Do you ever get performance anxiety?  If you are a blogger you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.                                 

I love to write and I love to talk but for some reason I have a major block when it comes to blogging regularly.

Hmmmm, let’s explore this.  It almost feels like when I was in college and I had a paper due but I kept putting it off and putting it off until I was almost out of time and then I’d sit down and do it.  Afterwards I would always think to myself, it was waaay easier than I thought.  Procrastinating only makes it worse.

After a few years in college I began to put a system in place so things flowed smoother and I rarely got caught up in that OMG, OMG I’ve gotta get this done feeling.

So the key is the SYSTEM.  Doesn’t everything boil down to that?  It’s like brushing your teeth.  Once you have a system in place it becomes so normal and natural that you don’t even have to think about it – it just happens easily and effortlessly.

Okay, here’s my system that I’m going to try for 2 weeks:  I”ve noticed that when I write things in my planner it gets done.  So I have written BLOG and circled it 2x/week for the rest of July.

What system can you put into place to make your life flow easily and effortlessly?

I just signed up for the Ultimate Blog Challenge and I’m already 7 days behind, but THAT’S OKAY!  I am not one to give up or throw in the towel just because I got a late start.

So here goes:  My topic for Day 1 is (drum roll please):

As a teacher I am a FIRM believer in goal setting.  I once came across some research that took two groups of students.  One group they educated about goal setting and every year followed through with setting goals and the other group they left to their own devices.

At the end of 10 years (or so) what they found was amazing!  They found the group that had set goals were more successful personally and professionally then the group that didn’t.

Here are my “3 tips to Setting Goals & Improving Your Life”

1.   Be Specific.
When you write “lose weight” year after year and you only succeed in gaining weight that can be counterproductive.  Try instead to be specific; For 2011 I intend to do 1 thing to eat more healthy.  For example.  In 2010, I began incorporating Flax Seed and Spinach into my diet.  For 2011, My goal is to do half of my grocery shopping in the  organic food aisle.

2.  Set Realistic Goals & DREAM Goals.
We actually function in two realities:  the one that we live in day to day and the one that we fantasize about.  What many don’t realize is that our fantasy can actually be our reality.

So I advise that you set achievable goals:  Exercise 5x a week instead of 2x.
But that you also set dream goals:  Hire a sexy male trainer to work with me everyday to get rid of all my cellulite and upper arm flab.

Actually, I do a whole section called DREAMS where there are no boundaries, no limits, in a perfect world I would have…  It’s important to release your fears and step into the unlimited universe where anything is possible.

3.  Take Action.
Once you have your goals down on paper don’t let them just sit around taking up space on your counter.  The next step, and one that’s usually missing is:

What action are you going to do to ensure that you meet your goals?
What due dates or check points are you going to put into place?
Who is going to help you to be accountable to make sure they get done?

Now don’t just sit there, get going.  It’s NEVER too late to set goals.  New Year’s is a good time, your birthday is perfect, but right NOW is even better.

♥

UBC: Day 1