Four Questions to Supercharge Your Success This Season

 

Did you know that this is officially the first full week of fall? Every time of the year brings gifts that you can leverage to improve your work and your life.  Four simple questions covered below can help you supercharge your success this season…

Fall marks the transition between the bright and dark halves of the year – and it brings with it opportunities that are easy to overlook in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

This week’s video will help you make the most of this auspicious time in a way that’ll help you get where you want to go in the coming months (and year ahead).

For more on how let go of the old to make room for the new, check out How to Soften the Pain of Growth.

Here’s to fall… and to leveraging its gifts to not only finish the year strong, but to setting yourself up for continued success in 2024 and beyond!

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, Diane Bolden, Executive Coach and Author of “The Pinocchio Principle: Becoming a Real Leader How to Unleash Genius in Yourself and Those You Lead.”

Can you believe it’s fall?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t know where the summer went. It seems like time is such a blur.

That’s why I love the changing seasons because they kind of jar us awake and you can’t help but notice because you can see it and you can feel it. The days get shorter, and the nights are longer. The temperature drops. The leaves start to change colors and fall from the trees, and even the air smells different.

It’s a time of letting go and preparing for regeneration. Animals start to hibernate. The leaves fall from the trees – but also, did you know, that the energy of plants actually moves from creating and growing new leaves and flowers to developing a really strong root system that’ll help it make it through the winter?

Fall perennials that are planted grow really strong roots so that in the spring they can burst forward with vigorous growth and a profusion of flowers.

And we can take our cues from nature also… slowing down long enough to just catch up with ourselves and connect the dots.

I don’t necessarily think we need to hibernate, but just being able to kind of reflect on where you’ve been, where you’re going, what’s most important to you, and how you can take good care of yourself is so important.

Here are four questions that can help you supercharge your success this season.

1) What is it that you’ve already accomplished over the year so far that you’re proud of, that you can celebrate? And what is it that’s calling to you in the future? What’s most important to you? What is it that you really want to focus your time and energy on?

2) What are two or three things you’ve learned this year? Maybe it’s a skill that you’ve picked up, maybe it’s an insight as to what’s been getting in your way and how you might overcome that. Maybe it’s something that you’ve learned about yourself or even life.

3) How can you take care of your own root system? What is it that you need to do in order to strengthen yourself and prepare yourself to move forward with greater boldness, and ease, and momentum, and get where it is that you really want to go in the coming months – and perhaps, even the year ahead?

4) And finally, what is it that you can let go of? What is it that perhaps has run its course, and is no longer serving you? Maybe it’s a habit or a pattern, or something that you’ve done for a really long time that just really isn’t working for you.

Letting go of things can be hard, even when they no longer serve us because they’re comfortable and they’re familiar. I actually wrote an article about that a few years ago, which I’ll put a link to below. It’s called “How to Soften the Pain of Growth.”

But in the meantime, here’s to fall – to all the things that you’ve accomplished and have yet to accomplish; to taking the time to tend to your own root system; and to honoring the passage of seasons within your own work, and your life to supercharge your success this season!

Thanks for watching.

Lighthouses and Leaders: How to Live Better and Lead Brighter

 

I’ve always been drawn to lighthouses.  And this summer we traveled to visit one of my favorites…

But this trip was unlike previous visits – and it led me to some powerful insights about what lighthouses and leaders have in common.

We look to leaders to light the way.  But sometimes even the mightiest lights begin to dim.  What do you do when that happens?

This week’s video will give you some powerful tips on how you can live better and lead brighter.

You likely have a few of your own practices for refreshing and reviving yourself… I’d love to hear them!  Leave a comment here so others can benefit as well.

Here’s to reigniting your light!

Diane

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, Diane Bolden, executive coach and author of the “Pinocchio Principle: Becoming a Real Leader – How to Unleash Genius in Yourself and Those You Lead.” And I just wanted to tell you a quick story of something that happened over our summer vacation.

