If you made some goals in December or January, and aren’t progressing, you are not alone!
Researchers suggest that only 9% of Americans that make resolutions complete them. In fact, research goes on to show that 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January!
Pooping out on goals might be a common experience, I am here to tell ya, YOU are not common. And I want to help you find the steam to get yourself going again.
In the article this month I ask you a lot of questions, all backed by science, to help you gain clarity thus have more motivation to keep on keepin’ on to those beautiful dream goals.
When I started on this personal growth adventure about 12 years ago, I dismissed simple tools as not being powerful enough to make any significant changes. BOY was I WRONG!
Simple tools, such as breathing, meditation and journaling give you SUPER POWERS of insight and motivation.
So while I am providing the guidance, you must pick up the challenge and reflect on our experience and desires.
Your Morning Motivation
This section will be a thought to help you set yourself up for a more purposeful day. It can be a very simple thing to add a bit of focused intention to your day.
How to use this section:
- Pick one thing to focus on today. I’ll make a suggestion below, but it can be whatever is right for you.
- Write it down somewhere you’ll see it several times a day. Bonus if you add in why you chose it and how it will make a change in your day/life.
- Set a timer on your phone, 4x today to look at your intention.
- At the end of the day write down how it went, what did you notice, and what you might want to try tomorrow.
Today’s Morning Motivation
The Focus:
- Ask yourself powerful questions: What truly matters to me? What do I want to achieve? What brings me joy?
- Listen to your inner voice: Pay attention to your gut feeling, and your intuitions. They often point you in the right direction.
- Seek out inspiration: Read stories, watch films, talk to people who inspire you. Their journeys can guide your own.
- Don’t be afraid to try new things: Sometimes, clarity comes from unexpected experiences.
- Embrace the journey: Finding your path is a lifelong adventure. Enjoy the process, learn from your mistakes, and celebrate your progress.
Your Monthly Motivation
If you are feeling like you’re procrastinating on those dream goals you just made a few weeks ago, you may be missing this step- being CLEAR on what it is you really want!
Gaining clarity on what’s important to you is essential for personal growth, fulfillment, and success—in both life and business. As a seasoned online marketer, I understand the significance of aligning your goals and actions with your core values and desires.
Unshakeable confidence isn’t about self-worth, it’s about CLARITY. ~Marie Forleo
You may know I LOVE STEPS! I am motivated to learn and grow but any confusion in the process makes me lose faith in it. I find clear steps so helpful.
I encourage you to journal loose and freely! Don’t think TOO much. Try to keep answering all the prompts so that you are done in one sitting, 20-30 minutes.
Breathe slowly and deeply. If you are mulling something over, make a point of taking slow deep breaths while you are doing it. This keeps the Fear Dragon™, what I call the amygdala, from stressing the brain out, and keeps the brain in a beneficial chemical bath so you are in a creative mode.
Ready to unlock the magic within? Let’s design a life that vibrates with joy and purpose, starring YOU! Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get more clear on what is important to you:
Step 1: Unleash Your Core Values – It’s Showtime!
- First things first, channel your inner Indiana Jones and unearth those values that make your heart sing. Is it the fearless spirit of adventure? The twinkle of creativity? The warm embrace of family? Jot ’em down, pals!
- Prioritize: Once you have a list, prioritize them. Determine which values are non-negotiable and which are less critical (for now). List the top 4 or 5.
Step 2: Dig DEEP: Lessons from Your Epic Adventures
- Reflect on Joyful Moments: Remember those times you soared on the wings of laughter? The challenges you tackled with the grace & calm of a Vulcan? Who were you with? These experiences hold the treasure map to your true north. Rewind the scenes where joy erupted, and you’ll see what truly sets your soul on fire.
- Learn from Challenges: Don’t shy away from the bumpy bits, either! Every scar whispers a lesson, revealing the inner strength that got you through.Consider the challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame them. This can highlight your strengths and the values that guided your decisions.
Step 3: Goal Power – Aim for the Stars!
- Create Value-Aligned Goals*: With your values as your guiding constellation, craft goals that make you so excited you get chills. Whether it’s scaling the career Everest or building a love nest that rivals Captain Picard’s quarters, make sure it resonates with your core.
- Break Down Goals: Then, break those goals down into bite-sized chunks you can devour one at a time. Remember the Tortoise and the Hare, it’s a classic for a reason. (Put time on your calendar to take those steps!) Do something EVERY DAY towards the goals. Even one turtle step.
Step 4: Reality Check – How am I doing in all the Areas of Life?
