Lifestyle

5 Keys to Balancing your Professional and Personal Life

Balance is the key to your success!

How do you establish balance in your professional & personal life?

The easiest way is to create a Life Design Plan.  Your Life Design Plan (LDP) is much more than a business plan; it includes all areas of your life: work, family, fun, friends and community.

True success is finding balance in all areas of your life.  Those who are successful in finding and maintaining balance in their lives will tell you that they have a plan that is based on what they want.  Every step taken to achieve their goals is tied to that vision.

The best way to create your LDP is to begin by asking yourself a series of powerful questions, then design your plan around your answers.  Here are a couple questions to get you started:

1. What is my life’s purpose?
2. What are the most important values in my life?
3. What do I most want to accomplish in my life?
4. Why do I want to accomplish this?
5. How will I feel when I have achieved this?

You answers will help you stay focused on “why” your vision is important, and by staying focused on your “why”, your work will be easier.  If you design your business to help you live a purpose bigger than yourself, both you and your business will continue to grow.  Without the “why or purpose” you run the risk of losing momentum and interest in what you’re doing.

Here are the five keys to remember when developing your Life Design Plan to achieve balance in your life:

1. Design a vision based on what you most desire in your life (Professionally & Personally)
2. Know why your vision is important to you.  The “why” must be your PURPOSE and it must excite you
3. Develop an Action Plan based on the answers to the above questions
4. Create a “Vision Board” that you look at first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed
5. Get in the habit of asking yourself, “Is what I am about to do going to move me powerfully towards my vision?”  If the answer is “NO”, don’t do it.

If you follow these 5 steps, you will forge a new “more powerful” way of thinking for yourself and your business.  Successful people think & act differently than most, which is how they stay the course every single day.

For more information on how to build your LDP, please call me at 619-459-2391.  I will be happy to show you how to apply these 5 keys to your everyday life.

upcycled gifts for Valentines Day

What better way to show someone you care than by giving them a gift that reduces waste? All these products are “upcycled“, the process by which otherwise disposable material is transformed into something new and fabulous!

Check out this great blog post on cool “last minute” gift ideas for your special Valentine.
http://www.groworganicmeals.com/upcycled-gifts-last-minute-valentines-day-shopping/#content

Bernese Mountain Dogs are the Best

Molly is the greatest Bernese Mountain Dog in the world!  I wish all people were more like dogs. 

I couldn’t ask for a better friend in the world.  My favorite thing is how she always wants to be with me; she doesn’t care what kind of mood I am in or how good/bad my day was…she just wants to lay on my foot or lean against my leg. 

She is the best alarm clock in the world, she wakes me every morning between 6:15 – 6:45am by thumping her tail and resting her head on me.  Unconditional Love is the Best!

You are a Failure

I found the below acronym in a great book, “Winning Every Day” from the great Notre Dame Football Coach, Lou Holtz.

F     -Frustation (You don’t have any answers)
A     -Aggression (Misdirected)
I      -Insecurity (You can’t cut it anymore)
L     -Leadership (You abandon it)
U    -Undisciplined (You stop practicing fundamentals)
R    -Resentment (You assume the victim’s role)
E    -Excuses (It’s everyone’s fault but your own)

“Remember, the person who doesn’t fail is the person who doesn’t attempt anything.  Understand that failure is inevitable; see it as part of your learning process.”

Choose Hope NOT Fear

The Presidential Inauguration of Barrack Obama marks a day in History; a moment in time for each of us to become the change we wish to see in our world.

Today is a new beginning for all who choose to accept it; a new beginning for our spirit and soul.. Watching the Inauguration speech was inspirational and electrifying for millions; no doubt leaving each of us motivated to take action like never before.  I have seen countless interviews on the televison today with young people saying that they now believe they can be anything they want…feeling like they now have a reason to do more with their lives.

Without a watchful eye, our lives can spin out of control in the blink of an eye.  Maybe this is exactly what happened to our economy, our personal finances, our relationships and our businesses….did we just take our eyes off everything that is important to us?  What the hell were we looking at?