We went up to Northern California and one of our favorite places to visit up there is the Point Reyes Lighthouse. It was built in 1870 and back in its heyday, its light was so bright that it could be seen all the way to the horizon for 24 miles. The path to get there is beautiful. It takes a little while to get to the viewing point but once you do, it’s well worth the trip… …except for the time we were there.

It was so foggy you could barely even make out the lighthouse. I almost didn’t even snap a picture of it. But when I got home, I was really glad I did. Because I was reflecting on the whole nature of lighthouses and I realized that the fog doesn’t really matter.

The whole purpose of a lighthouse is to cut through the fog, to show a path for other people. And the lighthouse doesn’t change the fog… doesn’t take it away. It just shines its light so that other people can find their way. And I think that’s exactly what a leader does.

Regardless of your title, your vocation or your role, you have the ability to show other people a way through the thickest of challenges and to help yourself find your way too. But every once in a while, our lights as leaders start to flicker and dim and it’s really important when that happens that we tend to the light so that we can continue to help other people.

In fact, if your light’s starting to dim, one of the most generous things you can do as a leader is reignite it and do whatever you can to lead brighter. And maybe that just means slowing down long enough to catch your breath or connect the dots or reflect a little on what life’s trying to teach you. Maybe it’s about getting connected with what’s most important to you, what it is that you want, and how you can create more of that.

Maybe it’s about making the decision to recognize and release habits that are no longer serving you or just doing some things that bring you joy. Spending time with people that make you smile and laugh or doing whatever it is that lights you up. Maybe it’s taking a walk in nature or gardening or writing or listening to some great music or playing music.

I don’t know what it is for you, but you probably do. And if your light’s starting to dim a little, chances are you probably haven’t let yourself do it for a while. Regardless of how bright your light is, regularly tending to it will allow you to cut through the deepest of fog so that you can help other people find their path too.

Do you know somebody whose light could use a little brightening? Share this video with them and a little of your own light. And don’t forget to take good care of yourself – so that you too can live and lead brighter.

There’s still time…

 

A quick note to remind you that registration for The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed: The Real Leader’s Guide to Accessing the Freedom & Flow of Your Authentic Genius is open until tomorrow, 8/25 and there are a few spots remaining.  Will one of them be yours?

Curious about the impact Pinocchio Principle Unleashed can have in an organization? Here’s what one CEO had to say about that…

“The things Diane has taught us through her coaching and programs have taken on a life of their own in our organization and given rise to some business practices that are helping us to get to the next level of organizational success. Diane has helped us to increase our self-awareness, gain insight into how we could be more effective, take inspired action, and build on our successes as leaders. Now we are finding ways to do that across our entire organization.

 We have put several of our people through her Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program, starting with myself and our C level team and we’ve continued to downstream the program through various levels of the organization. It’s been extremely helpful, and the ROI is something I can’t even measure – it’s just exponential.

 Thank you so much Diane for assisting to make CACU a better place to work chalked full of balanced, healthy, and motivated people – we have needed you and your skill set and you exceeded expectations for me personally, and more importantly, for the team’s transformation for the better!”

 – Pete Pritts, President/CEO, Corporate America Credit Union

This transformational 13-week leadership development program is now in its seventh year running and is also available to bring in-house.  Read more about The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed (and what others have to say about it) here.

Need to get your organization to sponsor you? Download the business case for participating, which spells out seven powerful ways organizations experience a return on their investment. To maximize individualized support and group dynamics, enrollment will be capped at 10 people. Save your spot while it’s still available! Attend with a friend or colleague and you’ll both get $500 off the registration (respond directly to this email to take advantage of that.)

Here’s to your success!

Diane

 P.S. If you’d like a taste of what is covered in the program, check out the replay of last week’s Real Leadership & The Pinocchio Principle webinar.  Regardless of whether you decide to enroll, you’ll learn practical tips for how to stop running yourself ragged and unleash genius in yourself and those you lead.