- Reflect on the Areas – Money & Finances & Career, Spiritual, Romantic Love, Friends and Family, Health and Fitness, Soul Refreshing Hobbies, Passions and Creative activities, Personal development – and ask yourself how you feel about each Area. Identify the gaps, those places where your values and reality are just not there yet.
- Now, the fun part – get creative! How can you bridge those gaps and turn your life into the adventure of your dreams? Break it down into turtle steps.
Step 5: Choices, Choices
- Your values are your compass! Ask yourself, “Does this choice boldly go where I want to go?” Does it thrill you? Challenge you?
- Learn to say “No” with the authority of Spock himself. It makes room for the “Yesses” that truly matter.
Step 6: The Magical Living Vision Board – Your Personal Holodeck
- Craft a vision board that’s a supernova of your dreams! Pictures, quotes, your wildest aspirations – let it all blaze! Hang it where you can see it every day, morning and night. It’s like a mental pep talk that keeps you on track, and programs the *RAS.
- Update it as you evolve, and celebrate every tiny bit of progress.
Step 7: Habits – Tiny Spark, Big Bang
- Small, consistent actions are the warp drive that propels you forward. Daily mindfulness practices like meditation and journaling are keeping you connected to your inner captain.
- Regularly review your goals and progress, and don’t be afraid to course-correct if needed. This is your journey, not a pre-programmed simulation!
Step 8: Support System – Engage Your Crew!
- Even the bravest explorers need a trusted crew. Seek feedback from friends and mentors. They can offer fresh perspectives and help you spot those pesky blind spots.
- And don’t forget the Magical Living Community, your very own Q to guide you through the cosmos!
Step 9: Embrace the Flux!
- Life’s not a static holodeck, darlings! Be open to flexibility and change. Your values might evolve, your goals might shift, and that’s okay! See it as an opportunity to rechart your course and discover new galaxies within yourself.
- Remember, every detour is a chance to learn, grow, and maybe even meet some friendly Tribbles!
Step 10: Take Action – Boldly Go!
- Remember, even the most epic voyages begin with a single step. Start taking those small actions towards your dreams.
- Celebrate your victories, learn from your stumbles, and keep pushing forward. Ask for support in the ML community! Remember, you’ve got this, cadet! And if you ever feel lost, look up at the stars – your personal guidance system is always there, reminding you
Remember, gaining clarity is a journey, not a destination. Life changes! Clarity requires ongoing effort, introspection, and willingness to adapt. By staying true to your values and making conscious choices aligned with what’s important to you, you’ll navigate life with greater purpose, confidence and joy!
And I want that for you!
Journal prompt:
(Each month I will give you a thought to fire up your mind. Use journaling prompts over and over again and see how the result changes.)
Try setting out a logbook near your coffee pot or on the desk or nightstand, and every day write down something you noticed that caught your imagination. What can you notice that gives you appreciation? When did you find yourself being fully present? Did you have any insights? Or is something just annoying you?
Stay in Touch!
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Our Quest Travel Adventures
Now on the other side of my hip replacement (Jan 2nd), Glenn and I can finally start to plan on leaving the country again.
My husband and I sold the house in April 2022, got rid of SOOO much stuff, and put the rest into storage. We knew we wanted to travel as much as we could for as long as we can. And yes, we work on the road so this is a very doable thing as long as we can stay healthy and safe.
To be VERY honest with you, I thought we might be settling down by now. We were not sure how we’d feel about it all after my surgery. Maybe we’d be ready to put down roots again!
The answer is we are most definitely NOT ready to stop traveling. We don’t have an idea of where we’d want to settle. My only clear desire is to be able to see my son on a regular basis. He is based in So Cal. My step daughter and her husband are in Seattle, so the western USA is a likely scenario.
But not yet.
I get a lot of questions about how we do what we are doing. I appreciate you asking! I’ll try to be as helpful as I can.
As I said, our stuff is in storage. It’s an expense. But it’s way cheaper than a mortgage or rent. And I really don’t think dumping everything is a reasonable choice at this point. We accept the storage fees as the best choice right now.
We have a Traveling Mailbox service that is our US address. Our mail goes there and we can have them scan the mail so we can read it. I can have it forwarded to my son to keep for us if we need that.
We’ve registered to vote by mail, and we did that last year, which worked out great.
We are catching up on all medical appointments including updating our eyeglass prescriptions, dental checks, and for me, physical therapy for my hip and back. If you are traveling to some countries that require it, getting those travel vaccines and medications are important. Your doctor can help you figure out what you need based on where you are going.
And we are researching ideas on where we want to go.
I have folders in my Instagram account for the different countries we are possibly going to. I’m asking friends about their travels. And I just keep my ears open! Inspiration comes from all kinds of ways!
