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How Are You Programming Your Inner GPS?

How Are You Programming Your Inner GPS?

You have an inner GPS that guides you to your goal or vision, just as an external GPS will tell you the route to take to a destination. You program your inner GPS either deliberately or inadvertently, and it will keep you on course or take you off it. But you can correct its course by staying aware of your direction. Learn the 3 things to stay aware of as you progress towards your vision, and how they program your inner GPS.

Transcript:

I’m sure you know what a GPS or Global Positioning System is, right? It’s a device that you use, usually in a car, to direct you to your destination. You decide where you want to end up, program that into the GPS, and it calculates the best route to get you there. Then, step by step, the GPS tells you the route to take.

You also have an inner GPS that you program to guide you to a goal you select. Your inner GPS operates on the vision of what you want, and then your GPS figures out how to get you there. Very similar process to the GPS you use in your vehicle.

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a focus coach. I’d like to share the 3 things, after your vision that you use to program your inner GPS.

What if you’re not keeping your attention on your vision? Maybe you’re afraid you won’t be able to achieve it, or you get distracted by something else along the way. Your GPS operates on where you aim your attention.

There’s a saying, “Energy flows where attention goes.” If your attention strays from your vision, you have effectively reprogrammed your inner GPS to wherever you’re redirecting your focus. It may or may not be where you’ve consciously chosen to go.

You can determine whether or not you’re on course to your vision. You’ll have landmarks, or goals, along the way that you know you should be passing or achieving. If you find you’re off course, check if you’ve unknowingly changed your GPS’s programming.

1. Where has your attention been? Has it been on your desired destination or on something else? Have you not been keeping your attention on where you want to go, or have you been distracted?

2. What’s your attitude about your vision? Do you want it badly enough to work towards it? Or are you afraid of the changes it would bring? 

3. What actions have you been taking? Are they ones that propel you towards your vision or to some other destination?

Constantly monitor your attention, attitudes and actions, which all combine to program your inner GPS with your vision. When you assess them and they’re all aligned, then your inner GPS will keep you on course to your destination.

To achieve your goals with confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my FREE training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com

Thank you for watching. Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, Update Your Internal GPS to Reach Your Vision.

Podcast Interview – Improve Your Focus

Podcast Interview – Improve Your Focus

I had a lovely conversation with Marybeth Welty of Sustainable Lifestyle Solutions on how to Improve Your Focus and Overcome Shiny Object Syndrome. As an interior designer, she helps create calm and inspiring home and office spaces. In addition to her design work, she also teaches mindfulness and leads guided meditations, both of which are dear to my heart. Her mission is to encourage healthy minds and healthy homes.

In my work with clients, I empower women to be present and aware of their choices and decisions, which comes from being mindful. As we talked about what I do, we discussed how her mindfulness training and my work intersect. It’s so important to think things through and discover new solutions from a point of peace.

In our conversation, we covered what can cause the Shiny Object Syndrome and the problems that result from it. For one thing, it creates stress, which means you can’t think clearly. In a way, multitasking is a part of the syndrome. We agreed that any benefits from multitasking are a myth. Not only do you not finish anything, but you end the day feeling exhausted. Getting distracted by Shiny Objects is a symptom that something is amiss in your business.

We talked about how focus is a skill that you can develop. Mindfulness helps to cultivate focus. And as we discussed the Shiny Object Syndrome, Marybeth was surprised that allowing yourself to get distracted means you’re training your brain to seek more distractions. Distractions and paying attention to something new lights up the reward circuit in your brain. Since it feels good, you pursue more distractions. But it ultimately sabotages you, since nothing gets accomplished.

We exchanged stories about our own difficulties with staying focused. At the end, I shared 5 steps to overcome the Shiny Object Syndrome, with first being to take some deep breaths to calm down your nervous system so you can think clearly. Once you’ve done that, only then you can seek some clarity and get focused.

Marybeth is a calming and tranquil presence. I really enjoyed spending time with her and be able to chat about subjects that are near and dear to both of us.

Guided Imagery to Break Through to Your Goal

Guided Imagery to Break Through to Your Goal

Are you holding yourself back from moving forward with a goal, or making an improvement in your life? Before you can make any changes, you need to be aware that there’s a problem. Then the solution can be identified and acted upon. This short guided meditation will lead you through a 4 steps process to break through the barrier and help you achieve your goal.

