Why are you doing what you are doing? Without a goal to connect to your actions, it is difficult to maintain momentum and motivation. When the actions of a task are tedious and not intrinsically exciting, it can feel as if there is no larger purpose to them. But there is always a goal, and without acknowledging it, you are walking down a dark and windy path with no map in hand.

Reconnect with Your Overarching Goal

Get Excited. Reframe your work in a way that excites you. What will spark your energy? Use your imagination to create a compelling reason to attract you to your work. Try thinking about how you could persuade someone else to do what you do, and be as genuine as possible. Find the silver lining and magnify it. In his groundbreaking book, The Now Habit, Neil Fiore writes, “The type of work and commitment that is more compatible with the Now Habit is a commitment to a mission that focuses your energies and brings about inner harmony, a commitment that comes from a pull toward a goal and an excitement about the process of getting there.”

Create a Goal Statement. There are many ways to create a goal statement that you can use to remind yourself of your greater purpose. For the purpose of overcoming analysis paralysis, I try to create a statement that is specific to the task at hand and has a deadline within four weeks. Let’s start with an example that I recently utilized (Thank you to Aby Garvey for teaching me this wonderful goal-setting technique!).

“Today is September 1, 2010. I am confident and calm now that my research proposal is complete.”

• Include a specific date in your goal statement. Mark this date in your calendar.
• What will you complete by your set date? Don’t set yourself up to fail. Keep your expectations realistic.
• How will you feel when you complete this goal?
• Create your goal statement using the steps outlined above and display it where you can see it throughout the day in order to maintain focus on why you are doing what you are doing! It can be helpful to create sub-goal statements as well if your project is especially long and arduous. To create a sub-goal statement, you follow the same formula as outlined above, but use specific milestones toward the main goal. For example, “Today is August 12, 2010. I am confident and calm now that my research proposal’s appendix materials are complete.”

Restart Your Engine with Intention and Ease

Now that you have faced your analysis paralysis head on, you have tremendously weakened its resolve. Spend a few minutes refocusing on the task at hand. Do you have everything you need to complete your work? Collate all of your materials near your command center. Then, determine what actions you want to take today. Rather than focus on completion, concentrate on starting to maintain momentum.

Create a Mind-Map. If you are still feeling resistance, utilize a mind-map to break down the actions into micro-actions (each action should take less than 5 minutes). In the middle of the mind-map, you want to write your main goal to keep it front and center. For reference, you can see my simple example below.

Focus on Action. You are ready to take action! Often, preparing to take action can become quite draining so you need to rev yourself up again to actually make progress. To help give you that much-needed push, try the following focusing exercise from The Now Habit. The exercise below is a shorter version than the one outlined within the book (the full exercise begins on page 150 of the paperback copy of the book).

“Focusing is a two-minute procedure for shifting rapidly to the flow state by replacing guilt and stress with stress-free focus on the present.”

With each breath I am tapping into my creative self, opening more and more of my brain power to approach my task. My conscious mind may not know yet what to do, just as it doesn’t know how a puzzle will look until it’s finished. I may not know how I’m going to do this, but soon something will come to me, and then a little bit more will come. I will find the process very interesting, because while I don’t know yet what the solution will be, I do know that I will do it, and that part of me already knows how to do it. It will also be interesting to see how time feels different at this level of the mind and to discover about how much I will accomplish in such a short period of clock time.

Counting up from 1 to 3, I am becoming more quietly alert, and I am now ready to work in a focused, concentrated way, rapidly going from not knowing to knowing how to start: 1. I am more alert, relaxed, and energized, ready to use the superior wisdom of my subconscious mind. 2. I am ready to come all the way up to full alertness with my eyes open, eager to work in conjunction with the creative faculties of my mind. 3.

By taking action, you will begin to create momentum by weakening the resistance you feel between you and the finish line. Moving forward, you will likely confront analysis paralysis again, but each time you do, you can approach it with strength rather than letting it seize your control.

Chime in! What are your thoughts on getting more done or analysis paralysis? Or just say hello, it’s always nice to know that others can relate :).

… For some great discussion on the topic of inspiration, head on over to Spring for a brand new video!