Currently we are focused on heading to the otherside of the planet, and exploring for the next year in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and any islands that seem to beckon. Glenn and I SCUBA dive and hope to explore the seas over there!
That leads me to packing. One thing I get really frustrated by is lugging luggage! I bet only about 1/3rd of my suitcase is clothing. The rest are things I need like medicine or pre-emptive remedies like bandages, or for illnesses like colds or tummy bugs. A lot of countries do not have the same remedies and while I am happy to try theirs out, it’s good to have some tried and true medicine. My few cosmetics and inexpensive jewelry don’t take much room but electronic devices and cables (for working!) do.
Also random souvenirs or wonderful things I pick up along the way. Shipping things home are stupid expensive. We did ship a big DHL box from South Africa and I’m glad we did, but it was over $500. So carrying them is better if you can. Or if you have a friend who can take it home for you, and you pay an extra bag fee ($50-$70) for them, that is pretty ideal.
I do try to have a few items to look nice. We do make an effort to be respectful, clean and presentable.
I have a pair of flip flops, decent walking sandals and my black hiking sneakers (so they blend into my black slacks and don’t look too shabby). My sneakers are waterproof On Clouds. They were awesome and I wore them out in 14 months. Just bought another pair. The waterproofing keeps the dust out (important in Africa) as well as water. And they did that really well. Plus saved my feet!
But this next journey I will take as little as possible. We bought and let go of clothes as we went through the UK, Africa and Italy.
In Indonesia I think that will be easy and inexpensive to do. We will pick up some snorkel equipment over there. And that’s a pain to schlep around. But important because of what we want to do. We can rent scuba gear but it’s unsanitary to rent a face mask and snorkel. Eww.
I think I’ll get a duffel type bag that will be good for dive fins. And we most likely will leave them behind when we head back to the states.
The type of travel I am imagining will be in smaller planes to little islands, so we will want smaller suitcases, or maybe, like we did in Africa, leave the big bag somewhere like a hotel long term bag check and pick it up on the way back to Oz or something.
When you’re on the road for a year, it’s pretty cool to be able to live out of a regular suitcase!
I will admit to getting sick and tired of wearing the same clothes over and over but it’s ok. I mean obviously the point is the experience and I can have a wardrobe again later. Who cares.
I’m researching a Global Ticket. The idea is you buy this one ticket and it gets you to several different countries for a very good price. It’s good for a year. I’m still researching it.
I’ll include a couple of links at the end for your perusal pleasure.
I am not an economy flyer. I need Business or First. Premium economy if I can’t get First. I’m being honest. It calms my nerves, gives me a bit of extra space, extra luggage and I just feel so abundant. Glenn can fly coach, but he enjoys my upgrades. I never fly coach unless it’s a very short flight. So I research and use a mileage credit card. If I do a global ticket for us, it will be business class.
We were on a huge trip from Turkey to South Africa. We had to change planes in Addis Ababa. What a nightmare! It was absolute chaos. Travelers had to go through security again even when just changing planes. There were only 2 security screening lanes open for the entire airport. People had been in lines for hours, yelling, throwing things. If we hadn’t been Upper Class we wouldn’t have been walked through and never would have made it.
Maybe you can handle the stress of missing your flight in Ethiopia, trying to communicate to get on another flight, enormous lines of angry stressed people, finding your luggage, etc.. But I really am grateful to be able to skip that part of traveling.
I hope we have earned enough perks on our accounts to be able to get a good ticket to the other side of the world! Maybe the global ticket is the golden ticket! I’ll let you know.
If you have any tips, I’d love to hear them! You can email me at Pat@questretreats.com
Global ticket resources:
https://rtw.oneworld.com/rtw/benefit/1
https://www.repositioningcruise.com/about/faqs.cfm
https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/around-the-world-ticket/
Member Result of the Month
(Each month, we’ll be spotlighting a client or member from my Magical Living membership program for personal growth!)
“…Another important task I was given… was identifying my Champions: people who saw what I was doing, and supported me and encouraged me and helped me go on and improve. And I am telling you with tears in my eyes that you have a very prominent place on that list.
Thank you. I know I have said that before. I just didn’t know how much I had to thank you for. And it turns out to be rather a lot.”
– D. M.
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B5Events Store
The B5Events store will be going on temporary hiatus starting March 9th. If you’ve been looking for a unique way to expand your Babylon 5 collection, come check out our newest additions!
From a now SEVEN signature signed print of the B5 cast flipping the bird to rare fandom glassware to autographed copies of Claudia Christian’s “Dark Legacies”, you’re sure to find something to fill that empty space on your shelf.
Head to the B5Events Store!
Who is Patricia Tallman?
You can learn more about me here!
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Love,
Patricia, founder of Magical Living
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