Transcript:

Are you holding yourself back from moving forward with a goal, or making an improvement in your life? If so, being aware that you are is the crucial first step to changing that. I’d like to share a very short guided meditation to help you to break through that barrier and allow you to make progress on your goal or vision. 

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision empowerment strategist helping women business owners focus, as well as a hypnotherapist with over 30 years experience. This meditation will lead you through some imagery to help you assess how you’re holding yourself back and examine why. Then, the imagery will encourage you to consider how your lifestyle would be with your goal, and imagine your next steps.

If you choose, close your eyes:

You have a goal or an improvement you want to make in your life. Envision it clearly… Your goal is important to you. But you’re aware that, for some reason, you’ve been holding yourself back from taking action. How are you doing that? What are you doing, or not doing, that’s preventing you from moving forward? Examine this without judgement or emotion…

Once you’ve examined what you’re doing, or not doing, dig a bit deeper. Why are you doing, or not doing, that? Why are you holding yourself back? It may be some idea that served you in the past, but isn’t any longer.

Right now, simply intend to explore the reason. That reason might surface now, or surface later today, or in the near future. Once you’ve identified the reason, you can decide whether or not you want to change that belief so it serves you in the present.

Now, consider how your life would be, having achieved your goal or vision. What would be different in your life and lifestyle? How would your beliefs be different? What habits would you have developed that you don’t have now? How would you feel, and feel about yourself, having achieved your goal? Allow this feeling to grow and expand within you. 

With that feeling motivating you, what decisions do you need to make now, so you can move forward? What step do you need to take in the next few days to make progress? Can you commit to taking that step? Imagine yourself taking the next step, and the next, all the way to your goal.

Open your eyes. In this meditation, once you’ve resolved what’s been holding you back, you imagine you’ve accomplished your goal. As you use this imagery, you give your subconscious mind a map to follow. With this map, your subconscious mind finds it easier to solve problems that come up along the way. Step by step, you can move closer and closer, until your goal is a reality in your life.

To achieve your goals with confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my free training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com

Thank you for watching. Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, Simple Steps to Positive Change.

Podcast Interview – StoryVan.tv

Podcast Interview – StoryVan.tv

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Bonnie McDonald Dixon on her StoryVan.tv show. She and her husband, Greg, live in their RV and travel around Canada and the U.S., and get to know all sorts of people. She and Greg interview some of those people on their video podcast.

She and I met through a networking meeting, and hit it off. Years ago, I traveled from Arizona to Texas in an RV a couple of times, and once from Arizona to the East Coast and up to Maine. I enjoyed RVing, and could resonate with Bonnie and Greg’s fascination with it.

Bonnie is a health advocate with decades of experience in the natural health business. She’s warm, humorous, and has a passion to help people. One of the ways she does this is a website for those who live on the road or overseas. She and Greg  have a website with tips and ideas for people who want to live the nomad lifestyle like they do. Their HealthyWealthyCamper.com website includes health and income creation ideas for those who travel.

In our discussion on the show, Bonnie was interested in my hypnotherapy background and how it informed my coaching women who suffer from the shiny object syndrome. We all suffer a bit from the shiny object syndrome. Getting distracted while you’re going through life is natural. The problem comes when you get stuck in that cycle.

On the show, she and I talked about some of the causes of the shiny object syndrome, reasons why it can occur, as well as some of the consequences of it. Stress is one of the problems it creates, and stress shuts down creative thinking. During our conversation, I mentioned a couple of secrets about the subconscious mind and stress that can help people to know.

Bonnie was curious if the shiny object syndrome might impact your self-esteem. I responded that your self-esteem and self-respect can take a dive if you succumb to the shiny object syndrome because you’re not keeping promises to yourself.

I enjoyed our talk and was disappointed when the show ended. Even then, we chatted a bit. She’s truly an amazing person and one I am honored to have met and spent some time with.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

3 Tips to Overcome Procrastination

3 Tips to Overcome Procrastination

Procrastination is an insidious habit that can undermine your goals, erode your self-confidence and self-respect. But procrastination can be overcome, especially if you take it a bit at a time. Here are 3 tips on how to confront this habit and break through so procrastination no longer holds you back.

Transcript:

Everyone procrastinates from time to time, right? You have a distasteful task or chore you don’t want to do or don’t know exactly how to tackle, so you put it off. Now, if you just postpone taking action for a short time, and then you take care of the task, you don’t have a problem.

But if procrastination has developed into a habit, it can severely impact your life. This habit can undermine any goal you might have, and wear away your self-confidence and self-respect.