Ease the transition from weekend to weekday…

Welcome to a whole new week, fresh with promise and possibilities!

Maybe that isn’t your first thought on a Monday? The weekends do always seem to fly by, and re-entering the work week can be tough.  (For some, it may feel as though you never left it.)

If that’s the case for you – or if you want to find a way to fix more of your attention on promise and possibilities (and less on obstacles and limitations), I encourage you to check out the replay of last week’s webinar, Real Leadership & The Pinocchio Principle: How to Stop Running Yourself Ragged and Unleash Genius in Yourself and Those You Lead! 

In the space of an hour, you’ll learn:

• Why many high-achieving executives tend to unwittingly hinder their own and others’ performance (and how to keep that from happening)
• Puppet vs. Genius: Which are you leading from (and at what cost)?
• How to progress smoothly through a five-phase approach that unlocks the very best performance in yourself and others – while minimizing stress, pressure, and overwhelm

You’ll also get some inside information about The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed, a 13-week leadership development program designed to help you overcome stress, pressure, and overwhelm so you can maximize your effectiveness, make a bigger impact, and enjoy your work and your life more.

Registration is open until Friday, 8/25 and there are still a few spots left.  To maximize individualized attention and create the very best group dynamics, enrollment is limited to ten people.  Save your seat now!

Here’s what a previous participant had to say about it:

My professional goals weren’t going the way I wanted them to, and I had a suspicion that I was pounding my head against the wall trying the same tools or switching the tools differently and just needed a fresh perspective on them. I enrolled in The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program after receiving encouragement from people who work with Diane who raved about their interactions with her and how impactful she’s been in their life.

The experience was just revolutionary for me and really changed the way that I look at personal things and professional things. It’s helped me better influence and connect to others, decrease my stress, and get much more done.  I’m more mindful and have replaced old, ineffective tools with new ones – it feels great, it’s really refreshing. The program is awesome, and I highly recommend it.

Dr. Anthony Sciscione, President of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Director, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Christiana Care Health System

If you’d like to talk to a real person to get your questions about the program answered, you can schedule a brief call directly with me.

Here’s to your success – and a wonderful week ahead!

Diane

P.S. Need to get your organization to sponsor you for the program?  Click here to download the business case for participating, which spells out seven powerful ways organizations experience a return on their investment (it also overviews the curriculum in a bit more detail).

Today’s the day! Join me at noon PST…

 

It’s Friday… the day we all wait for.  A threshold between our work and personal lives.

What if you could spend an hour learning how to better integrate those two worlds in a way that enhances both?

Join me TODAY from noon to 1 pm PST for a free one-hour webinar that will shed some light on how to unleash your very best performance at work while also enjoying more satisfaction and fulfillment – both on and off the job.  (Details below).

Here’s what one senior executive had to say about learning to better integrate work and life:

What I liked about The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed is that while it is professionally career-oriented, structured, and measured, it incorporates lots of the human aspect too. That makes it fun. It makes you really reflect, provoke deep thoughts, and be more prepared to deal with your day-to-day stuff both at work and outside of work. It is holistic. It’s a well-rounded approach to how one could grow and develop as a human being as well as professionally as a leader.

 Diane’s style is very personal and highly engaged. She puts a lot of thought into her examples and has a knack for using just the right one at the right time. The content is excellent, and the tools are so useful. It has helped me to become more aware of what triggers me and how to self-direct so that I can stay in a state of flow and not fall into old reactive patterns that keep me from being effective. This has benefited me immensely, both personally and professionally.

Dr. Islam Salama, CEO, Hyperion Technologies

TODAY’S THE DAY!  Come join me from noon to 1 pm PST, when I’ll be sharing some of the same concepts I teach in The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program. 

Here’s the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84361908256?pwd=S0pmRDY2L0NTc29rMDUyVTQ1U2RwUT09

To ensure that you’ll get a calendar notice and increase the chances that we can reach you in case of any additional technical difficulties, be sure to register in advance.

