Month: April 2022

Creating Habits: 9 Ways to Stop the Need for External Approval
“Give space to your thoughts, clear the noise in your head, chit-chat with your inner critic, decide and move on.” ― Cristina Imre

I woke up thinking about how I almost let my inner critic stop me from growing this week. Here’s my challenge.

I love making Instagram Reels. It’s easy and fun for me to put little video clips together. What I figured out is that I could create the video clips and then add them to my YouTube channel as Shorts. It is a win-win for me and my viewers because I found another way to keep my original channel active now that I have moved my interview content to a whole new channel. This is also an opportunity to share more about who I am and what I do.

There is only one thing that presents a struggle and that is my fear of talking directly into the camera. In order to overcome this resistance, I decided to talk about the one thing I feel pretty confident about and that is habits. I started recording mini videos of my talking about how to make habits stick as I work on my challenge of talking on video.

I had one fluke video hit over 1600 views and I was feeling pretty good. The next couple of videos hit about 100 views and lately my videos are only attracting 3-6 views. I started obsessing about the view count and was ready to stop making videos. I started looking at the view count as my success indicator.

My inner critic was in full attack mode and had enough ammunition to make me want to give up. I started questioning myself and this whole idea of creating YouTube Shorts. I started thinking I wasn’t doing the “right” thing. Fortunately, I woke up this morning with a refreshed attitude and a the insight of, “stop looking at the numbers.”

After a few minutes of reflection, I realized “stop looking at the numbers” was code for stop looking for outside validation.

How many times have you stopped doing what you enjoy doing because the numbers don’t look good, especially in the beginning? Did we start out doing it for the numbers? For me the answer is no. I wanted to share information on a subject that I love talking about and I thought could be of help to someone else. I also wanted to get pass my fear of speaking directly on camera.

It is at these moments in time that the one person who pops in my head (surprisingly) is Cardi B. She went from being a stripper to becoming a rapper. I can only imagine how much negativity and limited self-talk she had to overcome. So when I think about giving up, I think about how other people had to overcome the same “stinking thinking” in order to do what they are doing today. If Cardi B can go from stripping to becoming a sought out entertainer, I can get past my fear of talking on camera!

Who inspires you and why? Keep them in mind when your inner critic starts to creep in. There are so many people, who battle their inner critic everyday and are winning, and so can we!

Here’s some additional suggestions I would like to offer up:
1. Write out your “why” and keep it in view.
2. Make a list of people who inspire you along with why they inspire you.
3. Before making any major decisions, go for a walk or allow some time for you to think. Let you mind settle.
4. Journal your thoughts and feelings. Awareness is key!
5. Record your progress. Every little step forward is a win.
6. Celebrate your wins.
7. Find an accountability partner.
8. Keep in mind that everyone has to start somewhere. It is always harder in the beginning.
9. Don’t pay attention to the numbers! If the vision or the thought came to you, it belongs to you. You are the one who can bring it to life, if you choose to.
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to check out my YouTube Channels and leave a comment.

Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/inner-critic
1. Coffee With T YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3wjtS11
2. Confident Strides YouTube Channel (Interviews) https://bit.ly/3rYLJHR
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
April 29, 2022
What is One Way to Create Good Habits That Stick? Be Intentional
“If you are not consciously building your habits, they are unconsciously building you.”
― Anika J. Green

Quora Question: What is one way to create good habits that stick?

I would like to begin by answering this question by saying, take an assessment of what you are doing right now. Pay attention to the types of activities you do right now because without knowing where you are, you won’t be able to know if you are heading in the right direction once you start.

There is a little tiny “GPS” in all of us that knows what we need and what we want, but for some reason, we turned the volume off or never even tried to turn it on in the first place.

My first bit of advice is to get still and listen for that small, tiny voice or start paying attention to what makes your heart sing.  These are clues that your soul is sending to us, and we must start listening otherwise the activities we try to incorporate into our lives will not stick.

Depending where you are on your personal development journey, there are things we can implement that can help us become better listeners.  I would like to offer a few suggestions here:
1. Go for a daily walk. You can start off with a 5 or 10-minute walk around your neighborhood or at a local park. The point of starting is to make it simple and doable.
2. Start a gratitude journal. When you write, you are making your thoughts visible. You can’t write something without first thinking about it. Again, start small with maybe 3-5 things you are grateful for each day or once a week.
3. Meditate. Shut your devices off and sit quietly for 5-10 minutes.
These activities are great for helping to turn your personal, inner GPS system back on or helping you to adjust the volume back up.

