Sometimes it seems that time is passing so quickly.

I was in a store the other day and there were Christmas items on display. Yikes! We haven’t even gotten to Thanksgiving or Halloween yet!

One of the reasons that time feels like its flying by is that we put our attention and focus on things coming in the future rather than being present to this day.

Did you know there are 100 days left in this year?

That’s a lot of time to accomplish things if you focus on each and every day between now and the year end.

In 100 days you could….

lose as much as 28 pounds (at a healthy 2 pounds a week)

read 7 books (at an average of two weeks per book)

declutter 3 rooms (taking on one room per month)

walk 150 miles (at a leisurely 1.5 miles per day)

Before you know it we will all be singing Auld Lang Syne and thinking about 2009. If you make some conscious choices every day between now and then, not only will time have passed, but you will have some success to show for it.

Starting October 1

you can join my free 30 day challenge.  It’s a great way for you to get started making something positive happen during the last 100 days of this year. More about my 30 day challenge in the next few days.

What could YOU do in 100 days?

Once every four years the Olympic games capture our attention. Whether you are a sports fan or not, there’s something about dramatic competition, Cinderella stories and the pursuit of excellence that makes us stop and tune in to events of all kinds.Maybe it’s our appreciation of the dedication and focus required by these athletes to compete on the world stage. Maybe it’s those moments of watching the seemingly impossible unfold. Maybe it’s the knowledge that these individuals are fully engaged in being the best they can be.

citius altius fortius

The Olympic motto citius altius fortius - higher faster stronger - sets the standard for participating in the games and serves as a benchmark for performance.

What if you were in training for a gold medal life?

How would your life change if you played full out?

Imagine what would be possible if chose your best performance every day.

Here’s some ways you can apply these Olympic standards to your life:

Set the bar higher

Mediocrity is a cultural comfort zone. Most people are content in doing just enough to get by. They lose sight of what is really important and make choices based on the path of least resistance. Life gets really busy and “just ok” seems good enough.

It’s easy to not require too much of yourself. In the end you get the life you settle for. If you’re not leading your best life, it’s time to raise the bar for yourself. If you’ve been content with average, reach for above average. If life is good, go for great.

Where do you need to require more of yourself?

In what ways do you let important things slide?

Get to your goals faster

Do you find yourself saying, “I’ll get to that someday”?   Procrastination will never get you to the finish line. We’ve all got our favorite excuses about why we can’t tackle a project, fulfill a dream or take things to the next level.

The clock is going to run out on your life. You just don’t happen to know when that might be.  Making the most of your time is golden. Once today is done you can’t get it back so make choices that leave you feeling satisfied at the end of it.

What have you been putting off for way too long?

How do you let excuses get in the way of your success?

Be stronger in facing your fears

Fear is probably the number one reason why people don’t go after the things they want: fear of failure - or success, fear of what other people will think, fear of stepping out of their comfort zones.

At the end of your life you’ll likely regret the things that you choose not to do out of fear rather than most of the things you did end up doing. Once you decide, fear is not such a formidable opponent.

Where do you let fear become an obstacle to your success?

If fear wasn’t a factor, what would you take on?

The Olympics only happen once every four years. In life, the games are always on. You get to decide how you want to participate. Your gold medal life is waiting for you. Simply summon up your inner athlete and go get it.

What Olympic principles do you play by?

There’s an old saying that you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. I’m a big believer in surrounding yourself with what I call “hot people” - individuals who inspire, challenge and support you.

It’s easy to set the bar low for yourself. Mediocrity is a cultural norm.

I figure you have two choices in life:

half assed or kick ass

Which life you live depends a lot on who you hang out with. Hot people create a playground of rich conversation and joyful abundance where tackling fears and stretching yourself is encouraged and living your dreams is required.

I’m blessed to have lots of hot people in my life. Here’s what some of them are up to:

There’s Nancy, a woman of a certain age and not your typical athlete, who just participated in the Victoria Dragon Boat races to raise money for cancer.

There’s Virginia who has been known to spontaneously hop on a plane and land on my doorstep who is heading off to France for a couple of weeks of whatever adventure awaits her.

