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| Dear Visitor, This year, my husband Michael and I are planning a very long trip in an RV. A fifth wheel, to be precise. About a month ago we traded in one of our vehicles for the truck we will use to pull it. It's a Dodge Ram 3500. White, with black trim. It's huge, and it's gorgeous. Until getting behind the wheel for a test drive at the dealership before we bought it, I'd never driven a truck before in my life. Michael said I handled it beautifully, but I know I'll have a case of nerves every time I take it out until I feel I've mastered it. The fear of being the first to ding the beautiful beast has made me not-so-anxious to drive it. And then this happened. Michael and I were backing out of our own driveway, talking about the lawn as we went. Is the fertilizer watered in enough yet to mow? We've watered it three times, etc. The proximity alarm went off, which we apparently ignored, because we were interrupted by a crunching sound coming from our rear and the body feel of a collision. Michael, who was driving (Thank you, Lord!), swore, and threw the truck into drive to pull it off the vehicle parked at the curb across the street. "Arrgggh!! I don't how many times I said to myself that I need to go talk to Dan about asking those workmen not to park right across from our driveway!" In our 11 years together, he's never had an accident. (It's possible that he might actually be human, but it will probably take more than a fender bender to convince me he's not perfect.) The chances of it happening were slim to none, in my mind. I had concluded that it would be me, somewhere in a campground far, far away, that would do the first damage. In thinking back on how both of us had been in the truck and neither of us noticed the impending doom, I would almost swear to you that the proximity alarm had not gone off. I can't remember hearing it at all. Of course, I've also been training myself lately not to backseat drive. If you intend to cross the country with someone else you love primarily behind the wheel, you'd best learn to keep your driving instructions to yourself, or face the consequences. Now I'm reconsidering. When we add that 37' trailer to our rear, there'd better be two people looking! Not just sitting in the truck, but actively monitoring our surround. Today I found an article on the BBC travel site that would have helped us with this. And it gives us our first tip for avoiding the mistakes, missteps and misactions that slow us down, diffuse our energy, cause us emotional pain and otherwise take us off our path. How can we call our attention to the most important things that are before us, and take our minds off those things that are ancillary to our course or downright debilitating? 1. Shisa Kanko. From the Japanese, meaning "checking and calling," a very deliberate review of the necessary steps to successfully achieve your goal. You may not feel like you need to run down a pre-flight checklist before you get in your car, but one sure would have helped us avoid our tragic little accident. Will we have a checklist once we're hooked up to our RV and on the road? You betcha. What would your shisa kanko list be for getting to your revenue number this year, or completing a creative endeavor, for example? What are your necessary steps? 2. Thanking. Again, from the Japanese culture. If you haven't listened to Tim Ferris' interview with Marie Kondo, Japan's great organizer, it's not only melodious to the ear (Marie speaks in Japanese via interpreter), but grounding as well. Marie shares her culture's tradition of thanking items for their use and service before discarding them, which she says makes it easier to let them go. When next going through your closet you might give the practice a try. You might also consider the concepts, behaviors and attachments that once served you but no longer do. If you know you have a tendency to cut your fingers when chopping vegetables, for example, might it behoove you to learn to chop your veggies differently? And I might possibly be speaking from experience here… ;o) Need some help cataloguing things you might be thankful for? Try the Happier app, which will also immerse you in a positive, grateful environment of fellow users. Ever made a mistake because you were lost in your own miserable thoughts? I thought so. 3. Morning Rituals. What better way to make sure we're doing the right actions that will create our desired consequences than to start each day off with rituals that reinforce what we intend to create? Fabulous is an app that can help you build those morning rituals and walk you through them every morning according to your predesignated timing. (Sadly, the Fabulous app is not yet available for iOS users, but you Google users will be thrilled.) Bedtime rituals are helpful, too, preparing you for sleep and for a jump start in the morning. 4. Body Management. Something as simple as dehydration can throw you right of your game. Hunger, oncoming illness, recent injury…all these things put us slightly off balance, and will niggle in the background until we do something to create more comfort for ourselves. For example, I just changed chairs because my butt was asleep. (What? Your butt doesn't ever fall asleep? Come on.) 5. Emotion Awareness. I remember once being so agitated as I went about my day that I finally sat down and said to myself, "Okay, Kim. What's going on?" Within a few minutes, I was sobbing. Recent events were clearly taking their toll, yet I was still soldiering on as if nothing was wrong. Denying your own state of being is a truly bad habit. I have made some major blunders under such circumstances, damaging vehicles, relationships and even myself because I chose not to be present to my own angst. I now regularly check in with myself if I'm feeling wonky before it all goes off the rails. Here are two guidelines I recommend to clients working through my coaching process: #1), be kind to yourself. And #2), be kind to yourself! You only have one you. Treat you with the respect you deserve! I hope these ideas will help you to move forward on your journey today! If there's a particular challenge you're facing, please share by replying to this email, and I'd be happy to reply back with some ideas that might help you break through them and get back to Amping It Up! In possibility— Kim Romaner
Author: The Science of Making Things Happen: Turn Any Possibility into Reality Follow me on Twitter: @kmromaner
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| 415 East Shoreline Drive, North Augusta, South Carolina 29841 United States (803) 426-1726 kim@possibilitiesamplified.com |
| © Copyright Kim Romaner & Possibilities Amplified, Inc. 2013 |
Kim Romaner
Possibilities Amplified, Inc.
415 East Shoreline Drive
North Augusta, SC 29841
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