Success Rule 28 - Create a Vision/Dream Board

Recognizing many of us tend to make New Year Resolutions only for them to fall by the wayside, today, and for the next few upcoming Rules and Tools I'll share with you tools you can use to increase your success . If you've been following LDI's Rules and Tools for Success for any period of time you know how important it to be self-aware of the seeds you sow in your mind with what it is you think about. To help, it's important to have many different sources that continue to remind and reinforce those thoughts and hence your success.

This week's tool for success is to create your own Vision Board. Now, the last time you had anything to do with a collage was probably in your third grade art class, well no need to dig out the scissors, poster board and Elmer's glue, however, if you have young children in your life you might consider doing this as a project with them - a great way to help them stay focused, think about goals (clean room, good grades, new bike, etc) and their own success. This can also be an effective teambuilding exercise for your office or department in identifying values, vision, mission and goals.

Assuming you have your goals, resolutions, vision or dreams identified, the next step is to collect pictures that reflect them. If you are using a poster board this will be pictures from magazines, newspapers, photos you've taken yourself, or printed from pictures taken from the internet (Google images is a great resource). In addition to the tried and true poster board approach, I prefer the use of technology and use PowerPoint and photo editing software (Depending on your skill with photo editing software you can really go wild). In this manner I first collect my pictures in a folder on my hard drive (you can also simply copy and paste right on to your Power Point slide if you prefer). From here I can then piece them together until complete. Once you have your collage looking the way you want, either simply print it out on an 8.5X11 sheet of paper(preferably photo paper) and frame, or, as I prefer, email(or take it on a flash drive) it to your local Staples, Office Depot or Office Max and have them put on a poster board with foam backing (less than $30, depending on size). This gives it a nice glossy, professional look on a hard backing easy to hang or lean against something without curling up. You can also save it as a background on your desktop or as a screensaver. A second approach is to create an actual slide show with a different picture and or text on each slide and specifically use it as your screen saver where it rotates through each photo.

Good luck, have fun, and email me a copy when you're done, I'd love to see it.

Be Extraordinary!

Success Rule 27 - Practice Gratitude

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, body parts that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, liberty and freedom, warm jackets, a job, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude
•  Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
•  Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.
•  Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.
•  Practice gratitude around the conference table or make it part of your office routine.
•  Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
•  When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
•  Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.