Once again I'll let the photo do most of the talking here.  I will say that there is a lot happening on my vision board.  There is personal, professional and family displayed here, but like most of my life it is all integrated so I have an integrated board.  

I do have a separate notebook that is dedicated to my island retreat center and I had a friend who created a vision board solely for her home search.  Do consider those options as well.

I'd love to see your vision boards, so feel free to share by posting in the comments below.
​-E

Go figure, when I was little I made up my own superhero!  I guess I never really have ever played by the rules!  

Some of the things that come naturally to me seem to be super natural to others.  This is what makes the world go round, isn't it?  I have gifts that might help other people uncover their gifts which may provide light and enjoyment for others.

I never really thought of my ability to connect with others as a super power, or something I was naturally gifted at, until a friend of mine mentioned it to me.  I enjoy meeting people and learning about their lives and the stories of how they came to be where they are at.  It's a natural curiosity for me and because of that, people have a tendency to feel comfortable sharing with me.

As I began to understand this capability I understood that although Gotham City does not depend on me, I could make a difference for a few of its citizens by using my ability combined with my studies to assist others in their journeys.  

So maybe the term super power is too much - or maybe it is really not enough, but all in all, it's way more fun to put on a cape while you work, so what's the harm?

What are some of your super powers?  Care to share in the comments below?  Maybe your super power could help someone in this community, so go ahead, shine that signal light up in the sky and see if there is someone in need of your special talent.

I love to read and I am constantly devouring books from my mentors and those I respect in the personal development field.  It has taken me many years though to develop the success habit of reading each day.  

I do believe that feeding my mind new information is one of the best things I can do for my growth and development so I've made this habit a priority.  I have begun to treat this activity as equal to working out - they are both exercising my body, just different parts.

Here are a few of my recommended general success resources:

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield.  This book is a great introduction to building success habits starting out with some basic principles upon which he builds throughout the book.  This is a foundational guide to a success mindset.

The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People by Steven Covey and his sequel, The Eighth Habit are both well respected books in this field.  Steven is practically the father of time management and I find myself referencing these books on a regular basis, they are a staple for successful people.

The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishan Lakhiani is not your standard personal development book which is probably why I like it.  Vishan is a big believer in personal responsibility and challenges his readers to question their patterns and create positive, intentional habits.

How To Live A Good Life by Jonathan Fields has an interesting take on how to develop practices to insure that one area of your life doesn't take all your energy and efforts.  This book takes the reader through a daily routine to help keep aware of daily needs.

The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy is a book that has been on my list for years and now is finally on my iPad and is my current read.  This book is about small incremental changes and how they add up over time.  Even a one degree shift over time makes a huge difference and Darren writes about where to make those shifts.

Those are a few of my success resource recommendations.  If there are other topics you are interested in, feel free to email me at Elizabeth@ThriveThisDay.com for my recommendations.

I'd be happy to see some of your favorites in the comments below, please feel free to share.
​-E

There are so many people I am inspired by that I turn to on various occasions depending on where I am at during any particular point in my life.
 
There are a few podcasts that I think are great options both for motivation and to get to learn about people
 
Jonathan Fields has a podcast called Good Life Project and I am always impressed by his ability to interview people where I feel like I am in a friend's living room listening to a couple of friends chatting.  His guests are always inspiring and the interviews are often introducing me to fascinating people, some of whom I’ve not yet known others I'm given a deeper understanding of their lives and challenges.
 
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho is a book that I was introduced to by my children when they were in high school.  I have since read this book many times over and it was one of the books that accompanies me as I travel across the world because of its timeless message of faith in the journey.
 
I am a huge fan of Richard Branson and I have read each of his biographies, Losing My Virginity and Like A Virgin.  I am looking forward to picking up a copy of his newest book Finding My Virginity because he always helps me realize that no dream is too big and he exemplifies the type of CEO I aspire to be in my company as it grows.
 
I mentioned earlier on day two of this journey that Vishan Lakhiani was an inspiration to me.  I am a member of a group he offers called the “Mindvalley Tribe” and I have read his book The Code of The Extraordinary Mind and it is high among my recommended reading list for inspiration.
  
These are a few of the books, podcasts and series I recommend and regularly enjoy.  I also regularly get TED Talks delivered to my inbox and currently I am receiving the “31 Days of Ideas” series that they are delivering this month.

Now that I've shared a few of my inspirational resources - how about you?  I'd love for you to share what your favorite reads, listens and sources are for inspiration.

 ​Have you ever thought about something you wanted and then talked yourself out of it?  Have you ever had a dream and found that little voice saying, “ah, but that’s crazy, that could never happen”?
 