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision empowerment strategist, and I’d like to share 3 tips on how to confront procrastination and overcome it.

Go through your mail immediately. Don’t let it pile up. This sounds silly and simplistic, but by starting small, with mail, it will build up your discipline to handle bigger tasks.

I used to have a pile of mail on my table that I hadn’t made decisions on. Finally, after I’d whittled down the pile, I trained myself to decide what to do with each piece of mail as it came in. I decided to either file the piece, handle it, or throw it away.

When you practice this and it has become natural, move on to larger issues, such as balancing your checkbook.

There’s an app for that. Of course, there are apps to help you deal with procrastination. Some help you take action on your to do lists, or block distractions, help you stay focused while you’re working, make you aware of your excuses, or whatever you need. Do an internet search and start exploring to find an app that will work for you.

Find an accountability partner. Yes, you could use an app, but there’s nothing like a real live person to keep you committed to a course of action. This could be a friend, coworker or colleague who you tell what you plan to accomplish and by when. You check in with this person regularly, bringing them up to date on your progress.

I belong to a mastermind group. When I tell them my intention, and our next meeting is approaching, I make sure I’ve accomplished something.

If you’re having trouble with procrastination, there are many ways to begin to break this pervasive habit. You don’t have to do it all at once. Start with one small action, keep it up until you get comfortable with that action, and then add another tactic. This way, you’ll chip away at the habit until it no longer holds you back.

To achieve your goals with confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my FREE training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com

Thank you for watching. You can break the habit of procrastination. Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, Read the accompanying article, 4 Ways to Overcome Procrastination.

Defuse the Shiny Object Syndrome

Defuse the Shiny Object Syndrome

The Shiny Object Syndrome, which is when you chase after new ideas and opportunities, and never finish anything, can ruin your chances of success.You get distracted, which means you don’t achieve your goals. Learn how to respond more effectively and gain clarity when you’re tempted to detour from your plans.

Transcript:

The Shiny Object Syndrome, which is when you chase after new ideas and opportunities, and never finish anything, can ruin your chances of success. People who experience the Shiny Object Syndrome are training themselves to be distracted. And when you’re distracted, you don’t follow through to achieve your goals, right?

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, vision empowerment strategist. I’ve helped many, many people stay focused to achieve their goals.

Sometimes, incorporating a new idea can be beneficial. But your detour needs to be strategic and timed in such a way that it doesn’t sabotage your goal. After working with one idea or opportunity for awhile, and discovering it doesn’t work, it’s wise to try something new.

But it doesn’t help if you start one thing, and abandon it before you even get it finished, to jump to something fresh. When this happens, you’re doing things in a haphazard way. And haphazard actions bring haphazard results.

In this case, you’re simply reacting to an immediate temptation or situation. You’ve seen something more interesting and jumped at it without considering the consequences. Re-acting means that you’re acting the same way you’ve done in the past. And it probably won’t bring  you the outcome you wanted.

However, when you respond to a situation, it means that you’ve thought it through. You’re being mindful. You’ve weighed the pros and cons, risks and benefits. It takes more energy to do this, and it’s not as exciting, but it’s worth it. Your actions become intentional and you become more effective. You get better results.  

When you’re tempted to drop what you’re doing, to detour from your plan, stop. Slow down your thinking, and consider. Is this shiny object going to support you in achieving your goal? Or is it going to be vortex that sucks your time and energy?

Then, ask yourself, “What is the next action I can take that will take me a step closer to my goal?” Your answers will bring you the clarity you need to make a wise decision.

To achieve your goals with confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my FREE training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com Thank you for watching. Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, Do You Suffer from the Shiny Object Syndrome?

How to Respond to Criticism

How to Respond to Criticism

For many people, criticism brings up bad memories of having someone harass them, call them a name or put them down. Now, when someone critiques them, they react in a way that isn’t helpful. Instead, there’s a way to change your reaction so that you’re more empowered in the situation. Discover a 5 step process to retrain yourself to deal with criticism in a much more positive way.

Transcript:

For many people, criticism brings up bad memories of having someone harass them, call them a name or put them down. Has this happened to you? If so, when someone critiques you in the present, you probably get defensive or go into fight or flight mode. When you’re in that condition, you can’t be objective or even think clearly, right? All you can do is react to the situation as you might have in the past.

