Vision

Before my second daughter was born, I thought I wanted two children. That would be magical. Then, after she arrived, I realized I’d been wrong. Anyone who knows me well knows that I wanted to add a third child to our family—in a big way! I then knew that indeed the number was three!

I was absolutely set on it--only in the way you can be when you desire something that is not necessarily entirely up to you. My vision: a third child. If God was willing, I was beyond willing. Just one small detail: I needed to make sure my husband signed on, too.

You see, as passionately as I desired a third, my husband was quite settled in our life with our two fabulous daughters. I knew I needed to set some strong intention. And that I did. I posted a picture of a small boy kissing his mom’s pregnant belly on my vision board. Talked about it incessantly with my closest friends. (Thank you, Lisa, for listening to what may have seemed like a one-way diatribe. I admit it often was.) I visualized him—yes, I felt strongly that a boy was meant to be here. Wrote about it. Talked about it some more. Felt it. I did it all.

My husband signed on.

And my vision materialized. Life blessed me a third time with my third child. A boy. James Cole Hyland joined us a year ago this week! I still squeal that I got him --against odds and the dictates of logic.

What I know for sure: crystal clear, laser-focused dreams, intentions and visions move mountains. What visions dance in your head?

Eight Steps to Manage Your Dream & Live It!

Do you have a great idea that continues to be...a just a great idea? Do you talk yourself out of it before you even begin? I spoke with a client last week who has a great idea for a new product. His product would allow him to initiate conversations with his desired, prospective clients. Even his current clients could use it! It is original and it excites him tremendously. He talks about it repeatedly. Still further, when I ask him what would make his year fabulous, he always answers, "I want to turn this idea into a real, living product!" Eureka! A dream that is waiting to be realized!

Ahh, but wait, after he passionately describes this fabulous product, he quickly launches into the reasons it is too much for him to begin. His biggest fear is that he will spend a lot of time planning, but never complete it or it doesn't succeed. Does this sound familiar to you?

What are your ideas? Dreams? Increasing your income with passive income products, finally clearing your debt, launching a business idea, bringing connection and passion back to your marriage, writing an article for a national publication, or well, taking your life to the most amazing level???

Why haven't you done it yet? What are your excuses? WHY do you allow your excuses to rule?

We remain stuck and mire in our negative monologues for many reasons. Money, time, lack of information and fear are the top four but the list is long. Every single person, EVERY ONE, experiences these fears! So what do the successful and fulfilled do when their fear and excuses try to dominate their world? How do they throttle themselves forward?

First, they expect to win. Even during the current economic downturn that impact most, these individuals expect to succeed and move toward their dreams. Second, these people act daily and deliberately to reach their dream. They seek the best strategies and create a plan to get there.

How do I know? Because these successes belong to my clients. One client just landed his dream job and makes 50% more than he did at his previous job (from which he was fired!). Another launched her own business and opened a store--right in the midst of the economic turbulence. Another expanded his sales by 120% in six months. Still another, a stay-at-home mom, started her out-of-the-home business and now supplements the family's income. She does what she loves and makes money doing it!

What's their secret? They focus on their goals instead obstacles and excuses. They parse their dreams into palatable bits and take daily steps, steadily and surely.

Is there an idea you've had--either one for your business, physical health, career change, or marriage--that still exists only in your head? When it pops into your thoughts do you kibosh it before you give it a chance? Do you talk yourself out it?

Follow my clients' lead; turn that dream into action and start seeing results. Start with these eight steps:

1. Remember your past successes. You've experienced far more success than you currently acknowledge. (Trust me, I know.)

2. Ink it--don't think it! Write down your dream! Don't let it swirl around in that head of yours. Give that dream a landing pad!

3. Define success. You cannot hit a target you cannot see.

4. Plan in 90-day chunks--this a time frame we can get our mindset around. Take 30-minutes to identify what you want to accomplish in the next 90-days. Then, break down your steps into smaller, doable chunks.

5. Every day answer, "What is my next step?" Remember, don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed...only focus on your next step.

6. Don't work alone. Partner up with someone who will hold you accountable. Statistics show we complete at least twice as much when we are held accountable.

7. Be certain of your success. Expect to win. Olympians are doing it in Canada as you read this. They rehearse winning in their mind over and over again. When they take their starting positions, they simply recreate what their mind already expects.

8. Take immediate action in the next 24-48 hours. Once you've identified your goal and created a plan, never leave a day without being one step closer to its realization.

What will you choose? Excuses and a limiting mindset? Or the realization of your dream? The power lies within you. The answers and wisdom which will fuel your dreams are right before you. Grab the momentum and make it happen!

All the Best,

Rita

Go to www.ritahyland.com to get a copy of "Life Changes. Dreams Don't. The Ten Keys to Jumpstart Your Ideal Life--Now!"

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Living your best life? Not sure...try the following...

This weekend, a beautiful young woman—around 35-years-old, maybe younger—sat down to talk to me at a coaching event. She began, "I have a terminal disease and I am having a hard time wanting to get up and do things daily. Sometimes I think, 'why bother.'”

Clearly her diagnosis weighed heavily on her, inhibiting her and her spirit from thriving in the present. I asked her if she ever considered that her current state of health had a message to bring to her. With clarity and a vigor I had not yet seen from her, she replied,

"Yes, I now know what I want to do. I almost died in the hospital and believe the reason I survived that episode is to help others as a Medical Advocate. I REALLY want to do that--even if I do it for free!"