Related posts:

1. How to Take Action on a Daunting Project
2. How to Talk Your Way to Greater Productivity
3. Get More Done #1: How to Confront and Weaken Analysis Paralysis

… quiet

… relaxation

… visual inspiration

… biographies

… interior design/nesting (daily obsessions: decor8 and making it lovely)

… journaling

… connection

… ease + simplicity (counting down the moments until Aby’s new online workshop, It’s About Time: How to Have More Fun and Get More Done – I talked to Aby throughout the creation of this workshop and know that it is going to exceed all expectations. No affiliate connection, just an exciting opportunity to share)

… yoga

… family

… acceptance

… decisiveness

… quotes

… photographs (addicted to a creative mint)

… giving + receiving

… chocolate chip + banana pancakes

… dance lessons with soon to be hubby

… marriage (T minus 3.5 months!)

… personal growth (my guru extraordinaire: Jennifer Lee)

… discovery sessions (i.e., magical transformation)

… sharing my imperfect journey (the little stuff as well as the bigger lessons)

… learning your stories, your little and big life moments

… lowered expectations

… doing without doing

… focus and inner quiet

… soft music

… creating in the moment

… handmade indulgences (etsy + papernstitch)

… transparency

… forgiveness

… receiving support without asking (in an ideal world, but crave support and may need to get better at the “asking” component)

… structure

… innovation

… new beginnings

… reconnecting with my online + offline friends, cheerleaders, and supporters

… celebrating ordinary sparkling moments and cherishing the friendship of my personal sparkling genie, Christine Mason Miller

I want to throw this question back to you and would love to know: what are you craving? Share your cravings, big and small (deep and/or playful) in the comments.

:: goodies to share ::

-> I recently wrote my first official guest post for one of my favorite blogs, Live Bold and Bloom. I loved the experience and hope you’ll hop on over to read my piece entitled, How to Embrace Uncertainty and Cultivate Inner Peace.

-> New videos + lots of great giveaways on Spring. July’s hot topic for discussion: self-care. Episode one went live on Tuesday! This month’s video series is our best yet. In the final episode on the topic (available the last week of July), I share a very personal story for the first time that I hope offers inspiration for others.

[image 1: calypso; image 2: a creative mint]

Related posts:

1. Tuesday Treasures: Life is a Verb
2. Create a Beautiful Ripple Effect of Inspiration: The 7 Link Challenge
3. In Between the Moments

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

- Steve Jobs

I believe that each person has the potential to transform the lives of others. Often, we can change the life of someone else without even knowing it and those who do so are the true change-makers. Now, I’ll introduce you to four people who have transformed my life, helped me redefine “success,” and nudged me toward the path I need to take to get there.

–> Redefining Courage: From Living Authentically to Giving Wholeheartedly

Brené Brown, Ph.D.

Authenticity is a daily practice. Living authentically means cultivating the courage to be emotionally honest, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable; exercising the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of light and darkness, strength and struggle; and nurturing the connection and sense of belonging that can only happen when we let go of who we are supposed to be and embrace who we are. Authenticity demands wholehearted living and loving—even when it’s hard, even when it hurts, and especially when we are wrestling with the shame and fear of ‘not being enough.’ Mindfully practicing authenticity during our most soul-searching struggles is how we invite grace, joy, and gratitude into our lives.”

- Brené Brown, Ph.D.

When I first read this quote, I remember feeling as if someone was inside my head, someone who knew exactly what I needed to hear at that very moment. Of course, as a psychology student, I had read countless times about being authentic and about the concept of authenticity but still, it never really seemed to click. Somehow, I related to this quote, and it became a guidepost along my journey of self-discovery.

Through Brené Brown’s book, I thought It Was Just me (but it isn’t): Telling the Truth about Perfection, Inadequacy, and Power, and her blog, “Ordinary Courage,” I have gained the knowledge that allows me to make the conscious choices that reflect my decision to choose authenticity.

Some examples of choosing authenticity:

• Learn to say no. Stand up for yourself even if doing so means the consequences may not be so great.
• Remind yourself that you hold the key to your dreams. Own your dreams! No one else can decide how your life should be lived.
• Choose to protect your character rather than your image. You can’t control how others view you, but you can control how you view yourself.

What I admire most about Brené Brown is her unique ability to combine her passions with her profession. She is a mom, researcher, writer, and activist, and she certainly doesn’t fit into the typical box fashioned for any of these careers—and Brené is more than happy with that. You can read her full story here.

Follow Brené on Twitter!

