Your Day And Your Life Unstuck With Sherry Essig

Are you creating the conditions that will allow it to happen? My friend Robin is superb at creating the conditions to allow what she wants to happen. Five years ago, she opened Simple Bliss, a lovely day spa in Raleigh, and every year she gets closer to fully realizing her vision. A few months ago we had a conversation

I made up a new word a few years ago: contembration. (I occasionally do that when I can’t find a word that’s quite right :-).) It’s the combination of contemplation and celebration, and it’s something I do a lot of in June. June brims over with special events in my world. My birthday and wedding and business anniversaries are all in June and this year was a milestone birthday, the kind that ends in zero!

I often hear (or read) these words in my world of professional, leadership, and personal development. I’m all about not playing small. We do ourselves, and the world, a disservice when we hold back, shrink the space we occupy, damp down our potential, keep our thoughts, opinions, and gifts hidden, or hide our lights. But I cringe at the idea of juxtaposing big and small when it comes to how and where you choose to play. When presented as an either/or – if you’re not playing big, you’re playing small - the underlying message is that BIGGER is BETTER.

Half the time, Rick would email me minutes before our scheduled time – or even the day after – to “inform” me that we needed to reschedule. With “grrrr” running through my mind, I’d remind him of my cancellation policy, but I’d still offer another time. Finally we (yes, both of us) escalated to the “are-you-out-of-your-freaking-mind?!” level.

I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that 2016 is in the rear-view mirror and it’s now 2017. The transition from December 31st to January 1st is just a single second, as is the changeover from any day to the next, but energetically it’s far from an ordinary changeover. For the briefest of moments, we experience a clear demarcation between an ending and a beginning.

And so begins that time of year that can be full of fun and joy and has the potential to leave you feeling like you just ran a half-marathon you never signed up for. There is another choice :-). Don’t make yourself crazy. That’s it. That’s the #1 thing NOT to do if you want to enjoy the holidays.

Even when they’re keeping us from going for what we want, comfort zones are comfortable places to be. And we all have at least one pattern that will keep us stuck in our comfort zone, if we aren’t careful. Here are six patterns to be aware of that can derail your success and happiness.

Six beliefs that make anything possible: Choose your mindset. Commit to your dreams. Surround yourself with positive energy. Climb over the obstacles you encounter. Embrace failure as part of the process. Trust that what you need will show up.

In celebration of 21 years in business, I’d like to share the 21 most powerful lessons I’ve learned; the ones that have had greatest impact on both my success and happiness.

The magic of tracking is that it increases your awareness of choices, and it’s your choices that create your outcomes. It works for any change or goal you’re working towards and any habit or behavior you want to sustain. Here are seven reasons tracking data and information is so powerful.

When you’re professionally stressed, frustrated, and unfulfilled, an honest assessment of the potential for change is crucial. Because if the likelihood of change is low, you’re left with a strategy of crossed fingers and toes, fairy dust, or wishful thinking, none of which are likely to help. You’ll do your best assessment using both intuition and analytical thinking, taking into consideration these five thrive factors.

You’re impacted every day by your stories, because they create the context within which you align your choices. And it’s your choices that move you toward – or away from – success and happiness. We all schlep around not-gonna-get-you-where-you-want-to-go stories. Here are 5 common stories that WILL sabotage your success and happiness if you keep them around.

In order to create what you want what will you say YES to and what will you say NO to? Getting unstuck and finding the intersection between success and happiness always involves stretching out of your comfort zone. And any time you bump up against what’s uncomfortable, permission for something is required. Most of the time, your somethings are habits, fears, behaviors, patterns, or mindsets you think – or hope - you can power through, skirt around, tip-toe past, or ignore entirely. You can’t. And that’s where the 3 YESes and 3 NOs process comes in.

When life feels like a monsoon, here are seven steps that will help you feel less stressed and more grounded, and give you a greater sense of control. These tactics work any time you need them whether you’re in a monsoon, a thunderstorm, or just a rain shower.

You’ve probably heard – or read advice on how to achieve your goals oodles of times. Clearly articulate your goal. Define small steps. Have a timeline. Measure progress. It's good advice. Without those pieces your resolutions will quickly fall by the wayside. But it's not enough. More often than not it's the inner game that gets in the way. Here are 7 ways you might be unintentionally getting in your own way and sabotaging your resolutions.

Resolutions rarely do the trick. Choosing a theme for your year gives you a structure on which to hang your actions, reactions, and mindset - the “magic” combination that creates the kind of change that lasts.

Bold, courageous choices don’t happen overnight. They grow out of many small acts of bravery: day-to-day choices to get out of comfort zones, commitments to building resilience and grit and to practice courage.

Before you fully leave last year behind and bound, saunter, slink, leap, scurry, or skip into the year that’s just begun, take a few moments to do so intentionally and lovingly. And to help you do that, here are a few questions to help you create the conditions for an intentional and loving transition into 2015, setting you up for a successful and happy New Year! Spend some time reflecting on both the questions and your answers … it’s a lovely gift to give yourself!

Choose to experience one joyful moment a day. You might just find it's the exact ingredient you need to live your day the way you want to live your life.

You can have it all if you're willing to be brutally honest about what you most care about right now. Here are four steps to getting clear on works best for your life so you can live as if you have it all.