More than 50% of the U.S. Population lives paycheck to paycheck and over 62% don't have enough savings to cover an emergency. Sometimes we think “gosh, how did this happen?” but the truth is, we know how.
Education is a business. Banks are a business. Marketing is a business. And it’s so easy to get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses, right?
So let’s talk about how to get yourself out of this rut. I'm going to show you how to solve it in three easy steps.
Step one, unsubscribe.
Raise your hand if you have Netflix. Now raise another hand if you have Hulu. And another...oh wait...no more hands! But how about Disney plus? Amazon Prime? HBO?
I know, I know one show is on Netflix and the other show you watch is on Amazon and so how could you possibly pick just ONE to keep?
Well, when you're in financial stress, you're going to have to differentiate need versus want. So pick one and put the others to rest. We can sit here all day and say “but Netflix is only this amount of money, or Disney plus us only this much.” Ok yeah but how does it feel every month to squeeze by on paying your bills? The ones that keep you driving, or keep a roof over your head or food on the table? Let’s prioritize.
Step two, create a budget.
This is where most people say “I’m out!” and it’s because we already know our situation, we’re just scared to see it on paper. But this is where you get clarity on your income versus your expenses. Because when we tell our money where to go, we are in control, rather than our finances having control over us.
Trust me - this works.
Step three, stop spending.
Yup, I said it. Have you ever looked at your bank account and wondered where all of your money goes? When you start to look at the nitty-gritty details of your expenses. We have coffees out here, we have dinners out there, online subscriptions yadda yadda.
If you have money leftover at the end of the month, that's where you can take 10% of that and put it towards a “fun” account. Forty-five percent of it and put it towards your debts, and another 45% towards your savings or investments.
This is being in control of your money, not your money controlling you. This is opening your bank accounts and knowing, BELIEVING that you are abundant and will always have enough.
If you want more tips on creating your best life, which includes your financial wellness, click the link below and join our free community where women just like you, are working on designing a life that they are truly in love with.
http://www.inspiredandready.com ← I’ll see you in there!
xoxo,
Gwen
Listen, I know that the words morning and routine might not seem like they go together and for a long time I agreed with that. But once I started to put some goals and dreams together and I wanted to know what would allow me to achieve them the fastest and most efficient way possible, I started to realize that nearly every successful person had a morning routine.
I know you’ve heard Tony Robbins and Oprah talk about their morning routines but if you’re anything like me, I felt like they were “so big” and so far removed from the real world that it didn’t seem relevant to my life.
Then I started looking around at some of the authors I admired, some of the Network Marketers who were killing it, and at my business coach and friends who were putting together courses and writing books themselves. I realized that the common denominator in all of their lives was a morning routine that they did every day, no matter what.
Ok finally sold on this morning routine thing. So, where does one start?
Well, let's look at the benefits of even having one. Why is this THE THING that successful people are doing?
First off, if you want to start your day with less stress, this is the answer. I’m not saying that because I read it somewhere. I have actually experienced it. After a year of being home with my two kids full time, homeschooling, trying to also work my business and run the house as my husband is off firefighting, I was totally burning out. I would stay up way too late in the evening since it was the “only time” I had to work, and then I’d be sleeping until 7:30 or 8am and my kids were doing god knows what on their own. Then I’d feel bad I slept so late, get to making breakfast and doing homeschool and totally lose myself in the day. Can ya feel me?
Here’s what I realized, making time for ME was so important. And time at 10pm is not when my brain is functioning at it’s full potential. I wanted to enjoy my time. So beginning a morning routine allowed me to set aside time when I am at my peak and can enjoy that part of my morning.
Setting a morning routine also creates more time in the day. I know that sounds crazy. And obviously we can’t magically turn 24 hours into 34 but what I’m saying is it creates more intentional time. When you’re stressed and running around to get these things squeezed in, the day doesn’t flow. Then you get to the end of the day and need to rush getting YOUR things done and there’s no efficiency or success in that.
So together with that, it will make you more productive.
Let’s start with the how:
Feed your brain. When you first wake up, do not pick up your phone. If you need an alarm, turn it off and then put it down.
+read 10 pages in a book every morning before you even hop out of bed
+then start your day with water - lemon water hot or cold. Some blood types do better with hot some with cold. Whatever works for you, drink water!
+up level your coffee - I love coffee. I love the way it tastes and I enjoy my morning cup. So once you’ve had your water, you can have your coffee too. But think about up-leveling it with MCT oil. You can buy all sorts of MCT - now they even have powdered coconut milk +MCT to mix into your coffee. Why MCT? This feeds your brain! You’ll have more energy, clearer thoughts, a healthy and active gut, it can even help you burn calories and enhance workouts.