What I have learned through my own personal journey is that what we do is influenced by what we believe is possible for ourselves. This is where the inner “GPS” practices I mentioned above can come in handy. By honestly assessing where we are mentally, emotionally, and physically, we can then determine what is working for us and what we need to change.

Here are some great questions to ask yourself that can help in your assessment:
1. Who am I and who do I want to become?
2. What do I believe about myself and is it true?
3. What kind of activity will help me to become this kind of person?
4. What kind of person do I want to be know for?
The bottom line is this… we are creatures of habits! We create all kinds of habits all of the time just by doing things, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes by accident. Habits become what we do without even having to think it. It takes a lot of energy to think and that is why our brains looks for ways to save energy. So, to create positive habits that stick, you must become intentional. That means we must get our brains to wake up and think again about what we are doing. Bad habits can be formed just as easily as good habits. The difference is the kind of person you want to be identified as because of that activity. Runners run. Readers read. Creators create.

Who do you want to be?

Thinking is the magic ingredient that helps habits stick. The key to implementing the kind of change to create the desired habits is to be intentional and make our activities small, simple, and doable until they become automatic.

Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.

Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/intentional-living
1. Confident Strides Women’s Empowerment Network https://bit.ly/CSWENMeetup
2. Confident Strides Personal Development Network Group https://bit.ly/CSPDNMeetup
3. Confident Strides Women’s Professional Network https://bit.ly/CSWPNMeetup
4. Confident Strides Entrepreneurs Network https://bit.ly/CSENMeetup
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
April 22, 2022
Successful Habits: How to Make Any Long-lasting Life Changes
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ― Will Durant

Quora Question: How do I turn something into a habit?

First and foremost, habits are always being created whether you realize it or not.

Habits can either bring positive results or negative consequences depending on what it is.  For instance, pulling out your phone and scrolling on social media sites when you are standing in a line can become a habit. It’s a natural, automatic response which can be defined as a habit.  The positive result may be to stay-up-to date with everything that is happening in your virtual world. The negative consequence could be missing out on the opportunity to meet new people standing in line with you.

The first rule of thumb in establishing a new habit is to understand why you want to create it in the first place.  What are your intentions?

You can ask yourself several questions to get to the heart to your “why.” Here are a few questions to start the inner dialog.
- What is the goal or result I want to achieve?
- Why is this important to me?
- What am I tired of? Sometimes negative consequences can be the motivational factor for creating a new habit or change.
- What are your needs and wants?
Once you get a clearer understanding as to why this change or habit is important to you, the “how” is easier to incorporate.

When I first started writing this blog, my consistency was horrible.  I would write a few posts then my mind would go blank.  It wasn’t until I took the time out to figure out that writing was a way for me to share my voice with others that I started to see opportunities to help me stay consistent. I use Quora to stay consistent. I look for questions that I can offer advice on.

Your ”how” is a way to express your “why.”  Get clear on your why and opportunities to fulfill it with start to pop up on your mental radar.

The next rule of thumb to establishing a habit it to allow time and space for it to grow.

This could be allowing physical time to establish a routine.  It also includes determining what old beliefs, people, or situations you might have to let go or bring in to help you.  Do you need to read more books on the subject, hire a coach or personal trainer, or re-configure your schedule?  Asking yourself questions is key.

I think many people are looking for a magic number for implementing change or creating a new habit which there really isn’t one.  The most effective way to implement change is to change your mindset first. Ask yourself, who is it that I want to become to achieve this type of goal and then watch the magic of transformation begin!

Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.

Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag?utf8=✓&id=habits
1. Confident Strides Women’s Empowerment Network https://bit.ly/CSWENMeetup
2. Confident Strides Personal Development Network Group https://bit.ly/CSPDNMeetup
3. Confident Strides Women’s Professional Network https://bit.ly/CSWPNMeetup
4. Confident Strides Entrepreneurs Network https://bit.ly/CSENMeetup
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
April 15, 2022
How to Easily Organize Your Day and Increase Productivity While Working From Home
“Everyone is self employed and your employer is you.” ― Todd Stocker

Quora Question: Are you working from home? What are the tips to help you stay productive?

I retired from the military in 2010. The last “traditional” job I had outside the home was in 2019. I currently manage two YouTube channels, a podcast channel and five Meetup groups. I also write a weekly blog working Monday through Thursday.