There’s Catherine who will be rappelling down the side of a 27 story building in Edmonton on September 8th to raise money for Easter Seals. Go girl.

There’s Gail who is facing a challenging illness with grace and optimism.

There’s Neela, a single parent of two daughters and closet writer, who delights me with thought provoking conversations about moments of revelation and deeper learning.

Pretty good company.

If you want to learn more about how hot people and ideas can set your life on fire, check out my new book Spontaneous Combustion.

What company do you keep?

Post a comment about your hot people.

 No it’s not an exotic plant or some new addition to your yogurt.

It’s a term that was first used by psychologist Eric Fromm to describe human beings’ attraction to all that is alive and vital and later expanded upon by American biologist Edward Wilson as a subconscious attraction towards nature and other living things.

So what does that mean for you?

People are naturally attracted to the outdoors and nature.  We’re hard wired to connect with other living things. That’s cool except when you consider that for many people the closest they get to nature is a breathtaking photo on their screen saver. Most people work indoors, often without a window and then they return home after a long day to spend time in front of the TV.

How much time do you spend outdoors?

We’re been having the most wonderful weather in Edmonton and coupled with a four day holiday weekend I’ve been puttering long hours in my garden. It is truly calming and re-energizing.

When I think about my most restorative places and experiences, they always involve nature and the outdoors…the sounds of the birds in the morning, walking the Tuscan countryside, sitting on the deck at the beach house watching the world float by or tending to the plants in the garden.

Being in tune with nature helps to be more in tune with yourself.

So here’s my challenge.

Go outside right now. Stop what you are doing and take five minutes to nurture your biophilia. Connect with other living things. Think about how you can bring more of nature back into your life.

Then when you come back inside post a comment about your outdoor adventure and we can all share in the natural delight.

The problem with getting out of the box is that you have to know you’re in one first.

I was interviewed for an on-line article on “burnout at age 25” and never imagined that it would cause a little stir.  According to the journalist this article generated more responses than anything she had written before. 

What were people reacting to? 

The idea that following your passion and doing what you enjoy are actually options in today’s work world.  Burnout is really just a mismatch between what you expect to happen and what you are experiencing.  Seems like there are a lot of people out there who are hugely unhappy in their work, and feel trapped in their little cubicles.  They sound downright miserable.  They’re stuck on the idea that there’s no way out.

Stay or go - it doesn’t matter

The sad part is, whether they decide to stay at their jobs, or move on to something more fulfilling, what they don’t seem to realize is that happiness is simply a choice you make.  It’s not dependent on circumstances.  Period.

I meet people all the time who seemingly have it all - except they are not very happy.  And I also meet people who have more than their share of challenges - and yet they are contented and live with a spirit of gratitude.  When it comes right down to it, you get what you go looking for.  Happiness is always at your fingertips. Figuring out that you are always at choice - particularly about your attitude - is one of those magic little keys to life.

So if you’re stuck in a box - or a cubicle - thinking “that’s just the way it is”, let me reassure you there is another perspective.

How happy are you?

I love Mondays! 

That’s because Monday is the day our fabulous housekeeper Katie arrives to transform our home back into a thing of organized and sanitized beauty. 

It’s not that we can’t take care of all of the housekeeping tasks that Katie oversees - it’s just that we’d really rather not.  And go figure, she’s one of those people who actually loves cleaning.   When she’s finished for the day we can actually eat off the kitchen floor - and I don’t mean the crumbs that tend to collect during the week.

Lots of people suffer from CHAOS

… the Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome.  In our busy busy lives, clutter runs amok and we begin to curtail our in-home social activities.  Even more sadly, our homes stop being a place of refuge and turn into a place of refuse.  Hiring Katie to keep things under control is a great gift of balance we give ourselves each week.

If you can’t afford the luxury of your own Katie, the Happy Slob offers some practical cleaning tips with a sense of humour.  Or if you want to bring a smile to your face check out Fifteen Secret Shortcuts to Housekeeping Your Mother Never Told You.