What happens when you actually do find “work that doesn’t suck” but then … that work — part-time, full-time, or contract — chews up most or all of your energy and time?

Okay. Maybe, that’s a bit dramatic.

But, it IS how it feels to me sometimes. As much as I love my new ‘job’ as a “Cruise and Vacation Specialist” I’m finding myself  overwhelmed at least once a day,  frequently feeling  ‘behind the 8 ball’, and therefore, beating myself up for not getting everything done.

And, this, ironically or not, is the situation with several of my clients.

What about you?

Do you find that your ‘real job’ (you know that thing that you do to pay the rent)  sucks up so much time and energy that you can’t move ahead on your plans to live your dream?

So, what do you do?

Well,  here are 3 ideas I’m working on …

1. Get Clear on Your Real Priorities

One of my 30-something creative clients recently voiced a lament that went something like this, “I don’t know what to DO … I have so many ideas. What should I do?”

The “problem” with most eclectic, creatives isn’t a scarcity of ideas! It’s a lack of action and accomplishment!

My, and my clients, favourite ‘excuse’ for this is lack of time.

Sorry folks, sorry Lyle, but as the time management gurus are only too happy to point out, “we all have 168 hours a week!” It’s not the time you are given each week:  it’s how you spend it.

So, ask  yourself, as I am asking myself every morning, “What MUST I do today? What do I NEED to do today? What actions will move me closer to my dream?”

I use my answers to these questions to set my priorities for the day. And, 

2. Stay Focused On Your Priorities

Knowing your priorities is critical to your success. Even more critical is actually acting on them!

That means staying focused. Ah, but keeping focused is a very big challenge for creative eclectics.

Why? Because we are often ‘right-brain’ dominant people who live and breath ideas. Ideas stimulate and excite our neurons. And, there are a gajillion ideas coming at us every moment … oh, and people clamoring for attention!

True, other people do interrupt us … and, learning to manage interruptions is a critical skill. But, most often we are our worst enemies. Whether we are Introverts or Extraverts most of belong to online communities, subscribe to blog and news feeds, &/or just go ’surfing the Net’ looking for ideas or distraction.

And, that’s the schizo thing about being an eclectic creative: we need outside stimuli to fuel our creativity but when we get too much, or get lost in that ’stream of data’ then we don’t get a damn thing done!

So, to keep me from ‘wasting TOO much time’ being a Social Media Butterfly, I work hard at only allowing myself ’snippets’ of time on Facebook, Twitter, or in online communities. I pop in and out several times a day, stay for 10 minutes or less per visit, read the most appealing items, post a response or two, and then get back to work.

Well that’s the theory anyway. But, sometimes I get distracted! And, when I do, I try hard not to berate myself for it. And, I focus on doing My Work instead of lamenting my ‘mistakes’.

3. Stay Healthy

Staying healthy is a MUST for me.

And, it needs to be for you too.

Why?

The simple fact, as far too many have learned, is that “if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything!” I’m finding that many of my clients, even those who are 30-something are reporting clear, unmistakable symptoms of stress overload.

So, what can you do to stay healthy?

Once you’ve made it a priority then ACTION is required. And, believe me, a once-a-week trip to the Gym isn’t what I mean.

No. A focus on healthy living means daily, even hour-to-hour attention to nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction. For me that means that first thing in the morning I go for a 5 kilometre walk. And, during the day I take time out to get up and away from my computer and stretch or I  go for a 5 or 10 minute walk in the back yard or down the block. I prepare and cook (yes, I’m the chef in the house)  healthy meals that follow the national food guide. And, I work at removing stress from my life and managing the stressors that appear in my life.

I can’t forget these daily actions … because when I do, I pay an immediate price: PAIN! You on the other hand can ‘forget’ because the price you pay takes a while to show up. But, remember the saying, “Pay me now. Or, pay me later!” And, remember that the delayed payment can be fatal.

Sermon over.

Practice these 3 strategies on a daily basis and you’ll find yourself living a more passionate, authentic life.

REMEMBER: If no one brings issues to discuss …

I will explore with you the challenges of mid-life … Why do we get so restless? What are we yearning for? Is the answer a new car, a new lover? And, what do we do about it?

Add the event to your Google calendar …

I get irritated when
people market their books and programs using the word Inspirational. Why? Maybe
it’s me but the feeling I get when I hear these advertisements is that being Inspiring
is enough.

It’s not! Quite simply,
in 30 plus years of working with people, I’ve found that most people are unable
to translate Inspiration into ACTION.
At the very least, what people/you need in addition to Inspiration is:

Strategies/Plans – You may need a path, a set of steps, sometimes a detailed recipe
that will show you the way to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Education/Advice – You may need to acquire new skills in order to navigate your chosen
path.

