Monday, March 28, 2005
saying no
one of the ideas that i've recently been trying to promote far and wide is about saying no. i think that often when we think about success we think of all the things we need to do to get there. following our dreams seems to become about one long and neverending to-do list. but what about the things we need to not do. saying no is a powerful way to get closer to our dreams.
recently, i decided to take the big leap and quit my full-time job so that i could put more time and energy into building my project - dream big. i knew that i'd have to take a part-time job to make the financial transition doable, so i started thinking about what i wanted that part-time job to be.
as it turned out saying no was invaluable in getting a job that would allow me the space to do things i really want to do. i didn't really have specifics for my ideal part-time job, but i knew what i didn't want. i decided to say no to a commute and to working more than 20 hours a week. i used these two criteria to help me find a great job. it's 3 miles from my house at 18 hours a week which will not only allow me the time to focus on building my business...it'll allow me to bike to work to boot! this is just one example, but it's been a powerful one in my life.
perhaps what you need to say no to is taking on that extra project at work, or hanging out with that friend who can never say a single positive thing, or watching another hour of tv. cheryl richardson, in her book take time for your life asserts that we should say no unless it's an absolute yes. what if you were to stop doing things out of obligation, routine or in order to please someone else.
try it out, think about your life, your dreams, your goals...what will you have to say no to in order to get the things you really want? i encourage you to make a list. list the things you really want, i.e. the things you want to say yes to. and then think about the corresponding things you will have to say no to get there. the best part - saying no is actually quite exhilarating!
dream big,
-kirsten
recently, i decided to take the big leap and quit my full-time job so that i could put more time and energy into building my project - dream big. i knew that i'd have to take a part-time job to make the financial transition doable, so i started thinking about what i wanted that part-time job to be.
as it turned out saying no was invaluable in getting a job that would allow me the space to do things i really want to do. i didn't really have specifics for my ideal part-time job, but i knew what i didn't want. i decided to say no to a commute and to working more than 20 hours a week. i used these two criteria to help me find a great job. it's 3 miles from my house at 18 hours a week which will not only allow me the time to focus on building my business...it'll allow me to bike to work to boot! this is just one example, but it's been a powerful one in my life.
perhaps what you need to say no to is taking on that extra project at work, or hanging out with that friend who can never say a single positive thing, or watching another hour of tv. cheryl richardson, in her book take time for your life asserts that we should say no unless it's an absolute yes. what if you were to stop doing things out of obligation, routine or in order to please someone else.
try it out, think about your life, your dreams, your goals...what will you have to say no to in order to get the things you really want? i encourage you to make a list. list the things you really want, i.e. the things you want to say yes to. and then think about the corresponding things you will have to say no to get there. the best part - saying no is actually quite exhilarating!
dream big,
-kirsten
Thursday, March 17, 2005
if kermit can do it...
have you seen the 'pass it on' billboards around? they're the ones on bus stops and along the road with the inspiring messages. they are put out by this great organization called the foundation for a better life - http://www.forbetterlife.org.
well this kermit billboard is on a bus stop near my house and i pass by it regularly. i love the message. and i always think to myself, if kermit can do it...so can i! it reminds me that being cool or looking good isn't what is actually required for success. kermit is always just being his goofy self, and it is an undeniable fact that he's a hollywood star.
in fact, the more i think about kermit the more i realize that his silly, singing, joke telling ways are the exact things that make him appealing. what if we applied this to ourselves? what if we were unabashedly ourselves all the time. if we did whatever our equivalent of 'eats flies and dates a pig' are and trusted that we'd still end up reaching our dreams. or even went so far as to believe that this would be the exact thing to catapault us toward our dreams.
i actually think this is true. being your authentic self, and letting your inner - fingerpainter, music lover, computer geek - or whatever you've got inside out into the open for all of us to see is actually the key to success. how can we succeed with whole parts of ourselves shut away where no one sees them? and more importantly do we want to?
being our full selves, full-out is what life is all about. so i challenge you and me, to start showing more. to be more real, and let it all hang out. to not dismiss our passion for old movies, riding horses, or playing trivia games as silly...but to embrace every fly eating, pig dating part of ourselves as just right.
it sure does sound like more fun, doesn't it? as always, i'd love to hear what you try and how it goes!
dream big,
-kirsten
well this kermit billboard is on a bus stop near my house and i pass by it regularly. i love the message. and i always think to myself, if kermit can do it...so can i! it reminds me that being cool or looking good isn't what is actually required for success. kermit is always just being his goofy self, and it is an undeniable fact that he's a hollywood star.
in fact, the more i think about kermit the more i realize that his silly, singing, joke telling ways are the exact things that make him appealing. what if we applied this to ourselves? what if we were unabashedly ourselves all the time. if we did whatever our equivalent of 'eats flies and dates a pig' are and trusted that we'd still end up reaching our dreams. or even went so far as to believe that this would be the exact thing to catapault us toward our dreams.
i actually think this is true. being your authentic self, and letting your inner - fingerpainter, music lover, computer geek - or whatever you've got inside out into the open for all of us to see is actually the key to success. how can we succeed with whole parts of ourselves shut away where no one sees them? and more importantly do we want to?
being our full selves, full-out is what life is all about. so i challenge you and me, to start showing more. to be more real, and let it all hang out. to not dismiss our passion for old movies, riding horses, or playing trivia games as silly...but to embrace every fly eating, pig dating part of ourselves as just right.
it sure does sound like more fun, doesn't it? as always, i'd love to hear what you try and how it goes!
dream big,
-kirsten