

Thinking outside the net

For the past twenty years Paolo had been attempting to bring government and public awareness to the devastating damage that trawl fishing nets do to the sea bed. Although illegal, fishing using these nets has gone on unhindered for years causing the destruction of the naturally growing sea grass which provides a habit for fish, oxygenates the water and prevents coastal erosion. Years of trawl nets has left the fish population depleted and the sea floor devastated.

After repeatedly running into opposition, roadblocks and indifference, Paolo got the idea to create “pescaturismo” – which gives travellers an eco-conscious opportunity to experience the natural environment while gaining an appreciation for environmental needs of the area. Paolo figured if people could have a first hand experience they would rally behind the cause of sustainable fishing.

Building blocks of success

Deciding that the government’s minor fines for trawl fishing would never dissuade large companies from continuing to destroy the sea floor, Paolo came up with another plan: to put what he calls case per i pesci or “fish houses” along the sea floor to prevent the use of trawl nets. These large hollow concrete blocks imbedded with hooks essentially tear through the nets while providing the fish with a safe haven for breeding.

Last year through Paolo’s awareness campaign and fundraising efforts, 250 of these fish house were placed along the coastline of the Parco Naturale Maremma. One year later he says they are already seeing the positive impact. Trawlers no longer fish this section of the coastline and the sea floor and marine population is improving. What I especially loved about Paolo was, when asked whether we could make a donation to the cause he declined. “The fish houses are now in place,” he said. “What I need you to do now is tell people about the problem and what’s possible.”

There’s always a way

If you find yourself facing one obstacle after another in reaching your dream, Paolo’s advice would be to find a blend of optimism, activism and pragmatism. You may have to consider plan B or even C to get the job done. What Paolo has demonstrated is when you have a vision and are committed to making to a reality, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Well it’s finally happened.

Life coaching has made it into the mainstream. How do I know? I was in my local bookstore today and came across Life Coaching for Dummies.

Now I’ve never really been a big fan of that series of books. Not that they don’t have some great basic information on a wide variety of topics. It’s just the name that turns me off.

What I know for certain is that life coaching is not for dummies. Far from it. Life coaching is for people who have made a decision that they want something to change in their lives and they’re willing to put in the effort to make it happen. They’ve figured out that life is one very short ride and they want to make the most of it.

My clients are often in search of one or more of these things:

• They are looking for ways to balance work and family without going insane.
• No matter what age they are, they’re not sure what they want to be when they grow up.
• They want to make a difference in the world and feel like their lives count for something.
• Lots of times they just want to learn how to say no.
• They’re feeling stuck and they want to get unstuck and moving forward.
• They are certainly tired of making the same old excuses.

Nothing dumb about any of those desires.

Life Coaching for Dummies suggests that you can become your own life coach. Not a bad idea…and during the past several years as a life coach who’s helped hundreds of people create change here’s what I’ve learned:

If people are able to make changes on their own, they go ahead and do it.

Most of the time though, people need a little help…an objective sounding board, a brainstorming partner, someone who will hold them accountable to have what it is that they want. I like to think of it as life coaching for really smart cookies.

Are you a smart cookie?

If you are, contact me and let’s get started creating want you want.

Last week in Times Square people had the opportunity to put what they no longer needed into a giant shredder.  What a great way to start the new year!

We have a tendency to hold onto to stuff long after it is useful….clothes that no longer fit, thingamajigs in the kitchen drawer, books we never read, all sorts of stuff that we might maybe possibly need some day.

Even worse we hold on to relationships that aren’t really working, old grievances, hurts and betrayals, bad habits and limiting beliefs.

The problem with old stuff

The problem with keeping things you have out lived is they take up the space that new things might occupy.  We only have so much time and energy.  If you give yours to people, ideas, habits and clutter that don’t enrich your life, you are limiting the time and energy you have for the things that do.

What are you hanging on to that no longer serves you?