Jackie Waldman

We all have something to give, no matter what. That’s the courage-the courage to step out of our own lives, even when we think we can’t, and step into the life of someone else. When we find the courage to give to someone else, sharing what we love to do and making a difference for someone else, that’s when we can begin to live joyfully, no matter what.”

- Jackie Waldman

I am grateful to know Jackie. In fact, Jackie is even more caring than any story can possibly portray. She volunteers her time to help select the recipients of CCC’s college scholarship program.

And why is Jackie so unbelievable? Here’s a little snippet…

Jackie’s Story (read the full text on her Web site):

Jackie was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1991. Afterward, she went through a period of depression before deciding that she could make a difference in others’ lives.

“She thought about how she was treating herself and those she loved, and she realized that true survival was not whether her legs worked. ‘True survival was about how we treat each other—about love and acts of kindness, no matter what.’ Suddenly, her pity party ended…Eager to share the power of giving, she decided to compile a book of true stories to inspire others to have the courage to give. Her first book, The Courage to Give, tells 30 stories of people who have had something happen to them physically and/or emotionally, yet when they started helping others, their lives changed miraculously.”

Jackie is also on Oprah’s Angel Network and writes an article called, Begin with Yourself. I love how Jackie discusses volunteering as something that must begin within rather than being an activity that is purely extrinsic. In short, she is an utterly remarkable woman, who is changing the world through her own experience with MS—her words, her books, and most importantly, her actions.

–> Creating a Life You Love: From Creating the Space to Grow to Awakening Your Inner Muse

Aby Garvey

When it comes to space and creating a sense of calm, Aby Garvey dominates the domain. I “met” Aby a couple of years ago, and she has really helped me simplify my life—and get more done at the same time. The most important lesson I’ve learned thus far is to prioritize. It’s an ongoing process, which is much more valuable than just “organizing stuff.” Re-prioritizing my life has allowed me to create the space I need to grow and explore new areas in my life. Without creating space, that kind of exploration is almost impossible.

But I’m even more inspired by what Aby has created in the past several years: an online community unlike any other. Through her online workshops, individuals create bonds that transform their inner lives and resolve their external clutter. The workshops are true transformation classes, which essentially is the process of unraveling the layers of your life that may have created those piles you’ve placed so neatly (or not) on your desk. Aby’s classes are wonderful experiences, and it is a true joy when I’m able to participate in them.

I could devote an entire series of posts to Aby but for now, I’ll leave you with a link that will take you to Simplify 101. That way, you’ll have the chance to begin your own discovery of Aby and Simplify 101.

Follow Aby on Twitter!

Jennifer Lee

I found Jenn via The Next Chapter: Wreck This Journal. She was an A+ wrecker, so I spent some time on her Web site. Soon enough, I was simply in awe. One statement I found on her site really spoke to me: “walking the talk.” In short, it was a huge wake-up call. In one night, I reflected more deeply about my life than ever before. Jenn utilizes creative methods to explore and nourish the inner you, and the approach is wonderful for people like me who tend to get stuck in their analytical left-brain mode. Engaging the right brain is quite powerful and really can add incredible balance to your life.

Notably, Jenn found success through unconventional methods. It’s inspiring to know that there are countless incredible people in the world who simply did not decide at age three what they were going to do in life. Sometimes “growing up” is a long and winding road, but that’s called evolving as a person. And personally, that long, winding road sounds a lot more interesting than a straight path from A to B!

More about Jenn:
“Jennifer Lee is the founder of Artizen Coaching. As a certified coach, artist, writer and yogini, she inspires you to awaken your inner muse and to live life in full color…. By incorporating creative elements like visualization, movement, collage and book arts, she helps you tap into your greatest potential and live your most authentic, full life. Jennifer is known for her creative, compassionate, collaborative and intuitive style as well as for being focused on accountability and delivering results.”

You can read more about Jenn’s personal journey on her Web site and blog!

Follow Jenn on Twitter!

Future Directions
Unconventional Success is quite an interesting topic – full of inspiration! We began this little mini-series with the 3 Essential Ingredients for Creating Unconventional Success. And now, we have looked at 10 individuals who have redefined the path to success (see Part One for the first six individuals). These posts establish a strong foundation for better understanding unconventional success.

We’ll return back to this topic in a couple of weeks and explore how to use this foundation to start thinking about the “what” – what do you want to create, what are your dreams? Then, it’s on to ingredient two of creating unconventional success: redefining the “how” to get what you want!

