Sometimes It Is the Small Stuff ...

Your habits are the small stuff, the little choices you make everyday.
Your habits can empower you and lift you toward your dreams ... or ... they push you backward, moving you further away from your goals, hopes and dreams.

Why should you consider the small stuff? Because it IS the SMALL STUFF that has the biggest impact on your results. It is the small stuff that directly influences the quality of your personal and professional life. Where you stand today is a result of all of those small decisions that you have made over time.

I'm not suggesting that you sweat the small stuff. But, if you do not consciously manage your choices, the choices that become habits and then your life circumstances ... you may not like where you end up. Stress builds when dreams go unattended and your "To Do" pile gets bigger with things that don't move you in the direction of your dreams. 

If you are not satisfied with your results, examine your daily habits. You discover unrealized opportunities when you become aware of those unconscious choices you make every day. Here's a simple 4-step exercise you can try to help you make more empowering choices.

Step 1: Make a thorough list of all of the things that make you unproductive. Give yourself enough time to consider your daily activities and make the list as long as it needs to be. Here are a few examples:

• Spending too much time every day reading and responding to low-value email.

• Skipping meals or eating comfort foods late at night.

• Not taking regular time off to relax and be with family and friends.

• Missing appointments and deadlines.

Step 2: Rank the habits that are the biggest time wasters. These are the behaviors and activities that distract you and keep you from achieving your most important goals. If you get stuck here, ask the people you know for feedback. The patterns or responses you hear repeatedly are behaviors you want to pay attention to.

Step 3: Pick 2 to 3 habits that no longer support you and replace them with empowering habits ... those are choices that move you toward your dreams. Your new habits may be the direct opposite of your limiting choices or may be a change in your focus. For example, "I am unable to achieve my marketing objectives because I spend hours responding to email everyday" becomes "I will complete my most important daily marketing activity before I respond to email."

Step 4: Block time on your calendar for those activities and goals that are most important to you. Even if it's eating dinner by 7:00 PM, exercising, or returning phone calls - get it on your calendar. If you don't schedule it, or put it on a list that is aligned with your goals ... it probably won't get done. Make this a continuous process, and refine your "Habits List" and method of investing your time on a regular basis.

You want your daily habits to empower you, not limit you. If you find yourself succumbing to daily firefighting, examine your habits.

Realize your dreams with purposeful focus and enjoy your journey!