You’ll learn:

• Why many high-achieving executives tend to unwittingly hinder their own and others’ performance (and how to keep that from happening)
• Puppet vs. Genius: Which are you leading from (and at what cost)?
• How to progress smoothly through a five-phase approach that unlocks the very best performance in yourself and others – while minimizing stress, pressure, and overwhelm

I’ll also give you a sneak preview of The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed, a 13-week leadership development program designed to help you overcome stress, pressure and overwhelm so you can maximize your effectiveness, make a bigger impact, and enjoy your work and your life more.

Can’t attend? No problem.  Simply respond to this email and I’ll make sure you get a link to the recording.

Here’s to unleashing your Genius!

Diane

P.S. Interested in registering for The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program? We’ve moved the deadline to Friday 8/25.  Get more details and enroll here.

Sometimes you just need a new perspective…

 

We’ve all experienced that feeling of banging our heads against the wall trying to figure something out or move beyond an imposing obstacle. It’s frustrating when solutions elude you – or when what used to work just doesn’t anymore.

What would it be worth to be able to lead and solve problems in a whole new, more effective way?

Join me tomorrow (Friday 8/18) from noon to 1pm PST for a free one-hour webinar and learn how a few simple shifts can open you up to a whole new level of effectiveness and clarity.  (Details below).

Here’s what one person had to say about learning and integrating these concepts…

“I have more tools in my toolbox of well-being and how to view any particular problem, whether faced with it on a personal level or on a professional level. I feel like I’m on a new plane of consciousness and I have a more optimistic and wider view of my own capabilities and life. I’ve been able to connect to my own intuition more readily and more often by practicing what we’ve done in this course and spending time talking with Diane. I think it’s very powerful.  My leadership has opened up.”

 Scott Munger, Chief Operations Officer, Omicron Technologies

Below you’ll find all the info you need to join me on tomorrow’s webinar.  I hope to see you there! 

Here’s the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84361908256?pwd=S0pmRDY2L0NTc29rMDUyVTQ1U2RwUT09

To ensure that you’ll get a calendar notice and increase the chances that we can reach you in case of any additional technical difficulties, be sure to register in advance.

You’ll learn:

• Why many high-achieving executives tend to unwittingly hinder their own and others’ performance (and how to keep that from happening)
• Puppet vs. Genius: Which are you leading from (and at what cost)?
• How to progress smoothly through a five-phase approach that unlocks the very best performance in yourself and others – while minimizing stress, pressure, and overwhelm

I’ll also give you a sneak preview of The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed, a 13-week leadership development program designed to help you overcome stress, pressure and overwhelm so you can maximize your effectiveness, make a bigger impact, and enjoy your work and your life more.

Can’t attend? No problem.  Simply respond to this email and I’ll make sure you get a link to the recording.

Here’s to unleashing your Genius!

P.S. Interested in registering for The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed program? We’ve moved the deadline to Friday 8/25.  Get more details and enroll here.

How to Stay Cool When Things Get Hot at Work (and life itself)

 

There are those days…

You know the ones – when everything seems to hit the fan all at once.  Sometimes it’s just work, and other times it happens across other areas of your life too.  Maybe it’s a bad day. But it could be a tough week, tough month, tough… year?

In times like that, it’s like someone turned up the heat and left it on full blast far too long (kind of like the record-breaking temperatures we had in Phoenix over the entire month of July).

Everything seems to take more effort than it used to. The pressure increases and your energy declines.  It might be so hot that you lose your cool and become impatient with people and things (or yourself) in a way that makes things even worse.

If you can relate to any of this, you’ll likely enjoy my latest article in Brainz Magazine, How to Survive Tough Times at Work – Three Tips to Help You Come Out On Top.

 And if you’d like more on how to not only survive but thrive during your most challenging times (both at work and at home), check out The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed: The Real Leader’s Guide to Accessing the Freedom & Flow of Your Authentic Genius. Registration is now open!