What I have taken away from today’s events:  Be a Leader in your family, Be a Leader amongst your friends, Be a Leader in your personal life, Be a Leader in your company, Be a Leader in your sphere of influence, Be a Leader in your business life….. Be a Leader!

Undercover Exposé

The undercover investigations of rabbit fur farms in China and France—two countries from which Armani buys rabbit fur—revealed pitiful living conditions for rabbits, who are confined to tiny wire cages before they are slaughtered.

**WARNING – this video is one of the saddest things I have ever seen

Find out more about Armani on peta.org.

Click here to read full story.  Do you really need to have clothes made with animal fur?

Does Practice really make perfect?

I have heard people say “Practice makes perfect” my entire life but I never really gave much thought to this over the years until recently.  A few years ago I was ask to consider the philosophy that “striving for perfection is the surest way to fail” since there is really no such “perfection”.

Professionals use the word in a slightly different way: Attorney’s have a Law Practice, DR’s Practice medicne.

Most of us go to work daily with little more intention of getting through the day or completing a project.  While watching an interview with the actor, Will Smith, the other day he said that he doesn’t want to do anything in his life that doesn’t have a purpose.  This caused me to think about how I am living my life on a day-to-day basis and I have come to the conclusion that everyday should be a “practice” to live our life’s purpose.

To practice …. what a great gift this really is if you consider the following:

• Daily practice will prepare you for the real opportunity (a game, a negotiation, a presentation, a investment, a wedding, the olympics, etc…)
• You’re expected to make mistakes and to mess up while practicing (not do or die like the real opportunity might be)
• It’s a time to learn more so than to perform with excellence

Live with purpose, Practice daily………  STOP wasting time, STOP living in idle mode and STOP reacting!  Life is short, do all that you can to be your best each and every day and consider what you can do to contribute to your community.

“If you have the ability to achieve great wealth & resources, you then have the responsibility to do so!”

Think Green, Paperless Real Estate

Can you imagine conducting your day-to-day business without paper?  Can you imagine a world without paper?  Thanks to companies like www.gopaperless.com we are closer than ever to making this a reality.  I was introduced to this company yesterday and would like to encourage you to consider the many benefits of taking your business paperless.

Read some startling statistics here.

The Real American Dream

My whole life I have heard people refer to “The American Dream” as owning a home; well that is until the real estate market came tumbling down in 2007.  I am a bit of a skeptic anyway, but this “American Dream” has always concerned me; after all, is this really the ultimate accomplishment in our dreams?  A country that has landed on the moon, invented electricity, sailed the unknown seas, built skyscrapers, developed the many travel industries that we use today, and so much more……”Owning A Home” is “The American Dream”.

I don’t know about you, but this is a very small accomplishment to label as “The American Dream”.  The current real estate market has hopefully encouraged us to dream a little bigger, to realize that life has more to offer than a house.

I believe what people really want is “Financial Freedom”.  Freedom from their monthly expenses, Freedom to do what they want and to go where they want when they want and the Freedom to travel the world.  We want the Freedom to dare to spend our days doing something we love rather than doing something we tolerate to make a living.

Dare to step outside your comfort zone; make each day the best you can.

Life got you down?

I just found this video on youtube and have to share it with you.  It is simply amazing and incredibly inspirational; please forward it to anyone who may be struggling.

If you think there’s no hope, if you have obstacles stressing you out, if you’re thinking about giving up, then you absolutely, positively MUST watch this short video.

Got Organic?

My wife, Kari, and I recently made the commitment to make big changes to the way we live.  The most exciting change for me is the decision to reduce our dependency on the Corporate World by starting our personal “organic garden”.  

We have spent the past 2-3 weeks researching what it truly means to grow organic foods and the best methods of gardening in San Diego.  One of the best resources we’ve found is www.cityfarmersnursery.com where the owner, Bill, teaches a gardening class on Saturday morning.  When you consider the wealth of information Bill has, it is his genuine desire to share his knowledge and willingness to help others achieve their gardening goals.  The added value is the wonderful people who attend the class; most are like-minded and more than willing to help others.

