Las Vegas Conscious Growth Workshop Update (January 15-17, 2010)
Dozens of people have already signed up for Conscious Growth Workshop #2, so it's exciting to see that we're going to have another amazing group this time. January is the perfect time to attend CGW since it will undoubtedly help you kick of 2010 with powerful momentum in the direction of your dreams.
One thing that really impressed me about attendees of the previous workshop is how well they maintained their momentum afterwards. Attendees have been using our online forums to keep in touch, some have been meeting in person in small groups, others have been hosting "Free Hugs" campaigns in different cities, and some have been holding regular meet-ups via Skype. I expect we'll see this same kind of ongoing support after CGW #2, especially since we cover how to create a supportive social environment as part of the workshop itself. Re-engineering your social environment is actually one of the most important -- and often neglected -- aspects of personal growth.
CGW is very much about the hardcore fundamentals of personal growth. Once you really "get" the core principles and know how to apply them to real-world challenges, you'll be able to create positive growth and change in any area of your life. At CGW you'll get to interactively apply these principles to all the major areas of your life including your career, finances, relationships, health, daily habits, mental development, emotions, spiritual life, and more. No matter what new and unexpected challenges come up in your life afterwards, knowing how to apply these principles will put you in a strong, advantageous position. You'll be able to avoid pitfalls that previously snared you, and you'll achieve your goals faster and with less wasted effort. Ultimately your plans and actions will be more effective.
During the workshop you'll discover which core principles are already strong for you and which are weak. I loved seeing those wonderful "a-ha" moments when CGW attendees began to see the deeper patterns in their weaknesses. The same underlying imbalances kept manifesting as symptoms in different areas of life. Such people unknowingly made the same kinds of mistakes in their career, finances, health, relationships, and so on, but they didn't see the underlying pattern until CGW. This really brought it home that if they could correct the underlying alignment problems, they could expect to see improvement in all of these areas simultaneously. This is why some CGW attendees have experienced a whirlwind of life changes afterwards -- myself included.
For example, if courage is your weakest area, it's going to hold you back in all areas of your life. Your life will reveal patterns of missed career and financial opportunities, body image issues, and relationships that saw you settling for less than you deserve. At CGW you'll achieve tremendous clarity about these weaknesses, and you'll learn how to build them into new strengths.
It's no exaggeration to say that I apply the principles taught at CGW to my life every single day. Because these principles are universal, there are countless opportunities to put them to good use.
If you've been following my blog this past week, then you know I'm currently undergoing a major fashion/style overhaul (which I know has been long overdue). I posted two articles so far to share what I've learned after spending a week with a fashionisto friend of mine (see Part 1 and Part 2). I still have much to learn, but I'm making rapid progress because I understand how to apply the fundamentals of personal growth to this new endeavor. So even though fashion is totally new to me and I'm far beyond my comfort zone, I can still use the principles taught at CGW to guide me and to make effective decisions. As a side note, it will be fun to see how people respond to my new look at CGW #2 -- it's going to be very different than the way I looked at CGW #1. :)
Only 8 Days Left to Save $100
Note that the price for Conscious Growth Workshop #2 (January 15-17, 2010 at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas) will increase from $497 to $597 after December 15th, so please take advantage of the $100 discount while you still can. You have 8 days left! If you're still on the fence about it, what are you waiting for? Get off the fence and sign up now. We're going to have an amazing time together!
Some useful links:
Conscious Growth Workshop (all the details, who should attend, what you'll learn, daily schedule)
Workshop FAQ (questions answered, travel advice, Las Vegas info)
Register NOW (take action, engage, make it so)
See you there!
Planning Your Day in Advance
A common productivity tip is to plan each day in advance, preferably the night before. But how exactly do you do this? How do you know which items to put on your next day's to-do list?
If you aren't careful, self-delusion can creep into your planning process. It's tempting to put items on your task list that you think you'll enjoy as opposed to those you really want to see completed and checked off. You may also end up jotting down too many items that seem urgent but which really don't need to be done at all.
In order to plan each day intelligently, it's wise to begin at the end. Imagine that it's already the end of the day you're aiming to plan. That day is now behind you.
As you look back on your day, you feel fantastic. You know you did your best. You think to yourself, "Wow... what an amazing day this was! I wish every day could be this wonderful."
You feel great because you completed what you most wanted to get done. You're now enjoying the afterglow of a day well spent.
If you do this quick exercise, it helps you clarify that each day is an investment. Some activities squander your time while others help you build a better life.
You can extend this process to weekly and monthly planning as well. Project yourself to the end of that time period, and look back with feelings of gratitude. Again, you know you did your best. You feel great about all that you accomplished.
Now as you look back, what do you see? What is it you feel great about? Which items did you check off your task list that left you feeling so satisfied?
Task completion feels good. You know that when you do your best and get a lot done, you feel great at the end of the day. You may feel tired and spent, but that afterglow is unmistakable. Similarly, you know that when you waste a day on trivialities, you don't feel as good afterwards. You may look back and wonder where the time went and hope that tomorrow will be better. But hope isn't a very positive feeling; hope is what you'll find at the border between disappointment and desperation.
Start with the feeling you want to experience at the end of your days, weeks, and months. Get yourself to that place emotionally. Then project that feeling backwards in time and get a sense of the momentum that spawned it. That feeling arises when you're in a state of flow, steadily completing the tasks that are most important to you.
This process won't turn you into a workaholic. An unbalanced day will leave you feeling unbalanced afterwards. What you want to aim for is a smooth, flowing, productive day that balances your personal and professional life -- the kind of day that will leave you feeling terrific if it becomes your default way of living.
As you project backwards in time, write down the tasks you imagine yourself completing during the day. Don't think about what you're doing with your time moment by moment. Simply focus on the miniature milestones. What did you actually get done? Why does that matter to you? How did you feel when you finished?
For example, instead of seeing yourself processing your day's email, imagine the boost you feel from seeing your inbox empty and closing your email program. Instead of seeing yourself writing a blog post, imagine the feeling you get from clicking "Publish." What are the milestones throughout your day? Identify those, and you'll have your to-do list. Your to-do list consists of the action steps you need to take to generate those milestones.
A single day's task list is usually short, typically 3-7 items. If you have more than 7 items, you're probably overdoing it. You may be focusing too much on trivialities that seem urgent but which aren't really important. Significant tasks normally require thought and concentration for extended periods. Those also tend to be the tasks that give you the greatest emotional boost when you finish them.
Focusing on the feelings is a quick way to cut through your mental clutter and get a sense of what really needs to be done right now. At any given time, you may have dozens of eligible tasks vying for your attention, but you obviously can't do them all at once.
There are multiple successful and unsuccessful versions of each day. Some versions of your day will leave you feeling wonderful afterwards, and some will leave you feeling disappointed. You don't have to be perfect in making the right choices here. You'll eventually get to those other important tasks that didn't make the cut for the next day's list, and the exact order in which you do them may not be a big deal. The big deal is the habit you establish, the habit of flowing through each day doing what needs to be done and feeling great about your accomplishments.
You'll probably find that when you apply this process for a few days in a row, your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks lists will become shorter, more focused, and more challenging. You'll be less likely to put non-essential tasks on your lists because those don't leave you feeling that you did your best at the end of the day. You'll start incorporating tasks that truly matter to you, tasks you really want to see completed, so you can enjoy the results of having them done.
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Paraliminals - Accelerate your personal growth.
The Journal - Keep a secure journal on your PC.
15-Second Marketing - Create a strong marketing message to boost your income.
Vita-Mix - Make whole food smoothies, fresh soups, frozen treats, and more.
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Until next time, live consciously!
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