This program integrates much of the work I’ve done coaching executive clients over the last 25+ years into a thirteen-week curriculum and is especially appropriate for high-achieving professionals experiencing high levels of stress, pressure, and overwhelm.

The fall session will kick off on Thursday 8/31 and run through 11/16.  To maximize individualized attention and group interaction, enrollment will be limited to ten people and will close on Friday 8/18.

Learn more and reserve your seat here.  Attend with a friend or colleague and you’ll both get $500 off the registration (email me to take advantage of that.)

Want to talk to a real person to get your questions about the program answered?  Click here to schedule a brief call directly with Diane.

Here’s to keeping your cool and performing at your best – even in the hottest of times!

How to Have More Good Days at Work – and at Home

 

Work.  Some days are good, and others not so much…  Just like life, right?

Since we spend so many of our waking hours working, it’s likely that a good day at work will spill over into your life after work.  Unfortunately, a not-so-good day will do that too.

You can’t always change what comes at you in your professional life, but there are some things you can do to have a better experience of it. 

What’s interesting is that improving your experience of work won’t just allow you to enjoy your life more. It can also boost your performance, leading not only to greater satisfaction and fulfillment – but also increased effectiveness and better results.

This week’s video expands on that idea and gives you a simple example of how to have more good days at work – and at home.  The audio is a snippet of some opening comments from a recent Pinocchio Principle Unleashed group session.

If you enjoy it and want more, I encourage you to check out the full program here:  The Pinocchio Principle Unleashed – The Real Leader’s Guide to Accessing the Freedom & Flow of Your Authentic Genius.  Registration for the fall session will open soon, and priority enrollment will be given to those on the waiting list.

We all have plenty of work in our lives.  Here’s to putting more life into our work – and watching both grow infinitely richer!

FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

One day when my son was 8 years old, he came home from camp with a riddle. He said, “Pretend you’re in a box with four walls all around you and it’s airtight. There’s no handles and no latches.  How do you get out?”

“Hmm, I responded.  “I don’t know. I think I would punch my way out.”

He said “No.”

“Okay, then I’d use my legs. I’d kick my way out.”

“No.” He was emphatic.

I thought for a moment. “Hmm. Maybe I’d try to chew my way out.”

He was getting more and more irritated with me. “No.”

I was out of ideas, “I don’t know. I give up. How do you get out?”

“Mom,” he said.  “If you’re pretending you’re in a box with airtight walls, the way you get out is you STOP PRETENDING.”

Wow, this from an eight year old.

It’s crept into my thinking several times over the years because I think it’s such a great analogy for what we do.

How Beliefs Can Become Boxes

We have these beliefs…

Have you ever thought about how your belief about work shapes your experience of work? To a large degree, we’re pretty much conditioned to believe that work is not supposed to be fun – that work is something that you do in order to earn a living, pay your bills, feed your family, and be a responsible human being. Work is something that you do and you just get through it.

And living… well, living is what you do after work, right?

It’s part of our societal conditioning. Have you ever noticed that?

You Can Break Out of Your Box

The people who enjoy their work are people who have realized that doesn’t have to be true.

“What if I didn’t think that? What if I approached it differently? What if I thought of work as an opportunity for me to do something cool, to contribute to something bigger than me? What if I thought of work as an opportunity to be around people or to partner with people that I really enjoy, or that are really interesting to me, or that I can learn from? What if I think of work as a way that I can somehow grow?”

What a novel idea.

Work is What You Make It

What’s interesting is that people who believe work is a chore, experience it that way. And they get bogged down, and they have so much to do, and they feel like they’re never going to be able to finish it. And it’s one more thing and everything’s going wrong. And then there’s this and there’s that and they can’t wait to go home.

And that person could be working side by side with somebody who believes – even just for that day, even just for that moment, that work is something different. And they will have a whole different experience. They will tell you something entirely different.