Get excited! Remember, nothing is required other than a willingness to reach deep inside yourself to find the strength you need to follow your dreams.

Create Unconventional Success
-> 3 Essential Ingredients for Creating Unconventional Success
-> 10 Inspirational People Who Have Redefined the Road to Success (Part One)
-> 10 Inspirational People Who Have Redefined the Road to Success (Part Two)

Related posts:

1. 10 Inspirational People Who Have Redefined the Road to Success (Part One)
2. 3 Essential Ingredients for Creating Unconventional Success
3. What do you want?

… image via kristybee on etsy …

Do you have tools that you rely on for inspiration? Whether you want to write a private journal entry or a public blog post, how do you get inspired?

While waiting for that moment of creative genius to hit and for this blog post to spill onto paper, I became aware of “inspiration mode.” I never consciously realized this mode before today. I think this mode is actually pretty common. It’s the lull filled with things that make you happy – make you feel creative and inspired – and of course, make you feel ready to conquer the world!

I had planned to write about something a bit more structured today: inspiration boards. I won’t be talking about “inspiration boards” directly today, but I want to talk about “inspiration” in general, which is a great introduction to the topic of inspiration boards. I suppose this is a more natural beginning for a series of posts on inspiration boards. In order to begin discussing the broad topic of inspiration boards, one must have a good handle on general inspiration, which differs for each individual. So today, I am going to discuss 10 sources of inspiration that I personally use over and over again.

• • •

The Basics:
What is inspiration?
(Noun) The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. [Oxford American Dictionary]
Ponder this question, what does inspiration mean to you?
Need some help: check out this great online resource – Creative Something: Inspiring your Creativity. One Idea at a Time.

I define inspiration in terms of the energy I get from a source. Is it positive or negative? Is it creative energy? Is it motivating… and so on? That is how I start. What do I gravitate towards (rather than away)? What do I enjoy and feel almost guilty for doing? It’s in these sources that I typically feel less cognitive strain and more creative thinking. It feels good. It feels fun. It doesn’t feel like work!

• • •

While, sitting, waiting, and wishing…

1)    Music. Quick Burst of Inspiration.
Create short playlists (about 5 songs) that you can listen to for a quick burst of inspiration. You may want to create different types of playlists for different types of inspiration. Do you need a song that makes you feel like writing, like working out, like focusing… and so on. Create a playlist that lasts approximately 15 minutes that you have ready to listen to whenever needed.

I am loving Susannah Conway’s playlists on her blog, Ink on my Fingers.

2)    Quotes. Words that Define your Mood.

Quotes are a fantastic source of inspiration; in particular, quotes that you refer to over and over again – the ones that are memorized and repeated multiple times a day. I usually find quotes organically while reading a book or an article. They jump out at me. I usually relate with the feeling that the quote describes or feel inspired by the words themselves.   And then they stick. If you tend to love quotes, but don’t have a way of keeping track of them see below for a few ideas.

• Write quotes in a little journal or notebook — designate an entire notebook to quotes or just a few pages of your daily planning notebook. It doesn’t need to be super organized — just nice to have them in one spot to locate later.
• Put quotes up on an inspiration board. I put up my most frequently used quotes.
• Store quotes in text documents according to different categories (e.g., books, moods, or any other categorization method).
• Store quotes in an old-fashioned Rolodex. I recently started to do this and love the flexibility of having this paper method. I jot down new quotes on a little piece of paper and add them into my file. The Rolodex I use is super cute, which makes it more approachable (rather than a paper system that I will quickly abandon).

3)    Photos. Images that tell a Breathtaking Story.

… “Posy” by Susannah Conway (2008) …

Photography is a beautiful source of inspiration – looking at photos and/or taking your own photos. I find wonderful photographs through flickr and etsy. My favorite photographs are by Susannah Conway. Susannah writes, “Each of my photographs is my attempt to unravel the world around me, to see the beauty in all things.”   Other incredible photographers with online portfolios to browse: Alicia Bock, Jennifer Causey, Yvette Inufio, Honeytree, and of course, Danielle Anthony!

You can look at photos online and/or order prints from individual photographers to create your own inspiring collection.

