Have you ever reached the end of your day and wondered what you accomplished? Maybe you crossed 10 items off your to-do list, but still felt as if you hadn’t moved forward toward achieving any of your goals. Or, maybe you didn’t cross anything off your list, and can’t even remember what activities you spent your time on all day, you just know you were busy, busy, busy. Both scenarios are frustrating, discouraging, and avoidable.
You have the power to change the outcome of your day!
Recently in my group coaching class one of the participants asked a really powerful question to start the session. “What is the positive change you want to focus on today?” This question is powerful on many levels.
- Positive – puts the conversation into a forward moving direction
- Change – suggests creating a new reality
- Focus – implies intentional effort
- Today – creates immediacy and action
It’s pretty tough to go through your day on auto-pilot when you ask yourself this question. When you set your intention each morning – you become aware of what you want to accomplish during the day.
- WHO do you want to be?
- WHAT outcomes do you want to focus on?
- WHERE do you want to spend your time and energy?
Defining your intentions allows you to be in the frame of mind to create positive change. You can be “big picture” focused. You can design the life you want to lead.
What positive change do you want to focus on today? Please post below!
It is important to get the right mental attitude for all we do. Having a positive attitude and the attitude of success helps us do better in all we attempt. Often, it is the difference between success and failure.
Janeane –
Agreed! The 6 inches between our ears is the most important! Thanks for stopping by!
Lisa
You always offer such positivity, great reminders to start off my day! It is much appreciated!
Courtney –
Thanks for stopping by, appreciate the comment!
Lisa
Great tips here Lisa. I always feel enlightened after reading your post, I will have to bear these ones in mind!
Thanks Sophie! As always, I appreciate your comments!
It’s amazing how a person’s day can change with a positive attitude. I set intentions daily so I can keep myself on the right path. I also use a journal to write my affirmations, whether short term or long term. If you want something in your life, you have to start with intentions and believe it to happen. Thank you for the reminder Lisa.
Thank you Keri for your comment! I recently switched to Afformations (a concept from Noah St. John). I find that one little tweak has had a huge difference for me.
Lisa
The one positive objective I had today was to secure our soon to be launched membership material using something called DAP. And then test the process. Mission accomplished. Mind you, I had to eat a fair bit of chocolate to get me through :)
Caroline –
Congrats!!!!! Chocolate is also my go-to whenever I am doing any testing. Each time I get a piece of the process to work – I reward myself with a small piece of chocolate!
Lisa
Excellent tips, Lisa. I do make lists each morning of what I want to accomplish. This does help me stay focused, but had not thought about defining my intentions. I love your positive spin and will definitely work on incorporating the focus of the “big picture”.
Robin –
Thanks for stopping by! I’m thrilled you are looking at the “big picture”. I’m a firm believe of Covey’s “Begin with the End in Mind” . . . but find that sometimes we can all get bogged down in the day-to-day and lose sight.
Lisa
Thanks for the great advice, Lisa! I’ve got into the habit of thinking about what I want to accomplish the night before and I notice great improvements in the way my brain works constantly to bring ideas, and make connections with people who could help. I’ll have to remember to set the intention every morning to set my day :)
Delia –
I also think about my priorities for the day the night before. Often, once I know what I’m focusing on – I think my brain works while I’m sleeping, because often I wake up with my next blog post mostly formulated, or an idea of who to contact next, or the framework for a program. So great to find a like minded individual!
Thanks for stopping by –
Lisa
That’s a pretty powerful question, ‘What is the change you want to focus on today?’ I also have a to-do-list, that I constantly add to and it’s just become huge. I love the idea of asking that questions as it can define your day on so many levels.
Salma –
Thanks for stopping by – I appreciate your comment! I recently wrote a post about narrowing down the focus on your to-do list that you might find helpful. http://systemsavvyconsulting.com/how-to-decide-which-tasks-to-move-from-your-master-list-to-your-daily-plan/
Lisa
Yes, Lisa. I believe that attitude makes all of the difference. On days when I’m struggling for positive energy, I try to surround myself with others who are positive (even via the Internet) to get a boost!
Seana –
Great solution! I hadn’t thought about using “virtual people” for positive energy! Do you have any “go-to” places to find these positive people?
Lisa
What a great post Lisa! I really love your tip on setting your intention each morning. Thanks!
Julie –
Thanks for stopping by – and the kudos!
Lisa
I think I’ve got the attitude down :) I’m just being impatient :D
Linda –
Haven’t heard from you in awhile – how are the projects progressing? Remember, slow progress is still progress!!!!
Lisa
I had surgery on Thursday, so I’ve got my right arm in a sling. A real bummer when you’re right-handed :) But the low end product is out, and I’ve managed to get all the bullet points down for the high end one. I decided to create the high end one before the mid level one, so I can just dial it down. I’ve also started a podcast since we last talked, and I’m on track with my blog posts.
Linda –
You are a rock star! What have you done to make these successes possible? So many great things happening!
Lisa
I’m just so damned stubborn, that if I my mind is set on something, I do it :) Your swift kick in the pants helped a lot though.
Glad I could help! Keep up the focus . . . and heal!
Lisa
I love this thought. I may start to do one thing and end up doing something totally different. I am going to write this statement down and place it in a visible location. I accomplished my most important task today, but I have one step left to finish and came across the post on Blog Formatting and had to jump in. Now, I’m going to get back on task lol.
Jacqueline –
Keep me posted and let me know how posting this thought helps you!
Lisa
You put your finger on something I’m doing right now. I’ve known for a long time that although my office is tidy, there’s a lot of hidden clutter, but dealing with it wasn’t a priority. Recently I’ve decided to buy a smaller desk and possibly a smaller filing cabinet, making it necessary to get rid of that clutter before I can even decide what I need. With that big picture in mind, I am much more motivated to get rid of things I really don’t need and not hang on to them just because I have room for them and they might come in handy some day.
Janet –
Great motivation! I equate your smaller file cabinet to putting your to-do list on a tiny post-it note. This makes you become strategic when deciding what to focus on during the day . . . you just don’t have enough space for everything!
Lisa
Will do :) Impatience has a tendency to get the better of me, but I’ll keep at it.
This is a good motivation. I think I’m gonna read this every day before I start the day..
Leslie –
So glad you found it helpful! Thanks for stopping by!
Lisa
I recently took a new job and the “who do I want to be” part is really toying with my mind. As of this point, I can’t seem to answer that. I always thought “the job” defined who you were as a person. Maybe this isn’t the way to go.
Chris –
Excellent point! When I switched careers a few years ago, I realized I was totally defined by my job! Quite a disturbing realization at the time. In my opinion, the “thinking part” is the hardest – but most rewarding – part of figure out who you are and who you want to be! Best of luck as you travel down this path – stop back and let us know how it’s going!!
Lisa