That was it. Her gift—discovering and embracing her purpose. Passion, excitement and a smile danced on her face as she told me about it. She went on, "I am currently an accountant and I am good at it. But it is not my passion." She always knew that her purpose was to serve others. Because of the illness, she gained clarity about how and in what capacity.

We continued our conversation. She knew that if she didn't live her purpose, her life would as she described it-- "a waste". When she connected with that truth, she came alive and tapped into her creative power. It was only then that she could indentify her next steps for making it happen, rather than seeing obstacles, as she always had in the past.

The truth—none of us knows when we will depart this world. Another truth—we all possess unique gifts and talents to share while we inhibit this world. What I know for sure is that when we don't live our purpose, our spirit dies. Then both us and the world suffer as a result.

Are you fully living your purpose? Not sure? Try the following:

Here's a question: If you were to die tomorrow, would your life have been a success? If not, why? Complete the sentence, "My life would not have been a success because..... (fill in the blank.)”

Now turn your sentence into a positive: "My life has been successful because I have ...." Imagine living your life’s purpose and what it would feel to reflect on your life, knowing you accomplished your purpose and lived your truth. Fabulous! Now decide what you can do to guarantee, not just hope, that you live purposefully and successfully by your own standards.

The angel who visited me this weekend inspired and reminded me that we all have one life to live, but if we live it purposefully, one life is enough!

My Fabulous Friday. Don't You Want One, too?

I decided to ask myself a question last Friday. “Self?”, I asked, "what would make today a truly fabulous Friday?" My answer came to me—then, I deliberately chose to take action toward making it happen.

I think we resist doing things that would ultimately move us closer to our grand, fantastic selves because we aren't yet ready to experience our own, personal fabulousness. We're not comfortable with that level of success. Instead, we spend our time majoring in minor, mind-numbing minutiae, never laser-focused on our target. Yes, laundry, dishes and status reports all hold a spot in our days, but we muddle around in these details without putting energy toward our truest goals.

When we create movement toward our best days and make things happen, the most interesting thing occurs. We begin to believe we have the power to make things happen… and then we DO make things happen! A positive, self-fulfilling prophecy! This is when our dreams come true.

Let me be clear--what gives me the highest level of satisfaction varies from day to day. Relaxation on one day, relief from deadline pressure the next, or progress toward my big dream on still another. In order to create a fabulous day, I must be present and clear about what would make THIS day incredible. Ultimately, you have to converse with yourself about the important areas of your life, including your health, relationships, state of mind, career and dreams.

My Friday rocked when I deliberately chose what I wanted and took the first action to make it happen. I stopped, quieted the noise and wondered, "Which one of the things on my list--a project or an action--if I finished it, would give me the highest satisfaction and make today great?”

Question of the Day: What achievement would provide you with your greatest sense of accomplishment today, forcing you to say, with conviction, "Today was a great day!"?

May your day be filled with fabulousness,

Rita

Raise Your Standards & Achieve Real Results This Year!

Do you feel capable of more than you are experiencing? Do you find yourself making the same New Year's Resolutions year after year? Are you exhausted from trying to "make things happen" and longing for a life characterized by ease and flow?

If you are no longer willing to tolerate mediocrity then you know it is time to raise your standards.

How do you raise your standards? You change your "shoulds" to absolute 'musts.' Everyone has a list of "shoulds." In fact, I believe, 95% of all New Year's Resolutions are actually long lists of 'shoulds.' 'Shoulds' could also be called 'nice-to-do's,' that is, it would be nice if these things happen but they are not drop-dead 'musts.' 'Shoulds' carry no commitment and are ultimately why so few New Year's Resolutions get results.

"I should spend more time with my kids." "I should spend more time with a business plan." "I should lose some weight." People 'should' all over themselves. Instead, convert your 'shoulds' into 'musts' and everything changes.

I've seen this example so many times when people have no money, but then someone in their family gets ill, and then they find the means to generate the money to pay for the incredibly expensive medicine and treatments. Or an individual who has known they ought to lose weight finds out from the doctor that their current eating habits are causing a condition that will jeopardize their life expectancy. Suddenly, the 'should' becomes a 'must' and the 50 pounds of weight is dropped. The situation didn't change, but the individuals' standards did.

If you look at anyone who seems to have a superior life to yourself, I guarantee you it's because they have a higher standard in that particular area than you do. If you see someone who works out five times a week, it's not because they have more time than you have. It's because it is a must for them. They never miss. They identify with the standard and they live it every day. When you feel that you absolutely must get something done, you will find a way.

If you're serious about making this your best year ever, TODAY is the best time to start making it happen.

I've got an exercise for you and suggest you take some time to sit down with these questions...think about your answers...challenge yourself...write them down...then go to work!

1. What problem or seemingly overwhelming challenge did you conquer in the past year?

2. What is your greatest challenge or unsolved problem that exists in your life right now?

3. In what area of your personal or professional life would you consider yourself most improved?

4. And what area of your personal or professional life will you focus on this year?

5. What two decisions have you been putting off, that when you make them now, will change your life?

6. What actions would you take if these decisions were absolute 'musts.'

7. List three simple actions you can do immediately to be consistent with your two new decisions. Do them within the next 24 hours to gain the momentum to move forward immediately.

The time is now for many of us to raise our standards and achieve not only what we are capable of but that which fulfills us and provides us happiness as well. May this year be filled with growth and happiness for you!

Enthusiastically,
Rita