If you are like most of us, these situations happen a whole lot more than you might realize.  Most times people just don’t even notice they’re doing it because it happens so automatically.
 
For today’s activity I would like you to consider some of those stories that little voice in your head might be telling you that hold you back.
 
For example, most of you know I want to own and develop an island retreat center.  Now just think about that for a minute – the first time I came up with this idea I got all sorts of internal feedback from my inner voices telling me it was a crazy idea, it would cost tons of money, who did I think I was, Richard Branson?
 
Your ideas or goals that float through your head may not be similar, however I’ve worked with enough people to know we all have inner chatter that speaks to us in our heads. 
 
Today’s activity is to write down two or three of those stories you tell yourself and play a little game of true false with them.  Using my inner chatter about the island, one of the thoughts I had or stories I bought into initially is that buying an island would cost a ton of money.  Well, when I finally sat down and went to look at the cost of owning an island in a tropical destination I was pleasantly surprised to see some properties sprinkled among the multi-million dollar properties that were less than the cost of a single family home in many parts of the US.
 
This got me to questioning many of the other thoughts in my head that would just come to me that I might just be accepting as truth and allowing them to hold me back from my dreams…
 
I encourage you today and over the weekend to take some time to really listen to the chatter in your head.  You know the little voice that thinks it knows it all and play a little True or False with the stories it tells you.  I am going to be that you will find a few of them won’t hold up when looked at.
 
In your journal write out a few of the stories you tell yourself, they could be big or small, then ask yourself a few questions:
               Do I really believe this about myself or my situation?
            Can I do research that either proves or denies this story?  You know – play a little true or false with this voice.
            What might be possible if I just didn’t believe this and moved forward anyway?
 
It may take a little time for you to recognize this voice or the stories you may be telling yourself so take the weekend to complete this if you need it.  I know this exercise was an eye-opener for me and it is amazing when as a life coach I present this exercise what comes up for people and what we can clear away by first acknowledging the voice is present and it’s not always right!
 
So take some time with that little voice in your head and write down what it says, then play a little game of true or false with it and get ready for a fresh new start.
 
We’re now completed with week one of Count Up To  2018 and there is plenty more to come so if you know of someone you think would find this series helpful, please share this email and suggest they sign up.
 
I’ll see you again on Monday when we start off the week with inspirational people!

I have this process I go through each morning when I open my email accounts.  

• Quickly scan for important or urgent emails
• Delete emails that I am not interested in by just reading the title
• Open the emails I know are quick reads
• Go through the rest of my emails to read and respond

This is a process each morning that takes me a good ten minutes before I get to the reading and responding part.

It occurred to me one day that I was systematically deleting some of the same emails each morning, but I guess FOMO (fear of missing out) was preventing me from unsubscribing altogether.  

I rationalized how little time it takes to delete an unwanted email.  However, once I began to look at how often I did that and how many of those types of emails I had coming in each day, I understood that this was a complete waste of time for the hope that one day the email would be relevant.

Somehow I get subscribed to lists all the time.  I might have ordered an item or given my name to a cashier at a check out, not sure, but there are new recurring emails that arrive all the time and I now have a better process.

Each Monday I set aside my usual ten minutes or so and review my inbox.  Instead of systematically deleting the irrelevant emails, I open them and unsubscribe.  I do this each week and usually delete about ten accounts each week.  

This exercise may not give you back a ton of time, but it certainly is one activity that will pay for itself from your initial investment each week.  I encourage you to take a deep dive into your inbox and see if there is some clutter you might clean out as well.

-E
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Of course, I hope you keep my newsletter subscription and if you're not receiving it...please see what you think by subscribing here you can always unsubscribe at any time!  :)

Today's activity is centered around forgiveness.   

As a life coach I often see the effects of holding onto grudges and because I can look at things from the outside, I notice how this one act can often hold people from moving forward.  One of the most rewarding activities I do with people is to help them work through their feelings of disappointment or anger relating to a past event.

Moving forward from past events does not release anyone of a wrongdoing and it does still allow for anything learned from the experience to remain.  Letting go of the past allows the holder to release its grip of the event to allow for an open hand to receive something new and better in its place.

What I find is that holding onto anger or resentment is actually an awful lot of work.  It takes time and energy to keep the story of the event playing in one's mind to remember the pain caused and revisit it.  

This would be fine if it served a greater purpose, but holding onto the event doesn't prevent it or something similar from happening again.  The replaying of the story is a weight that you can choose to shed to allow space for more positive events to be noticed and appreciated.