Kari and I have created a blog to journal the details of our journey and to share our mission: ”to reduce our grocery consumption by 50% or more in 2009″.  Check it out at www.groworganicmeals.com

Another way we are making big changes is to decrease our carbon footprint.  To be honest, until we committed to make these changes I had no idea of what a carbon footprint was or meant.  A great site to learn more about your footprint and tips on how to reduce yours can be found at http://www.edenbee.com.

Read the Every Day Guide To Organic Living!

FREE Money Making Blog

I am back….

Cleansed and ready to make the necessary changes to live my life the way I have always dreamt it would be.  I am done sitting on the sidelines.  I am done being a prisoner to my own skeptisim.  I am done living in a world of limiting beliefs. 

In sharing this with the world and all that I have spoken with personally the past 2 weeks some very real (but unexpected) opportunities have presented themselves.  One of which is below: “Free Money Making Blog”.  Now you have to understand that I have seen a thousand of these gimmicks; hell I have even read their sites and read the endless email they send out…..but I never clicked “order”.  I was convinced they were all scams, just selling me some BS that would be a waste of my time and money.  Maybe you are like me and have done the same thing.

The turning point was when I spoke with a very dear friend here in San Diego and learned that he had been doing earning big money with online businesses I became a little more confident about it.  This week I have learned that another good friend of mine uses free blogs to generate tons of organic traffic & paychecks from his blog.  It seems that these offers can be true.

Most systems work, it is up to us to actually work the system.  See below link to explore your possibilities.  I will tell you this, for less than $40 and a money back guarantee I finally ordered the product.  I was consumed by the material and finished reading in in one sitting.  Now I am hard at work implementing all the cool tricks I just learned.  I wish you success!  I will post updates on my progress.

120 Day Challenge

What is the challenge?    The challenge is to earn $100,000 “cash” in only 120 days.

This is NOT………. A Pyramid, MLM or any other bullshit scheme! 

This is quite simply an opportunity.  An opportunity to prove to yourself that you have what it takes to be successful, to live the lifestyle you dream about.  An opportunity to work with a small intimate group of like-minded individuals pursuing similar life goals. 

We are now forming the interest list so if you want to learn how you can make $100K in 120 days, please contact me directly at 619.459.2391 and I will make sure you are added to the list.

Give more than you take….

Standards are those little things that most of us never really determine or practice but they always make a world of difference. 

One such standard that I have now (finally) written down and committed to practicing daily is the simple act of giving more than I take from others.   I am committed to building my personal & work relationships on this standard and will accept nothing less from myself. 

Take Control

what are your strengths?  what do you enjoy doing least?  why do you not have the things you say you want most: i.e. luxury lifestyle, luxury items, travel, a family, financial freedom, etc….?  you can easily have any or all of these things in your daily life if you did one simple thing.

jot down everything you do each day for 1 week and track the time involved.  it is very important that you also jot down the emotion that best describes how you are feeling.

example:     8am – woke up “happy” / 8:15 – shower ”inspired” / 8:45 – breakfast “healthy” / 9 -email “productive” / 9:30 -follow up calls “procrastinating” / 10 -prospecting calls “fearful” and so on…

at the end of the week evaluate what you did during the week and how you were feeling for each task.  stop doing anything that did not give you feelings of: fulfillment, accomplishment, joy, strength, etc…. these are the only things you should spend your time on.

to practice what I preach, I have decided to post an honest evaluation of a given week in my world.  stay tuned!

Your Future Depends On It!

Do you live every day to your fullest potential?  If not, why not?  Chances are you are being controlled by your own limiting beliefs.  Humans are creatures of habit and most of us have many years of patterns that have been shaped by limiting beliefs. 

