Vacation Time - photo by D. Hennessey

Did you ever notice how many things you can get accomplished when you are short of time just before you are going on vacation? It seems that our minds become very focused and goals are quickly achieved when we have a time line we cannot go beyond to get our work done.

Personally, if I have lots of time to work on a project I am only likely to get it completed when I create a self imposed finish line as if I was going on vacation. So I create the finish line and work towards it. This has allowed me to achieve many things big and small in my life that I would simply have never done without a timeline and it has also made it possible for me to take vacations big and small.

But enough about me, below are three ideas that can help you keep your focus so you can get more of what you want accomplished in life whether it is nourishing your family or creating a global change or simply taking more vacations!

These three steps can make a huge difference.

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One

Write Down Your Goals and Review them Daily

Your daily to do list needs to be based on your goals or why else would you be doing what you are doing. To keep yourself on track write your goals down. If you would like some simple and FREE goal reminder cards follow this link to find out how you can get some goal setting cards.

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Two

Create a Not to Do list and Stick to it

Read about how to create a not to do list here

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Three

Review your Not to do List the night before you Work on it and Accomplish more

Read about why it is important to review your ‘not to do list’ last thing at night instead of in the morning.

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Now, in fact, I am preparing for a mini vacation with my family.

So, I will say ‘bye for now’ and I look forward to hearing what you do to keep your focus when you want to get things done.

Your friend on the journey,

David

Baou de St jeannette - photo by D.Hennessey

A few years ago I was walking along a logging road looking for the start of a hike with a friend in BC, Canada and on the side of the road we found a car crushed by the weight of a huge log on top of it. A sign was placed on the car with words that are still burned into my memory. It read ‘Expect the Unexpected’.

I am sharing this story because on a recent hike I had a similar experience. I hiked up and around to the summit of the Baou de St Jeannette (pictured above). After I rested I decided to check out another small trail near the summit that looked like an animal path. On the little trail I found the unexpected shown in the second picture below. It is as you will see by the third picture a bus stop that somehow made it up to behind the 800m summit of the Baou. I don’t know how it made it there. I smiled when I saw the bus stop and it reminded me of something else.

Expect...

..the unexpected - pic by D. Hennessey

My whole life has been like this I don’t expect but the unexpected arrives. When I was born I never anticipated moving to a new country as a teen. I never anticipated what would happen when I came back from ‘globetrotting’ , I never anticipated what would happen when a friend got cancer. Plus there are a whole lot more things I never anticipated and after all these unexpected events I now know to ‘expect the unexpected’ and be the best prepared I can be.

This is why I am very proactive in how I take care of myself and my family. When I go solo hiking I bring overnight items just in case. When my family and I eat we eat the best we can afford. I also am passionate about sharing stress management ideas with you and your friends since I believe that it is better to have a ‘tool box’ of techniques that work BEFORE an event happens than have to seek out solutions when things have already hit the fan.

Depending on where you are at in your life you will find value in my FREE e-workbook that I offer to new members of the WONDER Technique community. It is simply an example of my work.

To get a copy fill out the request form on this page. What do you have to lose? Your never know when these extra ideas can help you deal with the unexpected.

Your friend on the journey,

David

What is interesting about many of our social activities, according to more and more scientific research, is that they are contagious so if you want to make a habit of something new, you need to spend time with people who can infect you with the positive behaviour you desire. If you want to motivate yourself more to take better care of your health and to exercise start hanging around with a fitness fanatic. If you want to feel less stressed start making friends with people who are manage stress better than you.

Nicholas Christakis, a researcher at Harvard Medical School along with his colleague James Fowler have done extensive research on our social interactions relating to our health and wellness. Christakis calls our tendency to follow the healthy (or unhealthy) habits of friends ‘social chain reaction’.

It is worth noting that the chance of you being influenced by another’s healthy living behaviour (or you influencing them to embrace a positive behaviour) depends on whether you respect and value that person. They do not have to live close by they just have to be a person you respect enough to follow some of their actions. For example, you may have a friend in a different country who inspires you to try out a new diet program.

In one sentence, this emerging branch of social science reminds us that we can help nourish our health and well being more in the direction we want to go by spending time with people whose habits we desire to acquire.

Enjoy a wonderful day,
David

P.S. You can follow the link of the image below to read about Dr. Christakis  Award Winning (and Oprah recommended) book called Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives

You can learn more about Dr. Christakis social science relating to wellness on his website located here.