It’s not that they won’t have a whole boatload of work to do. It’s not that they won’t have pressure or deadlines and people relying on them and more to do than there’s time to do.

But there’s something about people who believe different things about work that changes the way they interact with everybody. EVERYBODY.

Learning How to Have More Good Days at Work is About Making a Choice

If you think about the last time you went even just to get a cup of coffee… the difference between somebody taking your order that never makes eye contact with you, that’s having kind of a crappy day, that is kind of wearing it on their body and the way that you feel when they serve you…

…the difference between that and somebody who when you walk in, looks you in the eye and asks you how you’re doing and maybe shares something funny or is genuinely interested in you. And really you can tell that when they ask you how you are, it’s not just part of their script. There’s something about their presence that is with you.

I guarantee you they are having a better day than the other person… not because anything different is going on, but because they made a choice to see work differently.

Make YOUR choice.

For more, visit www.UnleashtheExtraordinary.com

IT’S OFFICIAL…!

I’m excited to announce that I’ve recently been accepted as an Executive Contributor for  Brainz Magazine!  Over the coming months, I’ll be writing regular articles about leadership, business, and mindset for Brainz readers to enjoy – I’ll be sure to share them with you all here too.

WHAT IS BRAINZ MAGAZINE?

Brainz Magazine is a fast-growing global digital publication covering Business, Lifestyle, Mindset, Sustainability, and Leadership topics. The editorial teams have a strong understanding of what their readers are interested in, and the magazine reaches over 300,000 people every week, spanning over 65 countries!

Brainz Magazine is known for inviting top entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized companies, scientists, and influential leaders to contribute to the magazine, which they hand-pick for their expertise. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to join them – and to connect you with their work as well.

MY FIRST ARTICLE FOR BRAINZ MAGAZINE – ARE YOU FEELING THE BURN?

If you’re struggling to balance the demands of your busy life and feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. Burnout is a serious issue that can have a negative impact on your health, well-being, and productivity. And research indicates it is affecting more of us than ever before.

My first article for Brainz Magazine, Can’t Afford to Slow Down? How to Stop Overwhelm and Prevent Burnout Before It Stops You, explores effective strategies to prevent burnout and manage overwhelm, so you can stay focused and energized. Click the link to read the full article and learn how to take control of your work and life – and better lead others to do the same.

I’ll continue to share future Brainz articles that I publish, as well as ongoing videos and posts I’ll keep creating just for you.

HOW CAN I BETTER SERVE YOU?

On that note, I’m curious… what questions, challenges, opportunities, or issues can I help you with?  If there’s something you’d like to hear about, let me know and I’ll do my best to address it in an upcoming video, article, or post.

I look forward to hearing from you and am grateful for the chance to serve you.

Here’s to your success!

Diane

 

Why Being Stuck on Autopilot will Keep You Locked in Overwhelm – and How to Break Out of It

 

I’ve been thinking lately about how much time we all tend to spend stuck on autopilot.  You know, that state where you’re going through the motions, checking boxes, running around doing things… but not really accomplishing all that much.

It’s a state of unconsciousness that leaves you wondering where the day went.  Sometimes you may not even remember what you ate for lunch, or how the time just got sucked away.

And when you have a lot on your plate, being stuck in autopilot also means you’ll likely end your days in frustration about how little you got accomplished.  And wake up the next day feeling like you’re already behind.

But what if there’s a way to break out of that rut and get back on a path that is not only productive, but enjoyable and satisfying as well?

This week’s video will give you some tips for consciously reclaiming your day and effectively accomplishing your most important tasks with ease and grace.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hi there. Diane Bolden, executive coach and author of the Pinocchio Principle: Becoming a Real Leader –How to Unleash Genius in Yourself and Those You Lead.

Have you ever gotten to the end of a day where you felt like you just didn’t do the things that you really wanted to get done? And then you wake up the next morning feeling like you’re already behind and perpetuating that same state of overwhelm, that frustration, that irritation that you had the day before.