Stop waiting for the future to happen, Start living today!  One of my favorite quotes is: “The Best Way To Predict The Future Is To Create It”

Take action today!  Read this great article………………How do you create your own future?

Date with Destiny – Anthony Robbins

Are you living up to your full potential? 
Do you dream of taking your life to the next level?

One of the great things about having a blog is being able to share with you the things that have truly impacted my life. 

I am a huge advocate for learning – for seeking out how to do things better, for working smarter not harder.  I believe there are people that you are meant to meet and to be inspired by.

Anthony Robbins Date with Destiny, “The Ultimate Journey for those who Demand the Most out of Life.” 

Here you learn the tools and strategies to discover your destiny and create an extraordinary life – a life on your terms. 

Define your Vision – define your ultimate purpose and accelerate the pace of your success.
Take control of your emotions – what drives every decision you make – how to control underlying emotions
Rejuvenate your relationships – learn proven tools for communicating and for resolving conflict
Chart your Course for Greatness – you will design the life of your dreams by identifying the obstacletles that have kept you from achieving it.

My wife and I attended this course late last year and it was an incredible experience.  One of the things that stood out most in my mind was the fact that “we are all the same”.  There were over 3500 people in attendance, during the course of the week we were put into small groups to complete a variety of excercises, during this time I met people from many different countries and many different income levels…..we all seem to have the exact same problems and fears.  This alone has done wonders for my networking skills; I am now comfortable in areas where before I was intimidated and fearful.

Imagine being able to live your life every day with a new clarity – where you are in total control of your chosen path.

Date with Destiny 

The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice. George Eliot.

We make choices in our lives every day – we choose whether to get up to our alarm clocks in the morning, we choose whether to work hard or goof off at work, we choose to make family a priority or to work 80 hours a week. We may not like the choices offered – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t choices to be made.

Robert Fritz said, “If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.” Our lives are contingent on the decisions we make each and every day. That, in and of itself, is Power. It can raise us to new heights or bury us into hopeless levels of despair. It is when we acknowledge that we have the power to make those choices that life becomes easier – peaceful.

Another Great Book!

For those of you that read the 4 Hour Work Week, I am sure you will also appreciate reading this one:  www.simpleology.com.  This is a must read.  Enjoy

Lifestyle

Are you living the lifestyle you dream about?  Most of us are not!  Recently I realized that I have been watching my life pass.  When this really hit me, I felt alive, I felt a sense of urgency to take action.  Compelled to take action, I immediately began writing down everything that was floating around in my mind: defining the lifestyle that I want to live, listing specific items I want to enjoy, scheduling trips to destinations I want to travel, etc…  I then called friends, co-workers and mentors to schedule time to speak with them in person so that I could share my vision and listen to their thoughts/feedback.  What I learned after the first conversation: I must be the creator of my world!

Wow, this is a bit overwhelming at first.  So much power, So much independence, So many questions, ideas & thoughts…..but really only one purpose: to enjoy helping myself and others with love, abundance and gratitude! 

Do you control your day?  Or do the days control you?

I choose to live a lifestyle of luxury and financial freedom…free from time constraints.  I choose to travel the world, spend time with my family and my dog   I choose to make my company, www.dreamdesignrealty.com, the real estate company of choice for real estate professionals in San Diego.  I choose to be a leader in my community and to spend time helping others create their world

My Dog

I love my Bernese Mountain Dog, Molly.  Just ask those who know me, I am sure they will tell you that I can not stop talking about her.  So I decided to post a picture of her so that everyone could see what she looks like.  The past 8 months have been an incredible experience, a quick glance at her melts any stress that I may be feeling in an instance.  There are days where I look at her and think about moving to the country to raise Berners.  When I see other Berners in the park or walking down the street I often run to catch up with them to meet their dog.

My good friends are shocked by my behavior because they all have dogs and before getting Molly, I used to go nuts about the dog hair everywhere…now I am constantly surrounded by dog hair.  So much dog hair that I can not even tell you, she sheds a small dog every couple hours