+workout. I include this in your feed your brain activity because I do some of my best thinking and get some of my best ideas when I’m working out. For that reason I keep a notepad or a whiteboard in my basement gym so I can write down my thoughts!
Eliminate decision making tasks. These are your oranges and skittles. If you’ve been around these parts for a while you know that I talk a TON about oranges and skittles. The night before I write down the tasks that need to be done the next day. That way the next day I have a plan and I know what needs to be done and what I want to get done. Some action steps have more priority than others. You can read more about that here.
Talk to yourself. Yup. Trust me on this one. Steve Jobs said that he looked himself in the mirror every morning and asked himself this question: “If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do.” and if you answer “no” too many days in a row, you know that you need to change something.
That’s it you guys. It doesn’t have to be hard. And you can add in things that are important to you. I also make sure to do my tapping every morning and eat some protein so I stay full longer. Those are things I enjoy doing. Figure out what you enjoy and add them in!
Here’s the thing - I know how it feels when you feel like time is handling you instead of you handling your time. It doesn’t feel good, everything feels rushed and stressed and you feel like you can’t climb out from under the weight on your shoulders.
The only thing that you're missing is consistency, accountability, and daily action steps to move you closer to achieving your goals. If you’re ready to make a change, just click on this link to join the other women who are working to create their best life in our free facebook community Inspired + Ready for more. See you there!
Xoxox,
Gwen
Mindset
The first time I had heard the words growth vs. fixed mindset I was reading a personal development book. The first time I read a personal development book was my first month in a network marketing opportunity. I was 30. I had been through college and 4 years of graduate school, graduated with my doctorate in Audiology and worked in my field for 4 years before hearing that term and realizing it’s importance.
Let me just tell you that part of my mission is to bring this to our children so they can start incorporating personal development early on. I can only imagine what that will do for the generations to come.
But anyway, mindset. A mental attitude if you will.
Fixed mindset looks like this:
Your abilities are unchanging
You’re either good at something or you aren’t
You don’t like to be challenged
Your potential is predetermined
You take feedback personally
You stick to what you know
You give up when frustrated
Growth mindset looks like this:
You see failure as an opportunity to grow
You can learn to do anything you want
Challenges help you grow
You are inspired by the success of others
You like to try new things
Your effort and attitude determine your abilities
When it was laid out right in front of me I got a glimpse of how I had been living as an adult. I had told myself I wasn’t good at many things (and therefore believed I never would be). I crumbled (aka went home and cried) after receiving any feedback. And I basically stuck to what I knew, not veering too far left or right.
So how do we change it? Do we just wake up one day and decide we want growth instead of fixed?
YES. Exactly that.
Read the descriptions above of each type of mindset and see where you fit in. It’s likely that you have a little bit of both. OR it could be that you are completely fixed. Either way, you can change it, all you have to do is decide to start.
Ok so great, you know where you stand. Now what? Here are a few of the ways I found most helpful when working to grow my mindset:
-Read/listen to a book on self development. Some of the authors I’ve enjoyed are Brene Brown, Simon Senek, Jon Acuff, John Maxwell, Bob Proctor…..you can’t go wrong jumping into any of these books to start.
-Podcasts - when I was working full time I would drop the kids off and then listen to a podcast on my way to work. Brendon Burchard, Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk just to name a few. Google “personal development podcast” and pick a few you like.
-Human Design exploration - I can not speak highly enough about this! My work wife Rosy Crescitelli will break down exactly how you are designed in your relationships, in your work, what you’re supposed to talk about, etc. She gave me a special link to share with you here.
Once you have your chart from jovianarchive.com you can schedule a time with Rosy to decipher it together. Watch out because it’s about to change your world!
-Surround yourself with people who are positive & uplifting (and get rid of the ones who aren’t…..sorry that’s the hard part). In Oola we talk a lot about toxic relationships - most of us keep them around because it feels hard to part ways. Trust me on this one, it’s always worth it!
-Learn - once you figure out what you would love to learn more about, go learn about it! Watch youtube videos, read books on it, attend seminars, just learn.
-Stop the negative talk. One of my favorite phrases I use (not as often now as used to) is “Cancel, cancel. Delete, delete.” and I say this when I speak something negative about myself or pass judgement. Just say the phrase then replace what you said with something positive. It works so well you’ll find yourself helping your spouse, friends, siblings and parents change their language too.
-Consistency. Just show up 100% for you every day. You don’t owe anyone anything, but I bet you want to be the happiest, healthiest version of you possible and this will get you there!
