Core Desired Feelings

During one of our first sessions together we talked about how we want to feel. Danielle LaPorte walks you further through the process in Fire Starter Session Three. Today I'd like to revisit those core desired feelings---I LOVE seeing the many fantastic words being used to describe feelings our group aspires to.

Here are several highlights:

• Fearless
• Strong
• Genuine
• Beautiful
• Charged
• Content
• Imaginative
• Inspired
• Confident
• Valuable
• Engaged
• Focused

So we ask ourselves---what do I need to do, have and experience in order to feel---X?

What do I need to do, have and experience to feel X---on a daily basis?

What do I need to do, have and experience to feel X---on a weekly basis?

What do I need to do, have and experience to feel X---on a monthly basis?

The goal is implement small actions in order to make our desired feelings a reality for ourselves as much as possible.

Check out this link---McNair Core Desired Feelings---to see what our group strives for each day.

(right click and "save image as" if you wish to grab the image for your computer, etc)

:-)

How Do You Want To Feel?

Welcome 2013! It's here. So, what do you want 2013 to look like for you? How do you want to feel? With the turn of the year and the start of a new semester, your outlook and approach to things can feel especially fresh.  It's always a good thing to reflect upon the past year or semester and think about the things that worked, things that didn't work, what might have been particularly inspiring to you, major accomplishments that you can build on, areas in your life that might need improvement.

For me, I'm pretty psyched that we got refunded and I can keep doing this amazing work with some amazing scholars.  Now that's an accomplishment!  I'm proud that I ran my first 5K at a 10-minute mile pace and started personal training - made me feel strong.  I'm inspired by my new thinking about my work - coaching work that is - and building on this with my upcoming interactions with all of you.

Time still escapes me though and this is an area in my life that I really want to work on this year.  I know that the key for me in being most productive - creatively, personally, professionally - is to rise early to create the time and space to do just that.  I also know that if I could institute better "sleep hygiene" that it would bring this goal into reach.  Going to bed around the same time and waking up around the same time (including weekends!) is essential but hard to do!  Ideally, I'm shooting for sleep between 9:30 and 10 and wake between 5 and 5:30.  Food is the other thing that needs work!  I'm still a sugar addict.  Late at night (and weekend!) sugar eating isn't doing me any favors and I know it.  Most of you will say - oh Lynn, you eat so well - well, that's because you usually aren't with me during nights and weekends...LOL!  I know that if I brought this into moderation, it would not only make me feel better, it would improve my sleep.  A win-win - yes?

So, how do I want to feel in the New Year?  My top-three at the moment: effortless, smart and in my zone.  I want to make things as easy as possible and stop dwelling on the "shoulda coulda woulda's" in my life.  I want to use my gifts and talents and stop second guessing myself.  I want to develop an inner and outer focus that will bring my creativity to light.  I want to feel at ease when I'm interfacing with others.  When I'm at ease, I feel alive and joyful.

How do you want to feel?  Share with us in the comments below!  Cheers to 2013!  :-)

The Power of Affirmations

Today I am posting a short piece from Lou Tice at the Pacific Institute on affirmations since the new group will be turning in their first monthly tomorrow. I strongly encourage each of you to sign up for Lou's daily email (I know it's another thing to add to the list, but it is totally worth it, in my opinion). He sends out a *brief* message on a range of topics mostly related to living an awesome and fulfilling life. Please try it and let me know what you think. I tend to post some of Lou's stuff that coincides with McNair happenings and topics at hand, like the one for today! I have personally found Lou’s advice to be very helpful through the years…

Here is the link to sign up - you can always unsubscribe if you find that you aren't into it.

http://www.pacificinstitute.co.uk/pages/productsWinnersCircle.asp

"Power of Affirmations"

One of the things that I talk about a great deal in my work at The Pacific Institute is the power of affirmations. You know, some communication systems, like those used by the armed forces, use the word "affirmative" instead of "yes." And that is what an affirmation is: saying "yes" to something. In a formal debate, the side that upholds the truth of the proposition is called the "affirmative side." So when you make an affirmation, you are saying, "Yes, I believe in the truth of this."

Affirmations, combined with visualizations or mental images, are a highly effective way of moving into new situations without anxiety. They can also help you achieve goals of every conceivable kind. Many professional athletes use affirmation and visualization along with practice to help them play at peak form more often. I remember a javelin thrower some time ago who had just surpassed his personal best record. He said, "It feels like déjà vu. I have seen myself do this so many times before in my mind."

You see, his subconscious didn't know the difference between a vividly imagined throw and the real thing. So he was training his body to throw perfectly with his mind. And it was no surprise when he finally did throw perfectly. The same is true for you and whatever you want to do. If you rehearse the future over and over in your mind and see yourself performing perfectly, you will be dramatically increasing your chances of bringing that future easily and free-flowingly into reality.

--Lou Tice, The Pacific Institute