I’d like to share what you can do in that situation to change your reaction into one that might be able to help you grow. I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, vision empowerment strategist and I’ve had to deal with my fair share of criticism.

Criticism isn’t always intended to find fault with you. Some criticism is constructive to help you get better at something. This kind of criticism offers a solution or is feedback that you can learn from. But when you’re reacting, it’s hard to determine if there’s anything of use for you in the comment. Like I said, you can’t think clearly when you think you’re attacked.

Here are some steps to take to respond more positively to criticism so you can take back your power.

First and foremost, don’t react. If it’s from someone who wants to manipulate you, you take back control when you don’t react to them. Also, when you stop reacting to a bully’s harassment, they lose interest.

Next, take some deep breaths. Calm yourself so you can think more clearly. Give yourself that time.

Then, consider the source. Is it a bully who loves to humiliate others or is it someone who has your best interests at heart.

Either way, assess to see if there’s any merit to the comment. Is there anything valid in what they said or is it simply their opinion? What, if anything, can you learn from the comment?

Once you’ve learned what you can, decide what to do about it. If there is some improvement you can make, figure out how you want to go about doing that. And then dismiss the comment. It’s served its purpose.  If it’s from a bully, and there’s nothing of value for you, dismiss it. Yeah, I know, easier said than done. But it can be done with practice.

When you start responding to criticism from a more empowered place, your confidence and self-esteem increase. Criticism no longer impacts you as deeply as it did. It takes practice to retrain yourself to take these steps, but it’s well worth the effort.

To be notified of future mindset videos, please like my YouTube channel.

Thank you for watching. Stay Focused.

Read the accompanying article, Is the Fear of Criticism Holding You Back?

How to Stick to Your Goals

How to Stick to Your Goals

Do you sometimes have trouble sticking to your plan, or get distracted from your goal? There’s a time-tested tactic that can increase your likelihood of success many times over. The technique makes it much easier to stay on course, whether you want to change a habit or stop procrastinating. Learn how to use this tactic to more effectively achieve your goals and vision.

Transcript:

Do you sometimes have trouble sticking to your plan for a goal? Do you fall off your diet or get distracted from your vision? If so, you’re not alone.

There’s a tactic that can increase your likelihood of success many times over. Researchers refer to this tactic as an “implementation intention.” Try saying that fast. In other words, you create an intention of what to do when a specific situation arises. More informally, they’re called, “If/Then” plans. That term is more understandable, isn’t it?

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision empowerment strategist, and I’ve been a hypnotherapist for over 30 years. I’ve taught this tactic to my hypnotherapy and coaching clients, to help them stay on course to their goals and vision.

The way this kind of plan is used is you identify traps or pitfalls or issues that can sabotage your goals. And you know what those are, right? And then you proactively decide how you’re going to respond to the situation.

The plan goes like this:

If (or when) [a specific situation arises], then I will do or perform [a specific behaviour or response].

Got it? In other words “If ‘abc’ happens, then I will ‘xyz.'”

As in: “If someone asks me to volunteer my time, then I will tell them I have to think about it first.”

The sentence becomes a trigger for you. You know ahead of time what action to take, instead of being confused in the moment. When the situation comes up, the decision is already made as to what behavior you’ll do. It’s like you’re programming your response. Execution becomes automatic.

It works for new habits. For instance, if you’re on a diet, you might say, “If I eat cookies today, then I’ll forgive myself and get right back on my diet.” This keeps you from getting discouraged and giving up.

Lets’ say you have a coworker who always interrupts your work, your cue could be, “If Jody wants to talk when I’m busy, then I’ll tell her I can’t talk right now, and will call her when I’m done.”

Or you can set an intention for something you might otherwise procrastinate, such as, “When I get to my desk in the morning, then I will start making follow up phone calls.”

This tactic takes the guess work out of what you’ll do and motivates you to follow through on your goals. It works for whenever you experience setbacks, distractions or get tempted to take a detour from your goals and vision. Simply identify the pitfall and decide how to address it ahead of time.

When you use this tactic, you’ll achieve your goals much more easily.

For ways to achieve your goals with greater confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my FREE training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com

Thank you for watching. How can you use the If/Then tactic today? Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article, 4 Ways You Sabotage Yourself (and how to deal with them).

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Guided Meditation to Stay Motivated to Achieve a Goal

Guided Meditation to Stay Motivated to Achieve a Goal

Do you ever have trouble staying motivated to achieve a goal or vision? You may start taking steps, but get bored, discouraged or have a setback and your motivation evaporates. To get back on course, reconnecting with your inspiration is vital. This guided meditation will help keep you energized and inspired, and remind you of your reason and intention for your goal.