Support
– You may need someone to ‘hold your hand’, kick you in the butt, or to help
you get you unstuck.

I’ve noticed that a lot
of Motivational Speakers and Authors just do that: speak and write. They don’t help
you make practical plans. They don’t give you the training you need. And, they
don’t provide the support you need.

That’s why you need to
hire a coach.

As a coach I’ve been
told by many that I’m very Inspiring
and I’m delighted to do what I can to help Inspire my clients and motivate them.
But, I’m more interested in helping my clients with practical strategies, providing
proven advice drawn from 37 years of business and life experience, and giving
the on demand support my clients need.

Which do you think will
get you where you want to be? Inspiration? Or, Coaching?

Please add your comments at my blog.

You know the feeling.
You start working on one project only to find yourself thinking about another –
or about half a dozen other things.

How can you get
focused? Here are a few ideas.

Breath

Ideas exist in our
heads and minds. That’s why they can spin and zip around so easily causing us
to feel in a whirl. Close your eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. Breathing
puts us in touch with the realities of our bodies. It calms the mind and brain.
And, it helps us refocus on what we’re doing.

Do it

Often the distracting
thought is about small things we need to remember to do. Sometimes the best
thing to do to get rid of a distracting thought is to simply do it. My rule is that doing it must take less
than 3 minutes. Focusing on the distraction for longer than that can really
destroy our focus on what we were doing. So, if it’s going to take you away
longer just make a note of what you have to do.

Write

When my head’s all in a
whirl and my thoughts are spinning around and clanging like marbles in a
blender, I grab my keyboard and just write. Write till all the ‘stuff’ is out
of me head. Then I can look at what’s on paper and decide what important and
what’s not.

What’s helped you get
focused? Please add your comments at my blog.  

EnglandA young woman I
recently coached had this very problem. So, I asked her what DID interest her
and what WAS appealing. She replied that she enjoyed photography (but had been
put off it by a photography course she took) and had just purchased a new
digital camera. So, my homework assignment to her was to roam the Midlands (she
lives in England) taking photos.

You can use the same
approach. What creative acts DO you enjoy or have you enjoyed? Or, what
creative act would you like to try? Pick one and DO it.
The idea is to actually EXPRESS your creativity. When your creative flows, you
begin to get clarity, and feel less lost. 

What do you think of
this approach? What works for you when you feel lost? Add your comments at my
blog. 

STUCK!

It’s a common phenomenon.

It happens to me at least once … maybe six times a day.

For example, when I wanted to write this post. My little brain went, "What? You want me to say something profound!"

And, that’s the KEY.

Stuckness often begins when we want / need to write, BECAUSE our little/big EGO says "Oh this is ME writing and I need to say something important because well I"m IMPORTANT!" 

HAH! Maybe I is and maybe I ain’t.

But, the key to getting past this little stuckness is to just WRITE.

Funny thing that. The key to good writing is simply writing — even if the writing isn’t WELL profound.

Now, the interesting thing is that you don’t have to be making a living as a writer, or trying to make a living as a writer to suffer from Writers Block.

You just have to be in that messy situation where you a) have to write something in order for something important to happen and b) you can’t write a damn thing.

For example, you need to write the copy for your web site. Or, you have a chapter to write for your thesis. Or, well … you name it.

So, you sit there… staring at a blank computer screen. Nothing’s coming. Brain’s empty. Bum’s getting itchy. Frustration’s climbing. But, zip. Nada. Nothing.

What can you do?

Ask yourself this question, "Who is making me stuck?"

9 times out of 10 you’ll get an answer.

Frequently, you’ll find that the stuckness is embodied in a single VOICE. A voice from the past.

My voice is female. And, sounds a hell of lot like my step-mother. Step mom was (is) a perfectionists. Nothing I did (or so the story I tell myself says) was ever good enough for her.

So, like her I was a Perfectionist. Now, I’m a Recovering Perfectionist — on my  worst days. And, on most days an ordinary Joe, who just happens to be compelled to write, and who has perfectionistic tendencies. Notice that’s progress.

So, who’s sitting there up in your noggin? Critiquing your work. Or, worse yet calling you such choice names that you can’t even write 1 damn word!

Nail their butts to the wall.

Cut off their dialogue. Metaphorically or actually stick your fingers in your ears. Tell them, "Shut up! Bugger off! I’m NOT LISTENING TO YOU!"

And, write.

Who gives a rats ass if it’s not Pulitzer Prize prose?

Write it.

Then  polish it.

Good enough … is good enough.

What gets put on the page can get improved.

At least, it’s THERE… and not lost in your head.