The School of Hard Knocks and Lessons Learned

I believe my last article was about overcoming obstacles. I’m still overcoming them. I’ve been MIA from the net for the past few weeks because my housing arrangement didn’t work out (again). I’m learning so many lessons that are related to overcoming obstacles. The primary lessons I am currently learning are:

Trust Yourself Above All Else-

Unfortunately the lady I was living with had some substance abuse problems and a tendency to lose things (that I wasn’t aware of before). She lost something and suspected me of stealing. I had to go. With no other options, I am currently in a NYC shelter awaiting the license I need to begin my new career. My original plan was to continue my work online, get my license for the new job, and save up to get my own place. It hasn’t worked out like this.

Trusting others is important but I have quickly learned that I have to trust and depend on myself more than anyone else, especially right now. Living in an NYC shelter isn’t so bad because I’m focused and it’s giving me the fresh start I need. It’s sad for me to admit that I trust people less since my housing fiascos over the past month but it’s true. That being said, I’m more vigilant about making sure my needs are met and never allowing myself to be put into this position again. That’s the blessing and gift from all this right now. I’m a champion and I’m going to live like a champion.

I contemplated whether or not I should write this post and decided to because I figured it would be helpful to someone else. Whatever you’re going through right now, keep going. Slow down if you have to but don’t stop.

Organization and Discipline are Necessary for Success-

I have so many meetings and appointments to manage in addition to what I’ve had to do to ensure I receive my license and get back to work as quickly as possible. I carry a folder with all the documents I need with me during the week. If you’re going through a stressful situation, disorganization can increase your stress. Make a daily to-do list and keep track of what you need to do to make sure you get everything done. Organization can also help you expedite the time it takes you to get to more peaceful times in your life.

FOCUS on Where You’re Going, Not Where You’re At-

In less than 8 weeks I’ll be back in Queens in a beautiful building. This is what I’m focusing on. Don’t let your obstacles make you forget what’s on the other side of your rainbow.

Well I hope this helps someone!

 

Kim

Overcoming Obstacles and Coming Out Ahead

I moved to New York almost two years ago (the time is moving really quickly). Living here has been more like a walk in the jungle than a walk in the park but it's been worth it. I'm going to use a recent challenge to illustrate how I overcome challenges and usually come out ahead no matter how shitty my circumstances seem to be.

EFT (also known as tapping) is short for Emotional Freedom Technique. I found out about EFT a few years back and use it to relieve any stress related energy I might be feeling in my body. It works. One thing I've learned about dealing with difficult people is that you can't change them but you can change yourself. EFT is great because it really does help me change my perspective on a situation which in turn usually changes/improves the situation itself.

Now that being said, even though I was able to improve my challenging circumstances, it was clear that it was time for me to go. Being a positive person doesn't mean that you tolerate BS. You do what needs to be done to correct anything in your life that is not in perfect alignment as quickly as possible. Meditation helped me come up with ideas and ultimately attract a much better living arrangement in a week's time.

The funny thing is, I came to the neighborhood I am currently living in a month or so ago and said to myself that someday I would love to live in this neighborhood. Someone who I consider to be an aunty has taken me in and I am learning so much from her. I had to move within a week's time because my roommate was suddenly getting married. I had no place to go and an was in the process of transitioning into a better job in preparation for my inevitable move. Well the move came before I completed everything for my new job but no matter. I am here and I'm happy.

When things like this happen, they strengthen my faith in my spiritual practices and beliefs. I am learning so much from my aunty and am growing so much with her. We really needed eachother right now and didn't even know it until this situation occurred. If you are going through some challenges in your life I highly suggest trying EFT to get a new perspective on your situation and shift any energy that might be preventing you from having some sort or resolution.

I have a month to go before starting my new job and ultimately my new life but I'm so excited. Soon you'll hear me talking about the fruits of my labor and see me accomplish more with this blog!

Kimmy

Focusing On One Goal at a Time Equals Success

What Does Success Look Like to You?

I was so happy when I realized my biggest obstacle had been "planning to plan" and not taking any action. Once I realized I needed to take action I hit the ground running. It has been great. I've been able to accomplish things on a small and large scale that I wasn't able to accomplish before. That being said another lesson I've had to learn to accomplish this is focusing on accomplishing one goal at a time.

For me right now this means focusing on my career and drastically increasing my income. I am implementing the steps from the 4 Hour Work Week to do this. It's really easy to get bogged down when you have too much on your plate.

How about putting some of that mental food into a to go box? I read a really great blog post courtesy of Zen Habits (link) and Life Learning Today (link). They suggest listing your goals in order of importance and going down the list focusing on one goal at a time.

One thing many people do is make plans to accomplish their goals and then forget them. I've overcome this by affirming that the individual goal I am focusing on has already been accomplished. I suggest doing this each day as a part of your mediation practice.

What's the most important goal on your mental to do list? What's the first step you can take to accomplish this?
Living Life in HD,
Kimmy B. @KimmyBess on Twitter

The 7 Extraordinary Benefits of Rising Early | Wasabi Burger

Enjoy the sunrise

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.”
- Benjamin Franklin

* Ring! * ah, !@$&%*(!!!!

I’ve always been terrible at waking up early. As soon as the alarm went off, I would hit the snooze button faster than I could think about hitting the snooze button. I hated waking up early, I felt too tired, too groggy. I had tried many times to become an early riser, only to fail every single time. As I mentioned in my previous posts, because I was a night owl, I always felt best after the sun went down. Being a night owl may not have been such a problem if my work schedule fit my natural sleep patterns, but I was expected to be in the office at 8am which made for an entertaining morning sprint out the door every single day!