Transcript:

Thank you for joining me. Today, I want to share a short meditation to help keep you motivated to achieve a specific goal or vision. When you have a goal, even if you’re making progress on it, your enthusiasm to continue to take action can evaporate.

You can become bored, discouraged you’re not achieving it fast enough, or even frustrated when you have some setbacks. Sometimes, you can have trouble taking the first step towards it, or starting again after a pause. This meditation will help with all of those issues.

I’m Linda-Ann Stewart, a vision empowerment strategist, and I’ve been a hypnotherapist for over 30 years. This meditation is similar to ones I’ve done with hypnotherapy and coaching clients to inspire them to stay on course to their goals.

If you’re so inclined, close your eyes. Take a deep breath to relax and get focused.

Now, think of a goal you want to accomplish. What is it you want to achieve? Imagine how different your life would be with it a reality in your life. What would you be doing, thinking, feeling and behaving that’s different from now? Place an image of these ideas in a picture frame. 

Now, uncover your reason for your goal. Why is it you want this change in your life? This has to be a reason that will continue to urge and energize you. Place this reason in the picture frame with the image of your goal. This reason could be a symbol, a feeling, a color, and outcome or something else that has meaning for you.

As you place the reason inside the frame, it creates a positive change in the picture of your goal. The picture and frame begins to glow a beautiful color. The reason itself causes the picture to be surrounded and filled with a powerful light. This light could be gold, silver, white, or whatever color excites and encourages you.

As the light glows brighter, the picture and frame get bigger and bigger, until they take up your entire perspective. The picture becomes a huge billboard, impressive and powerful. You feel excited to begin, and to continue, taking action towards your goal. You know you can accomplish your goal. The steps appear for you, and you overcome any setbacks.

Whenever you think about your goal, you imagine this billboard, the image of your accomplished goal and your reason for taking actions towards it. The image of the billboard is strong, powerful, motivating, encouraging, and inspiring you to take your next step. It fills you with anticipation.

Open your eyes.

This meditation gives your subconscious mind direction and energy for you start working towards your goal. If you find yourself needing a motivational boost, close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine the billboard. Imagine the goal, your reason, and the brilliance of the billboard. Doing this will remind your subconscious mind of your purpose and intention.

To achieve your goals with greater confidence and ease in 4 powerful steps, watch my FREE training video, Set Your Course to Success. Register for the video and accompanying action planning guide at www.SetYourCourseGuide.com

Thank you for watching. I know that you can achieve any goal that you desire. Stay focused.

Read the accompanying article 5 Tips to Maintain Your Motivation

~ Linda-Ann Stewart

Podcast Interview – Share Your Magick

Podcast Interview – Share Your Magick

I recently had a delightful conversation with Ilisa Millermoon, an intuitive energy artist and the owner of Mari Lwyd Guest House for Magickal Beings. Ilisa and I met at a networking meeting and she invited me to be interviewed on her podcast, Share Your Magick. I found her to be creative, wise and lighthearted and thought we’d have fun.

She loves creating artwork to transform your living space, raise your vibration and heal your spirit. My mother had been an artist, and I grew up around art. Therefore, I completely understood Ilisa’s compulsion to create beautiful artwork and share it with the world. It’s her magick.

Ilisa also loves learning about others’ magick and sharing it with the world through her podcast. My magick is supporting people to reach their goals. It’s what I did as a hypnotherapist for thirty years, and what I do now with businesswomen as a Vision Empowerment Strategist.

In my interview, Ilisa and I enjoyed discussing how and why focus is important in your life and your business. She’s a great interviewer and had some great comments and questions. I mentioned how you’re hypnotized every day. It’s a normal state of mind and that hypnosis is simply focusing the attention. And it affects affects your actions and productivity.

She asked me to share a tip on how to overcome the inner fear, specifically the fear of success. So I described an exercise I often have my clients do to let go of that fear. We explored a bit on how and why that fear might be holding you back.

I shared a couple of stories of clients I’ve helped, and one involved setting boundaries. Ilisa identified with that, and told a personal story of how, early in her career, she had to set a boundary with a client.

I was thrilled to be on Ilisa’s podcast. Talking with her was a delight, and we laughed a lot. She has a great sense of humor and her spirit shines through.

~ Linda-Ann Stewart