What has been the biggest ‘aha’ for me was realizing I have the right to create my own schedule. For example, I use to ask people, “what day did they want to conduct the recording for the podcast?” I no longer ask. Now provide the days and times I am available. If they are interested in being a guest most of the time, they have found the time to hop on my calendar. It’s like my mother use to say, “when there is a will, there is a way”. This also goes for our schedules and our productivity goals too. Once you determine what is important to you, you will find the time to get it done!

Here are a few of suggestions I would like to offer in helping you stay productive:
1. Use a daily or weekly planner. Take time to brain dump all the things you want to get done along with the target date for completion. Seeing your tasks written out helps to get the things on your list done. If you are operating with the thoughts in your head, you won’t be able to get a clear picture of what’s going on in your head. Writing things down helps to make your thoughts visible.
2. Implement daily exercise like a walk. Movement helps to gain clarity. With more clarity, you can determine what is your priority for the day.
3. Eliminate distractions. One of the things I implemented was setting my phone to automatically enable the Do-Not-Disturb function daily. Most phones have an emergency override feature so you can always be reached. Use that DND time to work on important tasks that require your undivided attention.
4. Make sure you get up and move throughout the day. As I mentioned, movement helps with clarity. With clarity comes focus. If you are having trouble focusing, get up and move. I sometimes turn on my music and just dance around to get my body moving.
5. Use your smart devices to your advantage. I use my Alexa as my personal assistant. Use it to set reminders for daily tasks and appointment reminders.
6. Say no to activities that are not helping you accomplish your goals. I had to scale back on attending networking events, “free” webinars, and scrolling social media sites of others. I learned to guard my attention like I guard my money. Remember: everyone is via for your attention these days.
7. Celebrate your wins. Set personal target dates with rewards for accomplishing them. It’s amazing how hard we work on days just before we go on vacations. Use this kind of thinking to your advantage. Set daily, weekly, or monthly goals that will inspire you to work hard and then reward yourself.
Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.

Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/self-employed
1. Confident Strides Women’s Empowerment Network https://bit.ly/CSWENMeetup
2. Confident Strides Personal Development Network Group https://bit.ly/CSPDNMeetup
3. Confident Strides Women’s Professional Network https://bit.ly/CSWPNMeetup
4. Confident Strides Entrepreneurs Network https://bit.ly/CSENMeetup
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
April 8, 2022
How to Plan and Focus More of Your Time and Increase Productivity
“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.” ― Steve Maraboli

Quora Question: What advice do you give to make the most of the hours of the day and be more productive?

As an entrepreneur, I think the number one thing to making the most of the hours of the day and to be more productive is developing your mindset and establishing your “why” behind what you are doing each day. Your “why” determines the “how” and the “what” behind all the activities you do each day.

Once you know your “why”, you can ask yourself questions that will help you determine what is going to get you your desired results like, “what is the priority for today?”.

Mindset determines everything first and foremost.

Once you understand your “why” here are some additional suggestions that can aid in your productivity, especially for those who work from home:
1. Use a weekly planner. Brain dump every task that you want to accomplish within your week along with your target date for completion. There is something about taking the ideas from out of your head and putting them down on paper.
2. Go for a daily walk or run. These types of activities help to gain mental clarity for the tasks of the day.
3. Reduce the number of distractions throughout the day. For example, my phone comes on automatic “Do Not Disturb” mode every day for a four-hour period. Distractions can be the biggest enemy in productivity.
4. Get up and move around throughout the day. If you are struggling on staying focused, getting up and moving helps to relax the brain. This is a great way to reset and spark new ideas.
5. Set office hours. This works great with suggestion #3 because it helps to put you into work mode mindset.
6. Find an accountability partner. Sometimes we work harder for others than we do for ourselves. Share you goals with them and then schedule “check-in” calls with each other.
7. Give yourself grace. There will be days when you are more productive than others. Sometimes a non-productive day is what helps to reset yourself.
Quote Source: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/mindset

Thank you for taking time out to read this post. I would love to learn more about who you are and what you do. Feel free to connect with me through a Meetup group.
1. Confident Strides Women’s Empowerment Network https://bit.ly/CSWENMeetup
2. Confident Strides Personal Development Network Group https://bit.ly/CSPDNMeetup
3. Confident Strides Women’s Professional Network https://bit.ly/CSWPNMeetup
4. Confident Strides Entrepreneurs Network https://bit.ly/CSENMeetup
To connect with me: https:///confidentstrides
April 1, 2022