Why autopilot is a problem

It’s really easy to get stuck in autopilot. And the problem with autopilot is whatever it is that you’re doing is going to be repeated on an ongoing basis. Checking boxes and trying to get through the day and feeling overwhelmed doesn’t necessarily bode itself well to high levels of productivity, to creativity, to ingenuity or to satisfaction and fulfillment.

But what if you could break through that? What if you could have an entirely different experience? What if you could interrupt that autopilot pattern and in its place access a zone where you’re productive or you’re enjoying the work that you’re doing or you’re able to access creativity and think outside of the box?

Well, today I want to share with you a tip that you can try to do just that.

The physical laws that contribute to autopilot and overwhelm

Autopilot is largely a product of the law of inertia which essentially states that an object will remain in motion or at rest unless acted upon by an external force in a way that changes the trajectory. So, if you need to change your trajectory, you’ve got to do a bit of a pattern interrupt.

And there’s another reason why this is so important and that is another law of physics, that basically states things that are similar attract each other. And it’s not necessarily just things, but also thoughts. So, when you’re in a state of overwhelm, when you’re in a state of frustration and irritation and worry and anxiety, chances are likely that you’re going to continue to think in ways that perpetuate that state and you’re going to continue to act in ways that perpetuate that state as well. And if you’re not getting results, you’re likely to continue not getting results and then fretting about having not achieved all the things you really wanted to do.

When you’re stuck in autopilot and overwhelm, try a pattern interrupt

When you do a pattern interrupt, essentially, the best thing to do is to flash forward and to start with the end in mind – to identify for yourself, what would it feel like if you were to get to the end of your day and actually accomplish what you set out to do? Can you imagine feeling that rush of gratitude, of satisfaction, of accomplishment? Can you imagine being able to end your workday and go on to spend time with your family or your friends in a way that you weren’t distracted by the things that were still gnawing at you from work?

Start with the end in mind

Take that feeling a step further. Try and identify – what are the most critical things that you need to have done today? And try to pick no more than three to five things that are really, really important to you. Now take some time to do a little writing – not about the tasks that have yet to be done but see if you can flash forward to the end of your day. See if you can envision that you’ve time traveled and that you’re already the version of yourself that has achieved those critical things you identified that are on your list.

See if you can write a note back to the current version of yourself, sharing with yourself how grateful you are that you were able to accomplish what really needed to be done and how much easier it was than you thought it would be, how relaxed and relieved you feel that you actually accomplished what needed to be done, and how grateful you are for the experience. See if you can capture that. Have fun with it, embellish it a little bit.

And when you’re done, go back to consciously starting your day from a whole different mindset and see what happens.

Bonus tip for when you’re stuck on autopilot

I can give you a tip that will help you to continue to perpetuate this new state of conscious intentional visioning all through your day. I encourage you to work in 50-minute spurts. Set a timer if you need to. Work for 50 minutes. See if you can focus yourself intently on whatever it is that you’re about to do. And at the end of 50 minutes, take at least 5 to 10 minutes to give yourself a little bit of a break. Get up and stretch. Walk around, maybe go outside, take some deep breaths, grab a glass of water, listen to some music, whatever it is that you need to do to give yourself a little bit of a rest and then to come back to your task feeling a little more refreshed.

And before you jump in for another 50 minutes, take a moment and review what you wrote to yourself – that letter from your future self talking about how great you felt after you accomplished all those things and get into that state of feeling. Get into that state of having already accomplished it so that now when you go back to actually doing it, it’s almost as though you’re reliving the memory of what it took in order to get there.

Try it for yourself

As I always tell people, don’t believe what I’m saying because I’m telling you. Try it for yourself and see what happens. I can almost guarantee you that you’ll accomplish a lot more than you thought you could just by starting with the end in mind, interrupting that pattern of autopilot so that you can be more conscious and intentional with your day.