I encourage you to take time to examine what holding this pain brings you and what benefits releasing it can bring you.  Once you have seen what is open for you when you let go of a past event,  you may decide to revisit this practice throughout the year.

As we prepare for a fresh new year, I find this an excellent way to arrive lighter and ready for all the great events to come.

I wish you an amazing year ahead and I look forward to the space you can create with this exercise to fill with positive feelings and emotions in the days ahead.

-E

P.S. If you are finding difficulty with this exercise, I recently came across a great article on this very topic and attach it here for your reference.

Day 3 of Count Up to 2018 is a practice that is near and dear to my heart.  As my daughter pointed out to me, I have been sending handwritten notes for as long as she can remember!  

This practice was something taught to me as a young child as a required exercise after receiving a gift.  I didn't understand the great impact of this acknowledgement to much  later in life and once understood, continued teaching the practice to my children as well.

There are so many ways to practice gratitude, but this simple act of putting pen to paper and sending a note off in the mail is one of my favorites.  There are many reasons these are powerful:

• they stand out since they are not email and are handwritten
• they signify time spent handwriting thoughts of gratitude
• the power of the written word is powerful 
• they can be kept and re-read or posted in a prominent location

I'm sure there are even more benefits however those are just a few.

I have a practice of each month sending out ten notes of gratitude.  I send them to famous people and those in my daily life to let them know they are appreciated in my life.  This is a simple gesture that helps me remember how lucky I am to have these wonderful people in my life.

I generally get as much out of this exercise as those who receive these notes.  I have even received responses back from some of the more famous people I've contacted, so don't hesitate  to reach out to them as well.  It's clear to me every one likes to know they have made an impact on someone's life.

Today I live in a country that does not have a traditional mail system, so I find this practice more challenging to maintain, however I have found creative solutions to keep it alive. I continue to share my gratitude in many ways, but the notes of gratitude will continue to have a place in my practice.

I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.  What does receiving a personal note in the mail mean to you?  Is the written note something you will add to your gratitude practice?

Today's activity is to think about those people who inspire you and what about them makes them inspirational to you.  I do this exercise several times throughout the year because it serves as a compass to the life I'm desiring to create.  When I see what I admire in someone else or in their lives it provides an example for me to watch and learn from to help me develop some goals to attain what I see in their lives.

3-5 People who inspire me & why:

Richard Branson - Richard tops my list every time. I admire and aspire to be the type of business person he is.  Richard doesn't seek balance between work and personal life - he integrates both and by doing so lives the lifestyle that I feel is true abundance and a great example for me both to know it is possible and to examine how he accomplishes it.  
I also admire Richard for the way in which he runs his businesses, and treats the people who work with and for him.  He is generous, gracious and open to new ideas all while maintaining a strong sense of leadership and responsibility for all outcomes of business decisions.
 
Oprah Winfrey - Oprah serves as an example of what is possible with determination and belief.  She has not let anything stop her from setting amazing goals and reaching them.  I admire how Oprah has built her empire on her connection with people and her authentic caring.
The businesses Oprah has built are meaningful and provide service to others all while allowing her to surround herself with those she loves and admires.

Barack & Michelle Obama -Political opinions aside, I admire each of these individuals for so many reasons.  I think they have mastered grace under pressure and appear not to hold any bad feelings against those who have mistreated them or in any way been unkind.  
I also admire their community driven spirit while still creating an abundant financial life for themselves and their family.  The more people do well while "doing good" it proves to me that it is possible to have a for profit, for purpose business model to remain true to my desires without compromising a successful business.

Mark Cuban -Mark is a hardcore business man, however he has a very strong moral compass.  I am always grateful to see examples of such successful people with strong values which are paramount to how they do business.  
Mark is very concerned about everyone that works for him and is quick to include changes to his business that will benefit the employees; he is loyal to them and therefore merits their loyalty as well.  
He also is a rags to riches example as many of my mentors are.  I am grateful for their success as it shows me what is possible.

Vishan Lakhiani - This is a name many may not recognize, however he has become a strong voice in my life over the past two years as the Founder & CEO of Mindvalley.  One of the things I admire tremendously about Vishan is his ability to take a setback and create possibility from it.
I additionally admire his ability to collaborate with so many brilliant minds.  Vishan has helped me create of vision of a version of the island retreat center I wish to create.  I have watched him develop his community over the years and there is so much for me to learn from what he has created.

This list could go on and on, which is why I do it often throughout the year.  The act of taking time to really assess why someone is an inspiration helps identify the individual traits and provides clues and inspiration.  
I hope you've enjoyed this exercise and look forward to any of your comments on my list, or if you wish to share your list with the community here.
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