4)    Journaling. Otherwise known as Writing Therapy.
I recently started keeping a personal journal. I didn’t realize the therapeutic benefits of journaling until I started my own. I typically journal before I go to sleep about whatever is on my mind at the time. Some of my best ideas are jotted down in that journal. It’s where I keep those random ideas for “someday.” Little diagrams of how I see an idea evolving or the steps needed to make an idea concrete. I stick magazine clippings into it as well – so it’s a whole big journal of personal thoughts and ideas that have sparked creative energy within me.

5)    An Inspiration Board. Make me Happy!

… image of my first inspiration board, Make Me Happy! …

This inspiration board is on the wall above my desk. It was my *first* inspiration board. It sat for about a month with a single post-it note in the center that says: Make Me Happy! I wanted a board that “made me happy.” And so that is how I started — my first creative venture. I’m starting my third inspiration board now on a different theme: A Beautiful Ripple Effect! I’m having a ton of fun brainstorming ideas for it and creating different projects. It’s a blank canvas and a wonderful source of inspiration. I also create mini inspiration boards for my mini personal organizer — love the idea of a portable inspiration board! It contains quotes, images, thoughts, and goals.

6)   Books. A Treasury of Inspiring Words.

I have a collection of about 15 books that I keep in my office all together. I have read these books multiple times and refer to them over and over again for inspiration. I have them close by and can always find exactly what I need in one of them. Some of the books include: I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn’t) by Brene Brown, Ordinary Sparkling Moments by Christine Mason Miller, The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker by Aby Garvey, The Power of Less by Leo Babauta, Domino: The Book of Decorating, Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds, Mindfulness by Ellen Langer and other inspiring reads.

7)  Blogs by Inspiring Bloggers/Writers. Simple Bites of Inspiration.

I may be biased, but I find blogs to be a great source of inspiration. In particular, I love blogs with a personal touch — typos, humor, less than perfect grammar, real world examples, and so on. Sometimes I need a blog with very few words (eye candy blogs), but most of the time I’m looking for inspiring articles to give me that creative edge. Reading a blog article is much more than just reading — you are given the key to a community of other readers interested in the same material. Within the comments, you can often find even more inspiration and community chit chat.

Some of my favorite blogs include: When I Grow Up, UpUp Creative, Decor8, Real Simple: Simply Stated, Treasuring, Made by Girl, Creative Thursday, Christine Mason Miller, Makeunder My Life, Annechovie, Creative Organizing, Melissa Loves, Ink on my Fingers, Ordinary Courage, Think Simple Now, Write to Done, and Zen Habits.

8)    Anything Family. And that includes Ben and Lila Rose!

Just thinking about my family and how much we love each other leaves me feeling incredibly happy, creative (and inspired)! I’m also inspired by how much each member of my family has done — from the little stuff to the really really big stuff. I’m proud of my mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother. We are all so different yet so driven to reach our dreams. Whenever I feel like something is too big for me to do, I think about what my parents did on their own. I know their story — and I know that at the end of the day being parents was their top priority. They taught me that you can do it all. It’s hard, but it’s possible. I could ramble on and on about them — that’s what it feels like (for me) to be inspired.

9)    A Beautiful Ripple Effect. Inspiration grows stronger as it is linked from one individual to another.

How can I describe this source of inspiration without the quote by Christine Mason Miller — not possible! I think I share this quote about every other post or so — have you memorized it yet?

10)  Care. Commit. Change.® Inspired by others who care about a cause and commit to creating change.

Which artists are committed to creating change? Who inspires me? Well, I created an event just to answer this question! And it began TODAY!!! So exciting!! We already have 700 applicants for our scholarship program this year – which is the largest applicant pool we’ve had ever – and probably the largest applicant pool for college scholarships for young adult cancer survivors (anywhere) so we are hoping that this online auction will help us support these individuals in their quest to go to college.

Why support young adult cancer survivors when everyone is feeling the strain of the economy? Take that strain being felt by everyone and multiply it by at least 10. And that is what is felt by young adult cancer survivors, many are hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt. College is not a possibility — ever. We are changing that through our college scholarship program and by providing *hope* that people (like you and me) believe in them. Should the cost of surviving cancer be the loss of a college education? Absolutely not. Help me — Help them. The auction will end on Friday April 24th. 100% of every dollar donated (every dollar used to purchase an item in this auction) will go directly towards a college scholarship for a young adult cancer survivor. [Update: Auction is complete. Thank you!]

Related posts:

1. Are You Pinterested?
2. Monday Inspiration
3. Pen & Paper: 13 Books for Journaling Inspiration