Fortunately, I was able to overcome the night owl chronotype by studying and experimenting with various theories and creating an effective method of early rising. After many attempts and many failures, I was able to re-create myself as an early bird. I currently wake up at 5:00 am and since creating the habit, I have personally seen a marked decrease in procrastination and solid improvement in my punctuality. If that’s not enough to convince you to wake up, here are a few more gifts waking up early will award you with.

1. Enjoy the quiet morning serenity

I used to enjoy the quiet times late at night, but I feel that the quiet of the early morning also has much to offer. Absorb the serenity of the morning with its cool fresh air while most are still fast asleep. This is a great time to plan your day and set your goals. I set aside a corner of my bedroom where I have a small table and chair where I sit and write down my goals for the day. On days I’m feeling especially attentive, I will close my eyes and visualize how I will complete my goals. I haven’t built up much endurance with visualization, so I’m practicing it as much as I can.

2. A personal ‘Good Morning!’ from the sun

The beauty of nature is something to awe, and with each sunrise, we are greeted with a bright ‘good morning.’ Sunsets are equally beautiful, signifying the end of the day, a ‘good bye for now.’ While most of us are able to enjoy the sunset, far less people are able to take in the simple beauty of the sunrise. Wake up early and watch the sunrise, and claim it as your own! You can check the sunrise and sunset times of your local at the U.S. Navy Observatory website.

3. Exercise

My exercise routine used to start around 11:00pm, comeback around 12:00am and then shower and ready for bed. Obviously not great scheduling for a person who had to be at work at 8:00am. Since waking up early gives me time to exercise in the morning and gets my blood flowing, I start the day feeling good. I have also noticed that exercising in the morning will give you great energy throughout the day, and will help you sleep earlier and have better sleep quality. I currently alternate my exercise routine between cardiovascular training and weight training.

Side note: One thing that I have noticed is that if I start my run early (5:30-6:30am) the air is cool and crisp, but if I start my run after 6:30am, the air quality quickly diminishes as cars start to appear on the roads. This is because I run in a residential neighborhood and a LOT of exhaust is produced by cars not having reached their operating temperature. Since the car has just been started, the catalytic converter is not yet doing its job. I usually avoid running if it is after 6:30am.

4. Increased productivity

I have noticed a correlation between waking up early and increased productivity. Waking up early gives me time to set goals for the day before exercising and breakfast. After exercising and breakfast, I will usually use the time before work to read the news, write articles and tie up other loose ends. Because it is quiet in the morning, distractions are kept to a minimum and I am able to complete tasks much quicker than any other time of the day.

5. Starting the day with a good wholesome breakfast

Waking up late, I never had time to eat breakfast. Always rushing out the door, I was lucky enough to have a glass of water and possibly an unhealthy snack. When you’re pressed for time, I noticed that I usually ended up eating a lot unhealthier, making me sluggish till lunch time. But by waking up earlier, I now have ample time after exercise to make myself a wholesome breakfast. It is well documented that eating breakfast has many benefits and will help kick start your metabolism. Other benefits are increased concentration and strength. Check out the full benefits of breakfast. Just eating breakfast alone is a great reason to start your day early!

6. Shorter commute times

For people who have to commute in traffic, this should be THE reason to wake up early and head to work. Traffic has a funny way of working, and just 10 minutes earlier can make commute times much shorter. (YMMV) Save yourself the stress of commuting in traffic, and having to rush to work. You’ll feel much better and ready to start your work day.

7. Other areas start to improve

As I mentioned earlier, waking up early has contributed to many benefits including better punctuality and a big decrease in procrastination. I attribute these effects to the fact that I was able to improve my self discipline resulting in better self control and focus. These changes will make a big difference in helping you achieve your goals in life, all the while having more time for family, friends and hobbies.

photo by tormods

via wasabiburger.com

I really enjoyed this blog post. I currently work grave shift at my day job and have learned the art of sleeping effectively. Create a schedule and assess how much sleep you really need. Consider your goals and how badly you want to accomplish them. Also consider which days are best for completing specific tasks on your to do list.

Kimmy B.

How to Solve All of Your Problems

Peace is Possible In Your Life

Is it possible to solve all of your problems? I'm experiencing a time of great growth, clarity, and transformation. I've been doing a lot of transformational work and have discovered something that has been serving me greatly this year. I was determined to reach some very big goals this year (like launching a successful location independent  business and moving to New York). Figuring out how to solve my problems has been instrumental to achieving these goals. 

We all have cycles and challenges in our lives. My challenge has been financial. There were quite a few smaller patterns I had to correct in order to address this larger financial pattern. Here's what I've done: 

• Stop Thinking About the Problem. Start Thinking About the Solution. For quite a while my thoughts were focused on my being tired of being stuck. I was sick of repeating the same pattern that led to more frustration. I  kept questioning what I was doing wrong. Focusing on the solution itself helped me develop a plan of action. 

• Develop a Plan of Action. Action seemed to be the missing ingredient for life success during previous years. I've spent prior years "planning"and feeling as though I was doing something and wondering why I wasn't seeing results. Planning is absolutely pointless if you aren't going to do anything about it. 

• Make time to regularly check in about your progress. Last year I recited my goals every day. This forced me to remember what I was focusing on and question whether or not I was making progress. 

There is no magic pill for success. This is what's working for me. I don't have the familiar anxiety I carried with me during prior years. I know that everything is okay because it is. My heart feels lighter. I feel powerful and strong. My income has doubled in the past 90 days and I'm actually moving to New York in April. Everything is finally coming together.

Here's to Your Transformation, 

Kimmy B. 

What issues are you facing? Have you considered what you might do to heal those issues? Commenting may help someone else who is going through the same thing!